Iron Man

This article is about the fictional character. For the 2008 film based on the character, see Iron Man (2008 film). For other uses, see Iron Man (disambiguation).

"Tony Stark" redirects here. For the film character, see Tony Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe).

Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Tales of Suspense #39 in 1963, and received his own title with Iron Man #1 in 1968. Shortly after his creation, Iron Man was a founding member of a superhero team, the Avengers, with Thor, Ant-Man, the Wasp, and the Hulk. Iron Man stories, individually and with the Avengers, have been published consistently since the character's creation.

Tony Stark Iron Man
Variant cover of Tony Stark: Iron Man #2 (July 2018) Art by Mark Brooks
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	Tales of Suspense #39 (March 1963)
Created by	Stan Lee Larry Lieber Don Heck Jack Kirby Steve Ditko
In-story information
Full name	Anthony Edward Stark
Place of origin	Long Island, New York
Team affiliations	Avengers Department of Defense New Avengers Guardians of the Galaxy Illuminati Mighty Avengers S.H.I.E.L.D. Stark Industries
Partnerships	Happy Hogan Ironheart Pepper Potts War Machine
Abilities	Genius-level intellect Proficient scientist and engineer Utilizes powered armor suit

Iron Man is the superhero persona of Anthony Edward "Tony" Stark, a businessman and engineer who runs the weapons manufacturer Stark Industries. When Stark is captured in a war zone and sustains a serious heart wound, he builds his Iron Man armor out of scrap and escapes his captors. Iron Man's suits of armor grant him superhuman strength, flight, energy projection, and other abilities. The character was used to explore political themes, and early Iron Man stories were set in the Cold War. Later stories explored other themes, such as civil unrest, technological advancement, corporate espionage, alcoholism, and governmental authority.

Major Iron Man stories include Demon in a Bottle (1979), Armor Wars (1987–1988), Extremis (2005), and Iron Man 2020 (2020). He is also a leading character in the company-wide stories Civil War (2006–2007), Dark Reign (2008–2009), and Civil War II (2016). Additional superhero characters have emerged from Iron Man's supporting cast, including James Rhodes as War Machine and Riri Williams as Ironheart, as well as reformed villains, Natasha Romanova as Black Widow and Clint Barton as Hawkeye. Iron Man's list of enemies includes his archenemy the Mandarin, many supervillains of communist origin, and many that double as business rivals for Tony.

Robert Downey Jr. portrayed Tony Stark in Iron Man (2008), the first film of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and continued to portray the character until his final appearance in Avengers: Endgame (2019). Downey's portrayal popularized the character, elevating Iron Man into one of Marvel's most recognizable superheroes.

Publication history

Further information: List of Iron Man titles

Creation and premiere

 

Errol Flynn was used as a reference for Tony Stark's physical appearance

Following the success of the Fantastic Four in 1961 and the subsequent revival of American comic books featuring superheroes, Marvel Comics set about creating new superhero characters. During this time, Stan Lee developed the initial concept for Iron Man.^[1] Lee wanted to design a character who should have been unpalatable to his generally anti-war readers but to make them like the character anyway.^[2] Iron Man was created in the years after a permanent arms industry developed in the United States, and this was incorporated into the character's backstory.^[3] The character was introduced as an active player in the Vietnam War. Lee described the national mood toward Vietnam in which Iron Man was created as "a time when most of us genuinely felt that the conflict in that tortured land really was a simple matter of good versus evil".^[4]

As superhero comics became more popular, Marvel began replacing its previous comic book lines with superheroes. The monster-themed anthology series Tales of Suspense began running Iron Man stories alongside more traditional science-fiction and horror stories, featuring Iron Man on each cover.^[5][6] Iron Man's first appearance, "Iron Man is Born!", was in Tales of Suspense #39, released in December 1962 with a cover date of March 1963. In 1964, the science-fiction and horror stories were removed entirely, with the series running only Iron Man and Captain America stories.^[6]

Larry Lieber developed Iron Man's origin and wrote the first Iron Man story, while Jack Kirby and Don Heck were responsible for the initial design.^[1][7] Lee and Lieber used the business magnate Howard Hughes as their reference when developing the character.^[8][2] Kirby and Heck then incorporated elements of the actor Errol Flynn's physical appearance in the design.^[9] Kirby initially drew the Iron Man armor as a "round and clunky gray heap", and the design was modified by Heck to incorporate gadgets such as jets, drills, and suction cups. Heck continued as the primary Iron Man artist until 1965, as Kirby had obligations to other Marvel properties.^[5][10] Though the Iron Man armor was gray in its first appearance, it was quickly changed to gold due to issues with printing.^[7] Lee briefly delegated the writing to other creators at Marvel, but he felt that their work was substandard; as with his other characters, Lee again took control of Iron Man so he could write the stories himself.^[11]

Late 1960s

When Marvel's distributor allowed them more monthly releases, The Avengers was developed as a new comic book series.^[12] Iron Man was one of the five characters that formed the titular superhero team.^[13] By 1965, the difficulty of maintaining continuity between The Avengers and the titles of the individual characters prompted Lee to write the original cast out of The Avengers, including Iron Man.^[14]

As part of a shuffling to match artists with the characters they were most suited for, Steve Ditko became the artist for Iron Man.^[15] Ditko was responsible for only three issues in late 1963, but in this time he had Iron Man's suit redesigned with the red and gold color scheme that became the character's primary image.^[16] Iron Man's recurring nemesis, the Mandarin, first appeared shortly after in Tales of Suspense #50.^[17]

Growing opposition to the American involvement in Vietnam prompted a shift in Iron Man's characterization at this time as part of a larger push by Marvel to be more apolitical.^[4][18] Lee shifted the focus of Iron Man stories to espionage and domestic crime, incorporating the intelligence agency S.H.I.E.L.D. into these stories. They also incorporated the villains of other Marvel heroes, avoiding Iron Man's primarily communist rogues' gallery. Some of Iron Man's villains were given personal motivations without their communist allegiances.^[19]

Previously relegated to short stories in an anthology series, Iron Man was one of several characters to receive a full-length dedicated series in 1968.^[20] The final issues of Tales of Suspense and the Sub-Mariner's Tales to Astonish were combined as a one-shot special, Iron Man and Sub-Mariner.^[21] Iron Man then began its run under writer Archie Goodwin.^[22] Political themes were reintroduced slowly over the following years, with a focus on domestic issues like racial conflict and environmentalism rather than geopolitics.^[23]

1970s

I don't feel Tony Stark is a dinosaur, a creature unable to change before the weight of time crushes him aside. Yeah, it is hard in 1977 to praise a millionaire industrialist, playboy and former munitions-manufacturer—but it isn't impossible to change that image. Which is what I plan to do.

