Anthony Stark

"His superpower is his mind. His superpower is his ability to invent."


 * -- Robert Downey Jr.

Anthony Stark is a billionaire industrialist and inventor.

He runs Stark Industries, originally started by his father, Howard Stark. His top executive officer and mentor is Obadiah Stane. The company is the chief supplier of weapons to the United States.

Stark is injured and abducted in Afghanistan while performing a demonstration of Stark Industries' lastest weapon, the Jericho Missile. Ironically, it is shrapnel from his own weapon which injures him. The terrorists who abduct him, a group called Ten Rings, want him to build them a Jericho missile. Instead, with the help of Yinsen, Stark builds a high-tech suit of armor and uses it to escape.

Upon returning to America, he gives up producing weapons and refines the armor to become the invincible superhero Iron Man.

Iron Man
During a business trip to Afghanistan to demonstrate Stark Industries' new weapon, the "Jericho" cluster missile, Tony Stark's convoy is attacked. One of his own company's bombs lands near him and explodes. The blast causes him to lose consciousness and embeds several pieces of shrapnel in his chest, one fragment dangerously close to his heart. He wakes up some time later with an electromagnet attached to his chest. Hooked up to a car battery, the electromagnet keeps the shrapnel from entering his heart and killing him.

Stark has been captured by the terrorist group Ten Rings, who order him to build a Jericho missile for them. Instead, he and fellow captive Dr. Yinsen secretly build a crude but strong power armor (Mark 1) fueled by a miniature "arc reactor", a smaller version of a power source previously invented by Stark. The arc reactor supplies energy to an electromagnet which prevents embedded shrapnel from reaching Stark's heart, which would kill him. Dr. Yinsen is killed in the ensuing escape attempt when he stalls the guards to buy Stark enough time to power up the suit. Using the suit, Stark kills several terrorists, destroys their weapons stockpile, and escapes, though his suit is destroyed as he crash lands in the desert. Upon being picked up by the Air Force and returning to the United States, Stark declares that his company will, for the time being, no longer manufacture weapons. His father's friend and business partner, Obadiah Stane, tells him that this move is blocked by the board members shortly after.

Stark retreats from public view, focusing on the design of his power suit, refining its size and flight capability (Mark 2). He asks Pepper to help him take his old arc reactor out and to put in a new one. During his first public appearance since his return to the United States, he is accosted by Christine Everhart, who shows him pictures of Stark Industries weapons in the hands of terrorist groups, including the Jericho missiles he refused to build for them. He also discovers that Stane has been "dealing under the table", supplying weapons to both the U.S. troops and the terrorists, as well as being the one to shut Stark out of the board while he recovers. Faced with the realization of what his company has done, Stark dons the power suit (Mark 3) and flies to Afghanistan, rescuing Yinsen's village from the Ten Rings. In destroying their weapon stockpiles, he accidentally draws the attention of the United States Air Force and his friend and company military liaison, Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes. Two F-22 Raptors are ordered to take out the unknown target, and during the confrontation one of the Raptors loses its left wing when it accidentally collides with Stark. The pilot ejects shortly afterwards, but his parachute jams. Realizing this, Stark dives down to help the pilot release his parachute before escaping.

Determined to make amends for his mistakes, Stark sends Potts to find the shipping records of Stark Industries, so he can track down the illicit shipments and destroy them. While hacking into the system, she discovers that it was Stane who hired the Ten Rings to kill Stark, but they had reneged on the deal when they realized who the target was. She also discovers that Stane has recovered the power suit prototype and has reverse engineered his own version. However, his team of scientists, not possessing Stark's genius, cannot engineer the miniature arc reactor to power the new suit.

Stane, upon realizing Potts's discovery, steals Stark's own arc reactor from his chest to power his new suit, leaving Stark to die. Using his first reactor, which was not designed to power his latest armor, Stark battles with Stane atop Stark Industries and the surrounding streets, defeating him when the full-sized arc reactor that powers the lab is deliberately overloaded by Potts. Afterwards, Stark's alter ego is dubbed "Iron Man" by the press. Stark holds a press conference where his S.H.I.E.L.D. contacts advise him to state that Iron Man is Stark's bodyguard. However, he instead announces that he actually is Iron Man.

Later, Stark arrives home and is greeted by a mysterious visitor standing by the window. He reveals himself as Nick Fury, Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., warns him that he is not the only 'super hero' in the world, and mentions the "Avenger Initiative".

The Incredible Hulk
General Ross is drinking in a bar when he is approached by Tony Stark who reveals that a "team" is being put together. He also mentions the Super Soilder Serum and saying "it was put on ice for a reason".

Character traits
Stark is an outgoing man who enjoys drinking and gambling. At the start of the movie he has little concern for the effect his weapons have on others.

Friends and Allies

 * James Rhodes: Stark's best friend and and the liaison between Stark Industries and the military in the department of acquisitions.


 * Virginia Potts: Stark's administrative assistant and love interest.


 * Christine Everhart: A reporter who interviews Stark, she is also a romantic interest.


 * Yinsen: Stark's fellow captive in Afghanistan, who treats his wounds and helps him build the first Iron Man suit.


 * Nick Fury


 * Phil Coulson


 * Happy Hogan: Stark's personal driver and friend.

Enemies

 * Raza: A terrorist with orders to kill Stark, Raza instead chooses to keep him alive in the hopes of obtaining a Jericho missile from him.


 * Ten Rings: The terrorist faction that Raza belongs to, and wishes to rule.


 * Obadiah Stane: Stark's second-in-command, who wants control of the company. When Stark declares he will no longer manufacture arms, Stane steals the blueprints for the Mark I armor to create his own, bigger version (Iron Monger)

Appearances/Actors

 * Canon
 * Iron Man (First appearance) - Robert Downey Jr.
 * The Incredible Hulk - Robert Downey Jr.
 * Iron Man II - Robert Downey Jr.
 * The Avengers - Robert Downey Jr.
 * Iron Man III - Robert Downey Jr.

Behind the scenes
SPOILERS AHEAD!!! Late last year Paramount Pictures invited a select group of online press to the set of the action-heavy comic book-inspired movie Iron Man and made the film’s stars, as well as director Jon Favreau, available for interviews. The scene being shot the day the press visited the set involved Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) returning to his Malibu home after a long period away.

Downey described what was taking place:"He’s been back home, he’s had a press conference, and he’s talked to his partner in front of this legacy energy device that he’s in essence miniaturized, which is keeping him alive, but he’s back home. But back home, there’s nothing that’s normal in this whole film, he’s just back home – did you see that pad? And he’s not just back home, but he’s home and there isn’t a big wait staff, and he doesn’t have a gal on his arm, and his assistant’s not around, so it’s a very kind of isolated opulence."

The Incredible Hulk
Stark appears briefly in The Incredible Hulk, set after the events of Iron Man. After failing to capture the Hulk and the Abomination is defeated General Ross goes to a bar to drink. Tony Stark walks in and the two trade a few jabs at each other. Tony finishes by saying "We're putting together a team." Ross replies "Who's we?"