Tony Stark

**Anthony Edward "Tony" Stark** is a billionaire industrialist and the former CEO of Stark Industries. A brash but brilliant inventor, Stark was self-described as a genius, billionaire, playboy, and philanthropist. With his great wealth and exceptional technical knowledge, Stark was one of the world's most powerful men following the deaths of his parents and enjoyed the playboy lifestyle for many years until he was kidnapped by a terrorist group in Asia, while demonstrating a fleet of Jericho missiles. With his life on the line, Stark created an armored suit which he used to escape his captors. Upon returning home, he utilized several more armors to use against terrorists, as well as Obadiah Stane who turned against Stark. Following his fight against Stane, Stark publicly revealed himself as **Iron Man**.

With the world yet again being threatened, Stark joined the Avengers and helped defeat the Chitauri and Loki.

## Biography

### Early Life

Anthony Edward "Tony" Stark was born to Howard and Maria Stark. Stark's early life was often dominated by the absence of his father, who he would later describe as both 'cold' and 'calculating'. Growing up, Stark had issues with Howard, who never told his son that he loved, or even liked him.

He was admitted early into Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he met James Rhodes and they became lifelong best friends.

### CEO of Stark Industries

#### Rebuilding the Company

At the age of twenty-one, Stark inherited Stark Industries. Having built himself a custom mansion, Stark created an A.I. system that helped out in the house. He named the system "Just a Rather Very Intelligent System," shortened J.A.R.V.I.S.

Eventually, James Rhodes joined the United States Air Force and became the liaison between Stark Industries and the United States Armed Forces, successfully earning Stark billions of dollars with military contracts. Under Stark's leadership with the aid of Obadiah Stane , Stark Industries quickly thrived and became one of the most advanced companies in the world, creating new forms of weapons technology that seemed highly futuristic to most looking on at the weapons.

#### Final Day of Freedom

After a presentation of Stark's successful past, James Rhodes was given the honor of presenting the Apogee Award to him at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. After Obadiah Stane gave Rhodes a signal saying that Stark was not there to receive it, he accepted the award in Stark's honor. Shortly after the award ceremony, Rhodes brought Stark the award while he was gambling in the casino inside of Caesars Palace. Rhodes got angry at him for not being present.

Right when Stark was about to leave the hotel with his entourage, Christine Everhart ran up and tried to get an interview with him for Daily Bugle. Having been told by Happy Hogan that Everhart was attractive, Stark agreed to her interview. He deflected her questions on the ethics of Stark Industries' weapons manufacturing with some swift quips. He then turned to seducing Everhart and the two ended up at his mansion, where they slept together.

#### Presenting the Jericho

Touching down in Asia, Stark was greeted by members of the military before he presented Stark Industries' newest weapon, the Jericho missile, to the military spectators and demonstrated its capability. Giving a speech, Stark explained that the missile was so powerful that it would only be needed to be fired once to defeat the enemy, noting that was how his father, Howard Stark, had worked and it was a successful method for all of America. The missile was fired and Stark received a round of applause from everyone.

After the successful presentation, Stark had a drink, noting that the whiskey came with every order of the Jericho missile. While all of the various members of the United States Air Force celebrated the new deal, Obadiah Stane called Stark to ask how it had gone, with Stark explaining that they would be getting an early Christmas. Stark got into a convoy vehicle to leave, sending James Rhodes to another Humvee to then go and return to their military base.

As they drove down the road towards the military base, Stark sat with his whiskey as three soldiers sat with him in awkward silence and attempted to make small talk. Stark teased them, noting that he would have never guessed that the driver was a woman as he was asked all about sleeping with various supermodels before he was asked to take a selfie.

### Becoming Iron Man

#### Kidnapped

As Stark's convoy drove through Asia to return to the United States Air Force base, they were suddenly attacked by insurgents who blew up the vehicle in front, trapping them. Stark watched in utter horror as the soldiers stepped out only to be gunned down right in front of his own eyes, leaving his ears ringing from the many explosions. While soldiers were dying around him, Stark rushed outside and attempted to find some cover and call for help.

While Stark was using his phone in his attempt to contact someone for assistance, one of Stark Industries' own missiles suddenly landed right by him, Stark saw this and desperately attempted to get away, however, he was too slow and the bomb exploded right beside him. The resulting blast caused Stark to be thrown backward and lose consciousness. The explosion embedded several pieces of shrapnel into his chest, several fragments dangerously close to his heart.

While falling in and out of consciousness, Stark felt incredible pain as an operation was performed on his chest in an attempt to remove the pieces of shrapnel and save his life. Eventually, Stark dazed away to find himself in front of a camera as some various terrorists were now reading out a ransom note to an unknown viewer while Stark could only look on in dismay with various guns aimed directly at him. The shock of seeing this made Stark lose consciousness again.