Bill Mantlo, Iron Man #100^[24]

Over the years, the letters to the editor column in several issues saw extensive political debate.^[25] When Goodwin was made editor-in-chief, he assigned Gerry Conway as the writer for Iron Man.^[26] Conway was the first of several authors in a four-year effort to reform Iron Man beginning in 1971, with stories that directly addressed the character's history as a weapons manufacturer.^[27] These stories were especially prominent during a run by Mike Friedrich, in which corporate reform of Stark Industries was a recurring subplot.^[28]

Iron Man was one of several Marvel characters that declined in popularity during the 1970s, and the series went for a period of time without a dedicated writer until Bill Mantlo took over in 1977.^[29] The following year, David Michelinie and Bob Layton took charge of the series beginning with issue #116.^[30][31] While inking the series, Layton used issues of GQ, Playboy, and electronics catalogues as visual references,^[32] and they stayed informed on developments in real world technology so that the Iron Man armor would always be a more advanced version of what existed.^[31] Layton was inspired by the vast collection of specialized outfits used by Batman when designing Iron Man's various armors.^[33]

In Iron Man #117 and #118 (1978), Michelinie and Layton replaced many elements that had developed in the series: they removed Iron Man's romantic interest, they removed the Life Model Decoys that served as robotic doubles of Tony Stark, and they had him move to a different home.^[34] Iron Man's new romantic interest, Bethany Cabe, was introduced as a feminist character who worked as Tony Stark's bodyguard.^[35] The largest change they made was making Iron Man an alcoholic, an unprecedented move for a major comic book hero, which led to the Demon in a Bottle story arc that ran from issues #120 to #128 (1979).^[36] At the same time, they introduced the character of Justin Hammer, who became the main backer of several Iron Man villains.^[37]

1980s and 1990s

The 1980s saw increased focus on Iron Man as a businessman reflecting the economic changes associated with Reaganomics, and many of his challenges involved threats to his company.^[38] Denny O'Neil was put in charge of Iron Man beginning with issue #158 (1982). His run explored Tony Stark's psychology, having him relapse into alcoholism and suffer at the hands of business rival Obadiah Stane.^[33] O'Neil eventually wrote Tony Stark out of the role entirely, having him temporarily retire as Iron Man and replacing him with his ally James Rhodes.^[39] The 1987 Armor Wars story arc followed Iron Man as he reclaims his technology, which had been distributed to several villains.^[40] This story blended the character's superhero and businessman aspects more directly when Tony Stark seeks legal recourse for rivals stealing the Iron Man technology.^[38] Michelinie and Layton returned to the series with issue #211 (1986), and they again began experimenting with different variations on the Iron Man armor.^[41]

In 1990, Michelinie and Layton handed the series over to John Byrne, one of the most highly regarded comic book writers of the time. His run consisted of three story arcs across twenty issues: Armor Wars II (which had already been announced by Michelinie and Layton), The Dragon Seed Saga, and War Games. During his run, Byrne rewrote Iron Man's origin to remove references to communism and the Vietnam War. He lost interest in the series by 1992, as his collaborators John Romita Jr. and Howard Mackie had moved on to other projects.^[42] Iron Man's supporting character War Machine was spun off into his own comic book series in 1994.^[43]

As part of a company-wide reorganization, Marvel's major characters, including Iron Man, were given to former Marvel writers Jim Lee and Rob Liefeld in a profit-sharing agreement. Lee and Liefeld were given charge of the 1996 Heroes Reborn branding that renumbered Marvel's long-running periodicals at #1.^[44] This new iteration, labeled volume two, was set in an alternate universe created during the Onslaught event. It ran for thirteen issues, written by Lee and Scott Lobdell and drawn by Whilce Portacio.^[45][46] The following year, Marvel introduced the Heroes Return event to bring the characters back from the alternate universe, which again reset characters such as Iron Man to issue #1.^[47][48] This was labeled volume three, which was taken on by writer Kurt Busiek and artist Sean Chen.^[45][49]

21st century

When the Ultimate Marvel imprint was created with reimagined versions of Marvel's characters, an alternate Iron Man appeared in 2002 with the Ultimates, the imprint's adaptation of The Avengers.^[50] A five issue limited series, Ultimate Iron Man, was released featuring this character in 2005.^[51]

In 2004, Iron Man was a major character in the Avengers Disassembled event and subsequently became a founding member of The New Avengers.^[52] Volume four of Iron Man began in 2005.^[45] This new run was written by Warren Ellis and drawn by Adi Granov. Its first story arc, Extremis, saw Iron Man upgrade his body directly through the Extremis virus, giving him direct control over a biological armor.^[51] The first fourteen issues of volume four carried the Iron Man title, while issues #15–32 (2007–2008) were titled Iron Man: Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.^[45] Iron Man was the leader of the "pro-registration" faction during the 2006 Civil War crossover event by Mark Millar and Steve McNiven.^[53] After the character was rebranded as "Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.", he also appeared with The Mighty Avengers in 2007.^[54] This era of Iron Man's character leaned into his identity as a futurist.^[55]

Marvel restarted Iron Man's comic book run with Invincible Iron Man in 2008, written by Matt Fraction and drawn by Salvador Larroca.^[56] This series launched around the same time as the film Iron Man premiered,^[57] and the Marvel Cinematic Universe developed while this run was in publication.^[56] The series reverted to the original numbering in 2011, when the overall 500th issue was published as Iron Man #500.^[45] A simultaneous series, Iron Man Legacy by Fred Van Lente, launched in 2010 in the lead up to the release of the film Iron Man 2.^[57] Iron Man was then one of several characters whose series was relaunched at issue #1 with the Marvel Now! branding following the 2012 Avengers vs. X-Men event.^[58] This volume of Iron Man was written by Kieron Gillen.^[59] The 2014 AXIS event led into the Superior Iron Man series by Tom Taylor, featuring Iron Man with a new reversed personality.^[60]

 

