Pepper Potts

**Virginia "Pepper" Potts** is the personal assistant of Tony Stark. She would take care of his schedule and perform any task he wished. When Stark returned from captivity in Sin-Cong, Potts was trusted enough by him to see his Iron Man suits and his workshop. She helped Stark defeat Obadiah Stane, who tried to kill Stark, by overloading the Arc Reactor, killing Stane.

## Biography

### Early Career

In the early 2010's, Virginia Potts earned a BA in accounting. Afterwards, she became a model, but desired more challenge from life than empty days of posing and smiling. As a result, Potts eventually left her modeling career to pursue a corporate profession.

### Stark Industries

#### Working with Tony Stark

Potts was later hired by Stark Industries and began working as an administrative assistant in their finance department. One day, she discovered a numbers error on some projections and reported it to her supervisor but he dismissed her concerns, as did the general manager, Mr. Folan, who also fired Potts when she persisted. Undeterred, Potts made her way to the CEO's office and personally confronted Tony Stark with her findings. When security tried to remove her, she lied that she had pepper spray in her purse. Impressed with her actions, Stark offered Potts a job on the executive floor as his personal assistant, which she accepted.

In her new position, Potts kept Stark on track in spite of his chaotic lifestyle by efficiently managing her boss's business and personal affairs. Unfortunately, this included requiring her to send Stark's one-night-stands home the next morning. Overtime, Potts and Stark became trusted friends, though Stark would frequently forget when her birthday was, prompting Potts to get herself a birthday gift with his money. When Pepper started the job, she met Happy Hogan, Stark's bodyguard. The brief interaction between the two employees caused some romantic tension.

#### Kidnapping of Tony Stark

*"You must be the famous Pepper Potts.""Indeed, I am.""After all these years, Tony still has you picking up the dry cleaning.""I do anything and everything that Mr. Stark requires. Including occasionally taking out the trash. Will that be all?"*
―Christine Everhart and Pepper Potts[src]
On her birthday, Potts found that Tony Stark had forgotten again. Annoyed, she used his money to buy herself a backless formal evening dress. Once Stark woke up, he asked Potts to have his latest one-night-stand, Christine Everhart, attended to while he went to work on his cars. After J.A.R.V.I.S. stops Everhart from snooping around, Potts greeted Everhart with her clothes dry-cleaned and pressed, informing her that a car is waiting to take her wherever she needs to go. Everhart attempted to mock Potts by commenting on how Stark still had her doing laundry for him. Potts ignored the taunts and escorted Everhart out of the mansion with a smile, subtly referring to her as the trash that needs to be taken out.

Potts then prepared Stark for his imminent trip to Asia. They discussed several pieces of business before he left, with Stark wishing to take his time as he believed that his private jet should wait for him to arrive. Potts mentioned she had plans for her birthday, making it clear that she had already bought a birthday present for herself on his behalf. After engaging in some playful banter over how Potts liked her self-bought gift, Stark then finished his coffee and left for Asia to debut Stark Industries' new Jericho Missile. There, Stark was kidnapped by terrorists and Potts was worried about his safety over the next three months.

#### Tony Stark's Return

*"Your eyes are red. Few tears for your long lost boss?""Tears of joy. I hate job hunting."*
―Tony Stark and Pepper Potts[src]
When Tony Stark returned from Asia after his capture and escape, Potts, along with Happy Hogan, greeted him at the plane's landing site. She expressed her gratitude that he returned and not having left her looking for a new job by shedding slight tears. Once in the limousine, Potts insisted Stark see a doctor. However, Stark refused the idea, telling her that there are two things he wanted to do after spending three months in captivity: Getting a cheeseburger and for her to call a press conference. Potts accompanied Stark to get cheeseburgers from Burger King and then the press conference, where they were greeted by Obadiah Stane and James Rhodes.