He woke up sometime later to find Ho Yinsen in his cell in a cave with him and an electromagnet attached to his chest. Hooked up to a car battery, Yinsen explained that the electromagnet was keeping the shrapnel from entering his heart and killing him.

As Yinsen ordered Stark to get onto his feet, they were greeted by Wong-Chu, who had Yinsen translate as he welcomed Stark as the greatest mass murderer in the entire history of the United States of America. He explained that he now wanted Stark to rebuild the Jericho missile for him, however, Stark simply refused to help them. As a direct result of refusing to help the group, Chu had Stark tortured by waterboarding him repeatedly.

#### Building the First Armor

*"It is a miniaturized Arc Reactor. We got a big one powering my factory at home. It should keep the shrapnel out of my heart.""But what could it generate?""If my math is right, and it always is... three gigajoules per second."*
―Tony Stark and Ho Yinsen[src]
Knowing their captors would never keep up their end of the deal, Stark began the work asked from him with Ho Yinsen, however, he had instead had begun to make a plan to escape the terrorists. Stark asked to bring in the supplies he needed into their cave, using Yinsen as his translator while he began breaking all of the various weapons apart.

In order to improve Stark's condition, he and Yinsen then created a miniature Arc Reactor, a smaller version of the same power source previously invented in Stark Industries. Having successfully built the Arc Reactor, Stark told Yinsen that he would not be using it to power his heart, but to power something larger for a brief time. With that Stark showed Yinsen his plans, hidden with multiple blueprints, to build a suit of armor which he would soon be using to finally break them out of the cave. Yinsen was both impressed and inspired by Stark's plan and then assisted him in installing the Arc Reactor inside his chest to supply energy to the electromagnet protecting his heart.

During their downtime, Stark and Yinsen played board games to keep themselves entertained. During one of their games, Stark asked Yinsen where he was from, as Yinsen explained he was from a small town called Sin-Cong where he had a family who he intended to see once he was free from the base. When Yinsen then asked the same question, Stark admitted that he had no family waiting for him, with Yinsen noting he had everything but yet still nothing.

Stark and Yinsen then returned to their work, pulling apart pieces of the various Stark Industries weapons that were supplied to them and tearing them apart. They then fused the pieces together and turned them into plates ready to be added to the armor once that was completed. However, the pair ensured that their work was still kept random enough that they would be unable to figure out their deception until it was at last too late for them.

Fearing for their lives if they did not get out as soon as possible, together, Stark and Yinsen secretly began building the final stages of the armored suit to help them escape, with Stark focusing on the body of the armor while Yinsen wired up the final pieces of the mechanics. Fusing together the various large parts of steel to fit his own body, Stark then fitting the armor with various missiles and flame throwers, preparing himself for every eventuality as he knew terrorists would put all their strength into stopping their escape. Once it was almost complete, Stark placed the still steaming Iron Man helmet onto Yinsen's desk and they prepared to finally put their upcoming escape plan into action.

#### Escaping

*"Thank you for saving me.""Don't waste it. Don't waste your life."*
―Tony Stark and Ho Yinsen[src]
Soon, the pair enacted their escape plan with Stark being slowly fitted into the armored suit while the power from the new Arc Reactor was being downloaded into the suit. However, the booby-trapped door the pair had rigged with an explosive was set off, killing all the men who had come to check on their progress. To his horror, Ho Yinsen realized that they now did not have enough time to power the suit before the soldiers would arrive and kill them. With no other choice, Yinsen took a gun and held back the terrorists, while Stark's suit still continued to power up.

Once the suit had power, Stark waited in the shadows as terrorists arrived in the room and searched for them, at which point he revealed himself and used all of his new incredible strength to punch them across the room, with the armor being unaffected by their bullets. Stark began making his way through the cave, killing any terrorist he came across by striking them with his armor. When Stark accidentally trapped his metal arm in a rock-strewn wall, a terrorist attempted to kill him by shooting him point-blank in the head, only for Stark's helmet to deflect the bullet and kill the terrorist instead, giving Stark time to free himself and continue forward on his escape mission.

Coming around a corner near the exit, Stark was mortified to find Yinsen lying mortally wounded having been shot multiple times during the escape attempt. However, Yinsen was just able to warn Stark before Wong-Chu fired a rocket launcher at his former hostage. Stark managed to dodge the shot and returned fire, shooting a missile at the leader which caused him to be badly burnt and trapped underneath the heavy falling rubble.

Stark rushed to Yinsen's side and urged him to get back on his feet so he could go home to be reunited with his family. However, Yinsen revealed his family was already dead and he would see them at last in the afterlife. Forced to accept the inevitable, Stark thanked Yinsen for everything he had done for him in saving his life, both physically and morally. With his last words, Yinsen reassured Stark that it would be alright to leave him behind and urged him not to waste his life.

