Английская Википедия:Iron Man

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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, Wasp and the Hulk. Iron Man stories, individually and with the Avengers, have been published consistently since the character's creation.

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 iconic Iron Man armor out of scrap and escapes his captors. As a superhero, his armor suits 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). Iron Man's supporting cast has produced additional superhero characters, including James Rhodes as War Machine, Pepper Potts as Rescue, and Riri Williams as Ironheart as well as reformed villains Black Widow and Hawkeye. Iron Man's list of enemies includes his archenemy, the Mandarin, as well as 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 as one of Marvel's most recognizable superheroes.

Publication history

Creation and premiere

Following the success of the Fantastic Four in 1961 and the subsequent revival of superhero comic books, Marvel set about creating new superhero characters. During this time, Stan Lee developed the initial concept for Iron Man.Шаблон:Sfn Lee was interested in designing an unlikeable character and making him likeable.Шаблон:Sfn 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.Шаблон:Sfn 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".Шаблон:Sfn

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.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn 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.Шаблон:Sfn

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.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn Lee and Lieber used Howard Hughes as their reference when developing the character.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn Kirby and Heck then incorporated elements of Errol Flynn's physical appearance in the design.Шаблон:Sfn 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.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn Heck later said that when designing Tony Stark, he was attempting to create "an Errol Flynn type".Шаблон:Sfn Though the Iron Man armor was gray in its first appearance, it was quickly changed to gold due to issues with printing.Шаблон:Sfn 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.Шаблон:Sfn

1960s

When Marvel's distributor allowed them more monthly releases, The Avengers was developed as a new comic book series.Шаблон:Sfn Iron Man was one of the five characters that formed the titular superhero team.Шаблон:Sfn 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.Шаблон:Sfn

As part of a shuffling to match artists with the characters they were most suited for, Steve Ditko became the artist for Iron Man.Шаблон:Sfn 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.Шаблон:Sfn Iron Man's recurring nemesis, the Mandarin, first appeared shortly after in Tales of Suspense #50.Шаблон:Sfn

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.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn 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 new motivations without their communist allegiances.Шаблон:Sfn

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.Шаблон:Sfn The final issues of Tales of Suspense and Sub-Mariner's Tales to Astonish were combined as a one-shot special, Iron Man and Sub-Mariner.Шаблон:Sfn Iron Man then began its run under writer Archie Goodwin.Шаблон:Sfn Political themes were reintroduced slowly over the following years, with a focus on domestic issues like racial conflict and environmentalism rather than geopolitics.Шаблон:Sfn

1970s

Шаблон:Quote box Over the years, the letters to the editor column in several issues saw extensive political debate.Шаблон:Sfn When Goodwin was made editor-in-chief, assigned Gerry Conway as the writer for Iron Man.Шаблон:Sfn Conway began a four-year-long effort to reform Iron Man in 1971 with stories that directly addressed the character's history as a weapons manufacturer.Шаблон:Sfn These stories were especially prominent during a run by Mike Friedrich, in which corporate reform of Stark Industries was a recurring subplot.Шаблон:Sfn

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.Шаблон:Sfn The following year, David Michelinie and Bob Layton took charge of the series beginning with issue #116.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn While inking the series, Layton used issues of GQ, Playboy, and electronics catalogues as visual references,Шаблон:Sfn 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.Шаблон:Sfn Layton was inspired by the vast collection of specialized outfits used by Batman when designing Iron Man's various armors.Шаблон:Sfn

In Iron Man #117 and #118, 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.Шаблон:Sfn Iron Man's new romantic interest, Bethany Cabe, was introduced as a feminist character who worked as Tony Stark's bodyguard.Шаблон:Sfn The largest change they made was making Iron Man an alcoholic.Шаблон:Sfn This was unprecedented for a major comic book hero,Шаблон:Sfn and for much of popular fiction.Шаблон:Sfn This began the Demon in a Bottle story arc that ran from #120 to #128.Шаблон:Sfn At the same time, they introduced the character of Justin Hammer, who became the main backer of several Iron Man villains.Шаблон:Sfn

