Editing Iron Man (section)

==Characterization==
===Fictional character biography===
[[File:Tales of Suspense 39.jpg|thumb|alt=A comic book cover featuring Iron Man in a simple gray suit of armor|Iron Man debuts in ''Tales of Suspense'' #39 (March 1963). Cover art by [[Jack Kirby]] and [[Don Heck]].]]
Anthony Edward "Tony" Stark was born in [[Long Island, New York]]. As a child, he inherited his family's business, Stark Industries when his parents were killed in a car crash.{{Sfn|Hoskin|2008|loc=Iron Man}} Developing equipment for the U.S. military, he travels to a war zone to conduct a weapons test when he triggers a booby trap. His heart is critically injured by shrapnel, and he is captured by the communist [[Wong-Chu]], who demands Stark build him a weapon. Stark instead builds a suit of armor that sustains his heart, becoming Iron Man.{{Sfn|Patton|2015|p=8}}{{Sfn|Howe|2012|p=43}} The war zone Stark visited was [[retroactive continuity|changed retroactively]] multiple times by different writers to correspond with the character's age, which is explained by a "sliding scale of continuity" in which the timing of significant events in the world of Marvel may change. This conflict was the Vietnam War for the first decades of Iron Man's publication history.{{Sfn|Friedenthal|2021|pp=73–74}} This was changed to an unnamed Southeast Asian country in the 1990s,{{Sfn|Darowski|2015b|p=176}} and a conflict in the fictional country Siancong was ultimately created to justify the inconsistency.{{Sfn|Friedenthal|2021|pp=74–75}}

Iron Man returns to the United States and becomes a superhero, convincing the public Iron Man is Stark's bodyguard.{{Sfn|Hoskin|2008|loc=Iron Man}} When he is called to stop the [[Hulk]] and learns [[Loki (Marvel Comics)|Loki]] is behind the Hulk's attack, he joins forces with the Hulk, [[Thor (Marvel Comics)|Thor]], [[Hank Pym|Ant-Man]], and the [[Wasp (character)|Wasp]] to defeat Loki, and they agree to form a superhero team, the Avengers.{{Sfn|Friedenthal|2021|pp=30–31}} He also helps found the intelligence agency [[S.H.I.E.L.D.]], providing the organization with equipment.{{Sfn|Hoskin|2008|loc=Iron Man}} Iron Man then undergoes surgery to replace the damaged portions of his heart, eliminating the need for his prosthetic chest plate.{{Sfn|Mulligan|2015|p=209}} As he came to regret his involvement in weapons manufacturing, Stark Industries is changed to Stark International, an electronics company that emphasizes [[environmentalism]] and ending [[world hunger]].{{Sfn|Henebry|2015|pp=95–96}}{{Sfn|Hoskin|2008|loc=Iron Man}} S.H.I.E.L.D. attempts to take over the business and return it to weapons manufacturing. At the same time, Iron Man is framed for murder. These stresses cause him to begin drinking, and [[Demon in a Bottle|he develops alcoholism]].{{Sfn|Sacks|2015|p=141}} Though he gets sober, he relapses due to a plot orchestrated by his business rival [[Obadiah Stane]].{{Sfn|Hoskin|2008|loc=Iron Man}} Iron Man briefly loses his company to Stane, passes the Iron Man mantle to his ally [[War Machine|James Rhodes]],{{Sfn|Chambliss|2015|p=152}} and becomes homeless.{{Sfn|Mulligan|2015|p=209}} After Stark recovers, Stane adopts an armored suit and becomes the Iron Monger before being defeated. Iron Man then founds a space technology company, Stark Enterprises. When Iron Man learns [[Justin Hammer]] had acquired the Iron Man armor's technology, he seeks out all the other armors. [[Armor Wars|The resulting fights]] leave Iron Man a fugitive, leading him to fake his death and then describe himself as a new Iron Man.{{Sfn|Hoskin|2008|loc=Iron Man}}