Angered by Yinsen's death, Stark stepped outside to confront the rest of the terrorists who were waiting for him; the suit protected him from the onslaught of bullets, and he then used the suit's flamethrowers to kill several terrorists, and destroy their stockpile of Stark Industries weapons which he despised for being stolen from him to be used against the United States Armed Forces, causing several massive fireball explosions to erupt all around him.

Due to the massive amount of bullets being fired at him, the armored suit was eventually badly damaged by the gunfire, forcing Stark to escape using the jetpacks while the entire base erupted in a massive fireball. Stark soured above the blast, though his suit began to fall apart and was finally destroyed as he crashed in the desert, although it still saved Stark from the impact. With no other need for it, Stark left the suit's remains in the desert.

Stark began making his way through the desert, using his jacket to protect himself from the intense heat until finally, a United States Air Force helicopter flew overhead. Stark yelled out for help and collapsed to his knees, wearily making a peace symbol in the air. James Rhodes then rushed out of the helicopter with the military and the two friends embraced each other. Rhodes urged Stark to ride with him next time before taking him to safety. Upon being picked up by the Air Force, Stark was then finally returned to the United States of America at long last.

#### No More Weapons

*"I saw young Americans killed by the very weapons I created to defend them and protect them, and I saw that I had become part of a system that is comfortable with zero accountability."*
―Tony Stark[src]
Having been rescued, Stark was brought back to the United States of America by the army where he was walked onto a military airport by James Rhodes. To Stark's disgust, there was a stretcher waiting to take him to the hospital, which he rejected. Stark then met with Pepper Potts, who he noted had been crying, teasing her as he claimed she was crying for her long lost boss, while she claimed it was simply because she was glad not to have to find a new job.

Stark then sat in Happy Hogan's car with Potts who insisted that he go straight to the hospital to check himself over the wake of his kidnapping. However, Stark once again refused to get any medical treatment and instead asked to first be given a burger, then called a press meeting for Stark Industries. Potts argued that this was a very bad idea in the wake of his traumatic ordeal, but Stark still remained insistent, noting that he must get his cheeseburger first.

Upon arriving at Stark Industries Headquarters, Stark was then enthusiastically greeted by Obadiah Stane before making his way inside. During the press meeting, Stark finished his burger and compared his experiences to how he never said goodbye to his father, Howard Stark. Stark finally declared that his company would now, for the foreseeable future, no longer manufacture military weapons, which Stane tried to slow down to the best of his own abilities.

As their companies' stock market began to plummet, Stark had a meeting with Stane beside the giant Arc Reactor. Stane advised him to reconsider the decision as he feared it would ruin the company. Stark insisted that they should take another look at the Arc Reactor technology based on his work with Ho Yinsen, proving this theory by showing Stane the Arc Reactor in his chest that was now keeping him alive. Although Stane insisted that the Arc Reactor was designed by Tony as a publicity stunt, he eventually agreed to help Stark provided he inform Stane of his next intentions before calling for sudden, unexpected press conferences.

While back inside his Malibu mansion, Stark called upon the help of Potts to get rid of the expired Arc Reactor in his chest. Although Potts was initially skeptical about the idea, she helped him at removing the Arc Reactor, although she accidentally put him through cardiac arrest briefly. Once they were finished, Stark told Potts he only had her to help and told her to bin the Reactor as he no longer had any more use for it.

Stark went to meet with Rhodes who was giving a speech to new members of the United States Air Force. Stark interrupted the talk and teased his friend who then ordered the men to leave them in peace. When Rhodes questioned what Stark was doing there, he was told that Stark was working on a big new project, which seemed to delight him until Stark revealed it was not military. Rhodes then recommended that Stark get his mind straight instead.

#### Suit Upgrades

*"You and your new direction isn't in the company's best interest.""I'm being responsible, that's a new direction for me... for the company. I mean me on the company's behalf being responsible."*
―Obadiah Stane and Tony Stark[src]
In the months that followed, Stark retreated from public view and spent much of his time in his mansion, focusing on improving the design of his new armored suit, refining its size, movement, and flight capability far beyond the first design.

Recalling how the first armor had almost no flight control and had crashed upon escaping the base, Stark decided to create a more controlled flight capability for his suit. He arranged a test with the fire extinguisher in case anything went wrong. Stark proceeded with the test, although Stark was only on five to ten percent power, he quickly discovered it was vastly more powerful than he expected and he was launched straight up and painfully crashed into the ceiling.

Making some redesigns to the new armor, Stark developed new stabilizers that would attach to his hands and give him a new level of control while in the air. While testing out the new designs, Stark was visited by Pepper Potts who mistakenly believed Stark was designing new weapons for Stark Industries which he then denied, claiming that this design was not a weapon but it was completely harmless. However, Stark had once again underestimated the power of the design and a single blast from the stabilizer sent him flying backward, much to Potts' horror. Shocked by this, Stark noted he was not expecting that and began making adjustments.