Brian Michael Bendis wrote several Iron Man stories in the 2010s

A new run of Invincible Iron Man written by Brian Michael Bendis and drawn by David Marquez began in 2015.^[61] A simultaneous Iron Man series, International Iron Man, ran for seven issues in 2016 as part of Marvel's All-New, All-Different Marvel branding, also by Bendis. This series was meant to ensure Iron Man's status as a major character as All-New, All Different developed.^[62] Iron Man was again a leader of one faction during the 2016 Civil War II event by Bendis.^[63] As part of a broader trend by Marvel Comics to substitute its main characters with a diverse cast of original characters in the 2010s, Iron Man was then temporarily replaced by Ironheart, an African-American teenage girl who reverse engineered the Iron Man armor.^[64] At the same time, the series Infamous Iron Man was created with Dr. Doom becoming Iron Man.^[65]

The series Tony Stark: Iron Man premiered in 2018 with the Fresh Start branding, written by Dan Slott and drawn by Valerio Schiti.^[66] In 2020, Iron Man was relaunched in a new series, written by Christopher Cantwell and illustrated by CAFU, following the Iron Man 2020 event. This series moved away from the developments and deviations from Stark's character introduced in the previous series to a more traditional superhero setting.^[67] The character was relaunched again in 2022 with Invincible Iron Man, written by Gerry Duggan and illustrated by Juan Frigeri.^[68]

Characterization

Fictional character biography

 

Tales of Suspense #39 (March 1963): Iron Man debuts. Cover art by Jack Kirby and Don Heck

Tony Stark inherited his family's business, Stark Industries, after his parents were killed in a car crash.^[69] 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 that Tony build him a weapon. Tony instead builds a suit of armor that sustains his heart, becoming Iron Man.^[16][5] The war zone that Tony visits has been 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. For the first decades of Iron Man's publication history, the conflict is the Vietnam War.^[70] This was changed in the 1990s to an unnamed Southeast Asian country,^[71] and a conflict in the fictional country of Siancong was eventually established to justify the inconsistency.^[72]

Iron Man returns to the United States and becomes a superhero, convincing the public that Iron Man is Tony Stark's bodyguard.^[69] When he is called to stop the Hulk and learns that Loki is behind the Hulk's attack, he joins forces with the Hulk, Thor, Ant-Man, and the Wasp to defeat Loki, and they agree to form a superhero team, the Avengers.^[13] At the same time, he helps found the intelligence agency S.H.I.E.L.D., providing the organization with equipment.^[69] As Iron Man comes to regret his involvement in weapons manufacturing, Stark Industries is changed to Stark International, an electronics company that emphasizes environmentalism and ending world hunger.^[73][69] S.H.I.E.L.D. attempts to take over the business and revert it back to weapons manufacturing. At the same time, Iron Man is framed for murder. These stresses cause him to begin drinking heavily, and he develops alcoholism.^[74] Though he gets sober, he later relapses as part of a plot by Obadiah Stane.^[69] Iron Man briefly loses his company to Stane, passes the mantle of Iron Man to his ally James Rhodes,^[75] and becomes homeless.^[76] After he 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 that Justin Hammer had acquired the Iron Man armor's technology, he seeks out all of the other armors. The resulting fights leave Iron Man a fugitive, leading him to fake his death and then describe himself as a new Iron Man.^[69]

Iron Man had previously undergone surgery to replace the damaged portions of his heart, eliminating the need for his prosthetic chest plate.^[76] But when he 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.^[77] Rhodes temporarily became Stark's chosen successor as Iron Man. After returning, Stark falls under the control of Immortus, turning 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. The original Iron Man and the alternate Iron Man are merged into a single being by Franklin Richards when he rewrites reality. His company had been bought out, so he starts a consulting firm, Stark Solutions. His secret identity is revealed to the public shortly afterward. He is then appointed Secretary of Defense until the Scarlet Witch alters his mind, causing him to embarrass himself and leave in disgrace.^[69] When Mallen becomes a threat through the Extremis project, Iron Man has himself injected with the Extremis virus, giving him a biological armor that he can control with his mind.^[78]

Iron Man serves as the enforcer of the Superhero Registration Act upon its enactment, creating a schism between superheroes, with Iron Man leading proponents of registration against a group of resistors led by Captain America.^[53] At the end of the conflict, Iron Man is appointed head of S.H.I.E.L.D.^[79] When the Earth is invaded by Skrulls, S.H.I.E.L.D. is dismantled, but Iron Man refuses to turn over the list of registered heroes to its corrupt successor agency H.A.M.M.E.R.^[80] This is eventually dismantled as well, and Iron Man organizes the Avengers to replace these intelligence agencies.^[69] He founds a clean energy company, Stark Resilient, and fakes his death so his enemies would not threaten it. He joins the Guardians of the Galaxy for a time, and upon returning to Earth, he discovers that he had actually been adopted by the Starks so their real son could be hidden from an alien threat.^[81] When several heroes' personalities are temporarily inverted, the morally corrupt Iron Man takes over San Francisco to augment the residents with Extremis before his original personality is restored.^[82] When a man is discovered who can see the future, the superhero community undergoes another schism, and Iron Man leads a team of heroes opposed to a system of predetermined justice using his ability.^[63] The battle ends with Iron Man in a coma. A reformed Victor von Doom becomes Iron Man, while an artificial intelligence backup of Tony's mind guides a new armored superhero, Ironheart, until the technology in Tony's body allows him to heal.^[81]

Personality and motivations

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.

Bob Layton^[83]

Iron Man is a businessman and an entrepreneur who constantly seeks to innovate and improve his technology.^[84] In this capacity, he is motivated to create and develop technology both for personal benefit and for the benefit of society.^[85][86] Stan Lee modeled Iron Man after businessman Howard Hughes, and the character shares many traits with Hughes, including similar businesses, reputations as an arrogant playboys, and similarities in their physical appearances.^[84] Iron Man was created at a time when comic book characters were first depicted struggling with real life problems, and his heart injury was an early example of a superhero with a physical disability.^[87] This injury was prominent in his early characterization, making him misanthropic so as not to reveal the nature of his injury or his secret identity.^[10] This weakness presented the character with a threat to his autonomy and his masculinity.^[88] As real world medical technology made heart injuries less fatal, Iron Man's physical maladies were extended to include neurological damage.^[89] 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.^[90]