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.Шаблон:Sfn Denny O'Neil was put in charge of Iron Man beginning with issue #158. His run explored Tony Stark's psychology, having the character again fall into his alcoholism and suffer at the hands of business rival Obadiah Stane.Шаблон:Sfn 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.Шаблон:Sfn The 1987 Armor Wars story arc followed Iron Man as he reclaims his technology, which had been distributed to several villains.Шаблон:Sfn This story blended the superhero and businessman aspects of Iron Man more directly when Tony Stark seeks legal recourse for rivals stealing the Iron Man technology.Шаблон:Sfn Michelinie and Layton returned to the series with issue #211, and they again began experimenting with different variations on the Iron Man armor.Шаблон:Sfn

In 1990, Michelinie and Layton stopped writing for Iron Man, and the series was given 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. He did not have further interest in the series by 1992, as his collaborators John Romita Jr. and Howard Mackie had moved on to other projects. During his run, Byrne rewrote Iron Man's origin to remove references to communism and the Vietnam War.Шаблон:Sfn Iron Man's supporting character War Machine was spun off into his own comic book series in 1994.Шаблон:Sfn

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.Шаблон:Sfn 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.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn 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.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn This was labeled volume three, which was taken on by writer Kurt Busiek and artist Sean Chen.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn

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.Шаблон:Sfn A five issue limited series, Ultimate Iron Man, was released featuring this character in 2005.Шаблон:Sfn

In 2004, Iron Man was a major character in the Avengers Disassembled event and subsequently became a founding member of The New Avengers.Шаблон:Sfn Volume four of Iron Man began in 2005.Шаблон:Sfn 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.Шаблон:Sfn The first fourteen issues of volume four carried the Iron Man title, while issues #15–32 were titled Iron Man: Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.Шаблон:Sfn Iron Man was the leader of the "pro-registration" faction during the 2006 Civil War crossover event by Mark Millar and Steve McNiven.Шаблон:Sfn After the character was rebranded as "Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.", he also appeared with The Mighty Avengers in 2007.Шаблон:Sfn This era of Iron Man's character leaned into his identity as a futurist.Шаблон:Sfn

Marvel restarted Iron Man's comic book run with Invincible Iron Man in 2008, written by Matt Fraction and drawn by Salvador Larroca. This series launched around the same time as the film Iron Man premiered, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe developed while this run was in publication. The series reverted to the original numbering in 2011, when the overall 500th issue was published as Iron Man #500.Шаблон:Sfn 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. 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.Шаблон:Sfn This volume of Iron Man was written by Kieron Gillen. The 2014 AXIS event led into the Superior Iron Man series by Tom Taylor, featuring Iron Man with a new reversed personality.

A new run of Invincible Iron Man written by Brian Michael Bendis and drawn by David Marquez began in 2015. 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. Iron Man was again a leader of one faction during the 2016 Civil War II event by Bendis.Шаблон:Sfn 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.Шаблон:Sfn At the same time, the series Infamous Iron Man was created with Dr. Doom becoming Iron Man.

The series Tony Stark: Iron Man premiered in 2018 with the Fresh Start branding, written by Dan Slott and drawn by Valerio Schiti. 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. The character was relaunched again in 2022 with Invincible Iron Man, written by Gerry Duggan and illustrated by Juan Frigeri.

Characterization

Fictional character biography

Tony Stark inherited his family's business, Stark Industries, after his parents were killed in a car crash.Шаблон:Sfn 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.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn The war zone that Tony visits has been changed 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.Шаблон:Sfn This was changed retroactively in the 1990s to an unnamed Southeast Asian country,Шаблон:Sfn and a conflict in the fictional country of Siancong was eventually established to justify the inconsistency.Шаблон:Sfn

