| Tony Stark | |
|---|---|
| Marvel Cinematic Universe character | |
 Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark inAvengers: Infinity War (2018) | |
| First appearance | Iron Man (2008) |
| Last appearance | Avengers: Endgame (2019) |
| Based on | |
| Adapted by | |
| Portrayed by |
|
| Voiced by | Mick Wingert (Disney+ animated shows)[2][3] |
| In-universe information | |
| Full name | Anthony Edward Stark[4] |
| Alias | Iron Man |
| Occupation |
|
| Affiliation |
|
| Weapon | |
| Family |
|
| Spouse | Pepper Potts |
| Children | Morgan Stark (daughter) |
| Origin | Manhattan, New York, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Abilities |
|
Anthony Edward Stark is a fictional character primarily portrayed byRobert Downey Jr. in theMarvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)media franchise—based on theMarvel Comics characterof the same name—commonly known by hisalias,Iron Man. Stark is initially depicted as anindustrialist,geniusinventor, and formerplayboy who isCEO ofStark Industries. Initially the chief weapons manufacturer for theU.S. military, he has a change of heart and redirects his technical knowledge into creatingmechanized suits of armor, which he uses to defend Earth.
Stark becomes a founding member and eventual leader of theAvengers. Following his failedUltron Program, the internal conflict within the Avengers due to theSokovia Accords, andThanos successfully erasing half of all life inthe Blip, Stark retires, marriesPepper Potts, and they have a daughter namedMorgan. However, Stark rejoins the Avengers on a final mission to undo Thanos' actions. He engineers atime travel device, and the Avengers successfully restore trillions of lives across the universe before Stark ultimately sacrifices his life to defeat Thanos and his army. Stark choosesPeter Parker as a successor.
Stark is one of the central figures of the MCU, having appeared in nine films as of 2024[update]. The character and Downey's performance have been credited with helping to cement the MCU as a multi-billion-dollar franchise, with Stark's evolution often considered the defining arc of the series.Alternate versions of Stark from within theMCU multiverse appears in variousDisney+animated series, voiced byMick Wingert.
Anthony Edward Stark (Tony) was born on May 29, 1970, inManhattan, New York toHoward Stark, a famous genius inventor and businessman, andMaria Stark, asocialite and philanthropist. Growing up under the eye of family butlerEdwin Jarvis, his life was characterized by a cold and affectionless relationship with his father. Seeing that his son could achieve great things, Howard tried to inspire him with constant talks about his own role in the creation ofCaptain America. This instead embittered Stark, who felt that his father was taking more pride in his creations than in his family. A brilliant and uniquechild prodigy, Stark attended the prestigiousPhillips Academy inAndover before enteringMIT at age 14 and graduatingsumma cum laude at 17.[5][6]
On December 16, 1991, when Stark was 21, his parents went away to theBahamas, but planned to stop atthe Pentagon to deliverSuper Soldier Serum Howard had redeveloped. Instead, both are killed in a car accident—later revealed to be an assassination carried out by theWinter Soldier, who was mind-controlled byHydra to steal the serum.[a] As a result, Stark inherited his father's company, becoming CEO of Stark Industries. Over the years, he became well known as a weapons designer and inventor, and lived aplayboy lifestyle. At aNew Year's Eve party for the new millennium, he attended a conference inBern where he met scientistsMaya Hansen, inventor of theExtremis experimental regenerative treatment, andAldrich Killian, rejecting an offer to work for Killian'sAdvanced Idea Mechanics.[b]
In 2010, Stark travels towar-torn Afghanistan with his friend andmilitary liaisonLieutenant ColonelJames Rhodes to demonstrate Stark's new "Jericho" missile. After the demonstration, the convoy is ambushed and Stark is critically wounded and imprisoned by a terrorist group, theTen Rings. Fellow captiveHo Yinsen, a doctor, implants an electromagnet into Stark's chest to keep shrapnel shards from reaching his heart and killing him.
Stark and Yinsen secretly build a small, powerful electric generator called an arc reactor to power Stark's electromagnet and asuit of powered armor. When the Ten Rings attack the workshop, Yinsen sacrifices himself to divert them while the suit is completed. The armored Stark battles his way out of the cave to find the dying Yinsen, then burns the Ten Rings' weapons in anger and flies away, crashing in the desert. Rescued by Rhodes, Stark returns home to announce that his company will no longer manufacture weapons. In his home workshop, Stark builds a sleeker, more powerful version of his improvised armor suit as well as a more powerful arc reactor.
Stark learns thatObadiah Stane has been engaged inarms trafficking to criminals worldwide, and is staging acoup to replace him as Stark Industries' CEO. Stark, in his new armor, flies to Afghanistan and saves the villagers. Stane ambushes Stark at his home and takes the arc reactor from his chest, revealing that Stane was responsible for Stark's captivity. Stark manages to get to his original reactor to replace it and defeats Stane. The next day,The Chronicles dubs Tony's alter-ego "The Iron Man" on their newspaper headline, which he likes and takes the moniker, feeling it is catchy and sounded great when saying, evoking an aura of him being invincible despite the inaccuracy (the suit is made oftitanium gold instead of iron). At a press conference, Stark publicly admits to being Iron Man.