The character behaves differently depending on whether he is taking the persona of Iron Man or of Tony Stark. While he engages in courageous and selfless acts to help others as Iron Man, he engages in behavior that is morally ambiguous when he is not working as a superhero.^[91] The character is portrayed overall as an archetype of how masculinity is seen in the United States,^[92] with his success in business and his playboy characterization allowing the character to symbolize a masculine image of the country during the Cold War.^[93] This characterization also manifests in negative traits that were prominent in early Iron Man stories, including belligerence, negligence, and misogyny.^[94] Stark has several character flaws emerging from his impulsivity and arrogance, engaging in vices that include excessive drinking, partying, and womanizing.^[95][91][96] This escalated into a major weakness for the character when he was written as an alcoholic.^[97][98] His belief in progress sometimes manifests as opposition to the press and politicians, whose attempts to keep him accountable hamper his efforts as a superhero.^[99] 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 a series of 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".^[100] The character's morally ambiguous nature can make him more accessible to readers relative to other superheroes who are more inherently virtuous.^[101][102]

Like many Marvel superheroes, Iron Man has a genius-level intellect.^[103] Stark was a child prodigy, and he graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology at age 15.^[104] His form of intelligence is distinct from that of other heroes in that his expertise has a proclivity toward societal application along with hard science.^[103] Iron Man is defined by his conceptual, problem-solving behavior that leads him to innovate, going back to his initial creation of the Iron Man armor.^[105] 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.^[106] It is his intelligence and engineering skills that allowed him to construct the Iron Man armor, and he believes that this justifies his authority over the armor and who uses it.^[107] While Iron Man sometimes develops equipment for other superheroes, he is selective about who gets to use the armor, trusting only a few close allies.^[108] 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 that such scenarios pose, they all represent fear of Iron Man losing power over himself or his technology.^[109]

Iron Man finds machines easier to interact with than humans, believing that machines can be more easily controlled and repaired.^[69] This leads him to engage in self-destructive behavior, in that his relationships as Tony Stark are given lower priority and he fails to maintain accountability for his creations.^[110] His isolation comes to him from two directions, with both his celebrity status and his role as Iron Man making personal relationships difficult.^[111] Writer Dennis O'Neil described the Iron Man armor as "a psychological crutch preventing him from dealing with his own inner demons".^[33] He identifies with the Iron Man armor as an extension of himself, believing that the image it presents is his own image, and he considers himself responsible any time someone uses the technology.^[112]

Themes and motifs

Politics

Iron Man was more overtly political than other Marvel characters of the Silver Age.^[113] The character was created to represent liberal capitalism, fighting against communism and other anti-democratic forces.^{[114][115][116]} In stories from 1963 to 1968, he represented the United States in Cold War allegories, particularly in reference to the Vietnam War.^[4][117] Though anti-communist sentiments were present throughout Marvel Comics, they appeared most prominently in Iron Man stories.^[118] After Marvel shifted away from addressing foreign conflicts, Iron Man was portrayed as a liberal who was skeptical of the U.S. government while also opposing radicalism associated with the counterculture of the 1960s.^[119] In the early 1970s, Iron Man became more self-doubting, questioning when the use of force is justified against communism.^[120][121] By 1975, Iron Man was an opponent of the Vietnam War.^[119] This created a new driving motivation to make up for his past of being too willing to promote violence,^[122] and he responded by becoming a philanthropist.^[123] Iron Man's use of his vast resources as a protector was reframed as a cautionary tale, in which these resources could be co-opted to do harm. The character's motivation for providing weapons to the government was also retroactively changed so that Stark only did so because he believed it would end the war more quickly.^[124] John Bryne's run revisited communism at the end of the Cold War in the early 1990s, but it was shown as less threatening.^[125]

By the 1990s, Iron Man rejected broader ideology, and his allegiance to American democracy for its own sake was replaced by individualist values. He remained anti-communist, reiterating his support for democracy and refusing to do business in China following the Tiannamen Square Massacre.^[126] The absence of Cold War politics was not immediately replaced by another theme, and post-Cold War Iron Man stories often visited different ideas regarding technology for a short time before moving on.^[127] When terrorism became more prominent in the public mind, Iron Man became a symbol of anti-terrorism rather than anti-communism.^[128]

The dual role of Iron Man and Tony Stark allows stories with the character to examine the perspectives of both the individual inventor and of the bureaucracy of governments and corporations.^[129] The character's business, Stark Industries, is depicted as a force for good that advances scientific knowledge through capitalist innovation.^[86] The Iron Man persona itself, as well as the technology that Iron Man uses, are proprietary assets owned by Stark Industries.^[130] Reflecting his characterization as a businessman, Iron Man stories often invoke themes of economic competition, seeing him face characters that try to develop better versions of the Iron Man armor.^[131] Many of Iron Man's challenges involve corrupt business rivals and corporate espionage.^[125]

Iron Man was one of the two main characters of the 2006 Civil War event, an allegory for the Patriot Act and government surveillance. While Captain America represented liberal opposition to government surveillance in the name of individualism, Iron Man represented conservative support for government surveillance in the name of security.^[132] Throughout the story, Iron Man advocated a pragmatic approach of choosing the lesser of two evils, whereas Captain America held an idealist approach, both of them holding these positions at great personal cost.^[133] Iron Man represented an attempt to define what a superhero was in the 21st century following the September 11 attacks, implicitly likening the fear of terrorism to the fear of unregulated super-powered beings.^[134] While Marvel was neutral between the characters, readers overwhelmingly saw Iron Man as the villain, being the stronger force that the underdog had to overcome.^[135][136] A second Civil War event in 2016 portrayed Iron Man as an advocate of free will against Captain Marvel's determinism.^[63]

Technology

Technology and its influence on society is a common theme in Iron Man stories,^[137][138] and Iron Man has been emphasized as a technological marvel since his earliest appearances.^[139] Iron Man's use of technology reflects overall problems of progress and advancement. As he produces new technologies, he solves existing problems, but he also creates new ones. This applies both to his time as a weapons manufacturer and his role as Iron Man.^[140] Specific issues addressed in Iron Man stories include the use of cybernetics and addressing the misuse of new technologies by bad actors.^[141] Iron Man's position within the suit allows for discussion regarding automation versus human oversight of technology,^[142] and it reflects a broader ethical discussion of how new technologies are incorporated into public and military use, including the use of exoskeletons and battle suits specifically.^[143] These technological themes are explored through a modern lens during the Extremis story arc, which incorporates the idea of human enhancement through biotechnology.^[144][145]

Depictions of technology in Iron Man stories have often endorsed the use of technology to alter the natural world.^[146] This is in contrast with other Marvel superheroes of the time, when scientific advances, particularly radiation, are portrayed as having unintended effects.^[86][147] Unlike other heroes who gain their abilities accidentally and then supplement their superhero work with engineering talent, Iron Man made himself a superhero solely through his engineering experience.^[148] The literary benefit of this is the plausibility that something like Iron Man could exist in the real world, as it is only the degree of technology that separates Iron Man from reality instead of fantastical elements.^[149][150] Iron Man's power of flight is especially significant in the symbolism of technology, as it associates the traditional heroic imagery derived from Superman with a technological component, giving the power to a man who created it himself in a transcendental fashion.^[151]

