Iron Man

"My armor was never a distraction or a hobby. It was a cocoon. And now I'm a changed man. You can take away my house, all my tricks and toys. But one thing you can't take away... I am Iron Man."

- Tony Stark

Anthony Edward "Tony" Stark is an eccentric self-described genius, billionaire, playboy and philanthropist and the former head of Stark Industries. Using his own great wealth and exceptional technical knowledge, Stark enjoyed the playboy lifestyle for many years until he was kidnapped by the Ten Rings. With his life on the line, Stark created an armored suit which he used to escape his captors, returning home and becoming the armored superhero known as Iron Man, battling against terrorists as well as his own former business partner Obadiah Stane. Stark enjoyed the fame that came with his new secret identity and decided to share it with the world, publicly announcing himself as Iron Man.

Fresh off from defeating enemies all over the world, Stark found himself dying due to his own Arc Reactor poisoning his body, all while he was challenged by the vengeful terrorist, Ivan Vanko who attempted to destroy his legacy. Due to their assistance in both these battles, Stark reluctantly agreed to serve as a consultant to Director Nick Fury's peacekeeping intelligence agency S.H.I.E.L.D. where he used his position to upgrade their technology while he began a relationship with Pepper Potts. With the world yet again being threatened, Stark was convinced to join the Avengers and helped defeat the Chitauri and Loki. Due to the battle, he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, leading him to create the Iron Legion to safeguard the world and help him retire.

Threats of the Mandarin forced Stark to come out of retirement to protect the world, only for his overconfidence to put his loved ones at risk and leave him nearly defenseless when his home was destroyed. Stark continued his mission, finding Aldrich Killian was behind the attacks and Trevor Slattery was a pretend Mandarin and eventually Stark defeated Killian, almost losing Pepper Potts in the process. In the wake of the battle, Stark destroyed all of his armors with the Clean Slate Protocol. However, when the Avengers were officially remobilized due to the War on HYDRA, Stark built more armors and resumed his role as Iron Man, aiding them in the capture of Wolfgang von Strucker and acquiring Loki's Scepter.

Once the threat of HYDRA had been ended at last, Stark, with the help of Bruce Banner, built Ultron as a peace-keeping A.I. to protect the world and allow the Avengers to retire. However, Ultron believed that humanity threatened the world and thus, according to his program, decided to extinguish humanity. Through the work of the Avengers, Ultron was defeated; however not at massive civilian cost and many lives being lost. After the Ultron Offensive, Stark retired from active duty, still haunted by his role in the chaos the A.I. created. The guilt of creating Ultron and causing so much destruction and loss of life eventually convinced Stark to support the Sokovia Accords. However, Stark's strong support of the Accords lead to a disagreement with his ally Captain America, who opposed the act.

When Rogers then proceeded to further break the law to protect the Winter Soldier, Stark was forced to lead the manhunt for his old ally, igniting the Avengers Civil War. Eventually Stark learned that Helmut Zemo had manipulated them all into conflict and rejoined his friend, only to have Zemo reveal that the Winter Soldier was responsible for the murder of his parents, causing Stark to seek revenge and fight both Rogers and Barnes, with the latter two successfully disabling his armor and winning the battle. With Rogers and Barnes on the run, Stark returned back to New York and decided to become a mentor to Spider-Man, a young enhanced individual whose help he had enlisted during the Clash of the Avengers, and to guide him in order to make him a better hero than he was ever was.

Troubled Childhood
"What do you remember about your father?" "He was cold, calculating, never told me he loved me, never even told me he liked me, so it's a bit hard for me to digest that he said the whole future is riding on me thing, I don't get that! You're talking about a man whose happiest day of his life was shipping me off to boarding school."

- Nick Fury and Tony Stark

Anthony Edward "Tony" Stark was born on Friday, May 29, 1970 to Howard and Maria Stark. Howard hired a butler named Edwin Jarvis before Tony was born. Jarvis became a good friend to Tony as he grew older. He watched over Tony throughout all of his childhood. Tony's early life was often dominated by the absence of his own father who he would later describe as both 'cold' and 'calculating'. Growing up Tony had issues with his father, who Tony has said never told his son that he loved him, or even that he liked him. Since Tony was so young, Howard never was able to tell him his plans for him.

Tony's father would constantly talk about his friend Captain America, so that he could inspire Tony to do great things in life, which highly annoyed young Tony Stark. When he was four years old, he made his first circuit board. When he was almost seven he built a V8 motorbike engine. At sixteen, he won the 4th Annual M.I.T. Robot Design Award. When Tony was seventeen he graduated at the top of his class. He also met James "Rhodey" Rhodes, and they became best friends. One thing about Tony's childhood that annoyed him was his nanny that cared for him until he was 14. While he was in high school, Stark hacked into the Pentagon on a dare by some friends.

Losing his Parents
"I never got to say goodbye to my father. There's questions I would've asked him. I would've asked him how he felt about what his company did, if he was conflicted, if he ever had doubts. Or maybe he was every inch of man we remember."

- Tony Stark

In December 1991, when Tony was just 21, Howard and Maria prepared to go away for a few days and leave him alone, although his father remained skeptical about how responsible Tony would be while they were gone. Sadly, they died in a car crash in Long Island. Stark became driven in grief for their deaths. For a few months, Howard's business partner Obadiah Stane took over as interim CEO of Stark Industries until Tony officially assumed the role shortly after. Sometime later, Tony's long serving family butler, Edwin Jarvis, also died.

Rebuilding the Company
"With the keys to the kingdom, Tony ushers in a new era for his father's legacy, creating smarter weapons, advanced robotics, satellite targeting. Today, Tony Stark has changed the face of the weapons industry, by ensuring freedom and protecting America."

- Tony Stark's award ceremony

A few months later, Stark inherited Stark Industries, becoming the youngest CEO of a Company in history. Having built himself a custom mansion, Stark made an A.I. system that helped out in the house. He named the system "Just a Rather Very Intelligent System", shortened J.A.R.V.I.S., in tribute to his late butler Edwin Jarvis whom he had often credited for helping to raise him. Eventually, James Rhodes joined the United States Air Force and became the liaison between Stark Industries and the United States Armed Forces, successfully earning Stark billions of dollars. Under Stark's leadership with the aid of Obadiah Stane, Stark Industries quickly thrived and became one of the most advanced companies in the world, creating new forms of weapons technology that seemed highly futuristic to most looking on at the weapons.

Creating Demons
"A famous man once said, ‘we create our own demons’. Who said that? What does it even mean? It doesn’t matter; I said it because he said it, so now he was famous and then basically getting said by two well-known guys. I don’t…argh. Let me start again."

- Tony Stark

On New Year's Eve in 1999, Stark, with his scientist paramour Maya Hansen, attended a science conference in Bern, Switzerland. There Stark got so drunk he could barely give his speech and rejoined the party as soon as possible. While celebrating he met a scientist named Ho Yinsen who introduced him to Doctor Wu, although Stark swiftly dismissed them both and moved through the party. While moving throughout the hotel with Happy Hogan and Hansen, Stark then arrogantly avoided a gifted but crippled scientist, Aldrich Killian, who wanted Stark's financial backing for his own science company, Advanced Idea Mechanics. Once they were alone in an elevator together, Stark then purposely told the excited Killian to meet him on the rooftop of the building to discuss him working with Stark Industries, with the intention of not even turning up. Back in Hansen's hotel room, Stark looked at her new research into a project known as Extremis which had the potential to regrow human limbs if she could get enough funding. Stark was amazed by the concept, although Hogan was less impressed and played with a nearby plant despite being told not to. Stark and Hansen then went to her bedroom where they continued flirting with each other before then leading towards each other for a passionate kiss. However Hogan inadvertently caused a small explosion by touching the plant, causing a brief moment of panic. Stark sent Hogan away and then spent the night with Hansen, leaving Killian freezing on the rooftop and even considering committing suicide out of complete humiliation. Stark was unaware of Killian's suffering and woke up the next morning, completed Hansen's formula for her before walking out and returning home, leaving Hansen behind.

Testing Weapons in Arizona
"I hate when people tell me my place. Which reminds me, Celeste, Eloise, let's go see my place!"

- Tony Stark

Stark and James Rhodes went to a weapon demonstration at the. Pepper Potts gave the weapon's specifics to the generals while Stark and Rhodes went to a night club. Stark enjoyed the company of two girls while Rhodes tried to convince him not to go to Afghanistan for a weapons demonstration. Stark was then attacked by a man whose girlfriend he previously seduced, but Rhodes defeated the attacker. Stark, Rhodes, and the girls went to Tony Stark's Mansion in order to continue the party.

Final Day of Freedom
"Miss Brown, it's an imperfect world but it's the only one we've got. I guarantee the day weapons are no longer needed to keep the peace, I'll start making bricks and beams for baby hospitals." "You rehearse that much?" "Every night in front of the mirror before bed time." "I can see that."

- Tony Stark and Christine Everhart

After a presentation of Stark's successful past, James Rhodes was given the honor of presenting the Apogee Award to him at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. When Obadiah Stane gave Rhodes a signal saying that Stark was not there to receive it, Stane took the award in Stark's honor. Shortly after the award ceremony, Rhodes brought Stark the award while he was gambling in the casino inside of Caesars Palace. Rhodes got angry at him for not being present. Right when Stark was just about to leave the hotel with all of his own entourage, Christine Everhart ran up and tried to get an interview with him for her magazine. Having been told Everhart was attractive, Stark agreed to her interview, all while he deflected her questions with some swift quips. Upon being morally questioned, Stark defended his actions and turned to seducing Everhart, as the two ended up at Tony Stark's Mansion where they had sex. In the morning Stark had left Everhart in his bed to be greeted by J.A.R.V.I.S. and escorted home while he began working on one of his cars. His assistant Pepper Potts then arrived and reminded him about his trip to Afghanistan. Stark remained complacent, unfazed about being late as it was his own plane therefore it would wait for him. Potts then revealed it was her birthday, noting she had used Stark's money to buy a present for herself from him. Finishing his coffee, Stark then finally left his mansion and drove to the airport followed by his bodyguard Happy Hogan, who struggled to keep up with his boss who drove exceptionally fast. He got to the plane three hours late and found Colonel James Rhodes was still there waiting for him to finally turn up, incredibly annoyed to have been left waiting for so long, although Stark was not bothered at all. He then got onto the plane and sat down along with Rhodes who tried to discuss business between Stark Industries and the United States Armed Forces while Stark all wanted to do just drink and then relax, much to Rhodes' continued great annoyance. Despite wanted to discuss his work, Stark managed to convince Rhodes to have a drink with him and before long, he and Rhodes had gotten completely drunk and had a small party on the plane. As Rhodes discussed his work in the United States Air Force, Stark completely ignored his friend and focused his attention of the air hostesses who had begun undressing and dancing around a pole in the middle of the plane for both of their entertainment.

Presenting the Jericho
"They say the best weapon is one you never have to fire. I respectfully disagree. I prefer the weapon you only have to fire once. That's how Dad did it. That's how America does it. And it's worked out pretty well so far. Find an excuse to let one of these off the chain, and I personally guarantee you the bad guys won't even want to come out of their caves. For your consideration, the Jericho."

- Tony Stark

Touching down in Afghanistan, Stark was greeted by members of the military before he presented Stark Industries' newest weapon, the Jericho missile, to the military spectators and demonstrated its capability. Giving a speech, Stark explained that the missile was so powerful that it would only be needed to be fired once to defeat the enemy, noting that was how his father Howard Stark had worked and it was a successful method. The missile was fired and Stark received a round of applause from everyone. After the successful presentation Stark had a drink, noting that the whiskey came with every order of the Jericho missile. While all of the various members of the United States Armed Forces celebrated the new deal, Obadiah Stane called Stark to ask how it had gone, with Stark explaining that they would be getting an early Christmas. Stark got into a convoy vehicle to leave, sending James Rhodes to another humvee to then go and return to their military base. As they drove down the road towards the military base, Stark sat with his whiskey while awkward members of the military sat with him and attempted to make small talk. Stark teased them, noting that he would have never guessed that the driver was a woman as he was asked all about sleeping with various super models before he was asked to take a selfie. Posing for the picture, Stark muttered about loving peace while asking the soldier not to make gang signs.

Kidnapping
"Why should I do anything, they're going to kill me, you, either way I'll probably be dead in a week." "Well then, this is a very important week for you isn't it?"

- Tony Stark and Ho Yinsen

As Stark's convey drove through Afghanistan to return to the United States Armed Forces base, the convoy was suddenly attacked by insurgents, who blew up the car in front trapping them. Stark watched in utter horror as the soldiers stepped out only to be gunned down right in front of his own eyes, leaving his ears ringing from the many explosions. While soldiers were dying around him, Stark got outside and attempted to find some cover and call for help. While Stark was using his phone in his attempt to contact someone for assistance, one of Stark Industries' own bombs suddenly landed right by him, Stark saw this and desperately attempted to get away, however he was too slow and the bomb exploded right beside him. The resulting blast caused Stark to be thrown backwards and lose consciousness and embedded several pieces of shrapnel into his chest, several fragments dangerously close to his heart. While falling in and out of consciousness, Stark felt incredible pain as an operation was performed on his chest in an attempt to remove the pieces of shrapnel and save his life. Eventually, Stark dazed away to find himself in front of a camera as some various terrorists were now reading out a ransom note to an unknown viewer while Stark could only look on in dismay with various guns aimed directly at him. The shock of seeing this made Stark lose consciousness again. He woke up some time later to find Ho Yinsen in his cell with him and an electromagnet attached to his chest. Hooked up to a car battery, Yinsen explained that the electromagnet kept the shrapnel from entering his heart and killing him. Yinsen went on to explained how they had once met in Bern during the 1990s although Stark had been too drunk to remember. Just as Stark questioned where they were, someone banged on the door from the other side. As Yinsen ordered Stark to get onto his feet, they were greeted by Abu Bakaar, who had Yinsen translate as he welcomed Stark as the greatest mass murderer in the entire history of the United States of America. Bakaar explained that he now wanted Stark to rebuild the Jericho missile for him, however Stark simply refused to help them. As a direct result of refusing to help the Ten Rings, Bakaar had Stark tortured by drowning him in freezing water repeatedly. Stark was then taken outside of the cave where Bakaar showed him how the Ten Rings had an incredible supply of his Stark Industries weapons, including guns and missiles which were being used against the United States Armed Forces, which clearly horrified Stark. As Bakaar continued his earlier conversation, he told Stark that they had all the materials needed for him to build a Jericho missile, promising that if he began immediately then once he was done, he would be returned home. Stark agreed to the job, although he noted to Yinsen that Bakaar would never actually allow him to get away, with Yinsen confirming that this was true while Bakaar smile at them. While Stark sat by the fire and considered his new and terrible situation, Yinsen joined him and explained that what he had seen out there, with the Ten Rings holding his weapons, was the legacy of Tony Stark. When Yinsen called on him to do something, Stark simply questioned what the point was if he was likely going to be dead within a week regardless of anything, so Yinsen told him that this only meant it was an important week for him.

Building the First Armor
"This is our ticket out of here" "What is it?" "Flatten them out and look."

- Tony Stark and Ho Yinsen

Knowing that their captors would never keep up their end of the deal, Stark began the work asked from him with Ho Yinsen, however he had instead had begun to make a plan to escape. Stark recruited Abu Bakaar to bring in the supplies he needed into their cave, using Yinsen as his translator while he began breaking all of the various weapons apart. In order to improve Stark's condition, he and Yinsen then created a miniature Arc Reactor, a smaller version of the same power source previously invented by his father, Howard Stark, and Anton Vanko, which they would soon embed into his chest to supply energy to the electromagnet protecting his heart. Stark concentrated on his own technical work, all while Yinsen continued to tell Stark everything he knew of the Ten Rings and what their plans were for them. Having successfully built the Arc Reactor, Stark told Yinsen that he would not be using it to power his heart, but to power something larger for a brief time. With that Stark showed Yinsen his plans, hidden with multiple blueprints, to build a suit of armor which he would soon be using to finally break them out of the cave. Yinsen was both impressed and inspired by Stark's plan and then assisted him in installing the Arc Reactor inside his chest. During their down time, Stark and Yinsen played board games to keep themselves entertained. During one of their games, Stark asked Yinsen where he was from, as Yinsen explained he was from a small town call Gulmira where he had a family who he intended to see once he was free on the cave. When Yinsen then asked the same question, Stark admitted that he had no family waiting for him, with Yinsen noting he had everything but yet still nothing. Stark and Yinsen then returned to their work, pulling apart pieces of the various Stark Industries weapons that were supplied to them and tearing them apart. They then fused the pieces together and turned them into plates ready to be added to the armor once that was completed. However the pair ensured that their work was still kept random enough that the Ten Rings would be unable to figure out their deception until it was at last too late for them. Their work was one day interrupted by Raza, the leader of this Ten Rings group who told Stark to relax before admiring his Arc Reactor. Raza compared Stark's work to that of who had almost conquered the world. Believing they were lying to him, Raza had Yinsen held down and threatened to put a red hot coal in his mouth until Stark told him to stop. Raza agreed and then ordered Stark to finally complete the Jericho missile by the next very day. Fearing for their lives if they did not get out as soon as possible, together Stark and Yinsen secretly began building the final stages of the armored suit to help them escape, with Stark focusing on the body of the armor while Yinsen wired up the final pieces of the mechanics. Fusing together the various large parts of steel to fit his own body, Stark then fitting the armor with various missiles and flame throwers, preparing himself for every eventuality as he knew Raza and the Ten Rings would put all their strength into stopping their escape. Once it was almost complete, Stark placed the still steaming Iron Man helmet onto Yinsen's desk and they prepared to finally put their upcoming escape plan into action.

Escaping the Ten Rings
"It's okay, I want this... I want this." "Thank you for saving me." "Don't waste it, don't waste your life."

- Ho Yinsen and Tony Stark

Soon the pair enacted their escape plan with Stark being slowly fitted into the armor while the power from the Arc Reactor was being downloaded into the suit. However, the booby-trapped door the pair had rigged with an explosive was set off, killing the men who had come to check on their progress. To his horror, Ho Yinsen realized that they now did not have enough time to power the suit before the Ten Rings arrived and killed them. With no other choice Yinsen took a gun and held back the terrorists, while Stark's suit still continued to power up. Once the suit had power, Iron Man waited in the shadows as the Ten Rings soldiers arrived in the room and searched for them, at which point he revealed himself and used all of his new incredible strength to punch them across the room, with the armor being unaffected by their bullets. Iron Man began making his way through the cave, killing any Ten Rings terrorist he came across by striking him with his armor. When Iron Man accidentally trapped his arm in a wall, a terrorist attempted to kill him by shooting him point blank in the head, only for the bullet to bounce off and kill the terrorist instead, with Iron Man freeing himself and continuing forward on his escape mission. Coming around a corner near the exit, Iron Man was mortified to find Yinsen flying mortally wounded having been shot multiple times during the escape attempt. However Yinsen was just able to warn Iron Man before Raza fired a rocket launcher at his former hostage, Iron Man managed to dodge the shot and returned fire, shooting a missile at the Ten Rings leader which caused him to be badly burnt and trapped underneath the heavy falling rubble. Iron Man rushed to Yinsen's side and urged him to get back onto his feet so he could go to Gulmira be reunited with his family, only for Yinsen to reveal that his family were already dead and he would see them at last in the afterlife. With his last words, Yinsen reassured Stark that it would be all right to leave him behind and urged him not to waste his life, while Stark thanked him for everything he had done for him in saving his life both physically and morally as well. Angered by Yinsen's death, Stark stepped outside to confront the rest of the terrorists who were waiting for him; the suit protected him from the onslaught of bullets, and he used the suit's flame-throwers to kill several terrorists, destroy their stockpile of Stark Industries produced weapons that had been stolen from him and used against the United States Armed Forces which he despised, causing several massive fireball explosions to erupt all around him. Due to the massive amount of bullets being fired at him, the Iron Man suit was eventually badly damaged by the gunfire, forcing Stark to escape using the jetpacks while the entire Ten Rings Base erupted in a massive fireball. Iron Man soured above the blast, though his suit began to fall apart and was finally destroyed as he crashed in the desert, although it still saved Stark from the impact. With no other need for it, Stark left the original armor in the desert. Stark began making his way through the desert, using his jacket to protect himself from the intense heat until finally a helicopter flew overhead, causing Stark to yell out for help and collapse to his knees as he made a peace symbol in the air. James Rhodes then came out of the helicopter and hugged his friend before taking him back to safety. Upon being picked up by the Air Force Stark was then finally returned to the United States of America at long last.

No More Weapons
"I saw young Americans killed by the very weapons I created to defend them and protect them, and I saw that I had become part of a system that is comfortable with zero accountability."

- Tony Stark

Having been rescued, Stark was brought back to the United States of America by the army where he was walked onto a military airport by James Rhodes. To Stark's disgust, there was a stretcher waiting to take him to hospital, which he rejected. Stark then met with Pepper Potts, who he noted had been crying, teasing her as he claimed she was crying for her long lost boss, while she claimed it was simply because she was glad not to have to find a new job. Stark then sat in Happy Hogan's car with Potts; who insisted that he go straight to the hospital to check himself over in the wake of his kidnapping. However Stark once again refused to get any medical treatment and instead asked to first be given a burger, then called a press meeting for Stark Industries. Potts argued that this was a very bad idea in the wake of his traumatic ordeal, but Stark still remained insistent, noting that he must get his cheese burger first. Upon arriving at Stark Industries Headquarters, Stark was then enthusiastically greeted by Obadiah Stane before making his way inside. During the press meeting, Stark finished his burger and compared his experiences to how he never said goodbye to his father. Stark finally declared that his company would now, for the foreseeable future, no longer manufacture military weapons, which Stane tried to slow down to the best of his own abilities. As their companies's stock market began to plummet, Stark had a meeting with Stane beside the giant Arc Reactor. Stane advised him to reconsider the decision as he feared it would ruin the company. Stark insisted that they should take another look at the Arc Reactor technology based on his work with Ho Yinsen, proving this theory by showing Stane the Arc Reactor on his chest that was now keeping him alive. Although Stane insisted that the Arc Reactor was designed by Howard Stark and Anton Vanko as a publicity stunt, he eventually agreed to help Stark provided Stark inform him of his next intentions before calling for sudden, unexpected press conferences. While back inside his Malibu Mansion, Stark called upon the help of Potts to get rid of the expired Arc Reactor in his chest, as Dum-E and U were unable to assist him. Although Potts was initially skeptical about the idea, she helped him at removing the Arc Reactor, although she accidentally put him through cardiac arrest briefly. Once they were finished Stark told Potts he only had her to help and told her to bin the Reactor as he no longer had any more use for it. Stark went to meet with James Rhodes who was giving a speech to new members of the United States Air Force. Stark interrupted the talk and teased his friend who then ordered the men to leave them in peace. When Rhodes questioned what Stark was doing there, he was told that Stark was working on a big new project, which seemed to delight him until Stark revealed it was not military. Rhodes then recommended that Stark get his mind straight instead

Suit Upgrades
"You and your new direction isn't in the company's best interest." "I'm being responsible that's a new direction for me, for the company, I mean me on the company's behalf being responsible."