Stepping upstairs, Stark found Obadiah Stane had joined Potts for pizza having returned from a meeting with Stark Industries' board of directors. Stane informed Stark that the board had decided to block Stark out of the company in the wake of his kidnapping, believing he was now suffering from alcoholism. Stark argued the decision but was told it was final, with Stane then requesting to take a look at the Arc Reactor technology, which Stark refused to do.

Getting back to work, Stark had the second test of his new incomplete Mark II armor, while J.A.R.V.I.S. watched. Using a lot less power than his first test, Stark hovered around his basement, struggling to maintain any control and almost damaging some of his most expensive cars. Eventually, Stark ended the test and landed.

#### Outdoor Test Flight

*"All right, let's see what this thing can do. What's SR-71's record?""The altitude record for fixed-wing flight is 85,000 feet, sir.""Records are made to be broken."*
―Tony Stark and J.A.R.V.I.S.[src]
Stark eventually perfected the flight power after much trial and error, taking the gold Mark II Armor for its initial test flight as Stark put on the armor for the first time with great pride and excitement. Despite J.A.R.V.I.S.' warnings that there had not been enough tests to be safe, Stark insisted upon being allowed to fly outside and fully test its true capabilities.

Stark cheered in utter delight as he soared high across the sky over California and shouted out in gratification at his success, using the mask's system to zoom into the city where a young boy looked on in amazement upon seeing Stark. However, when he pushed the suit to see how high he could fly in an attempt to beat the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird's record, he learned the suit would freeze at such a high altitude, which disabled its power. Stark fell from the sky, only being able to restart the suit moments before nearly hitting the ground, with Stark exhilarated at avoiding such a near miss.

Having gained all the information about the suit's capabilities that he needed, Stark flew back to his mansion, where he then prepared to analyze the data to use in the next design. Stark hovered over the entrance of the mansion and prepared to land softly on the ground; however, he did not account for the suit's extra weight and promptly fell through the ceiling, destroying his piano and sports car.

Exploring his lap, Stark soon found that Pepper Potts had left a gift for him on his desk. Opening the box, Stark found his original Arc Reactor had been framed with an attached message stating that it was proof that he had a heart.

#### Obadiah Stane's Betrayal

*"Have you seen this pictures? What's going on?""Tony, you can't afford to be this naive.""I was naive before, when they said: Here's the line, we don't cross it, this is how we do business. If we're double-dealing under the table... are we?"*
―Tony Stark and Obadiah Stane[src]
While giving J.A.R.V.I.S. his plans to improve the Mark III Armor in order to fix the icing problems and improve the flight controls, Stark noticed a news report in which Zorianna Kit was reporting on a new charity event at the Walt Disney Concert Hall which Stark was now supposedly hosting. Stark questioned J.A.R.V.I.S. if he had been invited to the event to which J.A.R.V.I.S. then confirmed he had not, so Stark left his A.I. to complete the Mark III while he got himself ready to attend.

During his first public appearance since his return to the United States of America, Stark arrived at his own party to be greeted by the press, having an attractive woman trying to speak to him who Stark quickly dismissed as he did not remember her before complimenting an old man who he had mistaken for Hugh Hefner. Stark had soon found Obadiah Stane talking to the press as Stane expressed his surprise to see that Stark had arrived, advising him not to draw too much unwanted attention to himself as Stane was still trying to get the board of directors on their side. Stark promised to do so as he stepped inside the building, but Stane was unconvinced.

Stark, however, was too distracted by seeing Pepper Potts, who he saw in the center of the room wearing a blue dress. Stark went up to Potts and complimented her on her dress, which she noted she had bought as a present from Stark using his money. Despite Potts' protests, Stark took her onto the dance floor and danced with her, as Potts worried about being seen dancing with her boss. They joked about Stark firing her to make it less uncomfortable, but Potts noted that Stark wouldn't be able to survive without her assistance, questioning if he knew his own social security number which admitted he did not.

Stepping outside, Potts confronted Stark about pushing her to dance with her while in front of all her coworkers due to Stark's reputation with women and fearing that her intentions with the dance would be misinterpreted by any who had watched them while Stark continued to argue that it was not really a big deal. As they spoke, the pair then almost kissed one another before Stark decided to go and get them both a drink, with Potts requesting a heavy drink.

While ordering all the drinks for himself and Potts, Stark was then accosted by Christine Everhart, whose name he briefly forgot despite them having slept together. Everhart expressed her disgust at Stark for claiming to halt the weapons development only to sell weapons to the Ten Rings. When Stark revealed he did not approve any shipments, Everhart informed him that his company did.

Disgusted by this, Stark confronted Obadiah Stane and demanded to know if he was making deals with Wong-Chu as well as the United States Armed Forces. Stane refused to answer the question; however, he called Stark naïve for not considering that this sort of thing could possibly be happening. Stane also revealed that he was the one to shut Stark out of the board while he recovered. Stane then left the party, leaving Stark in a state of utter shock and horror over the fact that his close friend betrayed him.

