Editing Iron Man (section)

=== Romantic interests ===
Iron Man has had many romantic interests, most of which only last a short time.{{Sfn|Hoskin|2008|loc=Iron Man}} In the original ''Tales of Suspense'' run, Lee established a [[love triangle]] in which Stark and Happy were both romantically interested in Pepper.{{Sfn|Minett|Schauer|2017|p=58}}{{Sfn|Patton|2015|p=7}} Happy eventually married Pepper.{{Sfn|Hoskin|2008|loc=Happy Hogan}} The series then introduced [[Roxie Gilbert]], the sister of the villain [[Firebrand (Marvel Comics)|Firebrand]], as a romantic interest in the early 1970s. She was a foil for both Iron Man and Firebrand, representing non-violent activism.{{Sfn|Henebry|2015|pp=113–114}}

The women associated with Iron Man became more independent as [[second-wave feminism]] encouraged Marvel's writers to create stronger female characters.{{Sfn|Housel|Housel|2010|pp=251–253}} Whitney Frost was Iron Man's romantic interest later in the 1970s until she turned against him as the villain [[Madame Masque]].{{Sfn|Sacks|2015|p=140}}{{Sfn|Housel|Housel|2010|p=252}} [[Bethany Cabe]] became Stark's love interest in 1978 as part of an overhaul of Iron Man's supporting cast, and she supported him during his period of alcoholism.{{Sfn|Sacks|2015|p=141}} Michelinie chose to remove Pepper as a love interest in favor of Cabe because he felt that Iron Man would be more interested in a strong woman.{{Sfn|Kirk|2020|p=51}} She left Iron Man after he saved her husband, who was presumed dead.{{Sfn|Hoskin|2008|loc=Iron Man}}

Stark was seduced by [[Indries Moomji]], who was hired by Obadiah Stane to help ruin Stark, first appearing in issue #163 (1982).{{Sfn|Kirk|2020|pp=56–57}} He later partnered with [[Rumiko Fujikawa]], the daughter of a businessman who took over Stark Enterprises.{{Sfn|Hoskin|2008|loc=Iron Man}} Stark also began a relationship with his long time ally Janet van Dyne, the Wasp,{{Sfn|Fentiman|2019|p=195}} whom he had briefly dated in the past before she learned he was Iron Man.{{Sfn|Hoskin|2008|loc=Iron Man}} A story arc in September 2023 saw Iron Man married to [[X-Men]] member [[Emma Frost]] as part of a plan to defeat the villain Feilong.<ref name="Emma Frost" />