The Origin Of Iron Man

Anthony or also known as 'Tony' Stark is a genius since he was a boy. He entered MIT at the age of 15, and graduating at the top of his class. Tony inherits his father, Howard Stark's, company, Stark Industries after his parents' accidental deaths in a car crash.

While observing the effects of his experimental technologies on the American war effort, Stark is injured by a booby trap and captured by the enemy, who order him to design weapons for them. However, Starks injuries are dire, as shrapnel is in his chest, threatening to pierce his heart. His fellow prisoner, Yin Sen helps Stark use the workshop to secretly design and construct a suit of powered armor that saves Stark's life by keeping his heart beating. Stark uses the armor to escape, although Yin Sen dies during the attempt. Stark takes revenge on his kidnappers, then gets back to American forces, where he meets a wounded American Air Force helicopter pilot, James "Rhodey" Rhodes.

The cover for Iron Man is that he is Stark's bodyguard and corporate mascot. To that end, Iron Man fights threats to his company, Communist opponents such as the Black Widow, the Crimson Dynamo and the Titanium Man as well as independent villains like the Mandarin. No one suspects Stark of being Iron Man as he cultivates an image as a rich playboy and industrialist. Two notable members of Stark's supporting cast at this point are his personal chauffeur Harold "Happy" Hogan and secretary Virginia "Pepper" Potts, to both of whom he eventually reveals his dual identity. Meanwhile, Jim Rhodes would find his own niche as Stark's personal pilot of extraordinary skill and daring.

The comic took an anti-Communist stance in its early years, which was softened as opposition rose to the Vietnam War. This change evolved in a series of stories with Stark profoundly reconsidering his political opinions and the morality of manufacturing weapons for the military. Stark, however, often shows himself to be occasionally arrogant and willing to let the ends justify the means.[citation needed] This leads to personal conflicts with the people around him, both in his civilian and superhero identities. Stark uses his personal fortune to not only outfit his own armor but to develop weapons for S.H.I.E.L.D. and other technologies such as the Quinjets used by the Avengers, and the image inducers used by the X-Men.