- Obadiah Stane and Tony Stark

In the months that followed, Stark retreated from public view and spent much of his time in the Mansion, focusing on improving the design of his new armored suit, refining its size, movement, and flight capability far beyond the original design. Stark was aiding in building the new suit by Dum-E and U who he had constantly mocked and insulted. Recalling how the Mark I armor had almost no flight control and had crashed upon escaping the Ten Rings Base, Stark decided to create a more controlled flight capability for his suit. He arranged a test with U filming and Dum-E ready with the fire extinguisher in case anything went wrong. Stark proceeded with the test but quickly discovered it was vastly more powerful than he expected and he was launched straight up and painfully crashed into the ceiling. Making some redesigns to the new armor, Stark developed new stabilizers which would attach to his hands and give him a new level of control while in the air. While testing out the new designs, Stark was joined by Pepper Potts who mistakenly believed that Stark was designing new weapons for Stark Industries which he then denied, claiming that this design was not a weapon but it was completely harmless. However Stark had once again underestimated the power of the design and a single blast from the stabilizer sent him flying backwards, much to Potts' horror. Shocked by this, Stark noted that he was not expecting that and began making adjustments. Stepping upstairs, Stark found Obadiah Stane had joined Potts for pizza having returned from a meeting with Stark Industries' board of directors. Stane informed Stark that the board had decided to block Stark out of the company in the wake of his kidnapping, believing he was now suffering from. Stark furiously argued the decision but was told it was final, with Stane then requesting to take a look at the Arc Reactor technology, which Stark refused to do. Getting back to work, Stark had the second test of his new Mark II armor, with Dum-E and U assisting him once again while J.A.R.V.I.S. watched. Using a lot less power than his first test, Stark hovered around his basement, struggling to maintain any control and almost damaging some of his most expensive cars. Eventually Stark ended the test and landed, ordering Dum-E not to use the fire extinguisher on him before proudly declaring that he could now fly.

Test Flight
"Alright let's see what this thing can do, what's SR 71's range." "The SR's record for fixed wing flight is 8500 feet sir." "Records are made to be broken, come on!"

- Tony Stark and J.A.R.V.I.S.

Stark eventually perfected the flight power after much trial and error, taking the silver Mark II suit for its first test flight as Stark put on the armor for the first time with great pride and excitement. Despite J.A.R.V.I.S.' warnings that there had not been enough tests to be safe, Stark insisted upon being allowed to fly outside and fully test it's true capabilities. Iron Man cheered in utter delight as he soared high across the sky over the Malibu and shouted out in delight at his success, using the mask's system's to zoom into the city where a young boy looked on in amazement upon seeing Iron Man. However when he pushed the suit to see how high he could fly in an attempt to beat the 's record, he learned the suit would freeze at such a high altitude, which disabled its power. Stark fell from the sky and was just able to restart the suit moments before he would have hit the ground, with Stark delighting at avoiding such a near miss. Having gained all the information about the suit's capabilities that he needed, Iron Man flew back to Tony Stark's Mansion, where he then prepared to analyse the data to use in the next design. Stark hovered over the entrance of the mansion and prepared to land softly on the ground, however he did not account for the suit's extra weight and promptly fell though the ceiling, destroying his piano and sports car. Upon crash landing, Dum-E once again sprayed Stark with the fire extinguisher, believing him to have caught fire upon the impact while Stark leaned his head back in both pain and frustration. Exploring his lap, Stark soon found that Pepper Potts had left a gift for him on his desk. Opening the box, Stark found his original Arc Reactor had been framed with a message saying it proved he had a heart. Sometime afterwards, Stark detected someone trying to hack into his own home computer system, tracing the signal to a corporation satellite. Believing it to be business espionage, Stark then took the skies to successfully destroy the satellite.

Stane's Betrayal
"Have you seen this pictures? What's going on?" "Tony, you can't afford to be this naive." "I was naive before, when they here's the line, we don't cross it, this is how we do business."

- Tony Stark and Obadiah Stane

While giving J.A.R.V.I.S. his plans to improve the Mark III armor in order to fix the icing problems and improve the flight controls, Stark noticed a news report in which Zorianna Kit was reporting on a new charity event at the which Stark was now supposedly hosting. Stark questioned J.A.R.V.I.S. if he had been invited to the event to which J.A.R.V.I.S. then confirmed he had not, so Stark left his A.I. to complete the Mark III while he got himself ready to attend. During his first public appearance since his return back to the United States of America, Stark arrived at his own party to be greeted by the press, having an attractive woman try to speak to him who Stark quickly dismissed as he did not remember her before complimenting another man who he had mistaken for. Stark had soon found Obadiah Stane talking to the press as Stane expressed his surprise to see that Stark had arrived, advising him not to draw too much unwanted attention to himself as Stane was still trying to get the board of directors on their side. Stark promised to do so as he stepped inside the building, but Stane was unconvinced. Once inside, Stark met Phil Coulson, who introduced himself as an agent of the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division; with Stark noting that the name of the organisation was far too long while Coulson noted that they were now planning on shortening it. The pair soon arranged to have a meeting to discuss all the events of his kidnapping, but Stark was still not paying very much attention on told him to arrange it through his own team. Stark however was too distracted by seeing Pepper Potts, who he saw in the centre of the room wearing a blue dress. Having said goodbye to Coulson, Stark went up to Potts and complimented her on her dress, which she noted she had bought as a present from Stark using his money. Despite Potts' protests, Stark took her onto the dance floor and danced with her, as Potts worried about being seen dancing with her boss. They joked about Stark firing her to make it less uncomfortable but Potts noted that Stark wouldn't be able to survive without her assistance, questioning if he knew his own social security number which admitted he did not. Stepping outside, Potts confronted Stark about pushing her to dance with her while in front of all her coworkers due to Stark's reputation with women and fearing that her intentions with the dance would be misinterpreted by any who had watched them while Stark continued to argue that it was not really a big deal. As the spoke, the pair then almost kissed one another before Stark decided to go and get them both a drink, with Potts requesting a heavy drink. While ordering all the drinks for himself and Potts, Stark was then accosted by Christine Everhart, whose name he briefly forgot despite them having slept together. Everhart expressed her disgust at Stark and showed him pictures of Stark Industries weapons in the hands of the Ten Rings and other terrorist groups, including the Jericho missile he refused to build for them. Stark denied any involvement but Everhart noted that his company supplied the weapons. Disgusted by this, Stark confronted Obadiah Stane and demanded to know if he was making deals with Raza as well as the United States Armed Forces. Stane refused to answer the question, however he called Stark naive for not considering that this sort of thing could possibly be happening. Stane also revealed that was the one to shut Stark out of the board while he recovered. Stane then left the party, leaving Stark in a state of utter shock and horror.

Battle of Gulmira
"I'm sorry, it is me, you asked, what you asked about is me." "No see, this isn't a game. You do not send civilian equipment into my active war-zone! You understand that?" "It's not a piece of equipment, I'm in it, it's a suit! It's me!"

- Iron Man and James Rhodes

Faced with the realization of what his company had done behind his back and Obadiah Stane's part in the deception. Stark went back into his workshop and continued building his Iron Man armors, while watching a news report on how Raza and his Ten Rings soldiers were using Stark's own weapons to attack innocent people. Disgusted by what he was seeing, Stark rose from his seat and used his flight stabilisers to smash the glass doors, realizing they could be used as weapons. Seeking to do something good with the technology he had created, Stark donned his new suit and flew to Afghanistan. Knowing where Raza's men were attacking, Iron Man headed for Gulmira, the home village of Ho Yinsen. Upon arriving, Iron Man discovered innocent women and children were being dragged out of their own homes to become slaves for the Ten Rings while the men were being lined up to be executed right in front of their own horrified children. Iron Man attacked and easily subdued all of the soldiers, using his advanced weapons systems to kill multiple terrorists with single strikes and saving the lives of the innocent people. Having found his former captor, Abu Bakaar, Iron Man ripped him through a wall and left him for the villagers to gain their own revenge. While Bakaar was being killed, Iron Man focused his efforts on destroying the Ten Rings entire stockpiles of the Stark Industries weapons. During the battle, Iron Man was shot out of the sky by one of the Ten Rings' tanks, so Iron Man responded by shooting his own missile and destroying the tank with ease before he then targeted and destroyed all the Jericho missiles the Ten Rings had. The prolonged battle and massive explosions quickly drew the attention of the United States Air Force and his own friend and company military liaison, Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes who investigated the true cause. Two F-22 Raptors were ordered by Rhodes to take out the unknown target, with Iron Man soon finding them directly behind him and attempting to lock on with their weapons, forcing Iron Man to use his new armor's upgraded flight systems to evade the attacks. As the jets continued targeting him, Iron Man found they had locked on with a missile so used flairs to destroy the missile before it could hit him, being blown forward by the force of the explosion. Having managed to use his superior manoeuvring systems to hide underneath of the jets itself without being seen, Stark called Rhodes and revealed his true identity to him in an attempt to have the attack called off, with Rhodes being horrified that he had sent some of his own equipment into an active war zone without informing him. While Rhodes tried to stop the attack, Major Allen however order the pilots to take the shot when they could get clear view of him. However, while trying to evade the attack, one of the Raptors lost its left wing when it accidentally collided with Iron Man during the chaos of the battle. The pilot ejected shortly afterwards, but his parachute jammed. Without hesitation, Iron Man dived down to help the pilot release his parachute before escaping. While heading back towards the United States of America, Stark spoke with Rhodes about what excuse he could then use to explain what had happened. Once back at Tony Stark's Mansion, Iron Man was then helped out of his armor by both Dum-E and U, finding the experience fairly painful as they struggled to find a way to get him back out. During this, Stark was soon discovered by Pepper Potts who had just walked into his workshop to find him still half in his armor. Stark joked that it was still not actually the worst thing that she had ever caught him doing while Potts was horrified to see bullet holes in the armor.

Next Mission
"You stood by my side all these years while I reaped the benefits of destruction. Now that I'm trying to protect the people I've put in harm's way, you're going to walk out?" "You're going to kill yourself, Tony. I'm not going to be a part of it." "I shouldn't be alive, unless it was for a reason. I'm not crazy Pepper, I just finally know what I have to do."

- Tony Stark and Pepper Potts

With the mission to defeat the Ten Rings a success, Stark went back to work in tweaking the Mark III armor in improve it's performance. He was soon joined by Pepper Potts whom he requested go into his office in Stark Industries Headquarters to hack into the data base in order to find out where his weapons were being sold to the Ten Rings so he could go in as Iron Man and destroy them. Potts however refused to help him on his mission as she feared that going into these active war-zones as Iron Man would result in him being killed but Stark furiously refused to listen. Stark furiously noted that for years Potts had stood by his side when he and Stark Industries had been creating the weapons and now she was planning on leaving once he finally began doing the right thing and protecting the people he had endangered like Ho Yinsen. Stark noted that since his kidnapping he had finally learned what he was meant to do with his life. Hearing how sincere Stark was about this mission, Potts took the hard-drive and agreed to help him. While inside Tony Stark's Mansion, Stark attempted to answer a call from Potts when he found himself unable to move. To his horror he found Obadiah Stane looking down upon him while using a Sonic Taser. Stane confessed that he had arranged Stark's kidnapping while he ripped out the Arc Reactor from Stark's chest, causing him to go into cardiac arrest. Stane mocked Stark but comparing him to his father while promising to kill Potts before walking away. Having regained some control of his body, Stark desperately tried to make it to his workshop to regain his original Mark I Arc Reactor to save his life. However Stark collapsed inches away from it and was unable to move and minutes from death. But to save his life, Stark was aided by Dum-E and U who had managed to hand Stark the Arc Reactor just in time. Stark was then found by James Rhodes who he explained the situation to while being helped back up. Having been told Potts had recruited Phil Coulson and an entire team of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents to arrest Stane, Stark warned it would not be enough as Stane had his own Iron Monger Armor. To combat this, Stark put his Iron Man suit on and prepared to battle Stane. While Rhodes admired the suit which he called the coolest thing he had ever seen, Iron Man told him to keep the skies clear from the United States Armed Forces while he then flew out of his mansion.

Duel of Los Angeles
"You had a great idea, Tony, but my suit is more advanced in every way!" "How'd you solve the icing problem?" "Icing problem?" "Might want to look into it."

- Obadiah Stane and Tony Stark

Iron Man flew straight to the Stark Industries Headquarters where he discovered Iron Monger was attempting to execute Pepper Potts, so he charged down and knocked Iron Monger aside, crashing into the motorway and then through a Roxxon Oil Corporation lorry. Iron Monger responded by picking up a minivan holding a family and attempting to throw it at Iron Man, who put all his suit's power into the Arc Reactor to knock Iron Monger back. Having just caught the minivan and put it down, Iron Man was briefly run over by the family who were terrified by the experience. As Iron Man recovered, Iron Monger struck again, hitting him with a passing motorcycle and smashing him into a nearby bus. While he was striking him, Obadiah Stane still continued to mock Iron Man by claiming that he had built Stark Industries up from nothing back when Howard Stark had been killed. Iron Monger then fired a missile at the bus, as Iron Man was consumed inside the fireball but was still protected by his suit, despite being launched high into the air. While Iron Man hovered in the air, Iron Monger complimented him on his upgrades before noting that the Iron Monger Armor had upgrades of it's own before flying into the air to then chase him down. As they considered what to do J.A.R.V.I.S. had warned that the Mark III armor would not survive much longer while Iron Man decided to fly straight upwards, believing that Stane had not done enough tests on his own armor in order to solve all of it's own design issues. As they soared higher and higher above Los Angeles, Iron Man soon found that the Iron Monger's superior power allowed him to quickly catch up with him. However once Iron Monger had managed to grab ahold of Iron Man, claiming that his own armor was more advanced in every way, Iron Man revealed to him that he had not solved the icing issue the Mark II armor had encountered, causing Iron Monger to lose power and then proceeded to fall out of the sky. Losing his own power in the suit, Iron Man quickly returned to Stark Industries Headquarters where he attempted to get out of the suit, only to be immediately confronted by Iron Monger yet again. Without one of the gauntlets, Iron Man found himself at a disadvantage as Iron Monger got him in a bear hug and attempted to crush the suit with Stark still inside, until Iron Man managed to fire his own flairs to briefly blind Stane, allowing him to get away for a moment. While hiding from Iron Monger, Stark told Pepper Potts that all his current attempts to defeat the Iron Monger were not working so he decided to make a new plan. Stark ordered Potts to overload the main Arc Reactor inside the building and blast the roof with energy in an attempt to defeat Stane. While Potts made her way back into the building, Stark also told her to wait until he had gotten himself clear, promising to buy her some time by fighting Iron Monger. Iron Man proceeded to jump onto Iron Monger's back and ripped out important pieces of the Iron Monger Armor, taking out his targeting system and effectively blinding Stane. However Iron Monger soon managed to rip Iron Man off his back and then threw him across the rooftop, taking off his own helmet as a result. Iron Man was then left almost defenceless with barely any power left in his suit to fight back against Stane, who opened up armor and revealed himself. While he crushed Iron Man's helmet, Stane began mocking Stark by claiming that he had finally made his father proud before shooting at him, with Stark managed to block with his gauntlet despite the glass floor underneath him before destroyed. While Stark held on, Potts told him to get off the roof. Stane noted that by trying to rid Stark Industries of weapons, Stark had inadvertently created the greatest one ever while Stane would then use to finally kill him. While Stane struggled to aim his missiles at him, Stark ordered Potts to overload the Arc Reactor, which caused a burst of electricity which blasted Stark out of the way while frying the Iron Monger Armor, also killing Stane inside. Stane then fell inside the Arc Reactor causing a massive explosion while Stark fell unconscious from the ordeal. Stark almost died from the lack of power to his Arc Reactor, but J.A.R.V.I.S. managed to keep him alive long enough to be rescued.

I Am Iron Man
"I'm just not the hero type. Clearly. With this laundry list of character defects, all the mistakes I've made, largely public." "Just stick to the cards, man." "Yeah, okay. The truth is... I am Iron Man."

- Tony Stark and James Rhodes

In the wake of the Duel of Los Angeles as well as his own near death experience, Stark was aided by James Rhodes who tried to get Stark into an ambulance to see if he had any internal injuries. However the ambulance was a fake one sent by S.H.I.E.L.D. to retrieve him. Now that they could finally get to talk to Stark. Phil Coulson talked to him after they had dropped him off at a small theater. Coulson viewed Stark's fighting strategy from his fight with Iron Monger on a projector screen. He told him he needed to become a real fighter and that he would be trained by skilled S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. The next morning, news had spread of Stark's new alter ego, dubbed "Iron Man" by the press. Stark then held a press conference where Agent Coulson gave him a detailed fabricated cover story about his and Obadiah Stane's whereabouts and advised him to state that Iron Man was his personal bodyguard. However, during the course of the conference, in a moment of self clarity, Stark instead announced to the public that he himself was indeed the Iron Man.

Meeting Nick Fury
"You think you're the only superhero in the world? Mr. Stark, you've become part of a bigger universe. You just don't know it yet." "Who the hell are you?" "Nick Fury. Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.."

- Nick Fury and Tony Stark

That night, Stark arrived home and was greeted by a visitor who was standing by the window. He revealed himself as Nick Fury, director of S.H.I.E.L.D., and assured him that he was not the only 'superhero' in the world, intending to discuss the Avengers Initiative with Stark. However, Stark, uninterested in having the government offering him opportunities, ordered Fury out of the house.

Finding World Peace
"Back already? What're you listening to?" "Just a little recording I made in Yemen. Nick Fury wants to ask me out... he's just trying to be smooth about it. But who's the smoothest guy you know, Potts?"

- Pepper Potts and Tony Stark

Iron Man performed acts of heroism around the world. News outlets began crediting him as the man who stabilized East-West relations" and featured him as their new "Person of the Year". When Nick Fury sent a team of United States Navy SEALs to board a ship controlled by the Ten Rings, Iron Man appeared and defeated the terrorists. In Germany, Stark managed to recover stolen paintings without the use of his armor, all to gain Evetta Gorani's number. Stark also helped Thaddeus Ross in saving the pilot of the Aerodynamic Marvel that crashed in the Congo. When blackmailed by the Ten Rings and Lina, but Stark defeated all of the terrorists and also saved Lina's kidnapped son.

Starting the Expo
"Oh, it is good to be back! Did you miss me? Blow something up, already did that... I'm not saying the world is enjoying it's longest period of uninterrupted peace in years because of me! I'm not saying that from the ashes of captivity, never has a Phoenix metaphor been more personified in human history!"

- Tony Stark at Stark Expo

Six months after revealing his own identity to the world and helping maintain world peace, Stark appeared as Iron Man at the grand opening of the Stark Expo in Flushing Meadows, New York City, continuing the legacy his father, Howard Stark, had started. Treating the crowd to the Ironette Dancers and a speech in which he boasted about giving the world it's longest running period of uninterrupted peace, Stark left the stage with a video of his father playing. Unfortunately, Stark's own life was not as good as it appeared. Stark was facing a double threat. The first was in the form of his own heart: the Arc Reactor Palladium core was poisoning him due to overuse of the Iron Man armor. To maintain appearance, he was forced to drink home-made medicine to counteract the symptoms. Meanwhile Stark was also aware that the United States Armed Forces were constantly looking to take all of his technology away from him. Stark then left the Expo with Happy Hogan helping to keep the press at bay, signing autographs and meeting Larry Ellison and Larry King on their way out before he was then confronted by a beautiful U.S. Marshal who was waiting beside his car. The Marshal then informed Stark and Hogan that he was now required to attend a congressional meeting in Washington, D.C. the very next day in order to discuss the future of his work as the well known superhero Iron Man.

Meeting with Senator Stern
"I am Iron Man. The suit and I are one. To turn over the Iron Man suit would be to turn over myself, which is tantamount to indentured servitude or prostitution, depending on what state you're in. You can't have it." "Look, I'm no expert..." "In prostitution? Of course not you're a senator, come on!"

- Tony Stark and Senator Stern

The second threat was from a senate committee hearing, this time led by Senator Stern, demanding that Stark release the technology of the Iron Man armor for military application. Stark refused, believing it was not in the best interest of the American people for the United States Armed Forces to possess it and that they would use it as a weapon that could very well be used against America if other various countries were able to recreate the Arc Reactor technology. Senator Stern tried to turn Lt. Colonel James Rhodes against him in an effort to force Stark's decision. Competitor Justin Hammer tried to plead his case in the matter; Stark took this opportunity to embarrass both Hammer and Stern with a collection of footage of Hammer and others around the world attempting to recreate the technology. Stark arrogantly stated that it would be years before anyone would be able to successfully recreate the tech.

Making Pepper CEO
"I don't care about the liberal agenda anymore, it's boring, boring, I'm giving you a boring order, you do it." "I do what?" "Excellent idea, I just figured this out, you run the company." "Yeah I'm trying to run a company."

- Tony Stark and Pepper Potts

Returning to his Malibu Home, Stark was greeted by J.A.R.V.I.S. who updated him on the fallout from his meeting with Senator Stern. While Stark listened to the news, he pulled out his Arc Reactor and examined the damaged Palladium core which was slowly killing him, with J.A.R.V.I.S. noting that a replacement had not yet been found that could both power his many Iron Man Armors and also still keep him alive. Uncertain of his chances of survival, Stark decided to appoint his former personal assistant Pepper Potts into the role he no longer was interested in, CEO of Stark Industries. When Potts arrived in his workshop, she and Stark had an argument about Stark's own lack of interest in his company and their resources ever since becoming Iron Man at which point he informed her that he had decided to promote her. Although Potts did not at first believe that Stark was being serious with this idea, Stark had Dum-E deliver some champagne to them as he confirmed that this would be happening and she was the perfect person to take the job over from him. While doing some boxing training with Happy Hogan, during which he used dirty boxing techniques to gain the upper hand, Stark saw the arrival of Pott's new replacement as his own personal assistant, Natalie Rushman. Although Hogan hit Stark around the head, he proceeded to kick him away and beat him into surrendering before inviting Rushman into the ring. Stark looked into Rushman's eyes before inviting Hogan to train with her instead. Stark then sat down with Potts to discuss Rushman, with Stark bringing up her history files and noting that she even spoke and had once been an underwear model. While they were speaking Stark and Potts witnessed Rushman using a leg move to pin Hogan to the floor, before she exited the ring and asked Stark to sign the paperwork handing Stark Industries over to Potts. Once Rushman was gone, Stark told Potts that he needed her.

Monaco Grand Prix
"What's the point of owning a race car if you can't drive it?"