Six months later in 2011, Stark's fame has grown, and he uses his Iron Man suit for peaceful means, resisting government pressure to sell his designs, while other inventors try to build their own power suits that imitate Stark's with no successes. He reinstitutes the Stark Expo to continue his father's legacy but discovers that thepalladium core in the arc reactor that keeps Stark alive and powers the armor is slowly poisoning him. Growing increasingly reckless and despondent about his impending death, he appointsPepper Potts CEO of Stark Industries.
Stark competes in theMonaco Historic Grand Prix and is attacked mid-race byIvan Vanko, who wields electrified whips powered by a miniature arc reactor. Stark dons his Mark V armor and defeats Vanko, but the suit is severely damaged. At his birthday party, Stark gets drunk while wearing the Mark IV suit. Rhodes dons Stark's Mark II prototype armor and tries to restrain him. The fight ends in a stalemate, so Rhodes confiscates the Mark II for theU.S. Air Force.
Stark discovers a hidden message from his father, a diagram of the structure of a new element, which Stark successfully synthesizes and integrates into his arc reactor as a non-toxic replacement for palladium. At the Expo, Stark's rivalJustin Hammer unveils Vanko's armored drones, led by Rhodes in a heavily weaponized version of the Mark II armor. Stark arrives in the newly-built Mark VI armor to warn Rhodes, but Vanko remotely takes control of both the drones and Rhodes' armor and attacks Iron Man. Stark and Rhodes together defeat Vanko and his drones. After narrowly saving Pepper Potts from a self-destructing drone, they start a relationship.
In 2012, when theAsgardianLoki arrives and begins menacing Earth, seizing theTesseract from aS.H.I.E.L.D. facility, Fury activates theAvengers Initiative and AgentPhil Coulson visits Stark to have him review the research ofErik Selvig on the Tesseract. InStuttgart, Steve Rogers and Loki fight briefly until Tony Stark appears in his Iron Man armor, resulting in Loki's surrender. While Loki is being escorted to S.H.I.E.L.D.,Thor arrives and frees him, hoping to convince him to abandon his plan and return to Asgard. After a confrontation with Stark and Rogers, Thor agrees to take Loki to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s flying aircraft carrier, theHelicarrier.
The Avengers become divided, both over how to approach Loki and the revelation that S.H.I.E.L.D. plans to harness the Tesseract to develop weapons. Agents possessed by Loki attack the Helicarrier, disabling one of its engines in flight, which Stark and Rogers must work to restart. Loki escapes, and Stark and Rogers realize that for Loki, simply defeating them will not be enough; he needs to overpower them publicly to validate himself as ruler of Earth. Loki uses the Tesseract to open a wormhole in New York City above theStark Tower to allow theChitauri fleet in space to invade. Fury's superiors from theWorld Security Council attempt to end the invasion by launching anuclear missile atMidtown Manhattan. Stark intercepts the missile, and in an apparent sacrifice of his own life, takes it through the wormhole toward the Chitauri fleet. The missile detonates, destroying the Chitauri mothership and disabling their forces on Earth. Stark's suit runs out of power, and he falls back through the wormhole but theHulk saves him from crashing into the ground. Stark and the other Avengers capture Loki and Thor takes custody of him.
Stark developsPTSD from his experiences during the alien invasion, resulting inpanic attacks. Restless, he builds several dozen Iron Man suits, creating friction with girlfriend Pepper Potts. Seven months after the invasion,Happy Hogan is badly injured in one of a string of bombings by a terrorist known only as theMandarin, Stark issues a televised threat to him, who destroys Stark'sMalibu home with helicopter gunships. Stark escapes in an Iron Man suit and crashes in ruralTennessee. His experimental armor lacks sufficient power to return to California, and the world believes him dead.
Stark traces the Mandarin toMiami and infiltrates his headquarters, where he discovers the Mandarin was just an actor namedTrevor Slattery.Aldrich Killian reveals himself to be the real Mandarin and captures Stark. He escapes and reunites with Rhodes, discovering that Killian intends to attackU.S. President Ellis aboardAir Force One. Stark saves the surviving passengers and crew but cannot stop Killian from abducting Ellis and destroying Air Force One. Killian intends to kill Ellis on an oil platform on live television. On the platform, Stark goes to save Potts – who had been kidnapped and subjected toExtremis — as Rhodes saves the president. Stark summons his Iron Man suits, controlled remotely by J.A.R.V.I.S., to provide air support. Potts, having survived the Extremis procedure, kills Killian. Stark orders J.A.R.V.I.S. to remotely destroy all of the Iron Man suits as a sign of his devotion to Potts, and undergoes surgery to remove the shrapnel embedded near his heart. He pitches his obsolete chest arc reactor into the sea, musing that he will always be Iron Man.