Armor

Main article: Iron Man's armor

 

Variations of the Iron Man armor

In most depictions, Iron Man does not have any superhuman abilities. He instead derives his strength from powered armor of his own design.^[152] When first designing the character, Lee was more interested in the armor's invocation of Arthurian knights, and he introduced advanced technology to modernize this vision.^[153]

In addition to protecting the wearer with its durability, the armor allows the wearer to fly.^[154] As of 2010, Marvel Comics described Iron Man's armor as being able to lift 100 tons and to fly at Mach 8. The armor is also equipped with various weapons, which typically include particle beam "repulsor rays" in each palm that project energy as well as a stronger "unibeam" on his chest.^[80] It typically has some method of being shrunk down or made more portable when not being used.^[155] From its first appearance, the armor is linked to the brainwaves of the wearer to allow movement.^[156] It must be calibrated to the user, and Iron Man has to design the armor specifically for who will be using it, whether it be himself or an ally.^[157]

When it was first developed, the armor was described as using transistors to function.^[16] This was replaced with integrated circuits as real world technology advanced,^[158] and new designs for the armor have continued to miniaturize the technology, ultimately incorporating nanotechnology.^[159] The armor's primary function was to produce a magnetic field that protected his heart from the shrapnel in his body, and his efforts to keep it charged and to keep it secret sometimes drove the story's plot in early years.^[160] A contrast is made between the armor's strength and the vulnerability of the human inside it.^[161][160] The armor protects Iron Man externally from attacks, but it also protects him internally as it keeps his heart beating.^[156] This point is emphasized by the form-fitting design of many Iron Man armors, which incorporates a clear human-like element in an otherwise robotic-looking character.^[114]

The armor was gray in its first appearance, but Iron Man gave it gold plating in the subsequent issue, and a few issues thereafter it was replaced by the red and gold look that the character became identified with.^[162] The character constantly seeks to develop newer, more advanced variations on the armor, and he frequently designs specialized models for specific purposes.^[163] These include the space armor, the stealth armor, and the deep sea armor,^[164] as well as the Hulkbuster armor to engage in combat with the Hulk.^[163] Developments in the armor's design often reflect real world advances in technology as well as trends in science fiction.^[165] The use of a technological suit of armor has allowed artists to frequently make changes to the character's appearance without controversy.^[138]

During the Extremis story arc, Iron Man developed a biotechnological armor that was embedded in his DNA and stored in his bones, allowing him to summon the armor from within his body and control it with his mind, effectively giving him superhuman abilities. This reduced the input lag between him and his armor, allowed him to mentally interface with any technology in the world, and gave him the focus to engage in several unrelated tasks at once.^{[166][167][168]} The Extremis technology also converted Iron Man's mind into a digital storage device: this allowed him to create a back up of his memories, which he used after wiping his mind to destroy any record of the superhero registry. It also presented a weakness, as Iron Man's archnemesis Mandarin was able to access and manipulate the mind's data.^[82]

Supporting characters

Allies

Main article: List of Iron Man supporting characters

Pepper Potts is an employee of Stark Industries that Tony Stark promoted to his executive assistant. As he had little interest in running the business, much of the management was handled by her.^[169] When Tony became Iron Man and began taking responsibility for his company, she taught him how to manage the business.^[69] When Potts is injured by an explosion and receives a heart injury similar to Iron Man's, he installs the arc reactor technology in her.^[170] She eventually becomes the CEO of Stark Industries.^[171] Iron Man built her a set of armor in secret, and after finding it she became the superhero Rescue.^[172]

James Rhodes is an employee of Tony Stark's that became the superhero War Machine.^[128] He first appeared in 1979 and was developed as a supporting character in 1981.^[173] He briefly took on the role of Iron Man while Tony Stark was relapsing on alcoholism.^[75] Later on, when Tony was near death, he gave Rhodes his corporation and the War Machine Armor.^[174] After Tony returned, he had Rhodes keep the armor.^[175] Rhodes' dependency on Iron Man for his armor often constrains him as a supporting character to Tony, even in solo War Machine stories.^[176]

Happy Hogan was hired as Tony Stark's chauffeur after saving his life, and Hogan later deduced that Tony Stark was Iron Man.^[177] He has other allies through his affiliation with the Avengers, including close personal relationships with Captain America, Ant-Man, and the Wasp.^[178] Tony Stark's butler, Edwin Jarvis, serves as a close ally working both Iron Man and the Avengers.^[179] Iron Man is also supported by his artificial intelligence companions Jocasta^[179] and F.R.I.D.A.Y.^[82] His association with S.H.I.E.L.D. sees him working with its agents and leadership, including Nick Fury and Maria Hill.^[171] He has also taken on other heroes as sidekicks, including Spider-Man and Jack of Hearts.^[69]

Other characters in the Marvel Universe have taken on the role of Iron Man besides Tony Stark, including James Rhodes^[75] and Victor von Doom.^[81] The Iron Man armor itself came to life in the Mask in the Iron Man storyline, becoming increasingly violent before sacrificing itself to save Stark's life.^[180][181]

Romantic interests

Iron Man has had many romantic interests, most of which only last a short time.^[69] In Iron Man's original Tales of Suspense run, a love triangle was established in which Tony Stark and Happy Hogan both had romantic interest in Pepper Potts.^[182][10] Hogan eventually married Potts.^[177] Roxie Gilbert, the sister of the villain Firebrand, was introduced as a romantic interest in the early 1970s. She was a foil for both Iron Man and Firebrand, representing non-violent activism.^[183]

The women associated with Iron Man became more independent as the second-wave feminism encouraged Marvel's writers to create stronger female characters.^[184] Whitney Frost was Iron Man's romantic interest later in the 1970s until she turned against him as the villain Madame Masque.^[34][185] She was replaced by Bethany Cabe as part of an overhaul of Iron Man's supporting cast, and Cabe was Iron Man's romantic interest during his period of alcoholism.^[74] She left Iron Man after he saved her husband, who had been presumed dead. Iron Man later partnered with Rumiko Fujikawa, the daughter of a businessman who took over Stark Enterprises.^[69] He eventually began a relationship with his long time ally Janet van Dyne, the Wasp.^[81] 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.^[186]