- Tony Stark

Stark traveled to Monaco with Pepper Potts and Happy Hogan. There Stark and Potts encountered Justin Hammer, who smugly tried to show off that he was being interviewed by Christine Everhart for an upcoming piece for ; Stark quickly made it clear of his own romantic history with Everhart and noted that Hammer Industries had lost their contract with the United States Armed Forces due to his embarrassing performance at the senate committee hearing. Taking some time away from Hammer, Stark excused himself to check his blood toxicity level in the bathroom. Seeing that the Arc Reactor's poisoning of his body due to the levels of Palladium it was emitting into his skin. Looking up at the mirror and seeing that he likely did not have much time left until he eventually died from this poisoning, Stark began questioning what he would like to do with these last few months that he likely had left. Growing increasingly despondent and thrill-seeking as a direct consequence of what he believed to be his impending death, Stark decided to take the Stark Industries car intended for the track and race it at the Monaco Grand Prix. As he stepped into the car, with all the cameras now facing him, Stark gave a look which he knew would be viewed by Justin Hammer, much to Hammer's annoyance as he would once again be taking the spotlight away.

Duel of Monaco
"Were you heading for me for him?" "I was trying to scare him!" "Because I can't tell! Better security! I was attacked!"

- Tony Stark and Happy Hogan

As Stark drove around the track, Ivan Vanko, who had successfully constructed an Arc Reactor of his own, along with whip-like energy weapons, attacked him, using the whips to cut off the front of his car and cause it to crash. Despite Stark's best efforts to gain the upper hand once he escaped from the car, Whiplash's armored weapons still managed to get the better of Stark who was more of less defenseless against him. As Whiplash prepared to rip Stark apart, Stark did manage to trick him into causing an explosion which separated the pair. With the aid of both Pepper Potts and Happy Hogan, who had driven into the race track and successfully managed to crash their own car into Whiplash, Stark prepared to make his escape before he could be killed. However Whiplash continued to fight despite being pinned to the wall, forcing Potts to hand Stark his portable briefcase armor, allowing Stark to don the Mark V armor ready to do battle against his would be assassin in the middle of the track. Using his new suit, Iron Man attempted to subdue Whiplash by firing his repulsor rays at his attacker, but Whiplash was able to block those blows with his own armor before managing to strangle Iron Man with his whips and fling him across the racetrack into Hogans car and then back the other way, tightening the whips around his neck and sending him volts of electricity from the whips which slowly destroyed the suit while Vanko looked on smiling. Not allowing himself to be defeated, Iron Man managed to build up his own strength and began wrapping the whips around himself in order to get closer towards Whiplash. Once he was close enough he punched him in the face a few times before ripping the Arc Reactor out of his chest and crushing it in his hand. As Whiplash was being dragged away by the police, he then spat out his own blood before laughing and claiming that Stark had now lost.

Meeting with Ivan Vanko
"Where will you be watching the world consume me from? Oh, that's right, a prison cell. I'll send you a bar of soap." "Hey, Tony. Before you go, palladium in the chest, painful way to die."

- Tony Stark and Ivan Vanko

Afterward, Stark decided to pay a visit to Ivan Vanko personally while he was being held in a French prison to learn how he acquired the technology, being led there by Lemieux. Once they were alone, Stark commented on Vanko's technology and even suggested ways that he could improve it, thinking that he would never actually get a chance to. During the conversation, Vanko revealed that he was the son of Anton Vanko, who collaborated with Howard Stark on the first Arc Reactor but was deported back to the Soviet Union and died in poverty. Vanko blamed the Stark family for his family's fate, and sought revenge. Vanko also mentioned that was he fully aware of Stark's current heart poisoning, saying that it was a terrible way to die, laughing out loud to himself as Stark left.

Whiplash's Attack Aftermath
"You said no one else would possess this technology for twenty years, well guess what, somebody else had it yesterday. It's not theoretical anymore."

- James Rhodes to Tony Stark

Despite Ivan Vanko having been put in prison for his crimes, the response to another man using the Arc Reactor technology was immediate, with Senator Stern giving interviews on WHiH World News could Stark's failure. While on his private jet returning to the United States of America, Stark made dinner for Pepper Potts as they discussed the aftermath of the attack, with Stark even suggesting that he quit being Iron Man from now on. Stark returned to his home where he and J.A.R.V.I.S. tried to find a solution in finding a new power source for the Arc Reactor as well as looking at the history files of Ivan Vanko and his father Anton Vanko, who had formally worked for Stark Industries years earlier before being deported under the orders of Howard Stark. While at his home he was visited by James Rhodes, who came to berate Stark about the military's wish to take his suits. However, Rhodes realized how unwell Stark was and assisted him by changing the Arc Reactor Palladium core. Rhodes tried to convince Stark that he did not have to do his journey alone although Stark still remained skeptical. Feeling more depressed about his future, Stark considered cancelling his birthday party which was now being prepared at his Malibu Mansion. Stark was then visited by Natalie Rushman, who came to give him a choice of watches to wear. Stark posed these questions to Rushman, asking what she would do with only a few days left to live, with Rushman telling him that she would do whatever she wanted with whoever she wanted to do it with.

Stark's Birthday Party
"You think you got what it takes to wear that suit?" "We don't have to do this, Tony." "You wanna be the War Machine, take your shot!"

- Iron Man and James Rhodes

Stark decided to attend what could very well be his last ever birthday party and quickly got himself very drunk, putting on his Iron Man Armor and partying with the many other guests who had come to celebrate. At one point he invited Natalie Rushman to wear one of his gauntlets and fire it at an ice sculpture, taking great pleasure in the destruction before joining the other guests and drinking more alcohol shots to get himself even further drunk and even harder to keep in control. While wearing the Iron Man armor and indulged in many dangerous activities, such as using his repulsor blasts to destroy a watermelon, Stark was watched by Pepper Potts who attempted to make him stop, being advised by James Rhodes that this was a terrible time to be acting so foolishly. Despite Potts taking the microphone away from Stark and trying to tell the guests that it was time to go home, Stark would not listen to reason and instead insisted that his party keep going as he continued to reckless as he used his Iron Man Suit to entertain his drunk guests within his Malibu Mansion, much to Potts' and Rhodes' dismay as they looked on in horror. In the end, Stark's actions became more and more dangerous and foolish, forcing his friend, Rhodes, to intervene. Rhodes donned Stark's Iron Man: Mark II armor and ordered the guests out of the room before demanding that Stark get out of the suit. Stark ignored him and instead requested that Adam Goldstein put on a good song for the incoming fight. The pair clashed as they flew through room to room, using whatever weapons they could find to try and subdue the other, including throwing heavy weights at each other before Rhodes managed to throw Stark into his upstairs bedroom. Eventually, after almost destroying all of Tony Stark's Mansion in the resulting fight, Stark managed to subdue Rhodes by smashing his head down against the kitchen counter, roaring at the onlookers to force them to flee. As Rhodes recovered, they both then fired their repulsors at each other, which caused a massive explosion. With Stark out of the fight, Rhodes then delivered the armor to the United States Armed Forces while Stark could only look on.

Nick Fury's Help
"What do you want from me?" "What do we want from you? What do you want from me? You have become a problem, a problem I have to deal with. Contrary to your belief, you are not the center of my universe. I have bigger problems than you in the southwest region to deal with."

- Tony Stark and Nick Fury

In the aftermath of his battle with James Rhodes, Stark took the Iron Man Suit and flew to Randy's Donuts in California, buying himself a box of Donuts and enjoying them in the middle of the Donut sign above the shop. Just as he was relaxing in the morning sun, Nick Fury, Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., approached Stark and ordered him to come inside. Taking a seat inside, Stark once again informed Fury that he was not interested in joining the Avengers before rudely asking if he should look at Fury's eye or patch. Changing the subject, Fury then revealed to Stark that Natalie Rushman was in fact the undercover agent Black Widow, who Stark tried and failed to fire from Stark Industries. As Stark and Fury continued their conversation, Romanoff gave Stark an injection which slowed down the poison in his veins caused by his Arc Reactor before Fury reassured him that somewhere there was a cure and he simply had not discovered it yet, despite Stark insisting that he had already looked everywhere and found nothing. Returning to Tony Stark's Mansion, they discussed the history of Anton Vanko who had been working with Howard Stark in creating the Arc Reactor before he was deported for selling secrets on the black market where he then raised his son Ivan Vanko in Siberia. Before he departed, Fury revealed that Stark's father was one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s founders and left Stark to go through his belongings to find the cure, leaving Agent Phil Coulson to watch over him.

Researching his Family
"Dead for almost twenty years, still taking me to school." "The purposed element should serve as a viable replacement for Palladium." "Thanks, Dad."

- Tony Stark and J.A.R.V.I.S.

Nick Fury gave Stark some of his father's old material to aid in finding a cure for the palladium poisoning. Stark found several items, including the notebook with the drawings of a "hypercube" and two Captain America comic books. Watching an old tape of his father, Stark discovered a hidden message where his father told him that he was proud of his son and viewed him as his greatest creation. Stark then drove to the Stark Industries Headquarters, buying some strawberries along the way and met with Pepper Potts who tried to inform him she was too busy to talk. Once Stark got her attention, he attempted to apologise in his way, which Potts struggled to believe and insisted she needed to focus on Stark Industries' future. They were interrupted by Happy Hogan and Natasha Romanoff who were both now working only for Potts. As Potts and Hogan left the office, Stark spoke with Romanoff and questioned how she could keep this lie going and she insulted him before leaving. Stark prepared to leave the office, dumping the strawberries into the bin, but first he thought he saw a hidden message in the diorama of the 1974 Stark Expo proved to be a diagram of a new element's atomic structure. Stark took the model into his car and drove it back to his mansion for further study. Putting the model on his desk, Stark ordered J.A.R.V.I.S. to make a scan of the model, removing all the trees and buildings from the scan so he focus just on the model itself. As J.A.R.V.I.S. questioned what Stark's plan was, he explained that he believed he had found a hidden message. Eventually Stark realized that the new element was inside the globe in the centre, with Stark thanking his father for gifting him with it as it would soon save his life.

A New Element
"You want to run some tests? Run them, and assemble the suit while you're at it, put it together now." "We are unclear on the..." "I don't want to hear it J.A.R.V.I.S., Tastes like coconut!"

- Tony Stark and J.A.R.V.I.S.

As Stark put the final pieces together to begin his experiment, he was greeted by Agent Phil Coulson who asked where he had been before discovering a prototype for Captain America's Shield which Stark took and used to straighten some of his machinery. Coulson then informed Stark that he was leaving to head to New Mexico to investigate a mysterious object that had been found there. With the aid of his A.I. J.A.R.V.I.S., Stark put his experiment into action, putting together a large laser in the center of his workshop in his Mansion. Stark pushed the laser into position, struggling to hold it in place as it put through the walls while he aimed it at it's target. As the laser hit the newly designed Arc Reactor he had made, it finally synthesized the new element. As Stark picked up his creation and studied it, J.A.R.V.I.S. confirmed that the new element would indeed be a suitable replacement for Palladium and would be able to keep him alive while powering his Iron Man suits for the foreseeable future, Stark then continued work on the Reactor and his next suit. Afterwards while Stark continued his work on his new suit, he received a call which turned out to come from Ivan Vanko, despite having last been heard from dying in a prison explosion, revealing he was still alive and still set on revenge. While Stark attempted to trace the call and locate the dangerous terrorist, Vanko promised that he would soon have his revenge for what Howard Stark had done to his father Anton Vanko before hanging up the call. As Vanko had warned that he had taken Stark's scientific advice and upgraded his Whiplash Armor to be ready for their next battle, Stark donned the Iron Man Mark VI armor. Despite J.A.R.V.I.S.' objections, Stark wore his new Arc Reactor and commented on how it felt putting it on for the first time, noting he got a distinct taste of both coconut and metal before he suited up and flew off to the Stark Expo to then confront Vanko and stop his evil plans of revenge.

Battle at Stark Expo
"All these people are in danger, we gotta get them out of here, you've got to trust me for the next five minutes." "Yeah I tried that, I got tossed around your house remember." "Listen, I think he's working with Vanko."

- Iron Man and War Machine

At the Stark Expo, Iron Man arrived to confront Justin Hammer, who was busy unveiling his Hammer Drones, captained by James Rhodes in a heavily weaponized armor known as the War Machine Armor: Mark I. While trying to keep the audience calm, Iron Man demanded to know where Ivan Vanko was, although Hammer denied all knowledge of him and tried to play off the incident to the audience. Vanko seized control of both the drones and Rhodes' armor, setting them all to attack Iron Man, who then flew across the Expo in his desperate attempt to lose his attackers and cause them all to crash, while ordering J.A.R.V.I.S. to regain control of War Machine. During the battle, Iron Man did all he could to save the hundreds of people fleeing during the chaos, managing to save Peter Parker who was mistaken for him by a drone for wearing an Iron Man mask. Quickly running out of options as War Machine continued to fire upon him using Hammer Industries weapons, Iron Man did all he could to take out the drones, flying them all away from the civilians before leading them straight into the main globe in the centre. Using the Iron Man Armor: Mark VI's superior manoeuvring abilities, Iron Man had managed to escape and caused the bulkier Hammer Drones to crash into the globe and explode all together in a massive fireball. However before Iron Man could relax, he was knocked out of the sky and into an Oracle Corporation dome by War Machine, who was still being controlled by Vanko. Iron Man tried desperately to block War Machine's attacks, holding his mini gun at bay until Black Widow had successfully managed to override all of Vanko's programming, having broken into the Hammer Industries Headquarters, with a little help from Happy Hogan, despite failing to arrest Vanko.

Showdown with Whiplash
"You have a big gun, you are not the big gun." "Tony don't be jealous." "No, it's subtle all the bells and whistles." "Yeah it's called being a badass."

- Iron Man and War Machine

Iron Man knocked War Machine back before Black Widow confirmed that he was safe at last and in control of his own armor, before also complimenting Stark on his new element which had now stopped his Palladium poisoning, causing Pepper Potts to confront Stark for not telling her he was dying. While Potts had Justin Hammer arrested, Stark helped Rhodes back onto his feet. Knowing that the last remaining Hammer Drones would be coming to their location, both Iron Man and War Machine then set out a plan to battle them, however this only led to an argument between the two friends over who should take the better position in the area, with both of them arguing that they had the superior armor and skills. However before they could make up their minds, the Drones then arrived and surrounded Iron Man and War Machine, with nowhere to escape to, the pair donned their own helmets and prepared for battle, firing their weapons at the attacking Drones which outnumbered them. As the battle then commenced, Iron Man and War Machine found that although they could easily defeat each Drone, the numbers began to overwhelm them. While War Machine used his impressive weaponry provided by Hammer Industries to destroy the attackers, Iron Man used his top of the range armor to fight back and destroy multiple targets at once, eventually using his laser attack to slice all of the remaining Drones in half and finally win the fight. Eliminating the other drones, Iron Man and War Machine were then informed by Black Widow that they had a new enemy coming in. This was revealed to be Whiplash in his new, more powerful suit of armor. Attempting to kill Whiplash before the fight could even begin, War Machine armed the Ex-Wife Missile, only for it to fail and not even dent the armor, with Iron Man noting that it was clearly a Hammer Industries weapon due to it being useless in battle. Iron Man then engaged in a fierce battle with Whiplash, with himself and War Machine throwing all they had at defeating him or maybe damaging his armor enough to cause him to surrender. However they both found that not only was Whiplash's armor too strong, but he had improved his whips to the point they were more dangerous than ever before and they both soon found themselves overpowered by Vanko's improved technology as well as weapons. Whiplash soon managed to gain the upper hand in the battle when he succeeded in wrapping his electrified whips around Iron Man and War Machine's throats and slowly tightening them, hoping to break their necks. With no other choice, Iron Man called on War Machine to use the technique they discovered during the Duel at Tony Stark's Mansion and fired their own repulsor rays at each other, triggering an explosion in front of Vanko and knocking them all back. Recovering from the shockwave, Iron Man and War Machine found Ivan Vanko lying on the battlefield, with not only his Whiplash Armor but his own body damaged beyond repair. Too injured to continue the fight, Vanko claimed that Stark had in fact lost this fight before he ignited his and his drones' self-destruct bombs, including one in his own armor. Knowing that these Drones were littered across Stark Expo, Iron Man flew to rescue anybody remaining there. Iron Man raced to save Pepper Potts amid the series of explosions, pulling her away just in time. Seeing the chaos that Stark brought with him, Potts quit her position as CEO of Stark Industries, but Stark only teased her about the concept of leaving him before she and Stark kissed each other. Rhodes revealed he was there before he departed with the Mark II armor without serious objection from Stark, leaving them where Stark refused to accept her resignation.

Not a Suitable Candidate
"How can you approve me but not approve me? I got a new ticker, I'm trying to do right by Pepper, I'm in a stable-ish relationship." "Which leads us to believe at this juncture we'd only like to use you as a consultant."

- Tony Stark and Nick Fury

At a debriefing, while showing news footage of another superhuman event, Nick Fury informed Stark that while Iron Man was a suitable candidate for the "Avengers Initiative", Stark himself was not. S.H.I.E.L.D. wanted Stark as a consultant, but Stark said that Fury could not afford his help. Stark thought about the position for a moment and he agreed on the condition that Senator Stern present himself and James Rhodes with their medals for bravery in defeating Whiplash and Justin Hammer. A couple of hours later in exchange, Stark got his wish and took the job as consultant. He took great pleasure in Senator Stern's annoyance at being forced to give him a new medal, smiling for the pictures and offering a peace sign to the crowd of onlookers.

The Consultant
"Ahh... the smell of stale beer... and defeat. You know, I hate to say 'I told you so,' but that Super-Soldier project WAS put on ice for a reason. I've always felt that hardware was much more reliable."

- Tony Stark to Thaddeus Ross

Keeping with his job as consultant for S.H.I.E.L.D., Stark was tasked with preventing General Thaddeus Ross from releasing Emil Blonsky onto the Avengers Initiative, ordered by the World Security Council. Stark arrived at a bar where he found a drunken Ross. The two exchanged insults before Stark told him that a team was being made. Stark annoyed Ross so much that the latter tried to have him removed from the bar, which Stark bought and arranged to be demolished later on. The task was then completed with Ross refusing to release Blonsky from his custody.

Avengers Initiation
"You have reached the Life-Model Decoy of Tony Stark. Please leave a message." "This is urgent." "Then leave it urgently."

- Tony Stark and Phil Coulson

Stark retrieved the War Machine armor and stripped it of all of the new Hammer Industries weapons and turned it back into the Mark II. When James Rhodes then arrived, Stark informed him that he would never wear that armor again because he made him a new one with improved technology and weaponry. Stark focused his efforts on Stark Tower in New York City which was powered by pure clean energy, with Stark admiring that his own name was lit up. Upon arriving at Stark Tower, he and Pepper Potts began celebrating the successful creation of their newest, clean energy source for the entire city, with Stark telling her that she could have twelve percent of the credit for Stark Industries' newest breakthrough. Stark was then informed by J.A.R.V.I.S. that agent Phil Coulson had arrived and now wished to speak with him, to which he refused and even claimed to be a Life-Model Decoy, but Coulson still insisted that he needed to speak to Stark urgently and then let himself into the tower, much to Stark's dismay as he blamed Potts for the security breach. Coulson informed Stark that the Avengers Initiative was now active in the wake of the Destruction of Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S. in which Loki had attacked some S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and stolen the Tesseract, and had also taken Erik Selvig and Clint Barton as his mind controlled slaves. Coulson explained that they needed him to come in despite having perviously been rejected from the Avengers, handing Stark holographic screens with information about Captain America, Thor, Bruce Banner and Loki for him to study. While Potts and Coulson left the tower, Stark began examining the Tesseract design.

Capturing Loki
"Do not touch me again." "Then don’t take my stuff." "You don't know what you're dealing with." "Shakespeare in the Park? Doth Mother know you weareth her drapes?"

- Thor and Iron Man

Stark quickly suited up in his current Mark VI armor and then traveled straight to Stuttgart, Germany where he then quickly found his old acquaintance, Natasha Romanoff in a Quinjet overlooking the newly unfrozen Captain America in the middle of a battle with the hostile god, Loki. Iron Man jetted right in and blasted Loki with his repulsors and stood tall next to Captain America, aiming every weapon he had and forcing Loki to surrender as they took him into custody. Escorting Loki onto the Quinjet in handcuffs, the team headed back towards the S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Helicarrier. Stark commented on Rogers' fighting skills and subtly mocked his lack of knowledge of modern society since returning from World War II, questioning if he had taken up. As they were discussing why Loki had surrendered, a sudden thunderstorm had occurred, seemingly unnerving Loki. The Quinjet was then attacked by Thor, who broke in and subdued Iron Man before he could fight back before ripping Loki out from his seat before flying away, leaving Stark and Rogers behind. While Thor furiously threatened Loki atop a mountain in order to learn exactly who Loki intended to give the Tesseract to, Iron Man blasted straight into him, hurling him onto the forest floor away from Loki. While Thor got his bearings, Iron Man revealed himself and was warned to not touch Thor again, to which he told him not to take his things. Thor then informed Iron Man he did not understand what was happening, and Iron Man mockingly claimed that Thor looked like he was in a production in the park, telling him that he looked like he was wearing his mother's own clothing. The two began to battle as Thor refused to not be allowed to take Loki was to the Asgardian Dungeons as he furiously struck Iron Man who defended himself. During the fight, Thor summoned lightning to his hammer, Mjølnir, and electrocuted Stark, only for J.A.R.V.I.S. to inform him that his suit was at 400% capacity, allowing him to blast Thor off his feet. When Thor attempted to charge at him, Iron Man charged back and managed to push him straight into a mountain, but Thor continued to fight back and caused them to crash land back in the forest where they then continued fighting each other. Iron Man's Mark VI armor took a beating during the battle as Thor easily began to crush one of the gauntlets with just his bare hands. Fearing his arm would be shattered, Iron Man responded by shooting Thor in the face, which merely knocked his head back, before head butting him with his helmet. However Thor's own Asgardian strength allowed him to withstand all of Iron Man's blows and be unaffected as they continued their fight with Iron Man using all the advantages of his suit to try and subdue Thor without killing him so that he could then take him and Loki back into S.H.I.E.L.D.'s custody. Their fight was broken up by Captain America who demanded that they stop fighting and questioned what Thor was doing on Earth, and being told that he had come to put an end to Loki's Schemes. Then Rogers insisted that Thor prove that he was on their side by putting down his hammer, to which Iron Man noted that was a bad move as Thor loved his hammer, just before he was struck by the hammer and knocked through a three just when Thor furiously attacked Rogers. After matching Mjølnir with his shield, the Avengers managed to calm and recruit Thor, recapturing Loki and taking him away.

Meeting the Avengers
"It's good to meet you, Doctor Banner. Your work on anti-electron collisions is unparalleled. And I'm a huge fan of how you lose control and turn into an enormous green rage monster."