In 2015, Stark and the Avengers raid aHydra facility commanded byWolfgang von Strucker, who has been experimenting on siblingsPietro andWanda Maximoff using the scepter previously wielded by Loki. While the team fights outside, Stark enters the lab and finds the scepter, along with Chitauri artifacts from the Battle of New York. Wanda sneaks up behind him and uses her mind manipulation powers to give him a haunting vision: the death of all the Avengers except him. Stark awakens from the vision and retrieves Loki's scepter.
Returning to the Avengers Tower, Stark and Bruce Banner discover anartificial intelligence within the scepter's gem, and secretly decide to use it to complete Stark's "Ultron" global defense program. The unexpectedly sentient Ultron eliminates Stark's A.I.J.A.R.V.I.S. and attacks the Avengers. Escaping with the scepter, Ultron builds an army of robot drones, kills Strucker and recruits the Maximoffs, who hold Stark responsible for their parents' deaths by his company's weapons. The Avengers find and attack Ultron inJohannesburg, but Wanda subdues most of the team with personalized, disturbing visions, causing Banner to transform into the Hulk and rampage until Stark stops him with his anti-Hulk armor.
After hiding atClint Barton's house, Nick Fury arrives and encourages Stark and the others to form a plan to stop Ultron, who is discovered to have forced the team's friend Dr. Helen Cho to perfect a new body for him. Rogers, Romanoff, and Barton find Ultron and retrieve the synthetic body, but Ultron captures Romanoff. Returning to Avengers Tower, the Avengers fight amongst themselves when Stark and Banner secretly upload J.A.R.V.I.S.—who is still operational after hiding from Ultron inside the Internet—into the synthetic body. Thor returns to help activate the body, explaining that the gem on its brow was part of his vision. This "Vision" and the Maximoffs, now on their side, accompany Stark and the Avengers toSokovia, where Ultron has used the remainingvibranium to build a machine to lift part of the capital city skyward, intending to crash it into the ground to cause global extinction. One of Ultron's drones is able to activate the machine. The city plummets, but Stark and Thor overload the machine and shatter the landmass. The Avengers establish a new base inupstate New York, and Stark leaves the team.
In 2016,U.S. Secretary of StateThaddeus Ross informs the Avengers that theUnited Nations (UN) is preparing to pass theSokovia Accords, which will establish UN oversight of the team. The Avengers are divided: Stark supports oversight because of his role in Ultron's creation and Sokovia's devastation, while Rogers has more faith in their judgment than that of a government. Circumstances lead to Rogers and fellow super-soldierBucky Barnes—framed for a terrorist attack—going rogue, along withSam Wilson, Wanda Maximoff, Clint Barton, andScott Lang. Stark assembles a team composed of Natasha Romanoff,T'Challa, James Rhodes, Vision, andPeter Parker to capture the renegades atLeipzig/Halle Airport. However, during the battle, Rogers and Barnes are able to escape and Rhodes is paralyzed. Stark learns that Barnes was framed and convinces Wilson to give him Rogers' destination. Without informing Ross, Stark goes to the Siberian Hydra facility and strikes a truce with Rogers and Barnes. They find that the other super soldiers have been killed byHelmut Zemo, who plays footage that reveals that Barnes killed Stark's parents. Stark turns on them, dismembering Barnes' robotic arm. After an intense fight, Rogers finally manages to disable Stark's Iron Man armor and departs with Barnes, leavinghis shield behind. Stark returns to New York to work on exoskeletal leg braces to allow Rhodes to walk again. Steve Rogers sends a mobile phone to Stark to keep in contact if needed. When Ross calls informing him that Rogers has broken the others out of theRaft, Stark refuses to help.
Two months later, Peter Parker resumes his high school studies, with Stark telling him he is not yet ready to become a full Avenger. Stark rescues Parker from nearly drowning after an encounter withAdrian Toomes and warns Parker against further involvement with the criminals. When another weapon from Toomes malfunctions during a fight with Parker and tears theStaten Island Ferry in half, Stark helps Parker save the passengers before admonishing him for his recklessness and confiscating his suit. Parker realizes Toomes is planning to hijack a plane transporting weapons from Stark Tower to the team's new headquarters. After Parker thwarts the plan and saves Toomes from an explosion, Stark admits he was wrong about Parker and invites him to become an Avenger full-time, but Parker declines. Potts emerges from a packed press conference, called to make the announcement, and Stark decides to use the opportunity to instead propose to Potts. At the end of the film, he returns the suit to Peter.
In 2018, Stark and Potts are in a New York City park discussing having children, when Banner, who had disappeared after the Battle of Sokovia, crash-lands at theNew York Sanctum. Banner relays a warning toStephen Strange,Wong, and Stark that the mad TitanThanos plans to use theInfinity Stones to kill half of all life in the universe.Ebony Maw andCull Obsidian arrive to retrieve the Time Stone, prompting Strange, Stark, Wong, and Parker to confront them. Although Cull Obsidian is incapacitated, Strange is captured by Maw. Stark and Parker sneak aboard Maw's spaceship to rescue him.
