Cool Exec
Genius inventor Tony Stark continued his father Howard Stark’s weaponry business after his parents’ untimely deaths and flew it to even greater heights of innovation. While in Afghanistan to demonstrate a new missile for the U.S. military, Stark’s convoy came under fire by a terrorist group known as the Ten Rings and he was severely wounded. Taken prisoner by the group, Stark awoke in their headquarters to learn that shrapnel near his heart had nearly cost him his life, but swift action by scientist and fellow prisoner Ho Yinsen—who had inserted a powerful electromagnet in Stark’s chest—would prolong it temporarily.
Stalling his captors after they demanded he build them a new weapon, Stark replaced the magnet with the RT, a miniature version of a device originally designed by his father, the Arc Reactor. Furthermore, he and Yinsen created a crude suit of armor which could provide them the means with which to escape. The suit worked as planned, though Yinsen sacrificed himself in order to allow Tony enough time to power it up to fight their terrorist captors.
With help from his friend Lt. Colonel James Rhodes, the inventor returned home and promptly announced Stark Industries departure from the weapons business. His personal assistant Pepper Potts backed the sudden course reversal, but his father’s old friend and business partner, Obadiah Stane, strongly disagreed with what he saw as a rash decision.
Stark worked overtime in his lab to streamline the armor, and when he’d finished, a new persona emerged: Iron Man. After he discovered Stane had illegally sold Stark weapons to the Ten Rings, he donned the armor to return to Afghanistan and stop the group from using them. Later, he also learned that Stane had paid the Ten Rings to kill him and had been working behind Stark’s back to steal the entire company. The older man then forcibly took the RT from Tony’s chest and left his old friend’s son to die. But, Potts helped Stark insert his original, cobbled-together RT into his chest, and Iron Man flew again.
Stane presented himself in a gigantic suit of armor of his own, and a battle ensued until Stark and Potts overloaded Stane’s power source and Stane died in the process. Feeling more confident in himself than ever before, Stark called a press conference soon after the fight and impulsively announced to the world that he was indeed Iron Man.
Heart of Steel
At the very core of the Iron Man technology lies the Arc Reactor. Designed by Howard Stark, but augmented and strengthened by Tony Stark, the Reactor provides a clean, manageable energy source with incredible output, one that can be adapted to most anything. At first a large piece of equipment, the younger Stark miniaturized the technology into the “RT,” which was the size of a human heart, and put it to great use to power his suits of armor.
Iron Man’s armor provided a complete working environment for its user, including enhanced strength, closed air systems, data input, communications, flight, defense systems, and offensive weaponry such as missiles, lasers, and so-called “repulsor” technology. Stark never stops in his advancement of his armor designs, and at one time created multiple versions, each one of them with a specialized use. The armor has also become lighter and more flexible since the first incarnation, allowing Stark to “suit up” in mere seconds and be immediately ready for action.
Stark’s latest suit was destroyed in battle with the tyrant Thanos, but while in use sported maximum thrust for flight, new offensive weapons, and nanotechnology that allowed near instantaneous application.
Stark Raving Enemies
Many of Tony Stark’s enemies have stepped out from the shadows to reveal themselves as people connected to him in some personal way, making for even tougher challenges for Iron Man.
Obadiah Stane fools Stark and nearly everyone around him with his vocal desire to see Stark Industries, his old friend’s business, succeed and grow. That desire leads to selfish pursuits and the belief that Howard Stark’s son would serve Stane’s purposes better dead than alive. His own intellect and scientific prowess provide him with the means to build the gigantic “Iron Monger” suit, but his hubris leads to his defeat and demise.
Justin Hammer first appears on the scene as a business rival of Stark’s, and swiftly proves himself unreliable, as well as harboring criminal tendencies, like Aldrich Killian after him. They stand as two men who could have helped the world to become a better place, but instead fed their own passions and brought an ending to their respective stories through their own missteps. Ivan Vanko lusts for revenge on the Starks for what he sees as injustices heaped upon his own father, making him something of a darker version of Tony Stark.
In Loki, Thor’s adoptive brother, Stark encounters a foe who seems to wield magic instead of science, something that is at odds with the inventor’s entire make-up. To counteract this internal dilemma, Stark confronts Loki with his trademark wit and bravado.
Ultron represents Stark’s hubris in physical form—a robot created by him. Ultron almost immediately advances itself past its creator to become Stark’s nightmare: technology he can’t control. Though he and the Avengers manage to defeat Ultron, the scars from its birth still show on Stark, perhaps forever.
More recently, Thanos the tyrant from Titan dominates Stark’s list of enemies and proves to be more than a match for the man’s genius and armored strength.
Tony’s Heart
Some of Tony Stark’s closest friends, allies, and associates are people he works with.
Pepper Potts began as Stark’s personal assistant. She quickly proves her value to him by essentially making sure he survives each day as the owner of Stark Industries, therefore earning his trust to step into the role of CEO. On a personal level, the two develop deep feelings for each other that grows into a romance for the ages. Tony Stark cannot see his life as anything without Pepper Potts, and he hopes to prove it every single day they’re together, through thick and thin.
Happy Hogan is also an employee that earned his boss’ trust, first as his chauffeur and then as Stark’s head of security. Hogan can often exhibit an overzealous nature when it comes to what he sees as taking care of Stark, but he would take a bullet for the man and has. The same is true of James Rhodes, who wears a version of the Iron Man suit as War Machine/Iron Patriot and has at times been the liaison between Stark Industries and the U.S. military. He and Stark’s friendship dates back to their attendance at M.I.T., and it has grown into a partnership beyond a common background to mutual admiration, even when each sees the other at their worst.
In the Super Hero community, perhaps the closest friend Tony Stark has is Steve Rogers, Captain America. Tony and Steve have had notable ups and down—And even come to blows—and often have differing opinions on how best to serve the world community. However, the two men share a strong figure in their histories, Howard Stark, and they both possess notable devotion to tasks at hand.
Tony has also found himself serving as a mentor to Peter Parker, the teenage Super Hero known as Spider-Man. Beyond giving the young man updated tech and suits, Tony finds himself dispensing advice to Peter about how to best forge his path as a hero and feels protective towards him.