Howard Stark

**Howard Anthony Walter Stark** is a character from *Marvel Comics*, first appearing in *Iron Man* #28 in 1970.

## History

The Disney Parks have large number of elements incorporated from Marvel Comics and the Disney owned, "Marvel Cinematic Universe". However the park variants of the Marvel universe is in a different continuity than the comics or films; intersecting with Disney Park cannon (E.G. the Tivan Collection purchasing tech from X-S Tech) while also diverging from the histories of the aforementioned cannons (E.G. the films *Avengers: Infinity War* and *Avengers: Endgame* having never occurred).

### Marvel Comics

Howard Stark was an industrialist tycoon and inventor who established Stark Industries as an innovator of weapons and technology. During World War II, he became involved with the Manhattan Project and enemies with the nazi splinter-faction HYDRA. Howard would go on to be a member of an ancient secret-society known as the Brotherhood of the Shield alongside brilliant scientist Nathaniel Richards and a time-travelling Leonardo Da Vinci who was another member of the group. This group would go on to be transformed into the *Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division* or more simply, SHIELD.

Howard and his wife Maria had a child together named Arno Stark who was born with health complications which lead them to genetically-modify the baby and have him secretly raised by the *Maria Stark Foundation Hospice*. To avoid suspicion, the two adopted a baby to serve as a decoy child with said infant having been born to SHIELD agent Amanda Armstrong who had murdered the baby's birth-father. This infant was raised under the belief he was Howard and Maria's biological child and given the name of Tony Stark.

Howard would come to be a member of the villainous secret-society *The Hellfire Club* and a worshiper of the cosmic demon *Mephisto*. Howard's drinking, hedonistic parties and double-life of committing human-sacrifices traumatized a young Tony and caused them to have a strained relationship. By the time that Tony grew into adulthood, Howard treated him with little more than harshness and contempt. Both Howard and Maria would die in a freak car-accident with Howard's soul going to his master Mephisto in a hell-like dimension to act as a servant.

### Marvel Cinematic Universe

Howard Stark was a scientist and inventor in the 1930s-1940s who in 1939 founded Stark Industries. In the 1940s, he worked closely with the American government to produce experimental weapons that could be used in the fight against Nazi Germany and the Axis powers. In 1943 he began working on flying cars and also worked with one Abraham Erskine to create the super-soldier serum as part of *Project: Rebirth*.

Project: Rebirth resulted in the transformation of Steve Rogers into the super-soldier Captain America who Howard became a regular ally to. Using the rare metal vibranium, Howard engineered Captain America's shield for the superhero. Stark also assisted in the founding of *SHIELD* (unknowing of them secretly being controlled by the nazi splinter-faction HYDRA), performed early research on the cosmic cube The Tesseract, and developed nuclear bombs for the *Manhattan Project*.

Howard came to marry one Maria Stark and in 1970, they had a son named Tony. Howard's long-time butler and friend Edwin Jarvis continued to serve the family at this time. In the 1990s, Howard managed to successfully recreate Dr. Erskine's super-soldier serum which caused him and Maria to be assassinated by HYDRA via their agent *The Winter Soldier*. This death was feigned as a car-accident which left Tony in charge of Stark Industries.

### Disney Parks

Howard Stark was the founder of *Stark Industries* and the *Stark Motors* company which attempted to develop flying-cars. Howard owned land in both Orange, California and Paris, France for his business. In 1943 he worked with the US government and Abraham Erskine to create an army of super-soldiers as part of the *Strategic Science Reserve*. The only soldier born from this project was Steve Rogers who Howard became a close friend and ally with, going so far as to create his vibranium shield. During the war, Stark sometimes served as Rogers' aviator up until the captain disappeared in the arctic while fighting HYDRA.

After World War 2, Howard would assist Peggy Carter in the creation of *SHIELD* or the *Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division* and had Stark Industries be their chief benefactors in weaponry. The first true Stark Expo was held in 1954 at Flushing Meadows in New York. By 1955, Howard frequented the town of Disney Springs, Florida for a bar owned by one Jock Lindsey, a member of the *Society of Explorers and Adventurers*.

By the 1950s, Stark created the *Stark Industries Complex* in the city of Orange, California. This colony was built not far from Howard's vineyards and on the site of ancient, mystical ruins created by a god-like sorcerer race known as the *Vishanti*. These ruins resulted in a temporal anomaly in the complex that was quarantined off by SHIELD. Peggy Carter would frequent the complex as a result and the complex also served SHIELD by developing the *Quadjets* and hosting the *Strategic Science Reserve*.

Stark ran a factory for *Stark Motors* in the complex where he developed the *Stark 55* flying-car. The Stark Industries Complex also hosted a Pym Lab for Hank Pym's company Pym Tech, an experimental aircraft base, a housing district, and outposts for Stark subsidiaries *AccuTech* and *Geffen-Meyer Chemicals*. This colony would also have expansive, "Utilidors" constructed by Geffen-Meyer Chemicals travelled underground throughout the region.

Another Stark Expo was held at the World's Fair in 1964 by which point Howard Stark became acquainted with one Walt Disney. Howard came to marry one Maria Stark and in 1970, they had a son named Tony. Howard's last Stark Expo was held in 1974 where he demonstrated the finished flying car which by this point he had named the M.A.R.I.A. for his wife. At this same expo, Howard demonstrated the first *Arc Reactor* though it was inefficient and supposedly made to be more of a publicity stunt than anything.