After successfully freeing Strange and killing Maw, the trio proceed to Thanos' home planetTitan, where they meet members of theGuardians of the Galaxy. They form a plan to confront Thanos and remove the Infinity Gauntlet, but Thanos overpowers the group and stabs Stark in the abdomen. Strange surrenders the Time Stone in exchange for Thanos sparing Stark. Thanos takes the stone and departs for Earth, retrieves the final stone, and activates the Infinity Gauntlet. Stark andNebula, stranded on Titan, watch as Parker and othersare turned to dust.
Stark and Nebula are rescued from space byCarol Danvers and returned to Earth, where Stark chooses to retire and raise his daughterMorgan, with Potts. Later, he constructs a secret beach house lab in Mexico for Banner to merge his two identities and spent some time with him including making atiki bar. In 2023, when Scott Lang hypothesizes a way to bring back the fallen, the Avengers approach Stark, who initially refuses, considering the idea dangerous. Despite this, he examines the matter privately, discoverstime travel, and agrees to help. The Avengers reassemble and plan to retrieve the Infinity Stones from the past to undo Thanos' actions. Traveling to 2012, Stark fails to retrieve the Space Stone following the Battle of New York and instead goes further back to the 1970s to steal it from a S.H.I.E.L.D. facility, where he has a meaningful conversation with a younger version of his father, Howard.
The Avengers successfully obtain all of the Infinity Stones before returning to the present. The Stones are incorporated into aNano Gauntlet made by Stark, which Banner then uses to resurrect those that were disintegrated by Thanos. However, they are followed by an alternate version of Thanos and his army, who are summoned to 2023 by an alternate version of Nebula. During the ensuing battle, Thanos obtains Stark's gauntlet and the two of them wrestle for control of it. Thanos is able to overpower Stark before attempting another snap but discovers that Stark has transferred the Infinity Stones to his own armor. Stark activates the Gauntlet and uses it to disintegrate Thanos and all of his forces and save the universe, but fatally injures himself in the process. He dies surrounded by Rhodes, Parker, and Potts.
Eight months later, as the world continues to mourn Stark, Parker receives glasses that can access Stark's artificial intelligence E.D.I.T.H., with a message that establishes him as Stark's chosen successor. Parker is however tricked by disgruntled former Stark Industries employeeQuentin Beck into giving him the glasses, as Parker sees him as a more worthy successor. Beck, leading a team of other ex-Stark Industries employees such asWilliam Ginter Riva, and angered at being fired by Stark, seeks to fill the vacancy left by Stark as Iron Man by using the software he developed for Stark, B.A.R.F., to augment illusions of creatures known as theElementals, presenting himself as a hero known as Mysterio in "defeating" them. He uses Stark's glasses to conduct drone attacks inLondon, targeting Parker. Parker eventually foils Beck's plots and retakes the glasses, and he designs his own Spider-Man suit using technology from Stark Industries, in a similar manner to Stark designing his first Iron Man armor.
Severalalternate versions of Stark appear in the MCU multiverse, most notably in the animated seriesWhat If...?, voiced byMick Wingert.
In an alternate 2012, Stark and the Avengers are victorious over Loki during the Battle of New York, however a time-traveling Stark and Scott Lang from 2023 alter 2012-Stark's history when they attempt to steal the briefcase containing the Tesseract. As 2012-Stark and 2012-Thor argue withAlexander Pierce and S.H.I.E.L.D. agents over custody of Loki and the Tesseract, Lang, using his Ant-Man suit, shrinks down and enters into 2012-Stark's chest arc reactor, pulling a plug that gives him acardiac dysrhythmia. 2012-Thor usesMjolnir to restart the reactor, saving 2012-Stark's life. 2023-Stark obtains the briefcase but loses it when 2012-Hulk smashes through the elevator. The Tesseract falls out, and with 2012-Stark and Thor distracted, Loki picks it up and teleports away.