- Tony Stark to Bruce Banner

They took Loki back to the Helicarrier where Stark had a talk with agent Phil Coulson and promised to take him to Cleveland to meet with Audrey Nathan. Stark then joined the group, complimenting Thor on his fighting skills and pointing out an Agent playing Galaga before noting that Loki needed Iridium in order to control the Tesseract's power. As Stark noted why Loki needed Erik Selvig and Clint Barton, he was questioned about his new found expertise by Maria Hill, noting that he had done his research the night before, noting that all Loki needed was a power source to control the Tesseract. Stark was introduced to Bruce Banner who understood all of his own theories, delighting Stark who then complimented Banner on his own intelligence and ability to turn into the Hulk. Director Nick Fury then suggested Stark and Banner work together to try and understand Loki's Scepter, with Steve Rogers comparing it to a HYDRA weapon. While Rogers still struggled to understand a lot of the team's new modern references, Stark and Banner departed for the lap to begin their research, but not before Stark planted a hacking device and allowed J.A.R.V.I.S. to begin searching S.H.I.E.L.D.'s database to find out its secrets about why the Avengers were assembled.

Team Tention
"Why shouldn’t the guy let off a little steam?" "You know damn well why! Back off!" "Oh, I’m starting to want you to make me." "Yeah, big man in a suit of armor. Take that off, what are you?" "Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist."

- Tony Stark and Steve Rogers

Stark talked with Bruce Banner in their new lab as they discussed all of Erik Selvig's work and inviting him to come work at Stark Tower for a stress free work place, despite Banner claiming that he broke Harlem last time he was in New York City. Stark then tried once to annoy Banner by poking him with a prod in order to test his ability to control the Hulk, only to get no response apart from pain before Steve Rogers entered and demanded he stop harassing Banner. Stark wondered if Banner used jazz or marijuana to keep his cool, to which Rogers found less than funny, telling Stark he was risking the lives of everyone onboard the Helicarrier and should be focusing on the issues at hand. Stark however suggested that Nick Fury might have other motives for restarting the Avengers Initiative, although Rogers was unconvinced. Banner noted that Loki's comments could have been referring to Stark Tower and the power it supplied. Rogers once again told Stark to remain focused on locating Loki, only for Stark to insult his Uniform and send him out of his lab. Stark commented on how his father had so often admired Rogers having worked with him back in World War II. When Stark noted that he wanted Banner to be in the fight with them when it came time for it, Banner insisted that he could not, calling the Hulk a nightmare. Stark then told Banner about how his Arc Reactor was keeping the shrapnel he gained from his kidnapping away from his heart, calling it a terrible privilege, with Banner claiming his situation was not the same. Stark noted all the Gamma Radiation Banner was exposed to should have killed him and maybe the Hulk saved his life. Stark and Banner learned that S.H.I.E.L.D. was trying to harness the Tesseract's powers to begin Phase 2 and create weapons of mass destruction. Fury soon learned of their schemes and challenged them both, with them soon being joined by Captain America who had also found out that S.H.I.E.L.D. was using HYDRA's technology to learn how to harness it, based on Red Skull's designs. Just as Fury tried to defend his actions, Stark contradicted him, forcing Fury to confess they were building the weapons in response to Thor and the recent Battle of Puente Antiguo which they were unprepared for. While Banner called their new team a time bomb, Stark got into a heated argument with Rogers who claimed that Stark was not a hero but a selfish man in a suit of armor, while Stark noted that Rogers was only a hero because of the Super Soldier Serum given to him by Stark's father and Abraham Erskine, leading to Stark challenging him to a fight. During a ensuing argument between the Avengers, Banner inadvertanly picked up Loki's Scepter, revealing Loki's control over him. All of Loki's troops then arrived, led by the brainwashed Clint Barton, and attacked the Helicarrier in order to free Loki.

Attack on the Helicarrier
"Cap, hit the lever." "I need a minute here!" "Lever. Now!"

- Iron Man and Captain America

When one of the Helicarrier's engines was destroyed by Hawkeye, Stark quickly suited up in the Mark VI armor and rushed outside to try and assist in it's repair. Iron Man arrived and soon assessed the damage, recruiting Captain America to help him by checking all the main controls while Stark went inside the engine, however Stark was soon frustrated when Rogers struggled to understand the modern technology that he was currently looking at due to his lack of exposure to any of it. While Iron Man and Captain America were working together by the damaged engine, Nick Fury and Maria Hill were unable to stop Hawkeye using one of his arrows to shut down the Helicarrier's power, causing it to fall out of the sky, dramatically shortening the time Iron Man had to save the day. Upon arriving at the engine itself, Iron Man used his laser to cut through the damaged propeller and decided to use his suit's power to restart the engine by hand, telling Captain America to pull a lever in order to free him from the engine before he got shredded inside it when it moved too fast. Iron Man put all of his might into pushing the engine in order to get in spinning fast enough to lift the Helicarrier back up into the air, saving all of the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents onboard. However Iron Man soon found it was beginning to move too fast for him to keep up and then asked Captain America to pull the lever, only to learn Rogers was now busy fighting Loki's own soldiers. Iron Man was briefly trapped and badly damaged by the propeller until Rogers managed to free him just in time. Iron Man then flew to Captain America's location and subdued the soldier attacking him before his suit lost all power.

Something to Avenge
"That's what he wants! He wants to beat us, he wants to be seen doing it. He wants an audience." "I caught his act in Stuttgart." "That’s just previews, this is opening night. And Loki, he’s a full-tail diva. He wants flowers, he wants parades, he wants a monument built to the skies with his name plastered... Son of a bitch."

- Tony Stark and Steve Rogers

With the Helicarrier now safe thanks to their efforts, the duo then learned that during the chaos, Bruce Banner had transformed into Hulk and caused mass destruction before he had escaped from the ship, as well as Thor being ejected from the Helicarrier by Loki who escaped but not before mortally wounding Agent Phil Coulson. When medical assistance was called in for Coulson, it was soon confirmed that he had in fact died from all of his wounds, news which shook Stark to his very core. Stark and Steve Rogers were then gathered together in the control room where Nick Fury expressed his own deep regret for Coulson's death, presenting Rogers with the Captain America Card Collection he had asked him to sign. While Stark listened in silence, Fury then explained they could not locate the Tesseract, confessing that he was planning on recreating HYDRA weapons with it's power. before he informed the two that the Avengers Initiative was started so the isolated individuals could become something more and that Coulson died still believing this. Hearing this, Stark got to his feet. Visiting the site of Coulson's murder at Loki's hand, Stark began talking with Steve Rogers about how Coulson did not have family, but was dating Audrey Nathan. When Rogers called him a good man, Stark called him an idiot for challenging Loki with the Destroyer Armor Prototype Gun on his own. Stark began furiously claiming that they were not soldiers in a war and he would not be following Fury any longer, noting about how Loki made it personal to draw them in. Rogers went to dismiss the comment but Stark noted that making it personal was Loki's plan, to rip their new team apart. While rambling on about the theatrics that Loki has pulled off as part of his grand plan for world domination, Stark began to draw closer to finding out where the Asgardian God of Mischief would set off the portal to bring the alien army forth, commenting on how Loki wanted his victory to to be seen by the world. At that moment, Stark realized he had built something out of ego, Stark Tower, and it would provide both the perfect source of energy to open the portal and serve as a taunt. With a "son of a bitch" escaping his lips, Stark then informed Rogers of his epiphany before quickly walking out of the room. With this new lead, Rogers put on his Uniform and recreated the other available Avengers while Stark repaired the Mark VI armor so it was battle ready again. Fueled by a desire to avenge Agent Coulson's death, Stark soon had his armor ready to go into battle. While Captain America, Black Widow, and Hawkeye, who had now freed of Loki's mind control, left onboard a Quinjet which they had stolen from S.H.I.E.L.D., Iron Man flew himself straight to New York City in order to finally confront Loki and end his attack, although he found the armor still lost some power along the way.

Confronting Loki
"There’s no throne, there is no version of this, where you come out on top. Maybe your army comes and maybe it’s too much for us, but it’s all on you. Because if we can’t protect the Earth, you can be damned well sure we’ll avenge it."

- Tony Stark to Loki

Iron Man soon arrived at Stark Tower where he found a device had installed on the roof powered by the Tesseract that was now being controlled by Professor Erik Selvig. Iron Man ordered J.A.R.V.I.S. to cut the power from the tower, only learn the portal device was already self-sustaining. Failing to convince Selvig to shut down the device, Iron Man blasted it; however the barrier around the device bounced the blast back. Iron Man saw that Loki was watching in amusement from the balcony of Stark's penthouse and, seeing that there was now nothing else he could do to stop the invasion, Stark decided to change tactics and landed and had the Mark VI armor removed and faced off against Loki without any defences. In a sense of hospitality, Stark offered Loki a drink, but he declined before Stark threatened Loki. To buy time to put on two metal bracelets, Stark then promised Loki that he would be stopped by the Avengers no matter how long it took them, although Loki still remained unintimidated by the concept Stark listed off all the Avengers members to show what Loki was up against, seeing Loki cringe at the mention of Thor. Loki insisted that his army would overcome them with ease, so Stark then noted that they had a Hulk on their own side. Stark then promised that even if the Avengers failed to protect the Earth, they would at least avenge it by defeating Loki, the now furious Loki promised that the Avengers would have no time for him when they were fighting a brainwashed Stark. When it seemed Loki would brainwash him, it turned out the Arc Reactor was blocking the Scepter from Stark's heart. Making a performance joke, Stark was suddenly attacked by Loki who vowed to destroy the Avengers before Stark was then thrown out of the window hundreds of feet above the ground. However Stark just managed to call for the Mark VII; it was rocket-propelled to him, and formed the suit around him by connecting to the Colantotte Bracelets he had put on right before he could hit the ground. Stark flew back up to Loki and told him there was one other person Loki had pissed off, Phil Coulson, and blasted Loki backwards before he could even react in the name of the late Agent Coulson.

Battle of New York
"Stark, you got a lot of strays sniffing your tail." "Just trying to keep them off the streets." "Well they can't bank worth a damn, find a tight corner." "I will roger that."

- Hawkeye and Iron Man

Stark was however confronted by Loki's device which opened a portal into space where Loki's army of Chitauri flew into New York City and began their war against Earth. Amazed at what he was witnessing, Iron Man charged upwards and fired all of the Mark VII's weapons upon the attacking alien forces. Iron Man recruited the help of Hawkeye by flying by the Quinjet and having him shoot the aliens out of the sky behind him while mockingly asking if they had stopped for drive thru as they were so late to the fight. Stark fought off the Chitauri and tried to call James Rhodes, who told Stark that he was too busy fighting soldiers working for the Ten Rings, but would come to help as soon as possible. Iron Man then began to chase after a Leviathan, a giant alien serpent and the warship to dozens of Chitauri. When he was notified of the arrival of Bruce Banner on the field, Iron Man led the serpent towards him, saying he was bringing the party to the others, so that Banner would transform into Hulk and defeat it, with Iron Man firing a tank missile at the Leviathan to destroy it's body and finally kill it. Stark landed on the ground alongside his fellow Avengers. The team were then confronted by hundreds of Chitauri who flew in through the portal as well as several more Leviathans. Captain America gave out orders and instructed Stark to take to the skies and take out more Chitauri and keep them within New York City. Captain America then ordered Hawkeye to get onto the roof of one of the skyscrapers in order to inform them of the Chitauri's movements during the battle while also sharpshooting them, so Iron Man flew him up there while Captain America gave out his orders to the other Avengers. As the battle began, Iron Man focused on his task of insuring that the Chitauri forces did not leave the city and wreak havoc elsewhere. He soon found himself being chased down by multiple Chitauri Chariots which attempted to shoot him out of the sky, until Hawkeye advised Iron Man to fly towards a tight corner as he noted the Chitauri did not were not as good at maneuvering their craft as he was. Iron Man did as recommended and successfully caused the Chitauri crafts to crash into nearby buildings. However despite Thor's best efforts to block the portal, they still continued coming through. Charging throughout the entire battlefield, Iron Man came to the aid of Black Widow who was currently riding one of the Chitauri Chariots to try and reach Stark Tower, who Iron Man soon shot the pursuing Chitauri out of the sky to ensure she could get there. Iron Man then charged through multiple aliens to team up with Captain America, as they used his shield to deflect Iron Man's gauntlet blasts across the multiple enemies, increasing it's power as a result. Iron Man then aided Hawkeye by knocking several Chitauri off the building he was on before they could get to him as he continued flying. Having been told by J.A.R.V.I.S. that all his lasers were not cutting through the Leviathan's armored skin, Iron Man took inspiration fro the tale of, Stark took out a Leviathan by flying head-first into its mouth and launching missiles from the inside, tearing it apart before crash landing on the street. However, he soon got battered by numerous attacks. Stark asked Thor if he had ever seen , saying he reminded him of it. Thor asked him how he can joke around during the battle, but was then eaten by a Leviathan. Out of rage, Thor used Mjølnir to get out of the Leviathan.

Self Sacrifice
"I got a nuke coming in, it’s gonna blow in less than a minute. And I know just where to put it." "Stark, you know that’s a one way trip."

- Iron Man and Captain America

As the Battle of New York continued, the team found themselves still outnumbered and learned that Black Widow had now found a way to close the portal. Stark hindered this as Nick Fury has instructed him that Gideon Malick and the World Security Council had sent a missile to blow up Manhattan. Iron Man soon intercepted the missile and demanded that Widow keep the portal open, despite Captain America wishing to close it as soon as possible to end the invasion while they still could. Iron Man flew it up through New York City and up alongside Stark Tower and finally straight through the portal as he was taken into deep space. Iron Man looked in amazement at what was before him, all while he lost contact with J.A.R.V.I.S. and the oxygen swiftly ran out. As he lost consciousness, Iron Man realized the nuclear missile and blew up the Chitauri Command Center, which resulted in the deaths of the Chitauri and Leviathan across the city. However Iron Man lost power in the Mark VII armor in the process and then fell unconscious back through the portal just before it closed. As Stark fell back to earth, he was caught by Hulk who landed with him back on the ground. Captain America and Thor ran over to Stark who appeared to be dead, only for Hulk to scream in his face, waking him up. Stark said they should get some to celebrate, despite not knowing what shawarma was. Rogers told him they'd do that later, since Loki still needs to be recaptured. Stark joined the rest of the Avengers to make sure he didn't get away. Loki, badly beaten by the Hulk, asked for the drink Stark offered him earlier; however, Stark ignored the request and took him into custody.

Battle Aftermath
"What just happened? Please tell me nobody kissed me?" "We won." "Good job, guys. Let’s just not come in tomorrow. Let’s just take a day. Have you ever tried shawarma? There’s a shawarma joint about two blocks from here. I don’t know what it is, but I wanna try it."

- Tony Stark and Steve Rogers

A few hours later, Stark and all of the rest of the Avengers went into the Shawarma Palace where they all ate silently. They were soon interrupted by War Machine, who arrived too late to aid in the battle. The next day, the Avengers met in Central Park and made sure Loki was taken back to Asgard by Thor along with the Tesseract, despite Gideon Malick's objections. The team then went their separate ways; with Stark saying goodbye to Steve Rogers and shaking his hand before he drove away in his Acura 2012 Stark Industries Super Car with Banner. Stark was later with Pepper Potts in Stark Tower ready to rebuild after the damage that was done. Stark would go onto focus his efforts into creating the Iron Legion in order to protect the Earth from the next threat from the Nine Realms, Stark showed Rhodes several Iron Man armors that could be remotely controlled. When Stark was presenting how he could now charge his new armor from solar energy at Stark Tower, when he was suddenly attacked by a villain called the Melter, who he defeated and put him in the United States Armed Forces' custody with War Machine's assistance.

Armor Obsession
"And I guess 72 hours is a long time between siestas. Didn't think it could get any worse, then I had to go and turn on the TV. That's when he happened."

- Tony Stark

Six months after the Battle of New York; Stark continued building up the Iron Legion, creating new suits for all possible eventualities. While in his Malibu Mansion, Stark tested out the new Mark XLII, which was built so that he could now summon various pieces of the armor when needed. He ignored J.A.R.V.I.S.'s concern about his lack of sleep, pointing out went without a lot of sleep and invented many things. Stark recruited Dum-E and U to assist him by filming the newest test. Some glitches with the new armor included the face plate and crotch plate, which hurt him if they impacted by themselves. With just the helmet to go, Stark noticed it was upside down so flipped himself over to help it fit. However as Stark celebrated, a final piece knocked him over and caused the suit to fall apart. Right after testing the new armor, Stark watched television, only to see that the Mandarin had made yet another attack against the United States of America. At the same time, James Rhodes had his own suit rebranded as Iron Patriot under President Matthew Ellis' direct orders to him.

Mental Struggle
"You know I can help, just ask. I got a ton of new tech, I got a prehensile, I got a new bomb disposal. Catches explosions mid-air." "When’s the last time you got a good night’s sleep?" " slept three hours a year. Look what he did?"

- Tony Stark and James Rhodes

Stark met with James Rhodes at a bar and diner where Stark spent much of his time mocking the newest Iron Patriot name, being told that it had tested well with focus groups; the government felt that "War Machine" was too violent a name, which would send the wrong message to children. Stark and Rhodes then discussed all of the Mandarin's attacks and how he was being hunted down. Two kids asked Stark to sign a drawn picture of him diverting the nuclear missile to the portal above Stark Tower. The picture depicted Stark's near-death experience in the Battle of New York which lead him to have an anxiety attack as he recalled what he had seen while fighting the Chitauri. He immediately put on his Mark VII suit to test for any faults in his physiology, only to be told nothing was wrong. Stark then left to return home and resume work on his suits. While at his home, Stark called Happy Hogan to get an update on what was happening at Stark Industries where Hogan was now head of security. Once Hogan had finished complaining about all of his experiences and embarrassments as Iron Man's bodyguard, Hogan told Stark that Pepper Potts was currently having a pitch meeting with Aldrich Killian at the Stark Industries Headquarters, although he failed to flip the screen to show Stark Killian's face. Having discussed meeting Killian in Switzerland back in 1999, Stark and Hogan discussed if Hogan should follow Killian, as he did not trust him or Eric Savin who had come with him. While Hogan told Stark to pay more attention to Potts, Stark said he missed his friend, with Hogan noting that he missed him too but also how Stark spent more time with the Avengers now, before Stark hung up the call and left his phone inside the wine cellar to continue working.

Anxiety Confession
"I’m just a man in a can. The only reason I haven’t cracked up is probably because you moved in. Which is great. I love you, I’m lucky. But, honey, I can’t sleep. You go to bed, I come down here. I do what I know, I tinker. But threat is imminent, and I have to protect the one thing that I can’t live without. That’s you."

- Tony Stark to Pepper Potts

As Christmas was nearing, Stark decided to show Pepper Potts his love for her by buying a large stuffed bunny as her gift. Unfortunately, it was too big to fit through his mansion's door, so he would need to have the wall taken down to get it inside. Deciding to test his new remote-control unit, Stark had his Mark XLII armor sit on the sofa and wait for Potts to come home. Once Potts was home and greeted him, Stark lied that he was breaking in the armor. His ruse fell apart when she attempted to open the armor to kiss him; she went down to Stark's workshop for a crowbar, only to find him watching news reports on the Mandarin. Stark managed to quell Potts' anger by explaining that he's been feeling like an amateur in the big leagues since the Battle of New York; he's just a man in a suit against Asgardians, portals to other worlds and the Chitauri coming through. He then admitted that probably the only reason he had not snapped is because she moved in with him, for which he is greatly thankful. However, he was also been plagued by nightmares about these hostile forces attacking what he loves most, her. Because of this, he spent most of his time, even when she's asleep, building more and more of the Iron Legion to help protect her. Potts comforted him, understanding why he's been so distant from her since being involved with the Avengers. She then left to wash up for bed; however, Potts turned around and offered to have sex in the shower to cheer him up. Stark agreed, hoping not only to lighten his mood, but try closing the gap forming between them. Later that night, Stark attempted to have a good night's sleep, but had visions of himself going against the Chitauri Invasion, causing him to go into distress as he recalled almost dying while destroying the Chitauri Command Center. Potts attempted to wake and comfort him until his newest Mark XLII armor appeared, coming to Stark's aid, seeing Potts as a threat. Stark awoke and deactivated the armor, apologizing to a terrified Pepper who left him alone in bed.

Threatening the Mandarin
"My name is Tony Stark and I'm not afraid of you. I know you're a coward so I've decided that you just died, pal. I'm going to come and get the body. There's no politics here; it's just good old fashioned revenge. There's no Pentagon, it's just you and me."

- Tony Stark to the Mandarin

Stark's former bodyguard, now head of security, Happy Hogan was caught up inside the Destruction of the Chinese Theatre, seemingly caused by the Ten Rings working under the orders of the Mandarin. Stark visited him at the hospital, ensuring that the nurses kept, Hogan's favorite program, on Television and to make sure they all wore ID tags as Hogan was a stickler for those. Having ensured that Hogan's health recovery was as comfortable as it could be, Stark prepared to return home while he was mobbed by the press who had requested a statement about the true cause of the blast. Stark ignored all of the questions and made his way to his car until he was stopped upon being asked if he would kill the Mandarin and put an end to his war against the United States of America, with Stark turning around upon being asked this question. He then issued a public threat to the Mandarin, calling him a coward who hid behind the Ten Rings and would not dare face him alone. Without a second thought due to his rage at Hogan's injuries, Stark gave away the address of his Malibu Mansion so they could face off. As he left, Stark smashed the reporters phone and told him to send him the bill. This resulted in numerous news choppers flying around Stark's home, waiting to film Iron Man vs the Mandarin.

Mandarin Research
"Okay. What do we got here? His name is an ancient Chinese war mantle, meaning Adviser to the King. South American insurgency tactics, talks like a Baptist preacher. There’s lots of pageantry going on here... Lots of theater. Close."

- Tony Stark

Stark ended up fighting with Pepper Potts' over leaving their Malibu Mansion for their own safety, since he was dumb enough to give up his real address. Stark spent his time in the workshop, creating a database on the Mandarin and recreated the explosion that left Happy Hogan in a coma, searching for any clues that he could find about what caused the fireball that had killed several people. With new information from S.H.I.E.L.D. databases, Stark tried to learn who the Mandarin really was. Viewing the holograph of Hogan, Stark found he was pointing at a dogtag belonging to Jack Taggart near the center of the explosion; using this clue, he looked for records of similar explosions of 3000 degrees. Ruling out the Mandarin attacks, Stark eventually found one case in Rose Hill, Tennessee, seemingly caused by Chad Davis committing suicide with a bomb vest. To Stark's surprise, the doorbell rang; J.A.R.V.I.S. informed him that there was only so much he could do since Stark had given the press his address. Donning the Mark XLII, Stark confronted his visitor, only to find Maya Hansen instead of the Mandarin. He initially mistook her comments about needing to get him alone as an offer for sex; so he turned her down, explaining that he was now happily in a committed relationship with Pepper Potts, which amused Hansen. At that moment, Potts dropped luggage from the second floor. Stark quickly asked Hansen if their one-night stand back in Switzerland had resulted in a child; after teasing him by hinting this might be true, she explained that this was not the case. Potts and Hansen met, while Stark continued arguing about confronting the Mandarin. While Hansen tried to move them out, Stark insisted they should stay while also yelling about the giant buddy had had bought her.

Destruction of Mansion
"J.A.R.V.I.S., where’s my flight power?!" "Working on it, sir. This is a prototype."

- Tony Stark and J.A.R.V.I.S.

