- "Iron Man never stopped protecting us. The events in Monaco proved that."
- ―Pepper Potts[src]
The Duel of Monaco, dubbed the Attack on Tony Stark by the media, was a confrontation between Iron Man and Whiplash in Monte Carlo.
Background
- "That should be you."
"Don't listen to that crap."
"I'm sorry. All I can give you is my knowledge." - ―Anton Vanko and Ivan Vanko[src]
Ivan Vanko mourns his father's death
Anton Vanko died in Moscow the day Tony Stark told the world he was Iron Man. That day Ivan Vanko prepared to make his own armor, including an Arc Reactor in order to kill Stark. He took a plane to Monaco six months later after getting the ticket from a Ten Rings Agent.
Stark and Pepper Potts traveled to Monte Carlo, Monaco. Knowing his death was imminent from palladium poisoning, Stark decided to race his car in the Circuit de Monaco himself.[3]
Duel
Ivan Vanko reveals himself on the racetrack
- "What I saw you do to Tony Stark on that track, how you stepped up to him in front of God and everybody. That was... Wow. You spoke to me with what you did."
- ―Justin Hammer to Ivan Vanko[src]
While racing in Circuit de Monaco in Monte Carlo, Monaco, Tony Stark's car is attacked by Ivan Vanko, using his homemade armor. After crawling out of his car and dodging many attacks from Vanko, Happy Hogan, and Pepper Potts hit Vanko with their car and pinned him against the fence. As Potts threw Stark his Mark V armor briefcase, the crowd that was once running then began to come back, noticing the now-armored superhero facing his foe as they cheered for Stark. Vanko then hit Stark with his whip and Stark grabbed it. Stark pulled himself closer to Vanko and ripped the homemade Arc Reactor from Vanko's chest plate, crushing it. As his suit lost power, Vanko was arrested and his armor was taken from him. However, he taunted Stark with a phrase 'you lose' as he was taken into custody, while the people in the stadiums applauded and clapped for Stark once more.[3]
Aftermath
Ivan Vanko is recruited by Justin Hammer
- "They're gonna take your suits, Tony, okay? They're sick of the games. You said nobody else would possess this technology for 20 years. Well, guess what? Somebody else had it yesterday. It's not theoretical anymore."
- ―James Rhodes to Tony Stark[src]
| This section requires expansion |
Tony Stark discovered that Ivan Vanko was the son of Anton Vanko, who collaborated on the first Arc Reactor with Stark's father Howard. Vanko was promptly broken out of jail by a revenge-seeking Justin Hammer, who put him to work fashioning a line of armored combat suits that he planned to use to upstage Stark at Stark Expo.[3]