Villains

Main article: List of Iron Man enemies

Iron Man's earliest villains were often affiliated with the Soviet government or otherwise associated with communism.^[187] In the first three years after Iron Man was created, one-third of his villains were communists.^[188] Some of these enemies were Soviet counterparts of Iron Man, such as Titanium Man^[113] and Crimson Dynamo,^[189] while others were leadership of communist states, such as the Red Barbarian and the real-life Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev.^[187] Khrushchev, like most communists in the series, was drawn in caricature style as a brute who only sought power.^[190] Multiple communist villains, such as Crimson Dynamo, were reformed and became heroes loyal to the United States to present Iron Man and liberal capitalism as more appealing and morally superior.^[191] Two prominent Marvel heroes, Soviet spy Black Widow and American street criminal Hawkeye, were introduced as Iron Man villains before reforming as heroes.^[192][193]

The Mandarin was introduced as a Chinese villain, initially incorporating racist Yellow Peril themes and stereotypes regarding China.^[194][195] Though he is also an allegory for autocracy,^[196] the Mandarin was not created as another communist villain.^[197] Instead, any work he does with the Chinese government is purely in self-interest.^[198] Later on, the Mandarin was retroactively established as the man behind the kidnapping of Tony Stark that created Iron Man.^[71] The Mandarin contrasts with Iron Man in that he is associated with magic and mysticism rather than science and technology,^[199][198] and in that he was born into nobility unlike Iron Man, who is a self-made man in line with American ideals.^[196]

Beginning in the 1970s, Iron Man faced villains that represented social conflict and unrest, such as the anarchist Firebrand and the corrupt businessman Guardsman.^[200] Villains representing concerns about technology emerged at the same time, including Ultimo.^[201] The business aspect of Iron Man's character has invited several supervillains who oppose Stark Industries rather than just Iron Man.^[175] These villains became prominent in the 1980s,^[202] and they were amplified by the backlash to the decade's consumerism that emerged in the 1990s.^[125] Some of these villains wish to compete with the corporation and steal trade secrets, such as Spymaster, Whiplash, and Beetle. Others oppose the corporation on ideological grounds, such as Atom-Smasher.^[175] Tony Stark's chief business rival is Obadiah Stane. Stark's application of business as an altruistic pursuit is contrasted with Stane's application as a selfish pursuit.^[116] Justin Hammer,^[69] Shockwave, the Controller, the Mauler, and Stilt-Man.^[202] A focus on terrorism brought villains such as Zeke Stane, who carried out terrorist attacks using suicide bombers.^[203]

Alternate versions

Several other versions of Iron Man exist in other universes as part of Marvel's multiverse. In the Ultimate Universe, an alternate version of Iron Man exists as a member of the Ultimates, the universe's counterpart of the Avengers.^[204] Iron Man 2020 is the superhero persona of Tony's cousin-once-removed Arno Stark, who was from an alternate future in which superheroes vanished in the 1980s. After becoming Iron Man, Arno traveled back in time to the primary Marvel Universe.^[205]

Cultural impact and legacy

Iron Man's appearances in the 1960s saw mixed reception from readers, many of whom criticized the character for his association with the United States military and the controversial Vietnam War.^[4][25] In response, Marvel rewrote the character in the 1970s to moderate his image and to have him directly reflect on his culpability in the harms caused by war.^[27][120] According to Lee, Iron Man was the most popular hero when reading fanmail from female readers, which he attributed to both the character's charisma and his tragic nature.^[206]

Iron Man became widely popular following the success of the film Iron Man, which made him one of Marvel's most recognizable characters,^[1] and Iron Man is credited with redefining the superhero film genre.^[207][208] Since then, many publishers have listed Iron Man in the top ten in best Marvel character and best superhero lists.^{[209][210][211]} Iron Man's portrayal of futuristic technology has affected public image of how these technologies may develop. Heavy use of augmented reality interfaces by Iron Man, in his helmet's heads-up display and elsewhere, has informed public awareness of the technology.^[212] In 2019, a statue representing the character in his Iron Man armor was erected in Forte dei Marmi, Italy.^[213][214]

In other media

Main article: Iron Man in other media

See also: Tony Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

 

Iron Man was portrayed by Robert Downey Jr. in the Marvel Cinematic Universe

In 2008, a film adaptation titled Iron Man was released, starring Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark and directed by Jon Favreau. Iron Man was met with positive reviews from film critics,^[215] grossing $318 million domestically and $585 million worldwide, and became the first in the long-running Marvel Cinematic Universe.^[216] Downey's casting was praised, as was his portrayal of the character; Downey's own recovery from substance abuse was seen as creating a personal connection with the character.^[217] Downey reprises his role in Iron Man 2 (2010), Marvel's The Avengers (2012), Iron Man 3 (2013), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Captain America: Civil War (2016), Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and Avengers: Endgame (2019).^[218] Iron Man supporting characters are set to appear in their own Marvel Cinematic Universe titles, Ironheart and Armor Wars.^[219]

Iron Man's first animated appearance was in a segment of the 1966 series The Marvel Super Heroes, which adapted comic book drawings into animations, and has since been featured in the animated series Iron Man (1994–1996) and Iron Man: Armored Adventures (2009–2012). He has also made many appearances in other Marvel animated programs, particularly those featuring the Avengers, and there have been multiple Iron Man direct-to-video releases.^[220]

Iron Man has featured in several video games, including Iron Man (2008) and Iron Man 2 (2010), which were released as adaptations of his Marvel Cinematic Universe films. He also featured in the PlayStation VR game Iron Man VR (2020). An Iron Man action-adventure game was announced in 2022 to be developed by Motive Studio. Iron Man has also appeared in many other Marvel video games, such as those featuring the Avengers.^[221]