In an alternate 2016, Thaddeus Ross calls in Stark to help assist arrestingOtto Octavius who planned to escape his laboratory.[14]
Tony Stark first premiered as acomic book character, inTales of Suspense #39 (cover dated March 1963), a collaboration among editor and story-plotterStan Lee, scripterLarry Lieber, story-artistDon Heck, and cover-artist and character-designerJack Kirby.[15] Lee wanted to create the "quintessential capitalist", a character that would go against the spirit of the times and Marvel's readership.[16] Lee based this playboy's looks and personality onHoward Hughes,[17] as "one of the most colorful men of our time. He was an inventor, an adventurer, a multi-billionaire, a ladies' man and finally a nutcase."[18] The character's original costume was a bulky gray armored suit, replaced by a golden version in the second story (issue #40, April 1963), and redesigned as sleeker, red-and-golden armor in issue #48 (Dec. 1963) bySteve Ditko.[19] Lee and Kirby included Iron Man inThe Avengers #1 (Sept. 1963) as a founding member of the superhero team. In the mid-2000s, with a number of movies having been made from other Marvel properties licensed to other studios,Kevin Feige realized that Marvel still owned the rights to the core members of theAvengers, which included Iron Man. Feige, a self-professed "fanboy", envisioned creating a shared universe just as creators Stan Lee and Jack Kirby had done with their comic books in the early 1960s.[20]
Jon Favreau, who was selected to direct the firstIron Man film, felt Downey's past made him an appropriate choice for the part,[21] and that the actor could make Stark a "likable asshole," but also depict an authentic emotional journey once he won over the audience.[22] Ultimately however, Downey ended up being the choice the studio made for the first character in their ever-expansive cinematic universe. Favreau was also attracted to Downey from his performance inKiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005), with Downey frequently conversing with that film's director,Shane Black, about the script and dialogue inIron Man.[23]
Robert Downey Jr. has portrayed Tony Stark in the MCU over nine films as of 2024. He first appeared inIron Man (2008),[24] following with the sequelIron Man 2 (2010).[25] He made an uncredited cameo appearance inThe Incredible Hulk (2008),[26] and theMarvel One-ShotThe Consultant (2011) through the use of archival footage.[27] He then appeared inThe Avengers (2012),[28]Iron Man 3 (2013),[29]Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015),[30]Captain America: Civil War (2016),[31]Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017),[32]Avengers: Infinity War (2018),[30] andAvengers: Endgame (2019).[31]
Through the use of archival footage, Stark appeared inSpider-Man: Far From Home (2019) fromCaptain America: Civil War,[33] and in "Glorious Purpose", the first episode of theDisney+ television seriesLoki (2021).[34] In September 2019,Deadline Hollywood reported that Downey would appear inBlack Widow (2021) in his MCU role as Stark;[35] an early version of the script included the end scene fromCaptain America: Civil War between Stark and Natasha Romanoff.[36] This was not in the final film, with directorCate Shortland stating that she and Kevin Feige decided against adding Stark or any other heroes to the film in order for Romanoff to stand on her own,[37] and screenwriterEric Pearson adding that it was determined that the scene did not add anything new to the story.[36]
Alternate version of Stark appear in the Disney+animated seriesWhat If...? andYour Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man,[38][3] voiced byMick Wingert; Wingert has previously provided the voice for Iron Man in multiple non-MCU video games and animated productions since 2015.[39]
It's a fine line. If you're changing something... because you want to double-down on the spirit of who the character is? That's a change we'll make. Tony Stark not reading off the card and not sticking with the fixed story? Him just blurting out 'I am Iron Man?' That seems very much in keeping with who that character is.[40]
Downey had an office next to Favreau during pre-production, which allowed him greater involvement in the screenwriting process,[41] especially adding humor to the film.[42] Downey explained, "What I usually hate about these [superhero] movies [is] when suddenly the guy that you were digging turns intoDudley Do-Right, and then you're supposed to buy into all his 'Let's go do some good!' ThatEliot Ness-in-a-cape-type thing. What was really important to me was to not have him change so much that he's unrecognizable. When someone used to be a schmuck and they're not anymore, hopefully they still have a sense of humor."[43] To prepare, Downey spent five days a weekweight training and practiced martial arts to get into shape,[21] which he said benefited him because "it's hard not to have a personality meltdown ... after about several hours in that suit. I'm calling up every therapeutic moment I can think of to just get through the day."[44] The character's line "I am Iron Man", which revealed Stark's alter ego at the end ofIron Man, wasimprovised by Downey.[45][46][47][48]
_(cropped).jpg)
For the first film, Favreau and Downey had been handed an existing script and worked from it. In contrast, forIron Man 2, the duo were given more freedom to conceive of the story for themselves,[25] in which Stark struggles to keep his technology out of the hands of the government and rival weapons makers. On Stark being a hero, Downey said "It's kind of heroic, but really kind of on his own behalf. So I think there's probably a bit of an imposter complex and no sooner has he said, 'I am Iron Man –' that he's now really wondering what that means. If you have all this cushion like he does and the public is on your side and you have immense wealth and power, I think he's way too insulated to be okay."[52]
