Editing Iron Man (section)

===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>