However, as they were still arguing about what action they should take next, Maya Hansen then turned their attention towards their television, which showed a missile which was now currently heading straight towards Tony Stark's Mansion fired by Eric Savin. Before they could react, the missile struck the side of the Mansion and sent the pair flying backwards, with seconds to spar before hitting the wall, Stark signaled his new Mark XLII armor onto Pepper Potts, protecting her as they slammed into the wall, with Stark taking the brunt of the impact. Having been winded by the impact of striking the wall hard, Stark attempted to crawl away by noticed a large chunk of the ceiling was about to fall and crush him. However Potts appears wearing his own armor and saved his life. Stark claimed to have always said it was not safe to stay there and told her that they needed to get out. Upon being separated as the Mansion fell apart, Stark ordered Potts to get currently unconscious Hansen back to safety outside. While Potts pulled Hansen to safety, Stark was forced to avoid the helicopter's shots as they tried to shoot him. Once J.A.R.V.I.S. had informed Stark that Potts had now gotten Hansen to safety, Stark summoned the armor back to himself. Still avoiding the gunshots, Stark collected all the sections of the Iron Man armor, getting saved from a bullet in the back just in time, before triumphantly raising to his feet as he prepared to fight back against his attackers. Iron Man was unable to call upon the Iron Legion due to the Mansion falling apart around him and trapping them under rubble, so he was forced to defend himself using the new prototype armor, which lacked the offensive abilities of his battle armors. Despite being warned by J.A.R.V.I.S. that both the suit's flight and weapons capabilities were not ready and needed time to charge, Iron Man continued fending off the several helicopters surrounding him. When a missile had failed to fire, Iron Man then simply threw it at the helicopter and shot it with his repulsor, destroying the helicopter in the resulting explosions while the others still fired. Taking out a second helicopter by launching his piano at it, Iron Man had another missile fired at him and fell through the floor into his workshop. Iron Man watched as Dum-E and U was destroyed along with his armors from Mark I to Mark VII, which were consumed in fireballs. Having been outgunned, Iron Man was pulled into the ocean while his home and possessions were all demolished over him, with Iron Man still without enough power to fly himself to safety. As the Mark XLII began filling with water, causing Iron Man to come close to drowning, Eric Savin and the other attack choppers circled above the wreakage, looking for any signs of life. Iron Man was saved when J.A.R.V.I.S. took control of his gauntlet and used that to pull Iron Man out of the wreckage and flew away just in time as the power had been restored. Escaping, Iron Man lost consciousness from the strain and left J.A.R.V.I.S. in charge of the suit.

Back to Basics
"Pepper, it's me. I've got a lot of apologies to make and not a lot of time. So first off, I'm so sorry I put you in harm's way. That was selfish and stupid and it won't happen again."

- Tony Stark to Pepper Potts

Stark found himself in Rose Hill, Tennessee after J.A.R.V.I.S. followed his initial flight plan to locate the Mandarin. Unfortunately, since the new Mark XLII was still his prototype and highly damaged from the attack, it lacked the link to the Arc Reactor to sustain its own power. Therefore Stark awoke just as the suit crash landed in the middle of Ross Hill and lost power, including the link to J.A.R.V.I.S.. This left Stark in the cold, with nothing left but his own genius to help him find a solution. Lacking the power to return to California, the world at large believed him to be dead from the Destruction of Tony Stark's Mansion, Stark dragged the Mark XLII behind him as he looked for shelter. Finding a phone booth, Stark called his system back home, leaving a private message for Pepper Potts to hear. Apologizing for putting her into harm's way, Stark stated that he now had to find the Mandarin and therefore he still could not return back home just yet. Stark broke into a work-shop belonging to the family of the 10-year old Harley Keener where he laid down the Mark XLII and attempted to fix the damaged parts until he was discovered by Keener. Despite being threatened with a potato gun, Stark found that he got along well with Keener, who soon reminded Stark of a younger version of himself, a child genius; Keener admired the Arc Reactor and had recommended using new retro-reflection panels to create a stealth armor, although he claimed to prefer the Iron Patriot name over War Machine for James Rhodes, which Stark highly disagreed with. Having discussed Keener's home life where he was growing up without a father, Stark mocked him by noting his own father was not there for him. Stark then requested that Keener find him a a digital watch, a cell phone, a map of town, a big spring, and a tuna fish sandwich. Stark then gave Keener a flash grenade from his suit, recognizing the signs of a kid who has been bullied, to which Keener accepted while Stark demanded Keener get his sandwich. Stark enlisted Keener's help in finding the truth behind the terrorist bombings seemingly involving the Ten Rings and the Mandarin. While being lead to the site, Stark complained the watch he was given was a watch. While examining the site of the explosion, Stark realized something was amiss as there was no ash-imprint of Chad Davis who died and the blast was similar to the Destruction of the Chinese Theatre, with no bomb parts being found. However, when Keener started asking him about the Battle of New York and the Avengers and whether or not the Chitauri would return, Stark started having another panic attack. At this point, Stark had admitted that he should have been on medication to deal with his. Having pulled himself back together and thrown a snowball at Keener, Stark asked where Mrs. Davis could be found, with Keener telling him where she was.

Battle of Rose Hill
"You walked right into this one, I’ve dated hotter chicks than you." "Is that all you got? A cheap trick and cheesy one-liner?" "Sweetheart, that could be the name of my autobiography."

- Tony Stark and Ellen Brandt

Seeking information, Stark set up a meeting with the mother of recently killed Extremis-infected soldier Chad Davis. Arriving outside the bar where he had been told he could find Davis, only to bump into Ellen Brandt, who complimented Stark on his watch, which he proudly noted was limited edition while also complimenting Brandt. Inside, Stark soon found Mrs. Davis, offering her his condolences for the death of her son. To Stark's surprise, Davis handed him a file on her son's work with A.I.M. which he had not asked for, which held key information regarding her son's death and showing that he had worked along with Jack Taggart. Stark told Davis that he believed her son did not commit suicide but was instead used as a weapon, at which point Davis realized Stark was not who she expected. Stark and Davis were then interrupted by Brandt; who revealed she was the one who had contacted Davis and attempted to arrest Stark. When the Rose Hill Sheriff attempted to stop this and questioned what was happening, Brandt then claimed to be before she suddenly used her Extremis powers to murder the Sheriff while Davis hid the file and Stark ran out, still handcuffed. Outside, Stark encountered Eric Savin forcing him to run for his safety. As Stark ran, Harley Keener threw a snowball to distract Savin before he could shoot him. Followed by Brandt into a restaurant, Stark was forced to fight against the highly trained Brandt with no weapons to defend himself. As they fought, Stark noticed that Brandt could heal from most injuries and could super-heat anything she touched, using this to burn through his handcuffs. Stark bought himself time to set up a bomb by igniting some fuel to block Brandt's way. While Davis walked through the flames, Stark put Chad Davis' dogtag in the microwave and exposed some gas. As she stepped inside, Stark joked that he had dated hotter girls than Brandt, who was currently on fire, with Brandt questioning if those would be his final words. Stark told Brandt that those words could be the title of his autobiography before fleeing outside and hiding behind an ice machine. An explosion then erupted, killing Brandt. As Stark recovered from his fight with Brandt, he suddenly witnessed Eric Savin using his own Extremis powers to bring a water-tower crashing down, trapping Stark underneath all of the debris. Savin held Harley Keener hostage in order to regain Davis' file, but Stark reminded Keener about his flash grenade he had given Keener from the Mark XLII Armor; this allowed Keener to get away before Stark was able to blast Savin with a secret spare repulser. Stealing Savin's car keys from his pocket, Stark commandeered his car, taking off with the file from Mrs. Davis. As Stark prepared to leave, he was followed by Keener who insisted that Stark thank him for saving him from Savin, but Stark insisted that Keener instead go home to his mom and protect the Mark XLII armor until Stark had contacted him. As he leaved, Stark did thank Keener for all his help but teased him as he drove out of Rose Hill, leaving Keener.

Locating the Mandarin
"I’m chasing bad guys, trying to grapple with something from some hard-crypt data files. I don’t have enough juice. I need you to jump on the roof, right? Recalibrate the ISDNs, pump it up by about forty percent. Right, it’s a mission. Tony needs Gary."

- Tony Stark to Gary

While driving Eric Savin's car, Stark called James Rhodes, who was overseas hunting down the Mandarin as well. Stark reminded Rhodes how last time he had vanished Rhodes had searched for him before requesting the log in to Rhodes' Comsat, with Rhodes eventually revealing that his password was War Machine, much to Stark's great amusement and Rhodes' own embarrassment. Stark found a nearby pageant and broke into a broadcasting van in order to use their computers to find out what he needed to know. While inside, Stark was confronted by the cameraman Gary, who froze upon realizing who was there as he was a huge fan of Stark and the Avengers, who noted that he had not believed Stark had been killed in the Destruction of his Mansion. Stark amused all of Gary's requests to show his tattoo of Stark and recruited his help. Using Gary's own satellite connection to hack into A.I.M.'s systems, which the file reported was responsible for Chad Davis' death. Stark watched footage of Aldrich Killian recruited Davis along with Ellen Brandt and Jack Taggart before they were injected with Extremis which enhanced their strength and regrew their limbs. Upon seeing one test subject exploding, Stark realized Killian must have sold his technology to the Ten Rings to use as human weapons. Stark called Harley Keener, to check on how the suit was doing; with it now fifty eight percent charged, and J.A.R.V.I.S. kept saying the wrong word at the end of each sentence. Asking for the Mandarin's location, Stark heard Miami was it; thinking J.A.R.V.I.S. had misspoke again, Stark asked Keener to read the location. To Stark's shock, the location was correct; this sent Stark into a panic attack, as he did not have any of his armors or a to call in the Avengers to help. Trying to keep Stark calm as he recalled the Battle of New York which made him panic even more, Keener suggested that Stark build his own gadgets if he would now have to defend himself when he would then confront both Killian and the Mandarin. The sudden thought of being independent and focusing on his work snapped Stark out of his panic attack as he drove away towards a gardening store to buy some supplies, several gadgets together.

Learning the Truth
"The Mandarin, the real guy, where?! Where’s the Mandarin?!" "He’s here. But he’s not here. He’s here, but he’s not here." "What do you mean?" "It’s complicated. Hey, it’s complicated, alright?"

- Tony Stark and Trevor Slattery

With all of his new home made gadgets now ready, Stark prepared to infiltrate the Mandarin's home and finally confront and possibly even kill the Mandarin in revenge for all of the lives he had damaged, including Happy Hogan. Taking position outside the walls, Stark used binoculars to spy on the compound, spotting several guards watching the entire area as Stark planned to get past them. Jumping over the wall, Stark inflitrated the mansion as quickly as he could. Using all his wits and fighting skills, Stark successfully and quickly knocked out several of the guards, using his newly made gadgets to gain the advantage as he fired knock out darts at the guards and using an electrified glove and home made grenades to get past them all and eventually get inside the building were Stark continued to search through the rooms for the Mandarin. Stark eventually found a large room filled up with movie props, along with the Mandarin's wardrobe; there was also signs that someone was living in the room and Stark found two half naked women in the bed. Hearing someone enter from the bathroom, Stark then hid; the Mandarin entered, speaking in a British accent. Stark surprised him, holding the Mandarin at gunpoint, Stark was surprised by the sudden cowardly reaction from the terrorist and demanded answers. To his horror, Stark soon learned that "the Mandarin" was nothing more than a character the actor, Trevor Slattery, had been hired to play; Slattery was given endless amounts of drugs and anything else he desired in return for taking the blame for the explosions. The person who had employed him was Aldrich Killian, who needed to cover up the failures of his Extremis program. Stark was however knocked unconscious by Eric Savin who took Stark hostage.

Killian's Hostage
"What’s next for you in your world?" "I wanted to repay you with the same gift that you so graciously imparted to me. Desperation."

- Tony Stark and Aldrich Killian

Being held in captivity, Stark learned Maya Hansen was working for A.I.M.; she had used the formula he had written down in a drunken daze after their night together to better stabilize Extremis. Stark had forgotten all about the drunken equation he had given her, chiding her for losing her soul; he was with a woman who had a sense of right and wrong. Their conversation was interrupted when Aldrich Killian arrived and explained the reasons behind A.I.M. and how he was grateful to Stark for teaching him that he needed to rule the chaos from behind the scenes. Explaining that he was grateful to Stark for leaving him behind in Switzerland as it gave him a sense of desperation which changed his life, Killian went on to discuss Trevor Slattery's role, acknowledging Slattery's over the top personality. Killian compared Slattery's Mandarin performance to him creating a terrorist like or a  to blame his failures on. Noting his desire for Stark to suffer desperation, Killian revealed he had captured Pepper Potts and was currently infecting her with Extremis; with Potts' life now in danger of ending up like the failures, Stark would be forced to help improve Extremis for her sake, with Killian noting how much pain Potts was currently in. While Stark struggled to look at the video feed of Potts' suffering, Killian cruelly mocked him by noting how Potts was now at risk of exploding and offering to pay him for helping them. When Hansen tried to help him by threatening to kill herself to deprive Killian of one of his chief researchers, Stark witnessed Killian casually murder her without any remorse. As Killian left, Stark called him a maniac for killing Hansen while Killian claimed to be a visionary.

Break Out
"Put down your weapons, tie yourselves to those chairs, I’ll let you live. In five, four... Bang! You should be gone by now, you should have already been gone."

- Tony Stark to Ponytail Express

Stark was left guarded by two of Aldrich Killian's henchmen, one of whom broke Harley Keener's sister's watch. Once he learned the correct time, Stark worked out that the suit would be charged by now and offered the henchmen, one of who he nicknamed Ponytail Express, a chance to escape, believing that it would arrive in seconds, however this led to an awkward period of Stark awaiting his suit which took considerably longer than he expected to arrive. The reason being that the doors to Keener's barn they were being kept in were chained shut, and therefore the rest of the suit was trapped. Summoning his Mark XLII all the way from Keener's House, Stark was given one of his gauntlets which he used to shoot Ponytail Express and free himself, with a boot then attaching itself to his leg to give him the advantage in the fight against all the men, although Stark still questioned where all of the rest of the armor was. Having escaped captivity, Stark was forced to fight against several guards from A.I.M., despite only getting a hand and leg part of the suit for the duration of the fight and finding that this greatly affected how he could fight, as he struggled to maintain control of flying while wearing only the pieces of armor he had. When one guard grabbed Stark from behind, Stark used the boot to launch himself backwards and knock out the guard, stealing his gun in the process. Keener soon freed all the rest by destroying the lock with a powdery substance, knowing that Stark was in need of his armor. Once the guards were all knocked out, Stark prepared to shoot the last one, only to be amused when he quickly surrended to him as he claimed to hate working for Killian and A.I.M.. The rest of the suit arrived and Stark made his way through the facility. He greeted J.A.R.V.I.S., while seeing the Iron Patriot Armor fly off, and his suit failed to fly. To Stark's surprise, he ran into James Rhodes, who he thought was in the armor. It turned out that the Armor was being worn by Eric Savin in order to kidnapped President Matthew Ellis. Needing a way to go after Killian, Stark remembered Trevor Slattery, waking him from another drunken stupor. Seeking a way to save the President from being kidnapped. Stark then remembered that Slattery also had been given a speed boat from Killian and demanded it. Onboard Slattery's boat, Stark called Vice President Rodriguez to inform him that President Ellis was about to be attacked by Savin posing as the Iron Patriot, with Rodriguez informing them that Ellis was about to board Air Force One. With Rodriguez promising to fix the situation, Stark and Rhodes discussed who they had time to save, Pepper Potts or President Ellis, with Stark deciding to remote control his armor so they could save both of them.

Saving the Air Force One Crew
"Easy. Eleven more to go. Remember that game called Barrel of Monkeys? That’s what we’re gonna do." "Eighteen thousand feet." "Come on, people! Everybody, grab your monkey!"

- Iron Man and J.A.R.V.I.S.

To protect President Matthew Ellis, Stark remote-controlled his armor to Air Force One, where Eric Savin had already forced President Ellis into the Iron Patriot armor and sent it away. Fighting Savin, Iron Man's armor was briefly disabled by Savin's Extremis powers, but Iron Man soon managed to shoot directly through Savin's chest and killed him, but at the cost of the plane falling apart around him. To his horror, Iron Man witnessed all of the passengers onboard were sucked out of the plane through a hall caused by a bomb Savin had planted and were now falling thousands of feet to the ground below. With everyone else falling, Iron Man flew out of Air Force One just before it exploded, questioning J.A.R.V.I.S. about how he could save them all, with J.A.R.V.I.S. informing him that the Mark XLII could not carry that many people at the same time. With no time to spare, Iron Man grabbed ahold of Heather and told her to grab ahold of whoever she could, explaining that he would send a shockwave through her body so that she could not let go to them. Iron Man saved two other passengers while diving down to collect the others, swiftly running out of time as they fell towards the ground. Forming a human chain by grabbing everyone else, once everyone was linked Iron Man dived for the final passenger. With everyone no connected, Iron Man used his thrusters to give them more height before he then dropped them in a river at a safe height. As the people cheered in celebration, Iron Man ensured that they were all safe and complimented them before turning around to return to the boat and go save Pepper Potts. However, when Iron Man was not looking, the armor was knocked apart by an in-coming truck, smashing into lots of small pieces across the road. Still back onboard the boat, Stark took off the Iron Man Mark XLII Telepresence Headset and then informed James Rhodes that he had indeed saved the passengers. As they moved on and prepared to go find Potts and Aldrich Killian, Stark was then informed by J.A.R.V.I.S. that the clear out of his Malibu Mansion had now finally allowed him to reactive the Iron Legion, so Stark ordered J.A.R.V.I.S. to send them to him ready for the next battle against Killian's soldiers.

Battle on the Norco
"Yeah. Merry Christmas, buddy. J.A.R.V.I.S., target Extremis heat signatures. Disable with extreme prejudice." "Yes, sir." "What are you waiting for? It’s Christmas. Take ’em to church."

- Tony Stark and J.A.R.V.I.S.

Stark and James Rhodes had eventually traced Aldrich Killian to an impounded oil tanker called the Norco where he now intended to kill President Matthew Ellis on live television. Sneaking in, they were attacked by several Extremis Soldiers. Stark fired his gun at the soldiers, but was unable to stop them due to poor aim, which Rhodes mocked him about. Taking out a light from a long distance, Rhodes quickly proved himself to be the superior marksman due to being in the Armed Forces which greatly annoyed Stark. Outnumbered, Stark summoned the Iron Legion to their aid, all of which were currently being controlled by J.A.R.V.I.S., except the Mark XLII, which was running late after trying to save the president in Air Force One. Rhodes looked on in amazement as all the armors flew in together and lined up, awaiting the orders of Stark. Taking delight in his achievements, Stark then wished J.A.R.V.I.S. a Merry Christmas before sending all of the armors into battle, ordering the to target the Extremis Soldiers with extreme prejudice. Stark watched the battle unfolding, ordering Mark XXXVIII to hold up the platform under them and Mark XVII to assist Mark XXXV in the fight. Stark wore the Mark XXXIII suit and prepared to fly into battle, with Rhodes requested his own armor to fight in. Stark however revealed that the armors were only coded to himself and therefore he had to send the Mark XVII to carry Rhodes to find both President Ellis and the Iron Patriot Armor, much to Rhodes' annoyance. Stark then flew across the battlefield in search for Pepper Potts so that he could get her away from the battle and then back towards safety. While his suits continued to battle all of the Extremis Soldiers, with several of the armors being torn apart by the enhanced soldiers, Iron Man eventually found Potts unharmed underneath wreckage from a recent explosion. Iron Man mocked her about all of this happening because she spent time with Maya Hansen, while trying to get her out without risking the structure falling and crushing her. Reaching out, Iron Man and Potts were able to grab each other's hands. However before Stark could free Potts, Aldrich Killian unexpectedly attacked him and damaged the armor's Arc Reactor. Pinning Iron Man down, Killian began slowly burning through his suit with his finger, telling Stark to close his eyes and die. Refusing to give in however, Stark was forced to cut off Killian's arm with the armors hidden blade and eject from the suit, only for Killian's still red hot severed arm to burn through the floor underneath Potts. Seeing that Potts was trapped and being pulled towards a sheer edge, Stark charged through the battle field as he demanded that J.A.R.V.I.S. provide him with a new suit. As he ran across the Norco, Stark failed to get a new armor and was informed that Rhodes and rescued President Ellis and was taking him to safety. With all of the Extremis Soldiers being kept at bay, Stark began catching up with Potts and leapt from one platform to the other to get to her. Getting as close as he could, Stark was still unable to quite reach Potts and begged her to reach out for him as he stretched as far as he could to try and save her life. However, Stark was then forced to watch in utter horror, as a jolt from the platform she was on caused Potts to lose her grip as she fell into a pit of fire a hundred feet below to a certain death. Stark looked on with utter devastation as he failed to protect the one person he could not live without.

Showdown with Killian
"Okay, okay! Wait, wait! Slow down, slow down! You’re right, I don’t deserve her! Here’s where you’re wrong, she was already perfect. J.A.R.V.I.S., do me a favor and blow Mark XLII."

- Iron Man to Aldrich Killian

While Stark continued to react in horror, Aldrich Killian then appeared and even mocked Stark, claiming that if he was in Stark's position, he would have caught Pepper Potts. Stark then ran forward in order to engage in a final fight with Killian. When Killian leaped into the air to strike Stark, he then dived underneath him and donned the Mark XVI armor. Even with his armor on, Killian proved his Extremis abilities could cut through any armor with relative ease, using his red hot fists to cut through the metal armor and attempt to kill Iron Man. As their battle continued, Iron Man did all he could to subdue Killian, but found that he could withstand any strike, with healing a broken arm in an instant when they punched each other's fists. When he was pinned down, Iron Man again exited his suit to avoid Killian's burning fist. Having launched himself off the edge of the platform, Iron Man then donned the Mark XL in midair and attacked Killian once again. Iron Man flew Killian across the battle field but was still unable to tire him out, as all his attempts to stop Killian were met with equal fighting skills and his armor was once again cut to pieces by all of Killian's Extremis powers, with Killian almost cutting off Iron Man's leg at one point before he was finally able to gain the upper hand. Iron Man was able to avoid death once again by ejecting out of his suit seconds before Killian ripped it apart with his bare hands, falling hard on his back onto the platform below. Standing alone on the platform, Stark, now armor-less due to the rest of the Iron Legion being preoccupied with Stark's command to destroy all of Killian's Extremis Soldiers, awaited the arrival of the Mark XLII but was soon deflated when it crashed and disassembled once again. Amused at Stark's failed attempt to don another armor to continuing fighting against him, Killian mockingly spoke to Stark about him not deserving Pepper Potts and claiming that he was close to making her perfect in his eyes by injecting her with Extremis. Stark told Killian that he was right that he did not deserve her but that she already was perfect and sent the Mark XLII onto Killian, trapping him with all the thrusters put on full power, pinning Killian against the wall. As Killian yelled out in anger at seemingly being defeated, Stark then ordered J.A.R.V.I.S. to let the armor self-destruct while he escaped. Diving down off the platform, Stark avoided the massive explosion behind him, which seemingly destroyed Killian once and for all. As the fireball contiuned to grow and destroyed most of the Norco, Stark summoned the Mark XV to catch him as the leaped for safety, only for the armor to fail on the way down by crashing into the platform, causing Stark to crash land, barely avoiding all of the flames and the debris that followed him down from the explosion.