The Avengers introduced Stark's role as one of an ensemble of heroes who must come together to defend the Earth from an alien invasion led by the god Loki. Downey initially pushed directorJoss Whedon to make Stark the lead of the 2012Avengers film: "Well, I said, 'I need to be in the opening sequence. I don't know what you're thinking, but Tony needs to drive this thing.' He was like, 'Okay, let's try that.' We tried it and it didn't work, because this is a different sort of thing, the story and the idea and the theme is the theme, and everybody is just an arm of the octopus."[53] About the character's evolution from previous films, Downey said, "InIron Man, which was an origin story, he was his own epiphany and redemption of sorts.[54]Iron Man 2 is all about not being an island, dealing with legacy issues and making space for others... InThe Avengers, he's throwing it down with the others".[55] At the climax of the film, Stark guides a nuclear missile through an interstellar portal to destroy the main alien vessel, demonstrating a willingness to sacrifice his life to save the Earth.[56]
InIron Man 3, Stark struggles to come to terms with his near-death experience inThe Avengers,[57] suffering from anxiety attacks. On making a thirdIron Man film, Downey said, "My sense of it is that we need to leave it all on the field—whatever that means in the end. You can pick several different points of departure for that."[29] On following upThe Avengers, Downey said they "tried to be practical, in a post-Avengers world. What are his challenges now? What are some limitations that might be placed on him? And what sort of threat would have him, as usual, ignore those limitations?"[58] Screenwriter Drew Pearce compared Stark inIron Man 3 to an AmericanJames Bond for both being "heroes with a sense of danger to them, and unpredictability" even if Stark was a "free agent" instead of an authority figure like Bond. He also likened Tony to the protagonists of 1970s films such asThe French Connection (1971), where "the idiosyncrasies of the heroes is what made them exciting."[59]
InAvengers: Age of Ultron, Stark has become thebenefactor of the Avengers.[60][61][62] On how his character evolves after the events ofIron Man 3, Downey said, "I think he realizes that tweaking and making all the suits in the world—which is what he has been doing—still didn't work for that thing of his tour of duty that left him a littlePTSD. So his focus is more on how can we make it so that there's no problem to begin with. That, you know, there's a bouncer at our planet's rope. That's the big idea."[63] The events ofAge of Ultron lead directly into the conflict ofCaptain America: Civil War, in which Stark leads a faction of Avengers in support of the regulation of individuals with superpowers.[64][65] Anthony Russo said that Stark's egomania allowed the writers "to bring him to a point in his life where he was willing to submit to an authority, where he felt it was the right thing to do." Joe Russo added that because of the visions Stark saw inAge of Ultron, he now has a guilt complex which "drives him to make very specific decisions", calling his emotional arc "very complicated".[66] Downey's personal trainer Eric Oram stated that the trick to pitting Rogers against Stark, "is to show Iron Man using the 'minimum force' necessary to win the fight".[67] Marvel initially wanted Downey's part to be smaller, but "Downey wanted Stark to have a more substantial role in the film's plot."Variety noted that Downey would receive $40 million-plus backend for his participation, as well as an additional payout if the film outperformedCaptain America: The Winter Soldier, as Marvel would attribute that success to Downey's presence.[31]
InSpider-Man: Homecoming, Stark is Peter Parker's mentor and is the creator of the U.S. Department of Damage Control.[32][68]Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group chairmanThomas Rothman noted that, beyond the commercial advantage of featuring Downey in the film, the inclusion of Stark was important due to the relationship established between him and Parker inCaptain America: Civil War.[69] Watts noted that after Stark's actions inCivil War, introducing Parker to life as an Avenger, there are "a lot of repercussions to that. Is it a first step towards Tony as some sort of mentor figure? Is he comfortable with that?"[70] Co-writerJonathan Goldstein compared Stark toEthan Hawke's father character inBoyhood (2014).[71]
Downey reprised the role inAvengers: Infinity War (2018) andAvengers: Endgame (2019).[30][32]Iron Man 3 directorShane Black stated in March 2013 that "There has been a lot of discussion about it: 'Is this the lastIron Man for Robert [Downey Jr.]?' Something tells me that it will not be the case, and [he] will be seen in a fourth, or fifth." Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige said that the character of Stark would continue to be featured in the Marvel Cinematic Universe regardless of Downey's involvement.[72] Also in March, Downey said he was open to extending his contract, stating he feels "there's a couple other things we've gotta do" with the character.[73] In June 2013, when Downey signed on to return as Iron Man inAvengers: Age of Ultron, he also signed on for a thirdAvengers film.[30] In a July 2014 interview during the filming ofAvengers: Age of Ultron, Downey expressed his interest in continuing to play Iron Man. "It's down to Kevin [Feige] andIke [Perlmutter, CEO of Marvel Entertainment] and Disney to come to us with what the proposal is, and that's on us to agree or disagree," Downey said. "When things are going great, there's a lot of agreement." He added, "It's that thing of: Why give up the belt when it feels like you can barely get jabbed?"[74] In April 2016, Downey expressed openness to appearing in a potential fourthIron Man film, saying "I could do one more."[75] Downey's Marvel contract expired followingAvengers: Endgame, where Stark dies.[76]