Iron Man returns to the United States and becomes a superhero, convincing the public that Iron Man is Tony Stark's bodyguard.Шаблон:Sfn When he is called to stop Hulk and learns that Loki is behind Hulk's attack, he joins forces with Hulk, Thor, Ant-Man, and Wasp to defeat Loki, and they agree to form a superhero team, the Avengers.Шаблон:Sfn At the same time, he helps found the intelligence agency S.H.I.E.L.D., providing the organization with equipment.Шаблон:Sfn 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.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn 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.Шаблон:Sfn Though he gets sober, he later relapses back into alcoholism as part of a plot by Obadiah Stane.Шаблон:Sfn Iron Man briefly loses his company to Stane, passes the mantle of Iron Man to his ally James Rhodes,Шаблон:Sfn and becomes homeless.Шаблон:Sfn 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.Шаблон:Sfn

Iron Man had previously undergone surgery to replace the damaged portions of his heart, eliminating the need for his prosthetic chest plate.Шаблон:Sfn 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.Шаблон:Sfn During this time, James Rhodes takes the Iron Man armor. After returning, Iron Man 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 Scarlet Witch alters his mind, causing him to embarrass himself and leave in disgrace.Шаблон:Sfn 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.Шаблон:Sfn

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.Шаблон:Sfn At the end of the conflict, Iron Man is appointed head of S.H.I.E.L.D.Шаблон:Sfn 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.Шаблон:Sfn This is eventually dismantled as well, and Iron Man organizes the Avengers to replace these intelligence agencies.Шаблон:Sfn He founds a clean energy company, Stark Resilient, and he 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.Шаблон:Sfn 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.Шаблон:Sfn 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.Шаблон:Sfn 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.Шаблон:Sfn

Personality and motivations

Шаблон:Quote box Iron Man is a businessman and an entrepreneur who constantly seeks to innovate and improve his technology.Шаблон:Sfn In this capacity, he is motivated to create and develop technology both for personal benefit and for the benefit of society.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn 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.Шаблон:Sfn 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.Шаблон:Sfn 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.Шаблон:Sfn This weakness presented the character with a threat to his autonomy and his masculinity.Шаблон:Sfn As real world medical technology made heart injuries less fatal, Iron Man's physical maladies were extended to include neurological damage.Шаблон:Sfn 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.Шаблон:Sfn

The character's 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.Шаблон:Sfn The character is portrayed overall as an archetype of how masculinity is seen in the United States,Шаблон:Sfn with his success in business and his playboy characterization allowing the character to symbolize a masculine image of the country during the Cold War.Шаблон:Sfn This characterization also manifests in negative traits that were prominent in early Iron Man stories, including belligerence, negligence, and misogyny.Шаблон:Sfn Stark has several character flaws emerging from his impulsivity and arrogance, engaging in vices that include excessive drinking, partying, and womanizing.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn This escalated into a major weakness for the character when he was written as an alcoholic.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn 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.Шаблон:Sfn 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".Шаблон:Sfn The character's morally ambiguous nature can make him more accessible to readers relative to other superheroes who are more inherently virtuous.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn

Like many Marvel superheroes, Iron Man has a genius-level intellect.Шаблон:Sfn Stark was a child prodigy, and he graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology at age 15.Шаблон:Sfn 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.Шаблон:Sfn 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.Шаблон:Sfn 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.Шаблон:Sfn 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.Шаблон:Sfn 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.Шаблон:Sfn 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.Шаблон:Sfn

Iron Man finds machines easier to interact with than humans, believing that machines can be more easily controlled and repaired.Шаблон:Sfn 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.Шаблон:Sfn His isolation comes to him from two directions, with both his celebrity status and his role as Iron Man making personal relationships difficult.Шаблон:Sfn Writer Dennis O'Neil described the Iron Man armor as "a psychological crutch preventing him from dealing with his own inner demons".Шаблон:Sfn 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.Шаблон:Sfn

