| "The Choice and the Challenge!"
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| Editor-in-chief
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Jim Shooter
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| Cover by
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Luke McDonnell, Ian Akin,
Brian Garvey
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| Pencils by
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Luke McDonnell
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"The Choice and the Challenge!" is the 193rd issue of Marvel Comics' Iron Man. It was released in April 1985. This was the first of a handful of Marvel comics to make use of Godzilla following the conclusion of his own series in 1979. However, because Marvel no longer held the rights to his use, he is given a mutated appearance and is never addressed by name.
Plot
While logging solo hours flying one of the Avengers' Quinjets, the superheroine Tigra is swatted out of the sky by a gigantic mutant monster and crash lands on an uncharted island. Using the damaged radio, she is able to describe the situation to the West Coast Avengers before it cuts out, and she leaves the ship to search the island. Elsewhere, recovering alcoholic Tony Stark, the former Iron Man, is visited by his friend and successor Jim Rhodes, who offers Stark his suit back and asks him to inform the Avengers that he is retiring for medical reasons. Stark refuses the suit, citing it as part of the reason for his condition. Somewhere beneath the Pacific Ocean, the villainous Doctor Demonicus berates his creature, implied to be a heavily-mutated Godzilla, for not completely destroying the Quinjet. Wearing an old Iron Man suit, Stark enters the Avengers Compound in Los Angeles to deliver Rhodes' message. Not recognizing him, Hawkeye prepares to shoot Stark with an arrow while Mockingbird observes. Eventually Stark is forced to reveal his face and identity, and they receive Tigra's distress call. The Avengers invite Stark to join them in Wonder Man's absence, but he politely refuses. As they take off, the former Godzilla smashes Tigra's downed Quinjet while Stark ruminates. He concludes that if he is to regain the public's respect, which was never tarnished by his personal struggles, he has to be the hero people think he is. He then takes a Quinjet to the pre-loaded coordinates.
As Demonicus and two henchmen reach Tigra's downed aircraft, she finds a native village and attempts to find a radio before giving up and leaving. En route, Mockingbird and Hawkeye determine that Demonicus is a likely suspect for Tigra's attacker. They then notice an underwater fortress on their scanners shortly before being shot down by missiles. On reaching the village, Demonicus determines that the pilot must be hiding there, and sends his monster to destroy it. In an attempt to protect the villagers, Tigra attacks the gargantuan beast, and is swatted away before perching in a tree. Demonicus sees her, and orders the beast to kill her. Stark then rescues the Avengers as Tigra tries to lead the monster away from the village, but she is captured by it. Stark and the Avengers rescue her, with Hawkeye firing an explosive arrow into its mouth that forces it to drop her. The Avengers take down Demonicus' henchmen, but he himself escapes. Stark then saves Hawkeye by using his boot thrusters to push the creature's swatting hand away before carrying the beast out over the water. Hawkeye comes to forgive Stark and believes that he has proved his worth.
Appearances
Monsters
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Weapons, vehicles, races, and organizations
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Gallery
Covers
Cover by Luke McDonnell, Ian Akin, and Brian Garvey
External links
| Comics & Manga
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| Manga
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| Godzilla adaptations
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| Original Godzilla manga
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| Gamera manga
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| Miscellaneous manga
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