Stark's fashion sense evolved over the course of the films, initially being described as "woefully basic... mostly saggy jeans, henleys and tank tops—with an occasional suit", but improving by the time of the firstAvengers film,[77] and becoming more sophisticated byCivil War, as Stark matured and accepted greater responsibility for the consequences of his actions.[78] Downey expressed the desire for his wardrobe to reflect that "you still know he's Tony Stark, and you still know that he's the richest man in the world".[78] Stark's clothing has been described as alternating between "a sweet suit with some shades" in his corporate look, "or a t-shirt, jeans, and an arc reactor" in his personal time.[79] His fashion sense has been referred to as "part Mob boss and partBig Bang Theory cast member", and alternating "between boxy pinstripe suits and faux-ironic vintage tees".[77]
.jpg)
Tony Stark has worn multiple different armors in his MCU appearances. ForIron Man,Stan Winston and his company built metal and rubber versions of the armors featured in the film,[80] while Iron Man comic book artistAdi Granov designed the Mark III with illustrator Phil Saunders.[81]Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) created the digital armors in the film,[82] withThe Orphanage andThe Embassy doing additional work. To help with animating the more refined suits, information was sometimes captured by having Downey wear only the helmet, sleeves and chest of the costume over amotion capture suit.[80]
ForIron Man 2, ILM again did the majority of the effects, as it did on the first film, withDouble Negative also working on the film.[83] In the filming ofThe Avengers,Weta Digital took over duties for animating Iron Man during the forest duel from ILM.[84] ForIron Man 3,Digital Domain,Scanline VFX and Trixter each worked on separate shots featuring the Mark 42 armor, working with different digital models. The studios shared some of their files to ensure consistency between the shots. For the Mark 42 and Iron Patriot armors,Legacy Effects constructed partial suits that were worn on set.[85]
Tony Stark appears in his Iron Man armor in the attractionsIron Man Experience andAnt-Man and The Wasp: Nano Battle! atHong Kong Disneyland,[86][87] and Avengers Assemble: Flight Force atWalt Disney Studios Park.[88]
Iron Man / Tony Stark appears in theaction-adventurevideo gamesIron Man,[89] andIron Man 2,[90] loosely based on their respective films. The character also makes an appearance in themobile phone gameIron Man 3: The Official Game, also loosely based on its film.[91]
The origin story of Iron Man has been updated for the films. In the comics, Stark becomes Iron Man following an experience in theVietnam War, which is changed to theWar in Afghanistan.[92]Jarvis, in the comics, is the family butler, while in the filmsJ.A.R.V.I.S. is an artificial intelligence created by Stark,[93] though still inspired by the butler from Stark's childhood,Edwin Jarvis, who is revealed to have died by the time the first film takes place.[92] Stark also proceeds through the early iterations of his armor to reach the now-familiar red and gold color scheme much more quickly. Stark's personality more closely resembles the Ultimate Comics version.[92]
The AI version of J.A.R.V.I.S. is eventually uploaded by Stark to an artificial body and becomesVision. In the films, Vision is created by Stark and Banner as a counter to Ultron. In the comics, however, Ultron is created by a different member of the Avengers,Hank Pym, and aspects of Pym's personality are integrated into this version of Ultron, such as a desire for peace.[94] Another difference in the films is the romance between Stark and Pepper Potts. In the comics, Potts has unrequited feelings for Stark, and ultimately becomes involved with Stark's chauffeur and bodyguard, Happy Hogan.[93][94]
A new approach not seen in comics is Stark's mentorial relationship withPeter Parker. In theUltimate Comics, Stark and Parker do not go past the normal trainer-trainee relationship. In the MCU, Stark is also the creator of two iterations of Parker's Spider-Man suits, unlike in the comics where he only creates theIron Spider Armor, while Parker creates other suits by himself.[95] Stark is also shown to have a history with Parker's foesVulture andMysterio; both are depicted as having turned into villains due tounforeseen consequences of actions by Stark. While he does not end up facing them, his protégé does.[96][97]
The Mandarin, a recurring Iron Man villain in the comics, turns out to be just an actor portraying the character, with the real criminal mastermind behind the acts claimed by "the Mandarin" beingAldrich Killian—a minor character in the comics.[94][98]The Mandarin is revealed to be a real person in the Marvel One-ShotAll Hail the King;[99] this version is instead portrayed as the father and enemy ofShang-Chi inShang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021).[100]
Downey's portrayal of the character has been widely praised by fans and critics.Roger Ebert praised Downey's performance inIron Man, stating "At the end of the day it's Robert Downey Jr. who powers the lift-off separating this from most other superhero movies".[101]Frank Lovece ofFilm Journal International, a one-time Marvel Comics writer, commended thatIron Man 2 "doesn't find a changed man. Inside the metal, imperfect humanity grows even more so, as thought-provoking questions of identity meet techno-fantasy made flesh".[102]