Themes and motifs

Politics

Iron Man was more overtly political than other Marvel characters of the Silver Age.Шаблон:Sfn The character was created to represent liberal capitalism, fighting against communism and other anti-democratic forces.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn In stories from 1963 to 1968, he represented the United States in Cold War allegories, particularly in reference to the Vietnam War.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn Though anti-communist sentiments were present throughout Marvel Comics, they appeared most prominently in Iron Man stories.Шаблон:Sfn 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.Шаблон:Sfn In the early 1970s, Iron Man became more self-doubting, questioning when the use of force is justified against communism.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn By 1975, Iron Man was an opponent of the Vietnam War.Шаблон:Sfn This created a new driving motivation to make up for his past of being too willing to promote violence,Шаблон:Sfn and he responded by becoming a philanthropist.Шаблон:Sfn 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.Шаблон:Sfn John Bryne's run revisited communism at the end of the Cold War in the early 1990s, but it was shown as less threatening.Шаблон:Sfn

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.Шаблон:Sfn 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.Шаблон:Sfn When terrorism became more prominent in the public mind, Iron Man became a symbol of anti-terrorism rather than anti-communism.Шаблон:Sfn

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.Шаблон:Sfn The character's business, Stark Industries, is depicted as a force for good that advances scientific knowledge through capitalist innovation.Шаблон:Sfn The Iron Man persona itself, as well as the technology that Iron Man uses, are proprietary assets owned by Stark Industries.Шаблон:Sfn 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.Шаблон:Sfn Many of Iron Man's challenges involve corrupt business rivals and corporate espionage.Шаблон:Sfn

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.Шаблон:Sfn 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.Шаблон:Sfn 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.Шаблон:Sfn 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.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn A second Civil War event in 2016 portrayed Iron Man as an advocate of free will against Captain Marvel's determinism.Шаблон:Sfn

Technology

Technology and its influence on society is a common theme in Iron Man stories,Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn and Iron Man has been emphasized as a technological marvel since his earliest appearances.Шаблон:Sfn 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.Шаблон:Sfn Specific issues addressed in Iron Man stories include the use of cybernetics and addressing the misuse of new technologies by bad actors.Шаблон:Sfn Iron Man's position within the suit allows for discussion regarding automation versus human oversight of technology,Шаблон:Sfn 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.Шаблон:Sfn These technological themes are explored through a modern lens during the Extremis story arc, which incorporates the idea of human enhancement through biotechnology.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn

Depictions of technology in Iron Man stories have often endorsed the use of technology to alter the natural world.Шаблон:Sfn This is in contrast with other Marvel superheroes of the time, when scientific advances, particularly radiation, are portrayed as having unintended effects.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn 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.Шаблон:Sfn 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.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn 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.Шаблон:Sfn

Armor

Several versions of Iron Man in a group; four wear red and gold armor, two wear red and silver armor, two wear all-gold armor, and one wears blue 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.Шаблон:Sfn 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.Шаблон:Sfn

In addition to protecting the wearer with its durability, the armor allows the wearer to fly.Шаблон:Sfn 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.Шаблон:Sfn It typically has some method of being shrunk down or made more portable when not being used.Шаблон:Sfn From its first appearance, the armor is linked to the brainwaves of the wearer to allow movement.Шаблон:Sfn 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.Шаблон:Sfn

When it was first developed, the armor was described as using transistors to function.Шаблон:Sfn This was replaced with integrated circuits as real world technology advanced,Шаблон:Sfn and new designs for the armor have continued to miniaturize the technology, ultimately incorporating nanotechnology.Шаблон:Sfn 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.Шаблон:Sfn A contrast is made between the armor's strength and the vulnerability of the human inside it.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn The armor protects Iron Man externally from attacks, but it also protects him internally as it keeps his heart beating.Шаблон:Sfn 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.Шаблон:Sfn

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.Шаблон:Sfn The character constantly seeks to develop newer, more advanced variations on the armor, and he frequently designs specialized models for specific purposes.Шаблон:Sfn These include the space armor, the stealth armor, and the deep sea armor,Шаблон:Sfn as well as the Hulkbuster armor to engage in combat with the Hulk.Шаблон:Sfn Developments in the armor's design often reflect real world advances in technology as well as trends in science fiction.Шаблон:Sfn The use of a technological suit of armor has allowed artists to frequently make changes to the character's appearance without controversy.Шаблон:Sfn

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.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn 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.Шаблон:Sfn