#### Battle of Sin-Cong

*"I'm sorry, it is me. You asked, what you asked about is me.""No, see, this isn't a game. You do not send civilian equipment into my active war-zone! You understand that?""It's not a piece of equipment. I'm in it, it's a suit! It's me!"*
―Tony Stark and James Rhodes[src]
Faced with the realization of what his company had done behind his back and Obadiah Stane's part in the deception, Stark went back into his workshop and continued building his armors, while watching a FBX news report on how Chu and his soldiers were using Stark's own weapons to attack innocent people. Angered by what he was seeing, Stark rose from his seat and used his flight stabilizers to smash the glass doors, realizing they could be used as weapons.

Seeking to do something good with the technology he had created, Stark weaponized his Mark III Armor and flew to Asia. Knowing where Chu's men were attacking, Stark headed for Sin-Cong, the home village of Ho Yinsen. Upon arriving, Stark discovered innocent women and children were being dragged out of their own homes to become slaves for the terrorists while the men were being lined up to be executed right in front of their own horrified children.

Stark attacked and easily subdued all of the soldiers, using his advanced weapons systems to kill multiple terrorists with single strikes and saving the lives of innocent people. Having found his former captor, Stark ripped him through a wall and left him for the villagers to gain their own revenge. While the man was being punished, Stark focused his efforts on destroying the empires entire stockpiles of Stark Industries weapons.

During the battle, Stark was shot out of the sky by a tank, so Stark responded by shooting his own missile and destroying the tank with ease before he then targeted and destroyed all the Jericho missiles the group had. The prolonged battle and massive explosions quickly drew the attention of the United States Air Force and his own friend and company military liaison, Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes who investigated the true cause.

Two F-22 Raptors were ordered by Rhodes to take out the unknown target, with Stark soon finding them directly behind him and attempting to lock on with their weapons, forcing Stark to use his new armor's upgraded flight systems to evade the attacks. As the jets continued targeting him, Stark found they had locked on with a missile so used flairs to destroy the missile before it could hit him, being blown forward by the force of the explosion.

Having managed to use his superior maneuvering systems to hide underneath of the jets itself without being seen, Stark called Rhodes and revealed his true identity to him in an attempt to have the attack called off, with Rhodes being horrified that he had sent some of his own equipment into an active war zone without informing him. While Rhodes tried to stop the attack, Major Allen, however, order the pilots to take the shot when they could get clear view of him.

However, while trying to evade the attack, one of the Raptors lost its left wing when it accidentally collided with Stark during the chaos of the battle. The pilot ejected shortly afterwards, but his parachute jammed. Without hesitation, Stark dived down to help the pilot release his parachute before escaping. While heading back towards the United States of America, Stark spoke with Rhodes about what excuse he could then use to explain what had happened.

Once back at his mansion, Stark was then helped out of his armor, finding the experience fairly painful as they struggled to find a way to get him back out. During this, Stark was soon discovered by Pepper Potts who had just walked into his workshop to find him still half in his armor. Stark joked that it was still not actually the worst thing that she had ever caught him doing while Potts was horrified to see bullet holes in the armor.

#### Next Mission

*"I'm gonna find my weapons and destroy them."*
*"Tony... you know that I would help you with anything, but I cannot help you if you're going to start all of this again."*
*"There is nothing except this. There's no art openings, there's no benefit, there's nothing to sign. There's the next mission."*
―Tony Stark and Pepper Potts[src]
With the mission to defeat the terrorists a success, Stark went back to work in tweaking the Mark III Armor in improving its performance. He was soon joined by Pepper Potts whom he requested go into his office in Stark Industries Headquarters to hack into the database in order to find out where his weapons were being sold to the group so he could go in using his armor and destroy them. Potts, however, refused to help him on his mission as she feared that going into these active war-zones would result in him being killed, but Stark refused to listen.

Stark noted that for years Potts had stood by his side when he and Stark Industries had been creating the weapons and now, she was planning on leaving once he finally began doing the right thing and protecting the people he had endangered like Ho Yinsen. Stark noted that since his kidnapping he had finally learned what he was meant to do with his life. Hearing how sincere Stark was about this mission, Potts took the hard-drive and agreed to help him.

While inside his mansion, Stark attempted to answer a call from Potts when he found himself unable to move. To his horror, he found Obadiah Stane looking down on him while using a Sonic Taser. Stane confessed that he had arranged Stark's kidnapping while he ripped out the Arc Reactor from Stark's chest, causing him to go into cardiac arrest. Stane mocked Stark by comparing him to his father while promising to kill Potts before walking away.

Having regained some control of his body, Stark desperately tried to make it to his workshop to regain his original Mark I Arc Reactor to save his life. However, Stark collapsed inches away from it and was unable to move and minutes from death. Stark was then found by James Rhodes who he explained the situation to while being helped back up.

