Part I Part II Part III Part IV Part V Part VI

Who was Spymaster?

Pretty moot, since he's not only dead but has been replaced by an almost indistinguishable new version. This honestly hasn't been too visible an issue since Vol. I #225.

What's the deal with Mr. Kline, and why does he keep trying to kill Tony? What happens to Kline after #45?

For those of you who think 90s crossovers were bad, look back with me to 1971 and see what may still be the most inept crossover of all. Running through Vol. I #41-45, Daredevil Vol. I #78-84, and a stray issue of Sub-Mariner, the Mr. Kline story was a lengthy and confusing mess. Daredevil issues revealed that Kline was an android from an especially nasty alternate future and was trying to prevent its own world from coming about. But the plot was summarily wrapped up in Daredevil Vol. I #84, when two characters seen only in that odd Sub-Mariner issue show up and blow Kline to bits. The story ended so abruptly because readers were abandoning the two books -- written at the time by Gerry Conway -- in droves. It's been said, in fact, that the Kline story actually did long-term damage to Daredevil and Iron Man sales in the 70s.

The Yellow Claw's servant Loc Do steals the Mandarin's rings.

And as revealed in issue #99, was mentally "overwritten" by the Mandarin and his body transformed into a younger version of the villain's. While everyone probably knows this, at the time it was a plot thread left unaddressed for over three years.

How high up did the government conspiracy to kill Tony and buy out Stark International go?

Well, #117 seemed to imply that it was a few rogue SHIELD guys, but Fury #1 indicates it was an early phase of the Deltite conspiracy.

What happened to the notebook with all the armor notes in it?

Well, if it didn't burn up in the copious flames seen in this issue, the notebook apparently didn't have much good stuff in it considering how the original Iron Monger armor turned out.

Who runs Stane International after this story?

Moot now that Stark has bought back and then lost Stane/Stark International, but Vol. I #280 revealed that it was Justin Hammer.

What effects will the rift between Cap and IM have?

Obviously the rift got worse over the course of the much later Galactic Storm stuff, which happened even after the partial reconciliation in Vol. I #236. They reconciled again in Cap Vol. I #401, but had a separate falling-out in Iron Man/Captain America '98. Basically, some of their specific conflicts have been resolved, but the underlying clash of personality and outlook flares up now and again.

Who killed and replaced Madame Masque?

Resolved in Avengers Vol. III #32 - Madame Masque was using bio-duplicates to run her operations, and in her paranoia would occasionally have one killed.

Originally, according to Dave Michelinie and others, Rae LaCoste was going to take up the Masque ID.

What motivates the Masters of Silence, and what are their natures? Who are they?

Mostly dealt with in IM Annual #14, which created a few danglers of its own. The Masters were a cabal of samurai warriors given powers through magic and technology to battle the Face Thief and his kind.

If the Mandarin didn't build it, what is Ultimo?

Resolved in Vol. III #23-25, in which we learn Ultimo was a doomsday weapon that destroyed the race that built it and many others before an encounter with the Rajaki left it dormant on Earth.

Who will be the next Crimson Dynamo now that Shalatov has been fired?

Sort of resolved in Captain America Vol. III #42. Some generic rogue guy, apparently. Another rogue Dynamo is the focus of the short-lived Epic series.

Machinesmith is apparently now a servant of Stark.

Explained in Captain America Vol. I #453 - basically, Machinesmith can animate many bodies at once, and Stark managed to capture and reprogram one of them. Now, as to where thsi particular robot body went after the Crossing...

How long was Kang in control of Iron Man for? What was the menace that prompted the plot? Who are Neut and the twins? etc.

Resolved and done away with in Avengers Forever #8 and Avengers Annual 2001. It wasn't Kang, but a ruse of Immortus', and IM wasn't mind-controlled for very long.

Originally, of course, Neut was to be the trainer for the Anachronauts, and the twins were Wanda's and the Vision's forgotten offspring. Oh, and Iron Man was Kang's pawn from almost the beginning in the original account. Net speculation about the original intent of the Crossing, as well as fan arguments over Busiek's retcon, continue to this day.

How did we get the good, adult Tony back?

Also resolved in Avengers Annual 2001. Franklin Richards, plot device extraordinaire.

Who is Vittorio Silvano, and when will he revenge himself on IM?

Vittorio turns out to be a loser Maggia goon working for Count Nefaria in IM Annual '99.

The Mandarin claims he didn't hire Hauptmann or Whiplash.

As Annual '99 reveals, it was Nefaria's doing.

Who is the new War Machine, and how did he get the armor?

Resolved in Iron Man Vol. III #18-20 - it's some guy named Parnell who used to work with Jim Rhodes as a merc. The guy lucked into the suit, finding it where Rhodes had ditched it. It's recently been given an out-of-continuity twist in U.S. War Machine.

Who hired Nitro?

Nefaria, again.

Why did the suit become sentient? The explanation here seems unwieldy and incorrect.

See Vol. III #46-48-- long story short, Jocasta's passage through the armor in Vol. III #19 left traces of Ultron's "survival code" in the suit, causing it to go intelligent and eventually become a new Ultron body.

Is it Bullski, the Gremlin, or someone else in the Titanium Man suit? And will Tony ever work out who hired TM?

Finally brought to light in Vol. III #83-- it's a new guy.