Still clearly shaken from his experiences, Stark asked everyone in attendance to sit on the floor as he spoke about his relationship with his father Howard Stark and what he had witnessed during his time as a hostage. Stark then announced that due to what he had seen Terrorists do with his weapons, he would ensure that Stark Industries would no longer produce weapons, much to Potts and everyone in attendance's shock.

#### Helping Tony Stark

*"Don't ever, ever, ever ask me to do anything like that ever again.""I don't have anyone but you."*
―Pepper Potts and Tony Stark[src]
Watching the numerous reactions to Tony Stark's statement about changing Stark Industries's products, Potts was called by Stark to his workshop. To her shock, he needed help replacing his Arc Reactor with a better model. She helped him remove it, much to her disgust, telling him to never ask her to do that again. In a rare moment of Stark's ego is in check, he told Potts that he only has her. Asking what to do with the old reactor, Potts was told to destroy it.

Instead of destroying the reactor, Potts had it in a glass frame and engraved it with the epitaph: "Proof that Tony Stark has a heart". Potts visited Stark at his workshop to bring him a cappuccino and a bagel, leaving the framed reactor as a gift. This was enough to make Stark smile. When Potts came downstairs into Stark's warehouse a few days later, she found Stark working on a strange arm-mounted cannon. When Potts questioned why Stark was going back to making weapons, he assured her that it was not a weapon but a harmless flight stabilizer. However, when he fired the device, the shockwave proved too powerful and sent him flying back, causing Potts to scream in shock at her boss' mistake.

Potts joined Obadiah Stane in Tony Stark's Mansion to discuss the meetings Stane had been having with Stark Industries' board of directors. Stane revealed that the board had voted to push Stark out of the company, citing that he was suffering from post-traumatic stress. Stark refused to accept this and left the meeting, taking a slice of pizza with him as he went to continue his mysterious new project.

#### Dancing with the Boss

*"We just danced.""No, it was not just a dance. You don't understand because you're you. And everybody knows exactly who you are, and how you are with girls and all that... which is completely fine, but you know, then me, you're my boss and I'm dancing... Because it makes me look like the one who's trying to..."*
―Tony Stark and Pepper Potts[src]
At Stark's annual charity ball, Potts wore her "birthday present" and was asked to dance by Stark. Both felt nervous about talking about their feelings for each other and went to get some air where they nearly kissed before Potts asked for a martini. Stark left to get the drink but then exited the party after Christine Everhart provided him with pictures and information of the Ten Rings, outfitted with Stark Industries weapons, leaving Potts.

### Learning the Truth

#### Confronting Tony Stark

*"You stood by my side all these years while I reaped the benefits of destruction. And now that I'm trying to protect the people that I've put in harm's way, you're going to walk out?""You're gonna kill yourself, Tony. I'm not gonna be a part of it."*
―Tony Stark and Pepper Potts[src]
Potts went down into Tony Stark's warehouse, and discovered her boss wearing a red and gold armor, which J.A.R.V.I.S. was attempting to remove. When Potts questioned him about it, Stark shook off the question, noting that this was not the worst thing Potts had ever caught him doing. Looking at the suit more closely, Potts saw that it was covered in bullet holes. Stark went on to explain that he was building a weaponized armor to fight terrorists.

Once Tony Stark was out of the armor, Potts spoke to him about what he was doing, telling him that if he continued his war with the terrorists, he would end up being killed. When Stark insisted that it was what he had to do after decades of earning his money from creating weapons of mass destruction and he would not stop, Potts told him that she would quit. Stark continued to defend himself, claiming that he knew in his heart that what he was doing was right, Potts reluctantly accepted this and agreed to help him.