Having been told Potts had told the police, Stark warned it would not be enough as Stane had stolen the first Iron Man Suit. To combat this, Stark put his suit on and prepared to battle Stane. While Rhodes admired the armor which he called the coolest thing he had ever seen, Stark told him to keep the skies clear from the United States Armed Forces while he then flew out of his mansion.

#### Duel of California

*"You would've made your father proud.""It's ready, Tony! Get off the roof! Tony!""How ironic, Tony! Trying to free the world of weapons, you gave it its best one ever."*
―Obadiah Stane and Pepper Potts[src]
Stark flew straight to the Stark Industries Headquarters where he discovered Obadiah Stane was attempting to execute Pepper Potts, so he charged down and knocked Stane aside, crashing into the motorway and then through a Roxxon Corporation lorry. Stane responded by picking up a minivan holding a family and attempting to throw it at Stark, who put all his suit's power into the Arc Reactor to knock Stane back. Having just caught the minivan and put it down, Stark was briefly run over by the family who were terrified by the experience.

As Stark recovered, Stane struck again, hitting him with a passing motorcycle and smashing him into a nearby bus. While he was striking him, Stane still continued to mock Stark by claiming that he had built Stark Industries up from nothing back when Howard Stark had been killed. Stane then fired a missile at the bus, as Stark was consumed inside the fireball but was still protected by his suit, despite being launched high into the air.

While Stark hovered in the air, Stane complimented him on his upgrades before noting that his armor had upgrades of its own before flying into the air to then chase Stark down. As they considered what to do, J.A.R.V.I.S. had warned that his Mark III Armor would not survive much longer while Stark decided to fly straight upwards, believing that Stane had not done enough tests on his own armor in order to solve all of its own design issues.

As they soared higher and higher above Los Angeles, Stark soon found that the superior power of Stane's suit allowed him to quickly catch up with him. However, once Stane had managed to grab hold of Stark, claiming that his own armor was more advanced in every way, Stark revealed to him that he had not fixed the icing issue his Mark II Armor had encountered, causing Stane's suit to lose power and then proceeded to fall out of the sky.

Losing his own power in his suit, Stark quickly returned to Stark Industries Headquarters where he attempted to get out of the suit, only to be immediately confronted by Stane yet again. Without one of the gauntlets, Stark found himself at a disadvantage as Stane got him in a bear hug and attempted to crush the suit with Stark still inside, until Stark managed to deploy his flares to briefly blind Stane, allowing him to get away for a moment.

While hiding from Stane, Stark told Potts that all his current attempts to defeat Stane were not working so he decided to make a new plan. Stark ordered Potts to overload the main Arc Reactor inside the building and blast the roof with energy in an attempt to defeat Stane. While Potts made her way back into the building, Stark also told her to wait until he had gotten himself clear, promising to buy her some time by fighting Stane.

Stark proceeded to jump onto Stane's back and ripped out important pieces of the armor, taking out his targeting system and effectively blinding Stane. However, Stane soon managed to rip Stark off his back and then threw him across the rooftop, taking off his own helmet as a result. Stark was then left almost defenseless with barely any power left in his suit to fight back against Stane, who opened up his armor and revealed himself.

While he crushed Stark's helmet, Stane began mocking Stark by claiming he had finally made his father proud before shooting at him, with Stark managed to block with his gauntlet before the glass floor underneath him was destroyed. While Stark held on, Potts told him to get off the roof. Stane noted that by trying to rid Stark Industries of weapons, Stark had inadvertently created the greatest one ever while Stane would then use to finally kill him.

While Stane struggled to aim his missiles at him, Stark ordered Potts to overload the Arc Reactor, which caused a burst of electricity which blasted Stark out of the way while shutting down Stane's armor, also killing Stane inside. Stane then fell inside the Arc Reactor, causing a massive explosion while Stark fell unconscious from the ordeal. Stark almost died from the lack of power to his Arc Reactor, but J.A.R.V.I.S. managed to keep him alive long enough to be rescued.

#### I Am Iron Man

*"I'm just not the hero type. Clearly. With this laundry list of character defects, all the mistakes I've made, largely public.""Just stick to the cards, man.""Yeah, okay. Yeah. The truth is... I am Iron Man."*
―Tony Stark and James Rhodes[src]
In the wake of the Duel of California as well as his own near-death experience, Stark was aided by James Rhodes who tried to get Stark into an ambulance to see if he had any internal injuries. Now that they could finally get to talk to Stark,

The next morning, news had spread of Stark's new alter ego, dubbed "Iron Man" by the press. Stark then held a press conference. However, during the course of the conference, in a moment of self-clarity, Stark instead announced to the public that he himself was indeed Iron Man.

#### Forming a team

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.