When Iron Man is shot in the spine and paralyzed, he develops a new prosthesis that grants him mobility. This prosthesis is hacked and controlled remotely, causing neurological damage that appears for a time to kill him.{{Sfn|Mulligan|2015|pp=210–211}} Rhodes temporarily becomes Stark's chosen successor as Iron Man. After returning, [[Immortus]] places Stark under his control and turns him evil. The Avengers bring an alternate Tony Stark from another reality to help defeat him. Iron Man is killed and the alternate Tony Stark becomes the new Iron Man, but [[Franklin Richards (character)|Franklin Richards]] merges both versions into a single being when [[Heroes Reborn (1996 comic)|he rewrites reality]]. Stark's company was bought out at this point, so he started a consulting firm, Stark Solutions. His secret identity is revealed to the public shortly afterwards. He is then appointed [[United States Secretary of Defense|Secretary of Defense]] until the [[Scarlet Witch]] alters his mind, causing him to behave drunkenly at the [[United Nations]] and leave in disgrace.{{Sfn|Hoskin|2008|loc=Iron Man}} When [[Mallen (comics)|Mallen]] becomes a threat through the Extremis project, Iron Man has [[Maya Hansen]] inject him with the Extremis virus, giving him a biological armor he can control with his mind.{{Sfn|Hogan|2009|pp=209–210}}

Iron Man serves as the Superhero Registration Act's enforcer upon its enactment, creating [[Civil War (comics)|a schism]] between superheroes, with Iron Man leading proponents of registration against a group of resistors led by [[Captain America]].{{Sfn|Friedenthal|2021|pp=82–83}} After the conflict, Iron Man becomes head of S.H.I.E.L.D.{{Sfn|Friedenthal|2021|p=86}} The government [[Dark Reign (comics)|dismantles S.H.I.E.L.D.]] after it fails to prevent [[Secret Invasion|an alien invasion]], but Iron Man refuses to turn over the list of registered heroes to its corrupt successor agency [[H.A.M.M.E.R.]]{{Sfn|Hoskin|2010|loc=Iron Man Update}} This agency is dismantled as well, and Iron Man organizes the Avengers to replace these agencies.{{Sfn|Hoskin|2008|loc=Iron Man}} He founds a clean energy company, Stark Resilient, and fakes his death so his enemies will not threaten it. He joins the [[Guardians of the Galaxy (2008 team)|Guardians of the Galaxy]] for a time, and upon returning to Earth, he discovers he had actually been adopted by the Starks so their [[Arno Stark|biological son]] could be hidden from an alien threat.{{Sfn|Fentiman|2019|p=195}}

While fighting [[Red Skull]], a spell cast by [[Victor von Doom]] and the [[Scarlet Witch]] temporarily [[AXIS (comics)|inverts the personalities]] of several heroes. The new morally corrupt Iron Man protects himself from the counterspell and takes over [[San Francisco]] to augment the residents with Extremis.{{Sfn|O'Sullivan|2016|loc=Iron Man Update}} When a man is discovered who can see the future, the superhero community undergoes [[Civil War II|another schism]], and Iron Man leads a team of heroes opposed to a predetermined justice system based on his ability.{{Sfn|Friedenthal|2021|pp=91–93}} The battle ends with Iron Man in a coma. A reformed [[Victor von Doom]] becomes Iron Man, while an artificial intelligence backup of Stark's mind guides a new armored superhero, Ironheart. Stark resumes his work as Iron Man after the technology in his body allows him to heal.{{Sfn|Fentiman|2019|p=195}} He then allies with [[Emma Frost]] and marries her to set a trap for their mutual enemy Feilong.<ref name="Emma Frost">{{Cite web |last=Polo |first=Susana |date=2023-09-27 |title=Iron Man has reached his final form: a hot lady's trophy husband |url=https://www.polygon.com/23890921/iron-man-emma-frost-wedding-x-men |access-date=2024-02-22 |website=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]]}}</ref>

===Personality and motivations===
{{Quote box
| quote = We really thought about how we needed to give him a weakness. It wasn't hip to have him running out of energy and looking for a light socket every few pages, or having a heart attack every time Ultimo was fighting him. So we discussed it and we thought that we would give him the corporate man's disease [alcoholism]. Something that would always haunt him.
| author = [[Bob Layton]]{{Sfn|Sacks|2015|pp=140–141}}
| width = 30%
}}
Iron Man is a businessman and entrepreneur who seeks to innovate and improve his technology,{{Sfn|Zanco|2015|p=167}}{{Sfn|Faller|2010|p=257}} both for society's benefit and his own.{{Sfn|Zanco|2015|pp=164–167}}{{Sfn|Cooley|Rogers|2015|p=80}} Iron Man is one of many Marvel heroes with a genius-level intellect,{{Sfn|Spanakos|2010|p=133}} but his focus on societal application alongside hard science distinguishes him from other heroes.{{Sfn|Spanakos|2010|p=133}} The character is a futurist, and he works to identify solutions for problems that have yet to emerge. This preemptive problem-solving was a driving force in his organization of the Avengers and later in his support for the Superhero Registration Act during the ''Civil War'' event.{{Sfn|Spanakos|2010|pp=129, 133–134}}

