Strange Spécial Origines #181

In "Dans les griffes du Mandarin !", Iron Man is sent deep into red China on a dangerous mission to uncover secrets about the feared Mandarin, a scientist whose power terrifies even the regime he operates under. Trapped in the villain’s high-tech fortress, Iron Man must fight through deadly traps, the Mandarin’s mastery of martial arts, and the overwhelming might of his enchanted rings—all while searching for a way out.

In "La mort de Tony Stark !", Pepper and Happy grow uneasy as Tony Stark vanishes without a trace, leading them to resign from their roles. The next day, Happy investigates Stark's home and finds him in his Iron Man armor—hidden in bed, claiming everything is under control. But when the Mandarin unleashes a massive space-laser to destroy Stark's factory, the truth begins to unravel. Disguised as a bearded man in a long coat, Stark flees to China, where he faces Koto, the Mandarin’s robotic enforcer, in a battle that leaves his fate uncertain.

In "Les origines du Mandarin !", Iron Man finds himself imprisoned by the Mandarin, bound to a massive spinning wheel by titanium bonds as his enemy recounts his rise from a humble scholar to a master of ancient mysticism and technology. With the wheel's motion slowly recharging Iron Man’s armor, the hero prepares to strike back—not with brute force, but with cunning, disrupting a missile launch and turning the weapon against its source. As the Mandarin’s grand scheme unravels, he is exposed as a traitor by the very nation he sought to rule.