Suit Destruction
"You just scared the devil out of me. I thought you were..." "I was dead. Why? Because I fell two hundred feet? Who’s the hot mess now?" "It’s still debatable. Probably tipping your way a little bit."

- Tony Stark and Pepper Potts

Lying on the ground, Stark watched as the Mark XLII helmet fell into the fire before him and broke apart. Suddenly, Aldrich Killian emerged from the flames with most of his own skin destroyed seemingly beyond Extremis's ability of reconstruction and still intent on Stark's death. Stark was now powerless and at the mercy of Killian who called himself the Mandarin, saying that he was from the start. During this proclamation, Pepper Potts, still alive due to the Extremis in her system, struck Killian to the ground with a large metal pipe, with Stark was left speechless. The Mark IX armor flew downward in an attack position. Stark failed to tell J.A.R.V.I.S. to disengage. Potts then jumped off a beam to impale the suit' donned one of the suits arms. Stark watched as Potts sent Killian flying backwards threw a missile at Killian and blew it up with a repulsor blast. With Killian and all the Extremis Soldiers now dead for good, Stark approached the confused Potts who took a minute to realize what she had done while under the influence of the Extremis, calling it really violent. Stark and Potts teased each other about how he had thought she was dead while she joked about who was the bigger hot mess now. Stark apologized to Potts and promised to find a cure for her, joking a relationship with him would always be a mess. Stark, seeing Potts that was still worried about their future together, decided to now give her an early Christmas present and finally ordered J.A.R.V.I.S. to destroy all his remaining Iron Legion armors in Operation: Clean Slate Protocol. Surrounded by the subtle, firework-like explosions in the sky, the two embraced, with Stark asking if Potts was enjoying the show, which she said she did as he accepted life without such an obsession with being Iron Man.

A Step Further
"I guess I'd say my armor was never a distraction or a hobby. It was a cocoon. And now, I'm a changed man. You can take away my house, All my tricks and toys. One thing you can't take away... I am Iron Man."

- Tony Stark

Stark was able to use his vast resources to cure Pepper Potts of the Extremis, removing her powers as he promised; now there was no worry about her suffering an explosive end. Two days later, Stark underwent surgery from Doctor Wu to have the shrapnel removed from his heart, which he had gained during his kidnapping by the Ten Rings some years earlier and forever end the risk to his life. He used the pieces of shrapnel that had been removed by Doctor Wu to make a necklace, which he gave to Potts; ironically, this would be a gift from the heart which symbolised his commitment to her and not Iron Man from this point forward. Since Tony Stark's Mansion had been destroyed by Aldrich Killian and Eric Savin, Stark and Potts moved in together at Stark Tower, which he had now redesigned and renamed Avengers Tower ready if he would ever again need to rejoin the Avengers for a future mission to save the world again. Returning to his home's wreckage, Stark threw his Arc Reactor into the ocean, vowing that he was still Iron Man. He took the remains of his Dum-E and U to repair. Stark retired from the hero "business" for at least a year, but continued to work as a consultant for S.H.I.E.L.D. and run Stark Industries. He began helping S.H.I.E.L.D. by making repulsor technology for their three new Helicarriers, to avoid the issue that happened during the Attack on the Helicarrier.

Therapy Session
"Where did I lose you?" "Elevator in Switzerland." "So you heard none of it?"

- Tony Stark and Bruce Banner

In the wake of his battle with Aldrich Killian and all of the stress he had endured from the Battle of New York aftermath, Stark retold the entire story to Bruce Banner in the Avengers Tower. Much to Stark's great annoyance, Banner had fallen asleep during the tale, telling his friend that he was not that kind of doctor. Stark ignored this comment and then began telling more stories of his life, much to the dismay of Banner, who proceeded to go to sleep again.

Project Insight
"Most of the intelligence community would like to drop me into a dark hole, but even they can't mess with Tony's army of lawyers. So for now, we're privatizing global security."

- Maria Hill

Tony Stark was listed as another potential target of Project Insight by HYDRA. Luckily, Captain America was able to stop HYDRA in time to save all of HYDRA's intended victims. In the wake of the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D., Stark hired Maria Hill, utilizing his army of lawyers to protect Hill, in order to help him fill the void left by S.H.I.E.L.D.'s absence by privatizing global security. As a result of HYDRA's return, the Avengers were reassembled and Iron Man signed up.

Attack on the HYDRA Base
"Okay guys; let's talk this over (knocks them out) Good talk." "No it wasn't."

- Tony Stark and a HYDRA Soldier

As they tracked down HYDRA's current leader, Baron Wolfgang von Strucker, the reassembled Avengers came into conflict with Doctor Jensen in Sudan as she was using Chitauri weaponry. Working as a team the Avengers defeated Jensen. With the help of Phil Coulson and the newly rebuilt S.H.I.E.L.D., Iron Man and the other Avengers attacked Baron Strucker's HYDRA Research Base to battle HYDRA's leadership. While the other Avengers fought the soldiers on the ground, Iron Man worked on destroying the base's shields to allow the team access. When Iron Man swore during the mission, Captain America told him to watch his language, much to Iron Man's amusement. When the people of Sokovia began being targeted by all Strucker's guns, Iron Man ordered J.A.R.V.I.S. to send out the Iron Legion in order to get the innocent people back to the safety of their homes. Iron Man soon managed to disable the shields and entered the base; subduing all of Baron Strucker's soldier's with ease. Once inside Iron Man killed Doctor List who was attempting to delete his files before making his way through the hallways. Removing the Mark XLIII, Stark scanned the room in order to find a secret hallway, hoping to find all of Strucker and List's secret experiments, while being informed that during the battle Hawkeye had been badly injured. While Captain America had successfully captured Baron Strucker, Stark located inside the base a giant Leviathan, which HYDRA had stolen after the Battle of New York, and the Scepter, which had last been seen in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s hands having been taken away from Loki. While Stark was looking at the Scepter and prepared to take it back into the Avenger's custody, Wanda Maximoff sneaked up behind him and gave him a vision of the future with her powers. In the vision, Stark saw the Avengers lying dead after a mysterious battle against a powerful enemy. As Stark explored the battlefield, he saw the deaths of his team mates, with Captain America's Shield lying broken in half. Going to Steve Rogers, Stark was surprised when Rogers grabbed his hand, telling him that Stark could have saved them before dying. Stark looked up and saw the Leviathans and Chitauri heading to Earth through a portal in space. Shaken by what he had seen, Maximoff allowed Stark to retrieve the Sceptre, knowing its power would ultimately cause his own downfall. Unaware that he was now being watched by Maximoff and her twin brother Pietro Maximoff, Stark reclaimed the Mark XLIII gauntlet and used it to snatch the Sceptre away, originally planning on giving it back to Thor to take back to Asgard to keep the Earth safe from it's power but Stark now had some new ideas about using it.

Creation of Ultron
"I see a suit of armor around the world." "Sounds like a cold world, Tony." "I’ve seen colder. This one, this very vulnerable blue one? It needs Ultron. Peace in our time. Imagine that."

- Tony Stark to Bruce Banner

With Baron Wolfgang von Strucker now in the custody of the United States Armed Forces, Stark flew the Avengers away from Sokovia onboard the Quinjet. Along the way, Stark asked Bruce Banner if it was okay for Doctor Helen Cho to set up all of her own equipment in his lab so she could begin the operation to save Clint Barton's life in the wake of his injuries during the battle. As they came closer to their destination, Stark had put J.A.R.V.I.S. in charge of flying while he spoke with Thor and Captain America about what was to happen with Loki's Scepter now that they had finally recovered it from HYDRA. Stark requested that he be allowed the chance to study the Scepter before Thor returned it to Asgard to be kept safe, which Thor agreed with before they all discussed having a party to celebrate the capture of Baron von Strucker. Upon arriving at Avengers Tower, Stark was greeted by both Doctor Cho and Maria Hill, with Stark correcting Hill when she called him boss, claiming that Rogers was the boss despite Stark paying for every they did. While the Iron Legion returned to the tower, Stark checked on Barton's condition while Cho used the Cradle to repair his damaged skin tissue, with Stark teasing Barton that he was dying while Barton insisted that he would now live forever. Continuing his mindset toward protecting humanity while realizing the void that the downfall of S.H.I.E.L.D. created, Stark created an intelligence with the mandate to ensure global peace at any cost. The intelligence, Ultron, who in turn took control on the Ultron Sentries to defend humanity as a sort of makeshift army and allow the Avengers to retire. Seeking to push the Ultron Program forward, Stark recruited Banner by pitching the Program to him and showing him a detailed breakdown of the Mind Stone inside the Scepter, claiming that they could use it's detailed brain waves to give life to Ultron, something they had failed to do in all of their past experiments. When Banner expressed his doubts about the Ultron Program, Stark argued if they were successful they could finally retire and Banner may not have to worry about facing Veronica. Claiming that with Ultron, the next Chitauri Invasion would never happen again, Stark told Banner that he had a vision of a suit of armor around the Earth, when Banner claimed this sounded like a cold world, Stark said he had seen colder, referring to Wanda Maximoff's vision. With Banner now onboard, he and Stark spent the next three days before it was returned to Asgard attempted to sync the Mind Stone from the Scepter into the Ultron Program in order to finally give life to Ultron. However after three days of constant experimentation with the system, Stark and Banner admitted defeat, believing that there was no way for Ultron to be given life. J.A.R.V.I.S. recommended that Stark leave the project and attend to his party guests.

The Avengers Party
"The handle’s imprinted, right? Like a security code. “Whosoever is carrying Thor’s fingerprints” is, I think, the literal translation?" "Yes, well that’s, uh, that’s a very, very interesting theory. I have a simpler one. You’re all not worthy."

- Tony Stark and Thor

At a party hosted at Avengers Tower, celebrating their recent defeat of HYDRA and the capture of the Scepter and HYDRA's current leader Baron Wolfgang von Strucker, Stark welcomed not only his own team mates, but also several allies of the team such as Sam Wilson and Maria Hill, with Doctor Helen Cho agreeing to attend the party as she had heard that Thor would also be attending. Stark also decided to invite several World War II veterans to the party who spent their time with Thor and Steve Rogers, drinking ancient Asgardian alcohol which got one attendee too drunk to walk. While drinking with Thor, Stark listened as James Rhodes attempted to impress them with stories of how he had secured a tank while in his War Machine Armor, with nobody impressed. Stark and Thor then began debating if either Pepper Potts or Jane Foster was the more impressive girlfriend, with Stark noting all of Potts' work with Stark Industries which caused Rhodes to walk away with Rhodes, leaving Stark and Thor to continue the girlfriend debate alone. As the party went through the night, many of the attendees returned to their home, including Wilson, leaving Stark and the Avengers along with Hill and Cho as the only remaining non-team members there. As the remaining group joked and drank together around a table, they began to discuss Thor and his power to lift Mjølnir. As the debate went on, Clint Barton decided to try to lift Mjølnir himself, with Stark joking about him not being able to get it up. Stark then stepped up, joking that he wanted to rule Asgard if he picked it up. Stark initially tried to lift it on his own, when that failed he called for the help of James Rhodes to no more avail, even with the Mark XLIII gauntlet. All the other Avengers then each decided to have a go at lifting the hammer, with Bruce Banner joking about Hulking out and Steve Rogers only slightly moved it while Natasha Romanoff refused it even try. Upon his defeat, Stark looked for fingerprint recognition software on the hammer which Thor still had denied.

Attack on Avengers Tower
"Reboot, Legionnaire, we got a buggy suit." "There was a terrible noise... and I was tangled in... in... strings. I had to kill the other guy. He was a good guy."

- Tony Stark and Ultron

As the group laughed, a sudden loud ring echoed through Avengers Tower as they turned to see one of the Iron Legion robots stepping out of the darkness to confront them. While Stark tried to get J.A.R.V.I.S. to shut down the robot, it introduced itself as Ultron, claiming that it was there for peace in their time. When questioned about it's true intentions, Ultron told them it intended to destroy the Avengers in order to achieve peace as they listened in horror. Ultron then sent out all his Sentries to then attacked the entire party. Without his Mark XLIII armor to defend himself, Stark was quickly separated from James Rhodes and was forced to use whatever had come to hand to battle the robots. Grabbing a knife, Stark jumped onto the back of one of the many attacking robots that he had once designed himself and attempted to damage it's inner wiring in mid air, eventually succeeding as they fell to the floor together. In the wake of the brief battle, which concluded when Hawkeye had handed Captain America his shield which he used to destroy the final robot, Stark and the Avengers were faced with the main Ultron form. Refusing to listen to the robot's threats to them any longer, Thor then destroyed Ultron's robot body with Mjølnir, although one of it's own Sentries had already escaped with the Scepter in it's hand and had claimed that it would attack all of the Avengers again.

Team Argument
"It is funny. It’s a hoot that you don’t get why we need this." "Tony, maybe this might not be the time to..." "Really?! That’s it? You just roll over, show your belly, every time somebody snarls." "Only when I’ve created a murder bot."

- Tony Stark and Bruce Banner

With the Avengers now all gathered together, Stark began examining the Ultron robot to understand what caused it to attack them all. He listened closely as it was soon learned that Ultron had successfully accessed Avengers Tower's files and escaped through the internet, with James Rhodes and Maria Hill worrying that he may also gain access into the nuclear codes. When it was noted that Ultron had claimed to have killed somebody, Stark revealed that he had learned that Ultron had destroyed J.A.R.V.I.S.' mainframe in a rage. While Stark and Helen Cho discussed Ultron's possible motives for turning against him, Thor then stormed in and grabbed Stark by the throat, accusing him of bringing destruction onto the Earth. Thor explained he had lost the Scepter, claiming Ultron was created by Stark messing with something he did not understand. As Stark had started to laugh, despite Bruce Banner telling him to stop, he claimed it was funny they did not understand why it was needed. Stark defended himself, claiming that he was coming up with a new solution to end the war that would destroy the Earth based on the vision recently given to him by Wanda Maximoff. Stark then recalled the Battle of New York, claiming that what was out in space would destroy them all if they did not plan ahead. As Steve Rogers claimed they could beat that threat as a team, Stark claimed that they would fail, with Rogers telling him they would still be a team. Seeking leads, the team began searching for wherever Ultron was heading next and later learned that Ultron had built himself a new body and had murdered Baron Wolfgang von Strucker in his prison cell and had recruited the aid of Wanda and Pietro Maximoff. Upon learning of Baron Strucker's death, it was noted that this was likely a smokescreen to throw them off, with all of their own information on Strucker having been deleted off their computers. Forced to use old S.H.I.E.L.D. files, the team researched anyone who was connected to Strucker who maybe able to find a new lead. Stark soon pointed out Ulysses Klaue, noting that he had almost done a deal with him to sell Stark Industries weapons. Stark explained that Klaue was known for having a brand on his neck that marked him as a thief of Wakanda, the land where Vibranium was made, so they all assumed that Ultron would go to him for the metal.

Hunting Ultron
"Don't compare me with Stark! It's a thing with me. Stark is... he's a sickness!!" "Oh junior, you're gonna break your old man's heart."

- Ultron and Tony Stark

Stark led the team to Johannesburg where they found Ultron, along with Pietro and Wanda Maximoff, taking the Vibranium having just cut off Ulysses Klaue's arm in a fit of rage. Confronted Ultron, Iron Man attempted to talk him into surrendering, but Ultron refused, with the Maximoff siblings backing him up and insulting Iron Man's legacy. When Iron Man questioned what the Vibranium was for, Ultron responded by suddenly and furiously attacking Iron Man. They engaged in a fierce battle, with Iron Man taking on Ultron alone while Thor and Captain America fought the Ultron Sentries and the Maximoff twins, and both Hawkeye and Black Widow fighting against all of Klaue's soldiers who had come to defend their own employer following Ultron's assault on him. As their battle continued, Iron Man and Ultron flew out of the Churchill and across the Salvage Yard, still furiously firing all of their own weapons at each other. Eventually, Iron Man brought down Ultron and threatened him with a missile, however Ultron revealed that he had already transferred his mind into another Sentry body and explained that the team had been mentally taken down by Wanda Maximoff, who had proceeded to cause Bruce Banner to transform into Hulk in the middle of South Africa and had started to destroy everything he could. Responding by destroying Ultron, Iron Man then went after the Hulk.

Duel of Johannesburg
"Stand down! You listening? That little witch is messing with your mind. You’re stronger than her, you’re smarter than her, you’re Bruce Banner! Right, right! Don’t mention puny Banner."

- Tony Stark to Hulk

Knowing that many innocent civilians would undoubtedly be killed in the Hulk's rampage, Iron Man was forced to leave Ultron behind and called on Black Widow to try and calm Banner down, only to be told by Hawkeye that Romanoff was unable to go into battle. Iron Man called upon his Mark XLIV and Veronica in an attempt to subdue the Hulk himself. However, despite soon being trapped inside Veronica's enforced and electrified metal cage, the enraged Hulk had soon managed to break himself free. Ordering the South African police to stand down from the fight, Iron Man tried to get through to Bruce Banner by telling him that Wanda Maximoff was messing with his mind, telling him that Banner was stronger and smarter than her. However the mention of Banner's name only seemed to enrage Hulk even further. When all of Iron Man's attempts to calm the Hulk down had failed, the two began to fight. Hulk launched a car at Iron Man, knocking him back, so Iron Man responded by flying to the Hulk and dragging him face first through the concrete. When Hulk damaged the armor, Stark called for extra parts and used its many capabilities to try to knock Hulk down. With the Hulk charging at him, Iron Man kept him at bay with his gauntlet beam while his arm was repaired. The Hulk charged forward and the pair smashed their fists into each other, causing a shockwave through Johannesburg. Pinning the Hulk to the ground, Iron Man began repeatedly punching him in the face and begging him to go to sleep and finish their fight, however the Hulk's rage only continued to build. Iron Man attempted to trap his arm with the Hulkbuster Armor and fly him out of the city in order to protect the people, with the Hulk still fighting back. As Iron Man attempted to fly the Hulk out of the city, he continued to fight back and forced Iron Man to crash land on the side of a large building. As Hulk furiously tried to rip him apart, Iron Man pushed him against a wall and tried spraying gas in his face, although this tactic had almost no affect. As they continued fighting, Iron Man was aware that behind him an elevator filled with people were standing just feet away from the battle as they attempted to escape. When he was kicked back with incredible force, Iron Man crashed into the elevator filled with innocent people, forcing him to catch it before it hit the ground as he ordered everyone to get out while they still could. Iron Man then proceeded to use the elevator as a weapon as he slammed it down onto the Hulk's head. Once the Hulk was stunned, Iron Man hit him across the face, knocking out one of his teeth, an action which Iron Man then soon regretted. The enraged Hulk then proceeded to smash Iron Man across the city, attempting to rip out the Arc Reactors powering the Mark XLIV armor. Despite trying to get assistance from Veronica, Hulk proved to be too strong as he tore the armor apart. Eventually, Iron Man resorted to dropping the Hulk through a building still going through construction; this massive impact seemingly calmed Hulk enough that Stark could knock him out with a final massive punch to the head.

The Barton Home
"Isn't that the why we fight, so we can end the fight, so we get to go home?!"

- Tony Stark to Steve Rogers

With the battle over, the Avengers were flown away on the Quinjet. Stark spoke with Maria Hill who told him of all the reactions to the Avengers' actions in South Africa and talks for Bruce Banner's arrest. Hill also suggested that they should go somewhere to rest. Clint Barton told Stark to get some sleep because they would land soon. When Stark asked him where they were going, Barton responded to a safehouse. They landed in a countryside and entered into a small house. The team was surprised to learn that it was Barton's family home and that he has a wife and children. Although Stark at first assumed it was a lie as Barton was a S.H.I.E.L.D. spy, Barton explained to them that the reason the team were still unaware of his family was due to Director Nick Fury helping him to have this second peaceful life just outside S.H.I.E.L.D. where his family could be safe. Stark and Steve Rogers went outside and chopped wood together. They discussed how Wanda Maximoff had been able to use her new powers to pull the team apart. When the conversation moved to how Stark and Banner inadvertently created Ultron, they then proceeded to argue and debate on simply whether or not Stark should have ever experimented on Loki's Scepter. Stark explained his action by using the argument that the reason they fight is to end the fight. Just as Rogers was making his point, Laura Barton then asked Stark if he could help to fix their tractor. While Stark examined the broken tractor, Nick Fury revealed himself; Stark realized that Maria Hill had called him. Fury tried to convince Stark that Wanda Maximoff had just tricked him, but Stark said that the vision he had seen where all of his friends are dead would be in the future, if Stark would not do everything he could to save them and all of humanity. Having gathered together the entire team, Fury then showed himself to the rest of the Avengers and started to discuss their next move to stop the Ultron Offensive. Fury told them that his contact people in "NEXUS" in Oslo had informed him that Ultron had attempted to get nuclear codes but somebody was changing the codes all the time. While Stark played darts, being outplayed by Clint Barton, he told the group he would go to NEXUS to find Ultron's new enemy. When Natasha Romanoff noted she had hoped Fury had more to offer, Fury gave them a speech to inspire them to get up and fight against Ultron, telling them to stand up and fight as a team once again. This led to them discussing Ultron's motives at which point, Bruce Banner then realized that Ultron wanted always to improved his body, so he needed Helen Cho and her Cradle device to create his ultimate body which he could use to become unbeatable.

Hacking the NEXUS
"A hacker who’s faster than Ultron? He could be anywhere. And as this is the center of everything, I’m just a guy looking for a needle in the world’s biggest haystack."

- Tony Stark

Stark then made it clear to Steve Rogers that if Ultron succeeded in uploading himself to the synthetic body, he might be stronger than any of them. Nick Fury then told them that he will take Bruce Banner to the Avengers Tower and said to Stark that he needed Maria Hill for "something dramatic". As the Avengers flew to Seoul, Stark was in the NEXUS base searching for the person who prevented Ultron from obtaining launch codes for nuclear missiles. While hacking into the NEXUS to find Ultron's new enemy, Stark was shocked to find out it was J.A.R.V.I.S., who erased his memory and had scattered himself all across the Internet to block Ultron. It turned out that Ultron was afraid of J.A.R.V.I.S. and of what he could do, so J.A.R.V.I.S. went underground and prevent from Ultron from getting the codes. Restoring J.A.R.V.I.S.'s memory, Stark then sent his own programming back towards Avengers Tower.

Birth of the Vision
"So, you want me to help you put J.A.R.V.I.S. into this thing?" "No, of course not! I want to help you put J.A.R.V.I.S. in this thing."