Stark's intelligence and engineering skills allowed him to construct the Iron Man armor, and he believes this justifies his authority over the armor and who uses it.{{Sfn|Terjesen|2010|pp=101–103}} While Iron Man sometimes develops equipment for other superheroes, he is selective about who can use the armor, trusting only a few close allies.{{Sfn|Malloy|2010|p=117}} In the 2008 story "The Five Nightmares", Iron Man narrates his five greatest fears: relapse into alcoholism, reproduction of the Iron Man technology, other people becoming Iron Man, the technology becoming disposable, and that someone else would be distributing this technology. Besides the danger such scenarios pose, they all represent fear of losing power over himself or his technology.{{Sfn|Michálek|2015|p=196}}

Iron Man finds machines easier to interact with than humans, believing machines can be more easily controlled and repaired.{{Sfn|Hoskin|2008|loc=Iron Man}} This leads him to engage in self-destructive behavior, giving his relationships as Tony Stark lower priority and failing to be accountable for his creations as Iron Man.{{Sfn|Robichaud|2010|p=53}} His isolation comes to him from two directions, with both his celebrity status and his role as Iron Man making personal relationships difficult.{{Sfn|Faller|2010|pp=261–262}} Through both poor decisions and bad luck, he is unable to maintain romantic relationships despite his wealth and talents.{{Sfn|Kirk|2020|p=50}} Writer Dennis O'Neil described the Iron Man armor as "a psychological crutch preventing him from dealing with his own inner demons".{{Sfn|Ridout|1992|p=7}} He identifies with the Iron Man armor as an extension of himself, believing the image it presents is his own image, and he considers himself responsible any time someone uses the technology.{{Sfn|Hogan|2009|p=205}}

Iron Man behaves differently as a superhero and as a civilian, engaging in courageous and selfless acts as Iron Man but morally ambiguous behavior as Stark.{{Sfn|Nielson|2010|pp=201–202}} The character represents a traditional understanding of American masculinity as a businessman and a playboy, particularly as it was seen in the Cold War.{{Sfn|Michálek|2015|p=193}}{{Sfn|Alaniz|2015|p=58}} This characterization also manifests in negative traits that were prominent in early Iron Man stories, including belligerence, negligence, and misogyny.{{Sfn|Michálek|2015|p=201}} Stark has several character flaws emerging from his impulsivity and arrogance, engaging in vices that include excessive drinking, partying, and womanizing.{{Sfn|White|2010|p=172}}{{Sfn|Nielson|2010|pp=201–202}}{{Sfn|Curtis|2010|pp=236–237}}

Iron Man's heart injury was prominent in his early characterization, causing him to isolate himself so as not to reveal his injury or his [[secret identity]].{{Sfn|Patton|2015|p=7}} This weakness was a threat to his autonomy and his masculinity.{{Sfn|Genter|2007|p=968}} As real-world medical technology made heart injuries less fatal, writers introduced neurological damage{{Sfn|Mulligan|2015|pp=205–206}} and alcoholism as other medical weaknesses.{{Sfn|Sacks|2015|p=137}}{{Sfn|Novy|2010a|pp=80–81}} Despite this, Iron Man considers himself lucky and believes he lives "a good life", attributing this to his money, friendships, engineering skills, and recovering health.{{Sfn|Patterson|Patterson|2010|pp=218–220}}

Iron Man's belief in progress sometimes manifests as opposition to the press and politicians, whose attempts to keep him accountable hamper his efforts as a superhero.{{Sfn|Cooley|Rogers|2015|pp=81–82}} He is conflicted between his support for the [[rule of law]] and his moral beliefs in doing what he feels must be done for the greater good. When he engages in unsanctioned attacks against those who co-opted his technology in the "Armor Wars" story, he describes it as "a tough decision; perhaps the toughest in my life".{{Sfn|Donovan|Richardson|2010|p=193}} The character's morally ambiguous nature can make him more accessible to readers relative to other superheroes who are more inherently virtuous.{{Sfn|Patterson|Patterson|2010|p=217}}{{Sfn|Curtis|2010|p=242}}