ForThe Avengers,Joe Morgenstern ofThe Wall Street Journal—despite complimenting Downey's performance—favored his work inIron Man over his acting inThe Avengers: "His Iron Man is certainly a team player, but Mr. Downey comes to the party with two insuperable superpowers: a character of established sophistication—the industrialist/inventor Tony Stark, a sharp-tongued man of the world—and his own quicksilver presence that finds its finest expression in self-irony".[103] In his review ofAvengers: Endgame, Morgenstern lauded both actor and character, praising "Robert Downey Jr.'s startlingly smart Tony Stark" who, along with Chris Evans' Captain America and Chris Hemsworth's Thor, contributed to that film's "feeling of family ... because the debuts of its most prominent members remain vivid to this day."[104]
In 2015,Empire named Tony Stark the 13th greatest film character of all time.[105] In 2019, following Stark's death inAvengers: Endgame, a statue representing the character in his Iron Man armor was erected inForte dei Marmi, Italy.[106]
Downey has received numerous nominations and awards for his portrayal of Tony Stark. He notably won theSaturn Award for Best Actor three times,[107][108][109] making him a record four-time winner (he had previously won the award for 1993'sHeart and Souls);[110] it is also the record for most wins for portraying the same character, tied withMark Hamill for playingLuke Skywalker.[111][112][113]
| Year | Film | Award | Category | Result | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Iron Man | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Movie Actor: Action | Nominated | [114] |
| Scream Awards | Best Science Fiction Actor | Won | [115] | ||
| Best Superhero | Nominated | [116] | |||
| 2009 | People's Choice Awards | Favorite Male Action Star | Nominated | [117] | |
| Favorite Male Movie Star | Nominated | ||||
| Favorite Superhero | Nominated | ||||
| Empire Awards | Best Actor | Nominated | [118] | ||
| MTV Movie Awards | Best Male Performance | Nominated | [119] | ||
| Saturn Awards | Best Actor | Won | [107] | ||
| 2010 | Iron Man 2 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Movie Actor: Sci-Fi | Nominated | [120] |
| Choice Movie: Dance | Nominated | ||||
| Choice Movie: Fight(withDon Cheadle) | Nominated | [121] | |||
| Scream Awards | Best Science Fiction Actor | Nominated | [122] | ||
| Best Superhero | Won | [123] | |||
| 2011 | People's Choice Awards | Favorite Movie Actor | Nominated | [124] | |
| Favorite Action Star | Nominated | ||||
| Favorite On-Screen Team(withDon Cheadle) | Nominated | ||||
| Kids' Choice Awards | Favorite Buttkicker | Nominated | [125] | ||
| MTV Movie Awards | Biggest Badass Star | Nominated | [126] | ||
| Saturn Awards | Best Actor | Nominated | [127] | ||
| 2012 | The Avengers | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Movie Actor: Sci-Fi/Fantasy | Nominated | [128] |
| Choice Summer Movie Star: Male | Nominated | ||||
| 2013 | People's Choice Awards | Favorite Movie Actor | Won | [129] | |
| Favorite Action Movie Star | Nominated | ||||
| Favorite Movie Superhero | Won | ||||
| Critics' Choice Awards | Best Actor in an Action Movie | Nominated | [130] | ||
| Kids' Choice Awards | Favorite Male Buttkicker | Nominated | [131] | ||
| Empire Awards | Best Actor | Nominated | [132] | ||
| MTV Movie Awards | Best On-Screen Duo(withMark Ruffalo) | Nominated | [133] | ||
| Best Fight(with cast) | Won | ||||
| Best Hero | Nominated | ||||
| Iron Man 3 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Movie Actor: Action | Won | [134] | |
| Choice Movie Actor: Sci-Fi/Fantasy | Nominated | ||||
| Choice Movie: Chemistry(withDon Cheadle) | Nominated | ||||
| 2014 | People's Choice Awards | Favorite Movie Actor | Nominated | [135] | |
| Favorite Movie Duo(withGwyneth Paltrow) | Nominated | ||||
| Favorite Action Movie Star | Won | ||||
| Critics' Choice Awards | Best Actor in an Action Movie | Nominated | [136] | ||
| Kids' Choice Awards | Favorite Male Buttkicker | Won | [137] | ||
| Favorite Movie Actor | Nominated | ||||
| MTV Movie Awards | Best Hero | Nominated | [138] | ||
| Saturn Awards | Best Actor | Won | [108] | ||
| 2015 | Avengers: Age of Ultron | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Movie Actor: Sci-Fi/Fantasy | Nominated | [139] |
| 2016 | People's Choice Awards | Favorite Movie Actor | Nominated | [140] | |
| Favorite Action Movie Actor | Nominated | ||||
| Kids' Choice Awards | Favorite Movie Actor | Nominated | [141] | ||
| MTV Movie Awards | Best Fight(withMark Ruffalo) | Nominated | [142] | ||
| Captain America: Civil War | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Movie Actor: Sci-Fi/Fantasy | Nominated | [143] | |
| Choice Movie: Chemistry(with cast) | Nominated | [144] | |||
| 2017 | People's Choice Awards | Favorite Movie Actor | Nominated | [145] | |
| Favorite Action Movie Actor | Won | ||||
| Kids' Choice Awards | Favorite Movie Actor | Nominated | [146] | ||
| Favorite Frenemies(withChris Evans) | Nominated | ||||
| #Squad(with cast) | Nominated | ||||
| 2018 | Avengers: Infinity War | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Action Movie Actor | Won | [147] |
| People's Choice Awards | Male Movie Star of 2018 | Nominated | [148] | ||
| 2019 | Kids' Choice Awards | Favorite Superhero | Won | [149] | |
| Avengers: Endgame | MTV Movie & TV Awards | Best Hero | Won | [150] | |
| Teen Choice Awards | Choice Action Movie Actor | Won | [151] | ||
| Saturn Awards | Best Actor | Won | [109] | ||
| People's Choice Awards | Male Movie Star of 2019 | Won | [152] | ||
| Action Movie Star of 2019 | Nominated |
| Characters |
| ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teams | |||||||||||||||||
| Antagonists | |||||||||||||||||
| Comic books |
| ||||||||||||||||
| In other media |
| ||||||||||||||||
| Alternative versions | |||||||||||||||||
| Locations | |||||||||||||||||
| Armor | |||||||||||||||||
| Related articles | |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
.jpg){kind=link}