Why Iron Man Matters: A Super Hero Deconstructed
Iron Man's real name is Tony Stark. He is usually a billionaire (he has lost this trait before), whom gained much from the empire his father built in weaponry. The original Iron Man came about after a piece of shrapnel connected with Tony Stark during the Vietnam war. He was there consulting and found himself near death. Stark was captured and forced by a Viet-Cong leader to make him a weapon. The problem was Stark had a piece of metal close to his heart; he wouldn't survive to see what the Viet-Cong leader would do with his weapon.
Instead Tony Stark built a suit of armor to not only save himself, but to stop the evil lord.
That's the basic synopsis of how Iron Man came to be. There have been many different variations, but that was the original, if controversial, origin of one of the greatest Marvel comic book characters.
Why does Iron Man matter? He is a classic hero who has regularly toed the line between super hero and troubled soul. As noted in the graphic novel, "Demon in a Bottle," Tony Stark has fought alcohol addiction for much of his life. This humanized the character, making him seem real to many fans.
There had been mentions of drugs in stories like Spider Man and Hulk, perhaps even minor characters with alcohol addiction, but Tony Stark was the first major hero to have such an ailment.
What makes Iron Man different? He wasn't hit by gamma rays or bitten by a spider. Instead, he is almost more frail than a normal person because of the condition of his heart. While there have been stories of this being cured, he has always been a human, never endowed with some magical abilities. Any advantage he gained over opponents was because of the Iron Man armor or his wit.
Iron Man's villains are aplenty. From the giant Ultimo, the evil Mandarin, or large corporations seeking to take what he has, Iron Man has always battled an interesting allotment of villains.
"Demon in the Bottle" is likely the best Iron Man story. But over the past decades much as happened other than alcohol problems. The armor has become intelligent, he's been cheated on by lovers, turned on by other heroes, and killed. It's all becoming of a classic super hero.
As an endnote, fans of Marvel shouldn't step away from Iron Man thinking Tony Stark is boring. Many top writers have penned Iron Man tales, including Warren Ellis and of course Stan Lee.
Published by Jacob Malewitz
I have written over 600 articles for newspapers and online publications. I am the author of the ebook The Writer Who Smiles, available here: booklocker.com/books/3288.html My new blog can be found at Cof... View profile
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1 Comments
Post a CommentA good look at Iron Man but he has been revolutionized through the Civil War. He went from a likable if not arrogant millionaire hero to a manipulative, cold-blooded problem for Marvel superheroes. All to, pretty much, position himself better power-wise in the world. Sounds like a super-villain in the making to me.