- Bruce Banner and Tony Stark

Having learned what he needed to at the NEXUS, Stark then went back to the Avengers Tower where Bruce Banner and Clint Barton waited for him. Greeting Stark upon his arrival at the Tower, Barton was with the Cradle with the synthetic body inside it. Barton informed Stark that Ultron had also successfully kidnapped Natasha Romanoff during the Battle of Seoul, so Barton began his search for her. Stark then told Banner everything he discovered and he asked for his help him upload J.A.R.V.I.S. to the synthetic body. Banner was against the idea of messing with the body, finding the situation to be a time-loop they were all now stuck inside since first activating the Ultron Program; however, Stark argued that this was the right move and they did not have the time for the decision to be argued by the other Avengers. Stark was able to convince Banner that the new being Ultron had created could be a benefit by giving it J.A.R.V.I.S. as a core persona, and prevent megalomania. As the two were almost finished preparing to upload J.A.R.V.I.S. into the Cradle, Steve Rogers with Wanda and Pietro Maximoff came and ordered him to shut it down. Stark and Banner refused, shocked that Rogers had recruited the Maximoffs as they recalled how Wanda's powers had caused the Duel of Johannesburg. When Rogers tried to convince them, Stark argued that whatever had already happened was nothing compared to what was still incoming. To try and end the dispute before it got out of hand, Quicksilver then responded by speeding around the Cradle and unplugging all of the cables, until he was then subdued by Hawkeye's quick thinking. This action then led to a brief clash between the group, with Stark calling on parts of his Mark XLIII armor and shooting at Rogers, who in turn threw his shield at Stark, while Banner and Wanda Maximoff had a brief fight in which she knocked him back with her powers. Just as their fight was getting underway, Thor had suddenly charged straight into Avengers Tower and revived the synthetic body with a massive bolt of his lightning as Stark and the others looked on in shock and horror. The living body then jumped out of the Cradle and looked around it's surroundings while the group looked on. The being then briefly attacked Thor until he looked out over New York City and calmed down as the Avengers moved down to speak to it. The living body apologized and called itself the Vision and claimed to wish to assist them in their fight against Ultron. Thor explained that while in the Water of Sights he had seen the Vision in his dream and the Mind Stone, one of the six Infinity Stones, that is in the Vision's forehead. At first, the team did not trust the Vision's motives, but as proof of his honor, Vision handed Thor Mjølnir. A shocked Stark was congratulated by Thor for creating a new worthy ally. Having successfully tracked down Ultron to Sokovia where he was planning on using Wolfgang von Strucker's former base to begin his schemes, Stark and the other Avengers got themselves prepared for what could be possibly their final battle. As Stark was talking with Rogers and Banner, he noted that if any of the Ultron Sentries got away, then they had lost. When Stark noted Ultron was waiting for him, Vision confirmed that Ultron hated Stark most of all. Getting onboard the Quinjet in order to fly to Sokovia and confront Ultron for the final time, Stark and the other Avengers listened as Captain America gave a speech in which he told the team that their priority would be to get the people of Novi Grad to safety before fighting Ultron's army. Looking at Stark, Rogers noted that Ultron believed the Avengers were what was wrong with the world, and this was their chance to prove that he was wrong.

Battle of Sokovia
"Come to confess your sins?" "I don't know, how much time you got?" "More than you."

- Ultron and Iron Man The Avengers tracked Ultron down in Sokovia, where Natasha Romanoff was held. Before leaving, Stark a new AI, F.R.I.D.A.Y., into his newest suit. The team flew there with Wanda and Pietro Maximoff and Vision. As the rest of the team helped to evacuate Novi Grad and Bruce Banner went to free Romanoff, Stark confronted Ultron in the city's church. Ultron had created a new body for himself and a drill that emerged from the center of the church, revealing a Vibranium detonator with a mechanism located underground. Vision then came and succeeded to disconnect Ultron from the internet. Ultron then activated the drill and a part from the city flew to the sky. F.R.I.D.A.Y. informed Stark that if the city would get high enough, the impact of its fall to the ground would cause a global extinction. While the Avengers fought against the Ultron Sentries and made sure the civilians were safe, Stark and F.R.I.D.A.Y. debated about a way to make sure the city would not hit the ground. He came to the idea that he and Thor can destroy the rock in the air. Eventually, Nick Fury and Maria Hill came with a Helicarrier and helped the Avengers with evacuating Novi Grad while War Machine helped with the battle. The Avengers guarded the vibranium drill from the Ultron Sentries to prevent the city from falling. However, one sentry caused the city to fall, but Stark and Thor succeeded in exploding it before it touched the ground.

Saying his Goodbyes
"I will miss you, Tony." "Yeah? Well, it's time for me to tap out."

- Steve Rogers and Tony Stark Using Stark's funding, the New Avengers Facility was constructed in upstate New York; Stark informed the others about his resignation from the Avengers, aiming for it still to continue by pouring his money and resources into it, with a new team of heroes which included Falcon and the Scarlet Witch. Stark drove to the facility to personally oversee it in action and say his final goodbyes to the whole team. Stark met with Steve Rogers and Thor at the facility where they all discussed the Vision keeping the Mind Stone inside his head; Thor insisted that he could as he had proven himself worthy by managing to lift Mjølnir, although Rogers questioned if this counted as Vision was a machine. Thor informed the pair that he intended to return to Asgard to learn more about the Infinity Stones and who had been recently manipulating them into locating the stones. Rogers then said to Stark that he will miss him too, and Stark joked that he will build for Pepper Potts a house in the country, like Clint Barton. Stark then drove from there. Stark was asked by the media about the incident involved Hulk. Stark then responded that public concerns about Bruce Banner are "Baseless" and "Irresponsible". Because all of his activities as Iron Man, Stark and Potts took a break from their relationship while Stark continued his own work.

Facing the Consequences
"That was really sweet, what you did for the young people." "Oh, they deserve it. 'Causs it helps to ease my conscious."

- Miriam Sharpe and Tony Stark

Stark gave a guest lecture at his alma mater,. He demonstrated the students his latest device, B.A.R.F., which aimed to recreate and relive old memories to help with regret, and showed them his last meeting with his mother and father. Then he followed with a speech where he introduced a grant being awarded to all students, giving them all the proper funding to move forward with their own inventions and ideas. He then read from the telepromter and was shocked to read that he should be presenting Pepper Potts to the stage. Seeing this made Stark briefly pause as he and Potts had broken up due to his own previous commitments to the Avengers and obsession with building new Iron Man Armors. Stark then said his final words before stepping off stage where the M.I.T Liaison then attempted to get some money from Stark Industries for the school's funding. As he walked outside, he encountered a woman who complimented his funding. She reached to her purse and Stark, thinking she was about to pull a gun, grab her hand. But instead, she pulled a photo of her son and told him that he had been killed during the Battle of Sokovia. She then told Stark her son's name and that she did not actually blame Ultron for her son's death, but held Stark personally accountable his death, which deeply unnerved Stark.

Sokovia Accords
"We need to be put in check. Whatever form that takes, I'm game. If we can't accept limitations, we're boundless, we're no better than the bad guys."

- Tony Stark On May 5, 2016, Thaddeus Ross presented to Stark the Sokovia Accords, a document which required the Avengers to operate under the supervision of an United Nations panel. Stark, haunted by the massive damage he had caused by creating Ultron, agreed to sign the Accords. One month after the Incident on Lagos involving Crossbones, both Stark and Ross went to the New Avengers Facility, where he tried to convince the Avengers to sign the Accords. The Avengers were briefed on the Accords by Ross, who explained that the Accords were created as a result of the catastrophic events in which they were involved, including the Battle of New York and the Battle of Sokovia, with Ross presenting them with both the number of casualties caused and the expense of the damages. While the presentation was stopped for upsetting Wanda Maximoff, Ross told them the Accords would be signed in just a few days. With Ross gone, the Avengers moved into another room to read and debate the Accords, with Sam Wilson and James Rhodes almost immediately clashing on their different views. Vision then noted that perhaps their own existence had caused the conflicts they were fighting. As all the Avengers debated whether to sign it or not, Stark remained silent, with Steve Rogers realizing that Stark had already chosen his own side, which was to be pro-Accords. Stark gave them the story of Charlie Spencer and how he had been killed in Sokovia. He pointed out that the group needed to be put in check or they were no better than the bad guys. However, Rogers saw the Accords as a block to keep the Avengers from where they needed to be, while Stark noted that if they did not decide to make this decision themselves, it would be done to them at some point soon with far graver consequences for all of them. Stark and Rogers both argued with each other and then Stark even got surprising support from Natasha Romanoff, who had previously expressed her distain for this kind of government oversight in the wake of the HYDRA Uprising and the Battle at the Triskelion. Their argument ended when Rogers left the room upon hearing news that Peggy Carter had died in her sleep, while Stark remained unchanged in his opinion that signing was the right decision.

Fighting with a Friend
"Sometimes I wanna punch you in your perfect teeth. But I don't wanna see you gone. We need you, Cap. So far nothing's happened that can't be undone. Please, sign. We can make the last 24 hours legit. Barnes gets transferred to an American psych center instead of a Wakandan prison." "I'm not saying it's impossible. There would have to be safeguards."

- Tony Stark to Steve Rogers

Stark was in the Joint Counter Terrorist Centre in Berlin after the Bucharest incident. During this time, he had asked Vision to keep Wanda Maximoff in the New Avengers Facility in order to protect her, after her accident in Lagos had resulted in her US Visa being removed. Steve Rogers, Sam Wilson, Bucky Barnes and the prince of Wakanda, T'Challa, were arrested and were brought to the JCTC. There, Stark tried once again to convince Rogers to sign the Sokovia Accords. He told him about his breakup with Pepper Potts and that even though he was mad at him, he still needed Rogers. Stark assured him that Barnes would be taken to an American psychiatric facility as opposed to a prison for his involvement in the Bombing of the Vienna International Centre, if he signed. He also said that he had filed a motion to have Rogers and Maximoff reinstated. Rogers asked about her, so Stark explained that Vision kept her safe confined at the avengers compound. Rogers was furious at the idea and compared it to Japanese Internment during World War 2. Stark retorted that he was doing it to save them from something worse, but Rogers refused to compromise and walked out of the room. During Barnes' psychological assessment, a power failure occurred and Barnes freed himself and tried to escape. Stark engaged him backed up by Natasha Romanoff and Sharon Carter. Stark used his gauntlet to fight him, but Barnes managed to overpower him. Barnes escaped, but Stark knew Barnes was most likely with Rogers, who, along with Wilson, had also escaped custody. Thaddeus Ross informed him that a special force unit would deal with Rogers, but Stark convinced him to let him bring them in. He gave Stark 36 hours before lethal force would be utilized against Rogers. Romanoff said to him that they were understaffed but Stark had someone in mind. Romanoff approached T'Challa to ask for his help, while Stark flew to New York City.

Recruiting Peter Parker
"So you wanna look out for the little guy. You wanna do your part. Make the world a better place all that, right?" "Yeah just looking out for the little guy. That's-That's what it is."

- Tony Stark and Peter Parker

Having learned about the "Spider-Man" that was protecting New York City, Stark deduced his true identity as Peter Parker and visited him at home. He waited for him to return from school where he openly flirted with his aunt, May. As Parker returned, Tony persuaded him to trick his aunt into thinking that Peter had applied for Stark's scholarship. Stark entered his room with Parker and was impressed by how Parker used the technology he had retrieved from the trash. Stark showed Parker videos of him as Spider-Man saving civilians. Parker denied it but Stark found his Spider-Man Suit and equipment. Stark asked him if anyone knew who he was, but Parker denied it saying he only wanted to use his powers for the benefit of the people. Impressed, Stark asked him if he wanted to go to Germany, mildly blackmailing him by joking to tell May Parker. When Peter agreed to help, Tony built him a new mechanical suit and flew with Parker back to Germany.

Clash of the Avengers
"I'm trying to keep you from tearing the Avengers apart." "You did that when you signed." "Alright, I'm done. You're gonna turn Barnes over and you're gonna come with us. Now! Because it's us! Or a squad of JSOC, guys, with no compunction about being impolite."

- Tony Stark and Steve Rogers

Stark learned of Steve Rogers's plan to escape from the Leipzig-Halle Airport, so he and his teammates evacuated the airport and waited for Rogers and his team. Rogers showed up and Stark, with his new armor, War Machine, Black Widow and Black Panther and attempted diplomacy with Rogers, trying to convince him to turn over the Winter Soldier and surrender before lethal force would be taken against the captain, but found that the negotiation was going nowhere. As a result, Stark called in Spider-Man to steal Captain America's Shield and to tie Rogers' hands, forcing him to listen but Rogers remained uncompromising. Hawkeye then used an arrow to free Rogers before Ant-Man, hidden on the shield, returned it to Captain America. The Mark XLVI's sensors then detected the rest of the renegades making for the Quinjet. Stark flew off to confront Hawkeye and Scarlet Witch before ordering Spider-Man to keep his distance and web up his foes from afar. Stark used his missiles to stop his targets in their tracks before joking that Maximoff had hurt Vision's feeling as she escaped from the New Avengers Facility before casually greeting Barton and joking about the man's perfect aim. Barton then deliberately fired an arrow to miss Tony, leaving Iron Man open to being pinned under several cars by Maximoff. Freeing himself, he helped Romanoff up after she, T'Challa, and Rhodes had nearly been killed by Rogers and Lang. Seeing the single mindedness that was driving Rogers, Stark was left with no choice but to call in his trump card: Vision. The android fired a powerful burst from the Mind Stone to try and cow Rogers into submission before offering him a final chance to surrender. Regrouping his team, Stark stood across from Rogers to try and force his ally to stand down by emphasizing how intolerant the world governments were becoming of his crusade. Rogers refused again, forcing Stark to order his team into battle with the directive to capture their renegade teammates alive. Stark engaged Captain America in melee combat before Hawkeye fired an explosive arrow at the Mark XLVI to no effect. Stark later chose to attack Falcon, before Hawkeye fired a volley of arrows at Stark. The Mark XLVI's systems were able to easily trace the path of the arrows and destroy them but as Stark prepared to take down Barton, the left repulsor failed. Demanding an update from F.R.I.D.A.Y., she tracked the problem to Ant-Man having entered the suit before she ejected him via the usage of fire retardant foam sending him falling several hundred feet. When it became clear Stark's team would win the battle Ant-Man inverted his powers and grew to sixty feet in height. Falcon then attacked Stark, sending the Redwing drone to stun Stark. While the drone threw off Stark's flight plan, it shattered against the armor.

Working with War Machine and Spider-Man, the three managed to knock down the giant Ant-Man recreating a moment from The Empire Strikes Back. As he fell, Lang had managed to knock Parker onto the concrete from a great height prompting Stark to check on him. When he was satisfied with Parker's state he sent him back to New York threatening to call May Parker if the enhanced youth did not listen before Stark flew off to chase after the hijacked Quinjet containing Captain America and the Winter Soldier. He was backed up by War Machine in his pursuit before Falcon began following them. Rhodes ordered Vision to destroy Falcon's flight gear with the Mind Stone but the android miscalculated and shot out War Machine's Arc Reactor. As Rhodes fell toward the ground, Stark changed direction and tried to save his friend but was unable to catch him in time before he crashed. He immediately ordered F.R.I.D.A.Y. to scan for life signs and she contacted emergency medical personnel when she found Rhodes was still alive. Wilson also landed and told Stark he was sorry, but Stark vented his rage at Rogers' faction and actions on Sam by blasting him with a repulsor decisively ending the fight in favor of Stark's team.

The Raft
"Clearly, I made a mistake. Sam, I was wrong." "That's a first." "Cap is definitely off the reservation and he's about to need all the help he can get."

- Tony Stark and Sam Wilson

Sending Peter Parker back to Queens, Stark, Natasha Romanoff and Vision retreated to the New Avengers Facility, checking on Rhodes' current state. Stark asked how Vision could make a mistake like that and Vision admitted he was distracted, which neither he nor Stark had known could happen. He was then approached by Romanoff, whom he told he was disappointed she had let Steve Rogers escape, inadvertently leading to Rhodes' accident. He told her that T'Challa had informed Thaddeus Ross about her betrayal, and that the government would likely come to arrest her. When she insisted they went about this wrong, he commented that betraying people was something Natasha seemed unable to help. He made no attempt to help or detain her as she fled the facility to go underground showing he was losing faith in his former teammates. In order to find Rogers, Stark went to visit the Raft, where Sam Wilson, Clint Barton, Wanda Maximoff and Scott Lang were imprisoned for the airport's destruction. On his way to the prison, F.R.I.D.A.Y. informed Stark that the therapist who was supposed to do Bucky Barnes' psychological evaluation in Berlin, had been killed and replaced by Helmut Zemo from Sokovia. She told him that Zemo had also framed Barnes for the Bombing of the Vienna International Centre. Although Ross did not believe Stark, he let him to speak to the prisoners. Barton was enraged at Stark's supposed betrayal of his former teammates and Lang said that Hank Pym was right about never trusting the Starks. Stark retorted he had not forced Barton into anything and the man had abandoned retirement on his own accord as well as having no idea who Lang was. As he approached Wilson, Stark asked him to tell him where Rogers had gone. Wilson did not want to do it, but Stark admitted he was wrong not to listen earlier and that he wanted to help Rogers. After Stark knocked out the audio feed, Wilson told him that Rogers was heading for the a HYDRA base in Siberia. Knowing Ross would be of no aid, Stark withheld the information before he donned the Mark XLVI in his helicopter and flew to Siberia.

Battle of the HYDRA Siberian Facility
"This isn't going to change what happened." "I don't care. He killed my mom."

- Steve Rogers and Tony Stark

Entering the HYDRA Siberian Facility, Stark saw Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes searching for Helmut Zemo. He agreed to put aside the arrest warrant for the two to help them find Zemo before he could use the Winter Soldiers. Upon reaching the main room however, the Mark XLVI's thermal scanners revealed that Zemo had killed the Soldiers instead before the man revealed himself within a bunker where he explained that he had successfully managed to bring Stark to the base, after a year of planning. Rogers realized that Zemo was from Sokovia and wanted revenge because of the battle there. Blaming the Avengers as a whole for the loss of his family during the battle, he had orchestrated a plot to tear them apart from the inside. Zemo then played video footage of the night that Stark's parents died, revealing that HYDRA used the Winter Soldier to assassinate them in order to steal the Super Soldier Serum in their car trunk. Stark demanded Rogers to tell him if he had known that Barnes had killed his parents. Rogers responded that he had known they were killed by HYDRA but was unaware that Barnes had been the killer. Tony instantly saw through the lie and demanded the truth forcing Rogers to reveal that he had known it had been Barnes for years but hid that fact.

Already enraged by the fallout of Rogers' questionable and biased actions over the past few days, Stark snapped and attacked Barnes to avenge his parents. Acknowledging their friendship, he tried to force Rogers out of the fight using both the hand clamps and the laser but Rogers refused to stand down even deflecting a lethal repulsor back at Tony, disabling the suit's targeting system. As he could no longer target Barnes with his missiles, Stark opted to trap him within the bunker before crushing him under the Mark XLVI's weight. Before he could, Rogers tackled him mid-fall separating the Avenger leader from Barnes and sending him to the ground floor with Rogers. Here Tony stated in no uncertain terms that he was done listening to Rogers before overpowering him in melee combat before Barnes intervened turning the fight into a two on one brawl.

Stark responded to the uneven odds by blasting Rogers with a repulsor, leaving him convulsing temporarily incapacitated before he was forced against the wall by Barnes. The Winter Soldier attempted to remove the suit's main Arc Reactor with his robotic arm to which Tony unleashed the Unibeam disintegrating the majority of the limb before hitting Barnes with a standard blast. A recovered and enraged Rogers stormed at Stark, deflecting repulsor fire with his shield before forcing Tony back against the wall and pummeling him relentlessly. Realizing he was incapable of competing with Rogers in close quarters hand to hand combat, Stark ordered F.R.I.D.A.Y. to analyze Rogers' movement patterns to find weaknesses to exploit. Once she had done so, Tony blew away the shield and brutally beat Rogers to his knees. Tired, Rogers tried to reason with Tony, defending Bucky Barnes as his friend before Stark commented that so was he and giving Rogers a final chance to stand down. As Rogers stood unyielding, Stark realized he would never stand down and charged a repulsor. A wounded Barnes grabbed Stark's boot, distracting him and Stark kicked Barnes away. This diversion allowed Rogers to turn the tide of the battle, using his shield to destroy the Mark XLVI's helmet and the main Arc Reactor. Left running on the suit's backup miniature Arc Reactors, Stark was unable to continue fighting but claimed that Rogers did not deserve his shield, since his father had made it. Rogers dropped his Vibranium shield, returning it to the Stark family, and left the scene with Barnes, leaving Stark behind.

Picking Up The Pieces
"Tony, we have a problem." "Ah, please hold."

- Thaddeus Ross and Tony Stark

With his friendship with Captain America seemingly done for good and the rest of the team either on the run or locked away, Stark had started searching for a new purpose for the Avengers in the wake of their leadership falling apart around them. With this in mind, Stark returned to the New Avengers Facility where he began his process of discovering what the Avengers could be without Captain America's leadership. At the same time, Stark had also developed some new technology in order to help James Rhodes to walk again in the wake of his injury during the Clash of the Avengers. When Rhodes fell while testing the technology, they discussed the fallout of the Sokovia Accords and Rhodes' belief that they had done the right thing. Stark then received a package from the mailman, who misread his name as "Tony Stank" to Rhodes's amusement as he began mocking Stark. Stark found a phone and letter from Steve Rogers, apologizing for keeping the truth about Stark's parents from him, telling Stark if he would need Rogers' help, he and the rest of his team were just a phone call away. By this time, Rogers freed the imprisoned Avengers team from the Raft and Thaddeus Ross called Stark for help. Stark put Ross on hold by pretending to be busy with something else, thus letting Rogers and his Avengers team escape successfully.

Hosting NBA Finals Party
"Did you invite the kid?" "You said keep it sophisticated." "Why do you hate fun?"

- Tony Stark and Happy Hogan

Back at Avengers Tower, Stark is deciding what he should to wear for party he was hosting for the with Happy Hogan. Hogan asked Stark for his approval on the new party guest list which he had been put in charge of, with Stark then suggesting inviting Peter Parker, which Hogan is reluctant to do but Stark insisted. Stark asked Hogan which jacket he should wear and Hogan advised he go for a third option, prompting Stark to order him to leave. As the party went ahead with DJ Khaled and Magic Johnson being some of the attendees along with Tim Duncan and various other celebrities. When the game started, Stark, instead of watching the game at the tower, decided to go to the arena and watch the game. When Parker arrived at the tower, he was disappointed to see Stark on the Television screen instead of at the party. During the game, Stark turned to the camera and blew it a kiss.

Personality
"You stood by my side all these years while I reaped the benefits of destruction. Now that I'm trying to protect the people I've put in harm's way, you're going to walk out?" "You're going to kill yourself, Tony. I'm not going to be a part of it." "I shouldn't be alive... unless it was for a reason. I'm not crazy, Pepper. I just finally know what I have to do. And I know in my heart that it's right."