Notes

1. Darowski 2015, p. 1.
2. Housel & Housel 2010, p. 245.
3. Cooley & Rogers 2015, p. 78.
4. Mills 2013, p. 123.
5. Howe 2012, p. 43.
6. Patton 2015, pp. 5–6.
7. Gilbert 2008, p. 91.
8. Cooley & Rogers 2015, p. 77.
9. Housel & Housel 2010, pp. 245–246.
10. Patton 2015, p. 7.
11. Howe 2012, p. 45.
12. Gilbert 2008, p. 94.
13. Friedenthal 2021, pp. 30–31.
14. Howe 2012, p. 56.
15. Howe 2012, p. 50.
16. Patton 2015, p. 8.
17. Gilbert 2008, p. 99.
18. Wright 2001, pp. 222–223.
19. Henebry 2015, pp. 99–101.
20. Howe 2012, p. 89.
21. Gilbert 2008, p. 130.
22. Henebry 2015, p. 101.
23. Henebry 2015, pp. 102–105.
24. Henebry 2015, p. 116.
25. Henebry 2015, p. 110.
26. Howe 2012, p. 188.
27. Henebry 2015, p. 111.
28. Henebry 2015, p. 112.
29. Sacks 2015, p. 138.
30. Sacks 2015, p. 139.
31. Ridout 1992, p. 6.
32. Howe 2012, p. 223.
33. Ridout 1992, p. 7.
34. Sacks 2015, p. 140.
35. Gilbert 2008, p. 187.
36. Sacks 2015, pp. 140–142.
37. Gilbert 2008, p. 189.
38. Zanco 2015, pp. 165–166.
39. Howe 2012, p. 255.
40. Donovan & Richardson 2010, pp. 189–190.
41. Ridout 1992.
42. Darowski 2015b, pp. 171–173.
43. Gilbert 2008, p. 269.
44. Howe 2012, p. 373.
45. Zehr 2011, p. 181.
46. Gilbert 2008, p. 280.
47. Howe 2012, p. 394.
48. Gilbert 2008, p. 285.
49. Gilbert 2008, p. 289.
50. Gilbert 2008, p. 311.
51. Gilbert 2008, p. 325.
52. Gilbert 2008, pp. 323–324.
53. Friedenthal 2021, pp. 82–83.
54. Gilbert 2008, p. 335.
55. Spanakos 2010, p. 129.
56. Schedeen, Jesse (October 24, 2012). "The Invincible Iron Man #527 Review". IGN. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
57. Phillips, Dan (April 15, 2010). "Iron Man Legacy #1 Review". IGN. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
58. Overpeck 2017, pp. 178–179.
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63. Friedenthal 2021, pp. 91–93.
64. Friedenthal 2021, p. 90.
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69. Hoskin 2008, Iron Man.
70. Friedenthal 2021, pp. 73–74.
71. Darowski 2015b, p. 176.
72. Friedenthal 2021, pp. 74–75.
73. Henebry 2015, pp. 95–96.
74. Sacks 2015, p. 141.
75. Chambliss 2015, p. 152.
76. Mulligan 2015, p. 209.
77. Mulligan 2015, pp. 210–211.
78. Hogan 2009, pp. 209–210.
79. Friedenthal 2021, p. 86.
80. Hoskin 2008, Iron Man Update.
81. Fentiman 2019, p. 195.
82. O'Sullivan 2016, Iron Man Update.
83. Sacks 2015, pp. 140–141.
84. Zanco 2015, p. 167.
85. Zanco 2015, pp. 164–167.
86. Cooley & Rogers 2015, p. 80.
87. Mills 2013, p. 106.
88. Genter 2007, p. 968.
89. Mulligan 2015, pp. 205–206.
90. Patterson & Patterson 2010, pp. 218–220.
91. Nielson 2010, pp. 201–202.
92. Michálek 2015, p. 193.
93. Alaniz 2015, p. 58.
94. Michálek 2015, p. 201.
95. White 2010, p. 172.
96. Curtis 2010, pp. 236–237.
97. Sacks 2015, p. 137.
98. Novy 2010a, pp. 80–81.
99. Cooley & Rogers 2015, pp. 81–82.
100. Donovan & Richardson 2010, p. 193.
101. Patterson & Patterson 2010, p. 217.
102. Curtis 2010, p. 242.
103. Spanakos 2010, p. 133.
104. Spanakos 2010, p. 131.
105. Faller 2010, p. 257.
106. Spanakos 2010, pp. 129, 133–134.
107. Terjesen 2010, pp. 101–103.
108. Malloy 2010, p. 117.
109. Michálek 2015, p. 196.
110. Robichaud 2010, p. 53.
111. Faller 2010, pp. 261–262.
112. Hogan 2009, p. 205.
113. Wright 2001, p. 222.
114. Patton 2015, p. 15.
115. This 2015, p. 17.
116. Dunn 2010, p. 20.
117. Alaniz 2015, p. 52.
118. Patton 2015, p. 10.
119. Wright 2001, pp. 241–243.
120. Cooley & Rogers 2015, p. 88.
121. Curtis 2010, p. 238.
122. Robichaud 2010, p. 54.
123. Henebry 2015, p. 103.
124. Dunn 2010, pp. 20–22.
125. Darowski 2015b, p. 175.
126. Darowski 2015b, pp. 176–177.
127. Mulligan 2015, p. 218.
128. Chambliss 2015, p. 148.
129. Genter 2007, pp. 967–968.
130. Malloy 2010, p. 115.
131. Zanco 2015, p. 168.
132. Friedenthal 2021, p. 83.
133. White 2010, pp. 69–70.
134. Darowski 2015a, p. 189.
135. Darowski 2015a, p. 181.
136. Friedenthal 2021, p. 85.
137. Vohlidka 2015, p. 121.
138. Hogan 2009, p. 201.
139. Patton 2015, p. 14.
140. Curtis 2010, pp. 236–238, 240.
141. Curtis 2010, pp. 240–241.
142. Mulligan 2015, pp. 206–207.
143. Rieder 2010, pp. 42–45.
144. Michálek 2015, pp. 194–195.
145. Hogan 2009, p. 210.
146. Alaniz 2015, pp. 58–59.
147. Zanco 2015, p. 164.
148. Dunn 2010, pp. 7–8.
149. Rieder 2010, p. 39.
150. Zehr 2011, p. 154.
151. Faller 2010, pp. 258–260.
152. Vohlidka 2015, p. 132.
153. Dunn 2010, p. 9.
154. Zehr 2011, p. xi.
155. Zanco 2015, pp. 164–165.
156. Hogan 2009, p. 203.
157. Zehr 2011, p. 78.
158. Ridout 1992, p. 5.
159. Dunn 2010, pp. 14–15.
160. Mulligan 2015, p. 208.
161. Zehr 2011, p. 166.
162. Zehr 2011, pp. 8–10.
163. Zehr 2011, p. 6.
164. Ridout 1992, pp. 6–7.
165. Mulligan 2015, p. 205.
166. Mulligan 2015, pp. 213–214.
167. Zehr 2011, pp. 37–38.
168. Dunn 2010, p. 18.
169. Hoskin 2008, Pepper Hogan.
170. Michálek 2015, p. 197.
171. Michálek 2015, p. 198.
172. Hoskin 2008, Rescue.
173. Chambliss 2015, p. 150.
174. Chambliss 2015, p. 153.
175. Chambliss 2015, p. 154.
176. Chambliss 2015, p. 158.
177. Hoskin 2008, Happy Hogan.
178. Patterson & Patterson 2010, p. 220.
179. Housel & Housel 2010, p. 246.
180. Novy 2010b, pp. 147–149.
181. Patterson & Patterson 2010, p. 228.
182. Minett & Schauer 2017, p. 58.
183. Henebry 2015, pp. 113–114.
184. Housel & Housel 2010, pp. 251–253.
185. Housel & Housel 2010, p. 252.
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187. Patton 2015, pp. 10–11.
188. Alaniz 2015, p. 59.
189. Wright 2001, p. 241.
190. Alaniz 2015, pp. 61–63.
191. Alaniz 2015, p. 65.
192. Howe 2012, p. 56, 106.
193. Housel & Housel 2010, p. 250.
194. Iadonisi 2015, p. 39.
195. Henebry 2015, p. 98.
196. Iadonisi 2015, p. 46.
197. Iadonisi 2015, p. 41.
198. Darowski 2015b, p. 178.
199. Iadonisi 2015, p. 44.
200. Henebry 2015, pp. 111–113.
201. Vohlidka 2015, p. 119.
202. Zanco 2015, p. 166.
203. Zanco 2015, p. 169.
204. O'Sullivan 2015, 'Ultimate Universe' (Reality-1610).
205. Hoskin 2008, Iron Man (2020 AD).
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References