In the 1980s, Stark Industries developed the artificial-intelligence JARVIS which had a personality based around Howard's late butler Edwin Jarvis. Howard and Maria later died in 1991, presumably having been assassinated by the HYDRA super-soldier *The Winter Soldier*. Most if not all of Howard's assets were subsequently passed on to Tony Stark.

## Appearances and allusions

### Avengers Campus

The Avengers Campuses in California and Paris are themed to being land previously owned by Howard Stark which Tony inherited to turn into super-hero outposts. In California's campus, there is a vintage map signed by Howard with the message, "Everything is achievable through technology".

#### Web Slingers: A Spider-Man Adventure

The abandoned parking spaces for Howard and Edwin Jarvis are located outside of the building for this attraction. In the queue are posters referencing Stark and his *Stark 55* hover-car.

### Innoventions

The exhibit *Captain America: The Living Legend and Symbol of Courage* in Tomorrowland's expo centre referenced Howard Stark's role in creating Captain America's shield.

### Jock Lindsey's Hangar Bar

A name tag within this bar belonging to S.E.A. member Jock Lindsey in the town of Disney Springs, Florida has the name, "Howard S." written on it. Given how the Iron Man franchise is overtly referenced in the bar, it is likely that this infers Howard was a patron of the bar.

### Stark Expo

#### Ant-Man and the Wasp: Nano Battle!

Howard is mentioned in the queue by Arnim Zola who states that Howard and Tony are similar.

#### Iron Man Experience

The queue for this attraction is themed to being a section of the Stark Expo dedicated to explaining the history of Howard Stark. Howard posthumously appears in the pre-show for this attraction, meeting with Walt Disney at the World's Fair when Walt was planning his *Florida Project*.

## Connections

### Adventurers Club

Jock Lindsey's Hangar Bar was opened with assistance from the Adventurers Club and had regulars from the club's ranks such as Samantha Sterling, Otis T. Wren and Hathaway Browne.

### Cars

The vintage map for Avengers Campus highlights a, "Scrap Yard" outside the complex's main gates. The place where this scrap yard is the same location as the attraction *Mater's Junkyard Jamboree* with the layout of the scrapyard being identical to Mater's Junkyard. The attraction Mater's Junkyard Jamboree is set in the town of Radiator Springs in a universe where everyone is apparently a sentient vehicle. In it, the sentient tow-truck Tow Mater has tractors (this world's cattle) pull guests around. This would infer that their is some form of canonical baring to the attraction when perceived at the gates of Avengers Campus, namely the presence of tractors and Mater.

### Guardians of the Galaxy - Mission: BREAKOUT!

The vita-ray counter used to create Captain America appears in the Collector's fortress. The fortress also teleported onto the Avengers Campus in California which Howard build to serve as his Stark Industries Complex.

### EPCOT

Howard Stark was shown in the Iron Man Experience, engaging with Walt Disney over plans for the Florida Project. The Stark Industries Complex also utilized utilidors, a system supposedly created by Walt Disney which was first integrated into EPCOT. When the complex became the Avengers Campus it also hosted the Tivan Collection which included Figment, the imprisoned creation of the Dreamfinder.

### Indiana Jones

Jock Lindsey was aviator to Indiana Jones and the town of Disney Springs is a location in the Indiana Jones universe. Given how the SHIELD outpost is located in the 1950s build neighbourhood of West Side and how Howard visited Disney Springs at some point after 1955, it is very likely that he might have been involved with SHIELD's presence in the town.

## Trivia

* The Stark references in the Hangar Bar is likely a tribute to filmmaker Joe Johnston. Johnston was the director of *Captain America: The First Avenger* (2011) and *The Rocketeer* (1991) both of which are referenced in the Hangar Bar as Johnston had also worked as an art-director for LucasFilm on Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981).

## External links

* *Howard Stark* on the *Marvel Theme Park Universe Wiki*.

## References

1. ↑ https://thedisinsider.com/2020/04/07/disney-parks-avengers-campus-is-not-mcu-canon/
2. ↑ https://wdwnt.com/2019/03/photos-video-walkthrough-and-pov-ride-on-ant-man-and-the-wasp-nano-battle-now-open-at-hong-kong-disneyland/
3. ↑ https://www.marvel.com/articles/culture-lifestyle/avengers-campus-history
4. ↑ https://www.buzzfeed.com/briangalindo/avengers-campus-spider-man-easter-eggs
5. ↑ https://www.laughingplace.com/w/articles/2021/06/06/avengers-campus-is-hiding-a-pretty-dark-marvel-comics-easter-egg/
6. ↑ https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2568526/6-awesome-marvel-easter-eggs-look-disneyland-resorts-avengers-campus
7. ↑ http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m90/gavinj90/Iron%20Man/DSC09393\_zpsedejjmh2.jpg
8. ↑ https://www.laughingplace.com/w/articles/2021/06/02/avengers-campus-at-disney-california-adventure-is-loaded-with-marvel-and-disney-easter-eggs/
9. ↑ https://collider.com/captain-america-disneyland-exhibit-images/
10. ↑ https://geekculture.co/the-iron-man-experience-in-hong-kong-disneyland-is-not-to-be-missed/
11. ↑ https://tdrexplorer.com/photos-inside-the-iron-man-experience-during-the-magic-access-preview-at-hong-kong-disneyland/#jp-carousel-14752
12. ↑ https://www.marvel.com/articles/culture-lifestyle/avengers-campus-hidden-details
13. ↑ https://www.travelandleisure.com/trip-ideas/disney-vacations/guardians-of-the-galaxy-easter-eggs