Stark arrived at New York City where he found Thor Odinson. The former recruited the Asgardian god to join a team.

## Personality

*"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.""I shouldn't be alive... unless it was for a reason. I'm not crazy, Pepper. I just finally know what I have to do. And I know in my heart that it's right."*
―Tony Stark and Pepper Potts[src]
Many people in the media thought that Tony Stark was only just an egocentric playboy. As an adult, he was renowned for being casually arrogant, apathetic, callous, and a hedonist who enjoyed the finer things in life, namely drinking, gambling, partying and flirting. His wealth, power, and natural charm allowing him to get just about any woman he wants. But despite his rather carefree and overly confident personality, inside Stark's heart lay loneliness, as Ho Yinsen aptly described him as: "A man that has everything, but has nothing." Even following his reformation and birth as Iron Man, this stigma surrounding Stark persisted as many were quick to point fingers at him believing his arrogance and callous attitudes were the cause of many problems even if he would have only a tenuous connection to the issue at hand.

Before his kidnapping, Stark was a self-centered, arrogant person, caring for few people outside his closest friends. Even during this period of his life, he had a moral code believing the weapons he developed were being used exclusively by the United States and its allies for peaceful purposes, being appalled to discover that they were being sold on the black market. He also funded large humanitarian inventions and programs via his arms dealings, something he felt justified manufacturing weapons.

His experiences while imprisoned, especially his injury and seeing his weapons being used by terrorists, hardened Stark into a brave, determined, and somewhat ruthless fighter. Seeing first hand how innocent people were being harmed by his weapons and business while he remained ignorant greatly enraged him, resulting in him being uncaring in killing his foes, though he avoided doing so when he could.

Stark was also known for being exceptionally intelligent, innovative and resourceful, having built a miniaturized Arc Reactor from scratch in Asia. His intellect earned him the "Da Vinci of Our Time" nickname, and his inventions of Stark Industries have revolutionized technology for mankind.

After escaping his captivity, Tony had displayed a form of alcoholism, to resolve his pain.

## Powers and Abilities

### Powers

* **Iron Man Armor Capabilities**: Tony Stark does not possess any innate powers; instead, he used a miniature version of the Arc Reactor to charge the various suits that provided him with superhuman strength, endurance, durability, and a variety of weapons. His original advanced technology combined with his extraordinary intelligence and adaptive combat skills made Tony Stark one of the most formidable superheroes in the world. With the exception of the Mark I Iron Man armor, almost all of the Iron Man suits shared a common design and capability set. The suit was a powered exoskeleton with armored plating, capable of enhancing the wearer's strength, speed, agility, and endurance. The suit was powered by a miniaturized Arc Reactor, either using the one surgically installed in Tony Stark's chest or else built into the chest-piece of the armor itself. The original armor Tony Stark created, the Iron Man Armor: Mark I, while in captivity in Asia was crudely designed and bulky, but still had the necessary capacity to help him escape his captors. Due to its rudimentary design, and Stark's lack of more sophisticated resources, the Mark I did not have an onboard AI system or augmented-reality (AR) displays like the later armors. The helmet served only as a simple faceplate and was not fully sealed. The later model armors' helmet featured a retractable visor that projected a holographic AR displays to the wearer. The Mark II was built from gold titanium alloy, giving it a golden look. From the Mark III onward, Stark used a gold/red-titanium alloy to provide the necessary power-to-weight ratio coupled with the ability to resist icing at high altitudes. The Iron Man Armor is arguably one of the most powerful man-portable weapons on the planet.
	+ **Superhuman Strength**: When inside the armor, Tony's physical strength was amplified, allowing him to lift great amounts of weight. Even while wearing early models, Stark could send fully grown men flying with his strikes, break down metal doors and punch through stone and concrete. Most armors were strong enough to lift and bench press tanks.
	+ **Superhuman Durability**: The armor was made up of a strong lightweight Titanium Alloy, with interlocked plates for the shell, and a chest plate protecting the Arc Reactor. It was able to withstand tremendous amounts of punishment. The armor could withstand tank shells exploded in close proximity to Stark, and a resulting fall from several thousand feet up, followed by hits by twenty millimeter Vulcan shells and a high-speed collision with an F-22 Raptor with only minimal cosmetic damage.
	+ **Superhuman Speed**: Iron Man's armor has allowed him to reach immense speeds. Even from his third armor, he was able to keep up with an F-22 Raptor. While he improved his armor, his speed improved.
	+ **Superhuman Agility**: Iron Man could use his increased agility very well in battle.
	+ **Flight**: One of the armor's most important features was its propulsion system and subsequent ability of flight. The armor could reach speeds as high as Mach 3 in moments. It also had variable control surfaces for active flight control by J.A.R.V.I.S. to automatically stabilize the armor in flight.
	+ **Power Suit**: The armor had remote assistance from J.A.R.V.I.S. who managed the armor's systems at Stark's command, and the armor also had a holographic HUD with heads-up displays for navigation, power level, armor status, weapons systems, vital signs with cellphone and computer connections in the helmet, and a built-in loudspeaker. The scanner systems were capable of scanning the environment, weather conditions, and equipment for information. The HUD could scan people, missile identifications, make calls, use a GPS, and give crucial suit credentials such as power. Stark's first Iron Man suit had flamethrowers mounted on each arm which he used during his escape from the Ten Rings base, but they didn't make it to future armors. There were particle weapons in the palm gauntlets that fired beams or blasts of concussive and explosive force, allowing them to repel physical and energy-based attacks.