Books

• Darowski, Joseph J., ed. (2015). The Ages of Iron Man: Essays on the Armored Avenger in Changing Times. McFarland & Company. ISBN 978-1-4766-2074-9.
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  • Iadonisi, Richard A. "Fu Manchu Meets Maklu". In Darowski (2015).
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• Fentiman, David (2019). Marvel Encyclopedia (New ed.). DK. ISBN 978-1-4654-7890-0.
• Friedenthal, Andrew J. (2021). The World of Marvel Comics. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-000-43111-7.
• Genter, Robert (2007). "'With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility:' Cold War Culture and the Birth of Marvel Comics". The Journal of Popular Culture. 40 (6). Wiley-Blackwell: 953–978. doi:10.1111/j.1540-5931.2007.00480.x.
• Gilbert, Laura, ed. (2008). Marvel Chronicle: A Year By Year History. DK. ISBN 978-0-7566-4123-8.
• Hogan, Jon (2009). "The Comic Book as Symbolic Environment: The Case of Iron Man". ETC: A Review of General Semantics. 66 (2): 199–214. ISSN 0014-164X. JSTOR 42578930.
• Hoskin, Michael (2008). The All-New Iron Manual. Marvel Comics.
• Howe, Sean (2012). Marvel Comics: The Untold Story. HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-06-221811-7.
• O'Sullivan, Mike, ed. (2015). Secret Wars: Official Guide to the Marvel Multiverse. Marvel Comics.
• O'Sullivan, Mike, ed. (2016). All-New, All-Different Marvel Universe. Marvel Comics.
• Mills, Anthony (2013). American Theology, Superhero Comics, and Cinema: The Marvel of Stan Lee and the Revolution of a Genre. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-135-01437-7.
• Pedersen, Isabel; Simcoe, Luke (2012). "The Iron Man Phenomenon, Participatory Culture, & Future Augmented Reality Technologies". CHI '12 Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems. Association for Computing Machinery. pp. 291–300. doi:10.1145/2212776.2212807. ISBN 978-1-4503-1016-1. S2CID 14161327. from the original on September 5, 2023. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
• Ridout, Cefn (1992). "Introduction". The Many Armors of Iron Man. Marvel Comics. pp. 4–9. ISBN 0-87135-926-X.
• White, Mark D., ed. (2010). Iron Man and Philosophy: Facing the Stark Reality. Wiley. ISBN 978-0-470-48218-6.
  • Curtis, David Valleau. "Iron Man and the Problem of Progress". In White (2010).
  • Donovan, Sarah K.; Richardson, Nicholas P. "Does Tony Stark Use a Moral Compass?". In White (2010).
  • Dunn, George A. "The Literal Making of a Superhero". In White (2010).
  • Faller, Stephen. "Iron Man's Transcendant Challenge". In White (2010).
  • Housel, Rebecca; Housel, Gary. "Engendering Justice in Iron Man". In White (2010).
  • Malloy, Daniel P. "™ and © Stark Industries: Iron Man and Property Rights". In White (2010).
  • Nielson, Carston Fogh. "Flawed Heroes and Courageous Villains: Plato, Aristotle, and Iron Man on the Unity of the Virtues". In White (2010).
  • Novy, Ron (2010a). "Fate at the Bottom of a Bottle: Alcohol and Tony Stark". In White (2010).
  • Novy, Ron (2010b). "Iron Man in a Chinese Room: Does Living Armor Think?". In White (2010).
  • Patterson, Stephanie; Patterson, Brett. "'I Have a Good Life': Iron Man and the Avenger School of Virtue". In White (2010).
  • Rieder, Travis N. "The Technological Subversion of Technology". In White (2010).
  • Robichaud, Christopher. "Can Iron Man Atone for Tony Stark's Wrongs". In White (2010).
  • Spanakos, Tony. "Tony Stark, Philosopher King of the Future?". In White (2010).
  • Terjesen, Andrew. "Tony Stark and 'The Gospel of Wealth'". In White (2010).
• Wright, Bradford W. (2001). Comic Book Nation: The Transformation of Youth Culture in America. Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 978-0-8018-6514-5.
• Yockey, Matt (2017). Make Ours Marvel: Media Convergence and a Comics Universe. University of Texas Press. ISBN 978-1-4773-1250-6.
  • Minett, Mark; Schauer, Bradley. "Reforming the 'Justice' System". In Yockey (2017).
  • Overpeck, Deron. "Breaking Brand". In Yockey (2017).
• Zehr, E. Paul (2011). Inventing Iron Man: The Possibility of a Human Machine. Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 978-1-4214-0488-2.

External links

 

Wikiquote has quotations related to Iron Man (comics).

• Iron Man at the Marvel Universe wiki
• at the Comic Book DB (archived from the original)
• Tony Stark on Marvel Database, a Marvel Comics wiki