Supporting characters

Allies

Шаблон:Main 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.Шаблон:Sfn When Tony became Iron Man and began taking responsibility for his company, she taught him how to manage the business.Шаблон:Sfn 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.Шаблон:Sfn She eventually becomes the CEO of Stark Industries.Шаблон:Sfn Iron Man built her a set of armor in secret, and after finding it she became the superhero Rescue.Шаблон:Sfn

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

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

Other characters in the Marvel Universe have taken on the role of Iron Man besides Tony Stark, including James RhodesШаблон:Sfn and Victor von Doom.Шаблон:Sfn 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.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn

Romantic interests

Iron Man has had many romantic interests, most of which only last a short time.Шаблон:Sfn 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.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn Hogan eventually married Potts.Шаблон:Sfn 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.Шаблон:Sfn

The women associated with Iron Man became more independent as the second-wave feminism encouraged Marvel's writers to create stronger female characters.Шаблон:Sfn Whitney Frost was Iron Man's romantic interest later in the 1970s until she turned against him as the villain Madame Masque.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn 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.Шаблон:Sfn 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.Шаблон:Sfn He eventually began a relationship with his long time ally Janet van Dyne, the Wasp.Шаблон:Sfn 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.

Villains

Шаблон:Main Iron Man's earliest villains were often affiliated with the Soviet government or otherwise associated with communism.Шаблон:Sfn In the first three years after Iron Man was created, one-third of his villains were communists.Шаблон:Sfn Some of these enemies were Soviet counterparts of Iron Man, such as Titanium ManШаблон:Sfn and Crimson Dynamo,Шаблон:Sfn while others were leadership of communist states, such as the Red Barbarian and the real-life Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev.Шаблон:Sfn Khrushchev, like most communists in the series, was drawn in caricature style as a brute who only sought power.Шаблон:Sfn 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.Шаблон:Sfn Two prominent Marvel heroes, Soviet spy Black Widow and American street criminal Hawkeye, were introduced as Iron Man villains before reforming as heroes.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn

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

Beginning in the 1970s, Iron Man faced villains that represented social conflict and unrest, such as the anarchist Firebrand and the corrupt businessman Guardsman.Шаблон:Sfn Villains representing concerns about technology emerged at the same time, including Ultimo.Шаблон:Sfn The business aspect of Iron Man's character has invited several supervillains who oppose Stark Industries rather than just Iron Man.Шаблон:Sfn These villains became prominent in the 1980s,Шаблон:Sfn and they were amplified by the backlash to the decade's consumerism that emerged in the 1990s.Шаблон:Sfn 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.Шаблон:Sfn 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.Шаблон:Sfn Justin Hammer,Шаблон:Sfn Shockwave, the Controller, the Mauler, and Stilt-Man.Шаблон:Sfn A focus on terrorism brought villains such as Zeke Stane, who carried out terrorist attacks using suicide bombers.Шаблон:Sfn

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.Шаблон:Sfn 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.Шаблон:Sfn

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.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn In response, Marvel rewrote the character to moderate his image and to have him directly reflect on his culpability in the harms caused by war.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn 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.Шаблон:Sfn

Iron Man became widely popular following the success of the film Iron Man, which made him one of Marvel's most recognizable characters,Шаблон:Sfn and Iron Man is credited with redefining the superhero film genre. Since then, many publishers have listed Iron Man in the top ten in best Marvel character and best superhero lists. 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.Шаблон:Sfn In 2019, a statue representing the character in his Iron Man armor was erected in Forte dei Marmi, Italy.

In other media

Robert Downey Jr. in front of a microphone

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, grossing $318 million domestically and $585 million worldwide, and became the first in the long-running Marvel Cinematic Universe. 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.Шаблон:Sfn 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). Iron Man supporting characters are set to appear in their own Marvel Cinematic Universe titles, Ironheart and Armor Wars.

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.

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.

References

Books

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• Шаблон:Cite book
• Шаблон:Cite book
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  • Шаблон:Harvc
• Шаблон:Cite book

External links

• Шаблон:Marvelwiki
• Шаблон:Comicbookdb
• Шаблон:Marveldatabase