#### Investigating the Traitor

*"Sector 16? What are you up to, Obadiah?"*
―Pepper Potts[src]
Stark revealed that he believed Obadiah Stane was responsible for selling Stark Industries' weapons to the terrorists and organized his kidnapping. Potts agreed to go to Stane's office and learn more. Arriving at his office, Potts logged into the computer and began searching through the files, discovering plans for upgrading Stark's first Iron Man Suit and a video of the Terrorists discussing their deal to assassinate Tony Stark for Stane. Seeing this, Potts realized that Stark was right about Stane selling the weapons to the terrorists and that he organized his kidnapping in Asia.

Potts began to download the files from the computer but was interrupted by the arrival of Obadiah Stane, who seemed to be unsure of what he had found her doing. While Stane poured himself a drink of whiskey and spoke about his reaction to Tony Stark's return home, Potts hid the memory stick and changed the computer to screensaver. She continued to act innocently as Stane commented on how much Stark had changed since his return. Potts then made her excuses and left the office, taking the memory stick with her.

### Duel of California

*"This isn't working, we're gonna have to overload the reactor and blast the roof.""How are you gonna do that?""You're gonna do it."*
―Tony Stark and Pepper Potts[src]
Alongside the police, Potts arrived at Stark Industries intending to arrest the traitorous Obadiah Stane. When Potts attempted to access the room Stane was working in, she discovered Stane had changed the security codes, so the Captain used a small bomb to get them inside.

They searched for Stane and discovered Tony Stark's Iron Man armor which he had built and used to escape in Asia. Potts then found Stane in his own highly upgraded and weaponized Iron Monger suit, which he used to attack Potts and the cops. Potts barely managed to escape but was soon cornered by Stane, who punched through the floor to trap her attempted to execute her, joking that her services were no longer required.

Tony Stark then arrived in a charge-less Mark III armor and battled Stane. Eventually, Stane's Iron Monger suit proved too powerful for Stark to defeat so he told Potts to overload the main Arc Reactor. Once Stane was in position, Stark ordered Potts to overload it, but she initially was reluctant, scared that the shockwave would kill Stark. When she did overload it, the shockwave killed Stane and charged up Stark's Mark I Arc Reactor, saving his life.

### Tony Stark's Announcement

After the incident, she tended to Tony Stark's cuts while he prepared for a press conference. To her surprise, Potts heard Stark saw that if his secret identity was public, his girlfriend would constantly worry about him; adding to the fact Stark meant her, he stopped having one-night stands. Potts was later present at a press conference where Stark announced to the world that he was Iron Man.

Afterward, Stark and Pepper are in the mansion stating that Iron Man is not "the only superhero in the world," and wants to form a team.

## Personality

*"You are the most capable, qualified, trustworthy person I've ever met."*
―Tony Stark[src]
As one of Tony Stark's oldest and closest friends, Pepper knew Stark better than most and has always been there for him, whether he knew it or needed it. Though outsiders would view her as a degrading assistant or lackey, Stark himself appreciated her dedication and how long she took out with him when compared to everyone else and trusted her enough to run Stark Industries but his own self-obsession irritated and occasionally drove her away due to forgetting her birthday and buying her strawberries as a gift, the one thing on earth that she is allergic to.

Despite knowing her place, Potts does not take disrespect to herself lightly. A sarcastic woman, when Christine Everhart condescends to her, she retains her decorum but snidely insinuates Everhart to be trash she needs to take out. With Stark, despite being her boss, Potts is not above a barbed remark for him such as buying herself a birthday gift with Tony's money when he forgot and keeping his Arc Reactor in a glass case, reading; "PROOF TONY STARK HAS A HEART".

## Relationships

### Allies

* Stark Industries
	+ Tony Stark/Iron Man - Employer
	+ Happy Hogan - Love interest
* Christine Everhart
* James Rhodes - Friend

### Enemies

* Obadiah Stane/Iron Monger † - Former Friend, Attempted Killer and Victim
* Hammer Industries
	+ Justin Hammer
* A.I.M.
	+ George Tarleton/M.O.D.O.K.

## Appearances

In chronological order:

* Iron Man
* Iron Man 2
* The Avengers