### Abilities

* **Genius-Level Intellect**: Stark was one of the smartest humans in the world. Throughout his life, Stark accomplished numerous intellectual feats, such as constructing scores of highly advanced technological exoskeletal armors.
* **Master Engineer**: Stark was an extremely talented and prolific engineer and robotics technician, having been able to make many complicated inventions at a young age, building his first circuit board at age four. He then went on to construct numerous innovative Stark Industries weapons for the US military as an adult, most notably the Jericho, as well as leading Stark Industries to become the largest tech conglomerate in the world. Even in a cave with very few resources, Stark and Ho Yinsen were able to make the Iron Man Mark I armor and the first miniature Arc Reactor. Indeed, Obadiah Stane's group of well-equipped scientists failed to replicate the miniaturized Arc Reactor. Stark was equally brilliant in software and holographic engineering, with his custom-built mansion being highly technology-integrated and wired to be run through his personal A.I. assistant, J.A.R.V.I.S., whom Stark created from scratch.
* **Master Scientist**: A exceptional scientific prodigy, Tony Stark was ingeniously resourceful, knowledgeable, and brilliant in many different fields of science, particularly physics, but also computer science, chemistry, and neuroscience, having graduated *summa cum laude* from MIT at age seventeen.
* **Master Businessman**: At the age of twenty-one, Stark took over Stark Industries due to his parents' death, thereby becoming the youngest CEO of a Fortune 500 Company in history. Since then, Stark helped the company grow, and gain more business partners, with Stark Industries eventually becoming the largest tech conglomerate in the world under his leadership. Stark was therefore extremely well-respected in the business world, able to command people's attention when he spoke on economic matters by virtue of the fact that he was savvy enough to have, over the years, built up Stark Industries into the premier weapons supplier to the US military for years. He was known for having his employees' loyalty, as well as his impeccable business ethics.

## Equipment

### Current Equipment

#### Iron Man Armors

* Iron Man Armour: Mark l
* Iron Man Armour: Mark ll
* Iron Man Armour: Mark lll
* Iron Man Armour: Mark IV
* Iron Man Armour: Mark V
* Iron Man Armour: Mark Vl
* Iron Man Armor: Mark VII‏

### Former Equipment

* **Bulletproof Vest**: Stark had gone on his business trip to Asia to demonstrate Stark Industries' new weapon, the Jericho Missile. As a precaution, he was wearing his Bulletproof Vest under his shirt. When his convoy was attacked, one of his own company's bombs landed beside him and had exploded, embedding several pieces of shrapnel in his chest despite the protection of the vest.

## Designs

* Arc Reactor
* J.A.R.V.I.S.
* Jericho
* Stark Industries Rocket Launcher
* Stark Sonic Cannon

## Facilities

* **Tony Stark's Mansion**: Stark lived in Malibu and brought home Christine Everhart one night. He mostly spent his time in the garage making new inventions and working on his Iron Man Armors.

## Relationships

### Family

* Howard Stark † - Father
* Maria Stark † - Mother

### Allies

#### Current

* Stark Industries
	+ Happy Hogan - Close Friend and Bodyguard
	+ Pepper Potts
* United States Armed Forces
	+ William Gabriel
	+ James Rhodes/War Machine - Best Friend
	+ Thaddeus Ross‏‎
* J.A.R.V.I.S. - Creation and Assistant
* Christine Everhart - One-Night Stand
* Avengers - Teammates
	+ Steve Rogers/Captain America
	+ Bruce Banner/Hulk
	+ Hank Pym/Ant-Man
	+ Janet van Dyne/Wasp
	+ Thor Odinson
* S.H.I.E.L.D.
	+ Nick Fury
	+ Phil Coulson
	+ Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow

### Enemies

#### Current

* Unnamed Organization - Kidnappers
	+ Wong-Chu

#### Former

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

## Trivia

* In the comics, Tony Stark is a member of the Illuminati, a group made of the smartest and most powerful characters in the Marvel Universe, including Blackagar Boltagon, Stephen Strange, Bruce Banner, Medusalith Amaquelin, Hank Pym, and T'Challa.
* When Stark calls James Rhodes in *Iron Man*, Rhodes' ringtone is the original *Iron Man* theme song from the 1966 TV series.