Showcase #40

THE DAY THE METAL MEN MELTED!

High over the city, Dr. Will Magnus is being carried by a helicopter: his body is grown to several times its normal size and he is irradiated. The Metal Men bid him farewell before he is rocketed into outer space to keep from killing everyone around him. Platinum refuses to let him leave without her and she clings to him, even though it has now irradiated her and doomed her to exile.  The two recount how their recent defeat of Chemo left all of the other Metal Men temporarily out of commission, so the duo took a beach vacation together. Afterward, Magnus returned to the subterranean site where the chemical monster had been trapped in natural gas jets and a lightning strike reanimates the chemical that made up the beast. The re-formed Chemo spews chemicals onto Magnus and he flees in a Rocket Disc back to Magnus Labs only to discover that he is radioactive and growing.  Lead encases his creator to keep him from harming anyone and Magnus calls Henry Casper to tell him that he is a menace and must be segregated from humanity to save it. He also finds that he is converting from a human body into some kind of metal. The two enter the rocket in order to be jettisoned into orbit and spend the rest of their lives performing scientific tests for the good of humanity.  In the lab, Gold and Mercury briefly quarrel about who should lead the team and they decide to put it to a vote. Tin comes out the surprise winner. He is initially reluctant but after encouragement from his fellow robots, he issues his first orders: to stop Chemo. Meanwhile, the United States Army is attempting just that to no avail.  They arrive and Mercury is immediately turned to steam. Iron throws sheets of Gold against the beast and they melt to coat it. Tin instructs Lead to make a strong outer casing and they fly it to the launchpad and dump the villain onto Magnus' rocket. Magnus realizes that turning the vehicle around and pointing it back toward Earth will cause immense heat to burn up Chemo entirely. The integrity of the capsule gives way and bits of cosmic matter shower Magnus and Tina, neutralizing their radioactivity. Magnus returns to Earth cured and sets about restoring the Metal Men damaged in the course of battle and trying to convince Tina not to fall in love with him.