- Tony Stark and Pepper Potts

Many people in the media think that Tony Stark is only just an egocentric playboy. But it is shown throughout the series that Tony does actually care for people, especially his friends. Although Tony causes trouble on occasion, he is more than willing to make up for his mistakes, which is also why he became a superhero. Charming, brilliant, and cocky, Tony is a classic playboy, with his wealth, power, and natural charm allowing him to get just about any woman he wants. But despite his rather carefree and overly confident personality, inside Tony's heart lies loneliness, as Ho Yinsen pointed out: "A man that has everything, but has nothing".

Before his kidnapping, Tony was a self-centered, arrogant person who didn't care for many people other than his closest friends. During the following years, however, Tony has matured, gradually becoming more of a team player and becoming somewhat less arrogant. He even began opening up and having a real relationship with Pepper Potts. Tony's exploits as Iron Man have lead him to reevaluate his life, thus Tony now strives to use his inventions in a more responsible and considerate way. A textbook example of a Byronic hero, he never fully let go of his character flaws, however, using them to push him forward as a reminder to do better and often making self deprecating jokes or comments. His experiences while imprisoned by the Ten Rings, especially his injury and seeing his weapons being used by terrorists, hardened Tony into a brave and determined fighter, despite his sarcastic and enthusiastic personality remaining intact.

Even after starting a new life as a superhero, Tony's showy personality has never fully changed - as demostrated in having the Iron Man suit with hot-rod red and gold, and in revealing his identity in public despite being told not to. Tony has also shown a strong liking towards heavy metal and rock music groups like Black Sabbath, AC/DC, and Queen. He also shows signs of being a gearhead owning and modifying several expensive cars, having a particular liking towards the Audi R8 model line.

Tony is also known for being exceptionally intelligent and innovative, having built an miniaturized Arc Reactor from scratch in Afghanistan. His intellect has earned him the "Da Vinci of Our Time" nickname, and his inventions of Stark Industries have revolutionized technology for mankind. His past as a businessman had turned him into a very pragmatic individual always taking the quickest, most efficient way out of a problem commenting to Steve Rogers that he would simply "cut the wire" if given the choice. This behavior put him at odds with the majority of the Avengers during the Avengers Civil War as they were unwilling to compromise and negotiate with the United Nations regarding the Sokovia Accords which Tony viewed as the easiest way to continue the Avengers' mission of saving people and appease the public's growing fear and unease regarding the team. As a result of this negotiator attitude, Tony was one of three Avengers to not become a fugitive by the end of the Civil War and allowed to continue saving people with the support of the United Nations. This pragmatism extended to his fighting style. When confronted by terrorists holding people hostage he simply switched to a more accurate weapon to kill his foes. During the Avengers Civil War, he displayed this again, having the Mark XLVI scan Captain America's fighting style for weaknesses as well simply blasting the Captain away when he and Barnes attempted to tag team Stark and often using his repulsors to enhance his melee combat.

Even though he can appear to be self-obsessed, Tony can also be a great friend and occasionally shows affection toward his teammates. Hence, Tony was the only Avenger who encouraged Bruce Banner to embrace his identity of Hulk as a blessing rather than a curse, and trusted him to make good use of Hulk's powers. He has also adopted a mentor role towards the young Peter Parker, seeing himself in the young hero and helping him become better by designing an advanced Spider-Man suit and quietly teasing him about his Aunt May whom Stark considers attractive. When Tony was caught up by the terrifying vision of Scarlet Witch, he was possessed with great fear of losing all his friends on the Avengers team, and having to live after they had all been murdered. During battle, Tony tries his hardest to protect his allies, risking his own life if he has to, notably when he personally carried a nuclear missile through the Tesseract's portal. During the Avengers Civil War, however, he became distant and hardened towards his former teammates for their stubbornness despite letting them escape the Raft.

After the Battle of New York, Tony developed a strong fear, that in this new world of "gods" and "aliens", he would be unable to protect the ones he loves, which induced him to become paranoid and full of anxiety. which, in turn, influenced Tony to build first the Iron Legion, and then the Ultron artificial intelligence so the only threats against Earth were from Earth. Despite good intentions, Tony's plans to protect people tend to cause problems at times, most notably after his creation Ultron violently rebelled against humankind, requiring the combined might of Tony and his Avengers teammates to bring down. These attacks that resulted in thousands of civilian casualties appears to have changed Stark's attitude as he appears more responsible, serious and hardened, despite his mischievous, wise-cracking nature still remaining dominant. This was seen during his visit to the Raft where he steadfastly refused to take Clint Barton's bait and be reduced to petty insults instead maintaining a calm and controlled exterior as well as casually telling Ant-Man that he had no idea who he and Hank Pym were. His fear, however, would tend to create rifts between him and those who he was close to, such as Pepper Potts, and eventually lead to in-fighting within the Avengers during the time of the Ultron Offensive and Sokovia Accords.

Compared to his fellow Avengers however, he was very forward thinking always seeing a "big picture", willing to take risks, compromise his morals and dabble in shades of grey to achieve results. As seen with the Sokovia Accords, Tony was willing to endure hardships in the present to build a better future. This behavior often put him at odds with his fellow Avengers, especially Steve Rogers, who were content with the status quo. Combined with his unpredictability, some people such as Scarlet Witch thought he was destructive when in reality, he was simply running into some errors during his attempts to plan ahead. Eventually, some, especially Thor, learned to appreciate these traits when it resulted in Vision, a being Mjølnir deemed worthy to wield it.

During times of great stress and frustration, Stark could become very short tempered and intolerant of those whom he considered his intellectual inferiors for delaying a solution to the problem either mocking/berating them or ignoring them entirely. This behaviour extended to both allies and foes. During the Ultron Offensive, he fearlessly mocked Thor to his face for being short sighted despite the Asgardian lifting him by the neck seconds earlier. After Ultron, he became better at controlling this aspect of his personality but never fully let go of it as seen when he argued with Steve Rogers in the JCTC headquarters.

Tony was much closer to his mother, Maria Stark, than to his father. During his fight with the Winter Soldier, avenging her was his priority. When Rogers tried to stop Tony from attacking Barnes, Tony simply responded with "I don't care. He killed my mom". Tony had very mixed feelings about his father, he felt Howard was "cold and distant" only to later find out Howard wanted Tony to complete his work with the Arc reactor and he chose to honor his father's wishes. Tony later defended Howard's memory by stating the Captain America's shield was Howard Stark's property and that Rogers had proven unworthy of wielding the weapon by defending the Winter Soldier and hiding Howard's murder.

Following the Avengers Civil War, Stark adapted into a new role: that of a mentor to the inexperienced superhero, Peter Parker. He connected with Parker due to the similarities between that of him and Stark such as his love of technology and heroic deeds yet also sees his own flaws growing within Spider-Man and does his best to stop him from making the same mistakes Iron Man himself has made in the past. Like mentors, Stark encourages Parker to be more forward-thinking, advancing his technology and banters him regarding his attractive Aunt May whom Stark flirts with. However, he can also be strict regarding his treatment such as not allowing him the full capabilities of his Spider-Man suit and later taking it back when his recklessness and over-reliance on the suit itself caused innocent lives to be put at risk, yet this was with the intent of making Parker a better hero than Tony ever was.

Though considered a hobby, obsession or part of his itinerary, Stark considers the relationship between the Iron Man Suit and himself to be symbiotic, in that he and the suit himself are one. By the time of Aldrich Killian's terrorist attack, he had designed 42 variations of the armor as well as having stylized them with their own color designs, personalities and names. He often referred to his suit as "he" when he was remotely controlling it with Potts and exclaimed when the suit's finger was pulled off, claiming it would hurt him. This is further supported during the Avengers Civil War where his suit loses its bulk and designs them to be more form-fitting like it's his second skin. However, he does claim after the Clean Slate Protocol that despite being without his suits he is still Iron Man.

Powers and Abilities
Tony Stark does not possess any innate powers, instead, he uses a miniature version of the Arc Reactor to charge his various suits that provide him with superhuman strength, endurance, durability, and a variety of weapons. His original technology combined with his extraordinary intelligence makes Tony Stark one of the most formidable superheroes and a force to be reckoned with.

Design
With the exception of the Mark I Iron Man armor, almost all of the Iron Man suits share a common design and capability set. The suit is a powered exoskeleton with armored plating, capable of enhancing the wearer's strength, speed, agility, and endurance. The suit is powered by a miniaturized Arc Reactor, either using the one surgically installed in Tony Stark's chest or else built into the chest-piece of the armor itself.

The original armor, Tony Stark created the Iron Man Mark I while in captivity in Afghanistan. As such, it is crudely designed and bulky, but still had the necessary capacity to help him escape his captors. It is bullet-proof, has two built-in flame-throwers, a rocket launcher, as well as rocket boosters for jumps, albeit the boosters were faulty and malfunctioned almost immediately after activation. Like all of Stark's armors, this suit enhanced Stark's physical strength beyond the capabilities of any human, allowing him to effortlessly overpower and kill humans, break stone, bend metal and both lift and press many tons. Durability, resilience, stamina and endurance is also raised to inhuman levels, allowing Stark to be unfazed by bullets, tank shots, explosions, and extreme amounts of impactive force, such as impact from falling at high altitudes. It is notable that this version of the armor, unlike the later Mark 2 and Mark 3 armors, does not have an onboard AI system or internal diagnostic display.

The helmet served only as a simple shield, and was not fully sealed. Stark refashioned the special iron-copper-magnesium alloy from disassembled Stark mortar cannons into the Mark I armor, rendering it essentially bulletproof. To power the thruster boots, Stark reportedly siphoned the propellant fuel from four Stark S-class ballistic missiles into two Stark M-class mortars, creating two homemade fuel tanks, welded shut except for valves connecting fuel hoses that led down to the Mark I's legs.

The later model armors' helmet features a retractable visor that delivers a holographic, augmented-reality (AR) display to the wearer. The features of the helmet resemble a human face, with eyepieces and a mouth slit showing the point where the face plate meets the jaw.

The armor's primary weapon, as well as means of propulsion, are repulsors built into the hands and feet. The foot repulsors provide the majority of the propulsion force while the hand repulsors are used as flight stabilizers. Given the intense heat and concussive pressure produced by the repulsors, the ones built into the hands are often used as weapons. When need be, the unibeam repulsor built into the chest-piece can be charged to deliver a powerful, destructive blast.

The Mark II armor was built from basic titanium alloys, giving it a silver sheen. From the Mark III onward, he used a gold-titanium alloy to provide the necessary power-to-weight ratio coupled with the ability to resist icing at high altitudes. As the gold-colored suit seemed a bit ostentatious, Stark took to coloring certain parts of the armor hot-rod red to tone it down a bit without losing the flare he was known for. Later suits were colored a variety of colors, from blue to black to green and even yellow and purple.

Up through the design of the Mark XI, Stark stuck with a basic design and aesthetic, merely improving on the technology and increasing the capabilities. From the Mark XI onward, he began specializing the armor's capabilities, beginning with stealth systems. By the time he built the Mark XV, he began giving the armors individual names to better identify them among the ever-growing set and in terms of the armor's specialized armors abilities.

Iron Man Armors
Tony used his advanced high tech armor to become Iron Man. The armor allows him to fly and contains various weapons for battle. He frequently improves the armor, giving it upgrades for battles and to perfect the systems. Iron Man wears a sophisticated suit of body armor containing various offensive weaponry.

He has a number of suits aside from the current model. Some are mission-specific or prototypes for testing, others are older models kept for nostalgia or for research. He has developed a special briefcase to carry his armor in.

As the multi-billionaire head of a global corporation and a genius-level inventor, Stark can procure or develop additional technology as needed as possible. The Iron Man Armor is arguably one of the most powerful forms of weapons technology developed by Tony Stark on the planet.

Alone, the Mark I was sufficient enough to allow him to go through armed terrorists in order to escape. The Mark II was sufficiently powerful enough to go toe to toe with a more advanced and updated version of the armor (the Mark IV). The Mark III was able to easily dispatch some of the Ten Rings terrorists with ease and battle the Iron Monger suit, however, with some difficulty (due to the fact that it was powered by the first generation mini-Arc Reactor and the Iron Monger was powered by the second Arc Reactor he made upon his return). The Mark V, while lacking additional weaponry and flight capabilities, was still able to take on Vanko while he was just utilizing just the Whiplash harness and Stark relying on his repulsors. The Marks VI and VII proved to be the most powerful generation suits used by Stark.

They were powerful enough to battle hordes of Hammer drones, Vanko with his own advanced armor, survive and battle two Asgardian gods (Thor and Loki, respectively) and hordes of alien foot soldiers and large transports (the Leviathan) with ease. The Marks 8 through 42 proved to be equally powerful generation suits as they were able to battle nano tech-enhanced human soldiers who themselves had enough strength to match any of the armors.

Support Powers

 * Flight: One of the armor's most important features is its propulsion system and subsequent ability of flight. The armor can reach speeds as high as Mach 3 in moments. It also has variable control surfaces for active flight control by J.A.R.V.I.S. to automatically stabilize the armor in flight. The armor is able to fly at speeds more than 1500 miles per hour. However, the armor shows it can fly at supersonic speeds at the drop of a hat. By the time of the Battle of New York, the Mark VII armor's flight system was improved with additional boosters on the back. It enables the armor to quickly evade enemy attacks, go faster, and also the ability to better maneuver himself and shoot while in flight; due to the fact that he doesn't have to use his hands to keep himself stabilized all the time now. He was able to reach Tennessee from California in a matter of a few hours.
 * Superhuman Strength: When inside the armor, it amplifies the user's physical strength, allowing Iron Man to lift in excess of 100 tons. Most armors are strong enough to lift and bench press tanks, S.H.I.E.L.D. transporters, cars, or any other heavy objects. Iron Man was also able to fight Ultron's second robotic body, and, when his strength was temporarily boosted by Mjølnir's lightning (increasing his suit's power to over 400% capacity), Iron Man was able to hold his own against the mighty Asgardian Thor. A more unique feat of strength is Tony inside the Mark VI pushing one of the rotors of the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier.
 * Superhuman Reflexes: While not on par with that of someone with genuine superhuman speed and reflexes like Spider-Man, Iron Man's armors nonetheless have motors for movement, and they are shown to be extremely fast and responsive both in flight and during combat, even against physically enhanced opponents such as Captain America or the Winter Soldier. The suit's coordination and dexterity allows the user to easily maneuver themselves and change directions with great ease during flight.
 * Armor Systems: The armor has remote assistance from J.A.R.V.I.S. who manages the armor's systems at Stark's command, and the armor also has a holographic HUD with heads-up displays for navigation, power level, armor status, weapons systems, vital signs with cellphone and computer connections in the helmet, and a built-in loudspeaker. The armor is powered by a miniature Arc Reactor and has an onboard generator for emergencies. The scanner systems are capable of scanning the environment, weather conditions, and equipment for information.
 * Energy Conversion Power Recharge: The armor is able to absorb and convert energy sources, such as heat, kinetic energy or energy from the planet itself into electricity, directly into the batteries for recharge. Thor struck it with a full lightning blast from Mjølnir, but Stark was amazed to find that all it did was charge up the suit to 475%, allowing him to use a powerful repulsor blast and increase his strength substantially enough to give Thor a decent fight.
 * Self-Contained Life-Support System and Environmental Protection: The armor can be completely sealed for operations in vacuums or underwater, providing its own life support. It is also shielded against radiation. The armor is shown to be capable of operating underwater, but not designed for deep space travel (However, Tony has a new specialized armor designed to help with that situation).
 * Heads Up Display (HUD): The Heads-Up display shows important things for the suit. The Heads Up Display of the Iron Man suit is powered by F.R.I.D.A.Y., Stark's artificial intelligence. The Suit also has Defensive and Offensive sections, able to switch around the sections, resorting to missiles and lasers. The HUD can also be talked to, and F.R.I.D.A.Y. will reply to it. The HUD can scan people, missile identifications, make calls, and give crucial suit credentials such as power. The HUD also has navigational (GPS) support. The suit also has radio capabilities, shown by Tony Stark talking to the Avengers as well as Nick Fury and Maria Hill at the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier.
 * Armor Summon: Thanks to the new repulsor flight system, as well as the magnetic implants embedded in Tony's forearms, individual pieces of the armor can self-assemble themselves on to Tony or others. Tony is able to remotely summon the Mark XLII to Pepper for her to wear after his home was attacked by the Mandarin's forces. Tony summons the Iron Legion to fight against Aldrich's Extremis solders at the oil drilling platform. Tony is forced into confronting Killian, whom he attempts to defeat by ordering the suit to assemble itself on Killian and then self-destruct. This fails to kill him. Pepper intervenes, using her new Extremis abilities, as well a repulsor shot from a captured Iron Man gauntlet to finish off Killian once and for all. He was also able to use this to summon the gauntlet of the Mark XLIII to pick up Loki's Scepter and also once more defend himself against Steve Rogers' attack during the creation of Vision as well as the chest piece.

Defensive Powers

 * Durability: The armor is made up of a strong light weight Titanium Alloy, with interlocked plates for the shell, and a chest plate protecting the Arc Reactor. It has been shown to withstand tremendous amounts of punishment. The armor can withstand tank shells exploded in close proximity to Stark, and a resulting fall from several thousand feet up, followed by hits by 20mm Vulcan shells and a high speed collision with a F-22 Raptor with only minimal cosmetic damage. It was able to survive a full-on fight with an older generation suit throughout Stark's house, the fights with the Hammer Drones and Whiplash, and having several cars dropped on top of him by Scarlet Witch, all of which resulted in taking relatively minor damage. Most of all, it protects the wearer from the effects of extreme g-force. It even allows him to withstand some of Thor's attacks, although Thor proved he could crush the suit's gauntlet frame with his strength. He was able to withstand the force of a turbine from the Helicarrier's engines when he got it to work again after removing the debris blocking it. It is also able to withstand a full-on assault from the Chitauri forces' energy weapons. The Mark 42 was able to take damage from having most of Tony's house collapse on him at the bottom of the ocean and being hit by a Mack truck, although, Stark was not in the armor and was remote controlling it.
 * Advanced Combat Analysis: The Mark XLVI armor and component artificial intelligence F.R.I.D.A.Y. have the ability to analyze people's specific fighting patterns, and in turn, find a counter to said fighting style. When Stark proved unable to defeat Captain America in hand to hand combat, he had FRIDAY analyze the pattern of Rogers' moves and find the openings. Once she had done so, Stark brought Rogers down in a matter of seconds.

Offensive Powers
"I think you should lead with that next time."
 * Repulsors: Particle weapons in the palm gauntlets that shoot beams or blasts of concussive and explosive force, allowing them to can repel physical and energy-based attacks. Early repulsors needed time to recharge after use, but, because of the new Arc Reactor, they are able to fire at a moment's notice. The repulsors show to be strong enough to kill regular humans with one strike, destroy most stone and metal objects with ease, and destroy unmanned battle drones. When the suit is charged with additional power, the repulsors are powerful enough to stun even a superhuman with sufficient durability like Thor. It also enabled him to stun Loki on two occasions and take down numerous Chitauri foot soldiers and airships with ease. His repulsors shot down two of the three attack helicopters that destroyed his house and took out Extremis-enhanced soldiers. The repulsors now can fire in the form of segmented bolts and blasts instead of just beams. Also, by the sixth armor, the repulsor's can become small laser like welding beams, which Stark used to install an Arc Reactor for Stark Tower. The ones on the Mark XLVI are capable of launching targets off their feet and can even incapacitate Captain America during their fight.
 * Unibeam: A more powerful version of the repulsor beams. It is located in the chest. However, it requires more power from the Arc Reactor to use and cannot be used as often. He used a blast to kill Eric Savin after the many times Savin had taken several shots from his repulsor blasts. The Unibeam is powerful enough to disintegrate the Winter Soldier's prosthetic arm.

- War Machine


 * Lasers: A powerful weapon in the gauntlet wrists that can cut through any common metal. However, it is not strong enough to penetrate a Leviathan's shell. It has been shown to be very proficient against the Hammer Drones but Stark stated it only had a one-time use. It has been improved and has been used on several occasions in later models. They draw power from the Arc Reactor for more sustained operations, and can theoretically reduce the armor energy reserves to a drained state if operated indefinitely.
 * Smart Mini-guns: Small anti-personnel guns in the shoulders that can target individual targets at once and fire at a moment's notice. It's proved to be highly effective against unarmored foot soldiers. They could be used to incapacitate rather than killing, allowing them to be used to incapacitate HYDRA agents during the assault on Baron Wolfgang von Strucker's research base in Sokovia.
 * Tank-Missile: Among the most proficient of the armor's weapon system are the missiles which he first used against a tank sent by the Ten Rings. The armor holds a multi-fire adhesive grenade launcher in the upper arm. It includes Anti-Tank, Armor-Piercing rounds. In later models, the armor has mini-rockets hidden in a secret compartment in the boosters on the back, that blew up numerous Chitauri ships. Stark was able to destroy a Leviathan by flying into its mouth and launching them throughout its body with missiles in compartments in his knees. He was able to use a missile hit by a repulsor to take down an attacker.
 * Direct Cybernetic Interface: Thanks to micro-repeaters injected into his left forearm, Stark can mentally and remotely control the Iron Man armors beginning with the Mark XLII either as a whole or in pieces with a combination of gestures and thought. This is further augmented by a holographic headset, which allows Stark to see through the Mark XLII's primary camera and allowing for complete remote control of the armor as though he were wearing it. The system was still in the test phases when Stark was forced to use it during his campaign against Aldrich Killian, and had a tendency to fail at random.
 * Armor Link: Stark can mentally command the armor with his thoughts even when he is fully unconscious. The Mark XLII almost attacked Pepper Potts in bed when Stark was having a nightmare. Potts' screams woke Stark in time to shut down the armor. He also can use a holographic headset that mimics the armors heads up display and allows him to remotely control the armor as if he were inside it. He used this headset to remotely pilot the Mark XLII while he was on a speed boat with James Rhodes searching for Killian. He sent the armor aboard Air Force One to battle and kill Eric Savin and save its surviving occupants. Two years later he displayed these abilities with regards to the Mark XLIII, being able to summon pieces of it on telephonic command.

Abilities
"When did you become an expert in thermonuclear astrophysics?" "Last night."

- Maria Hill and Tony Stark

"Tony Stark was able to build this in a cave! With a box of scraps!" "Well, I'm sorry. I'm not Tony Stark."
 * Genius Level Intellect: At age four Stark built his first circuit board, at age six his first engine, and at seventeen he graduated summa cum laude from MIT. As a child, he built Dum-E and U., his personal lab assistants. Stark is one of the smartest humans in the world, rivaled only by fellow geniuses like Bruce Banner, Hank Pym and Helen Cho.

- Obadiah Stane and William Ginter Riva

"I'm trying to do the job you were meant to do."
 * Master Engineer: Stark is a gifted engineer and has been able to make many complicated inventions at a young age. Even in a cave with very few resources, Stark and Ho Yinsen were able to make the Mark I armor and the first miniature Arc Reactor. Stark made his A.I. system, J.A.R.V.I.S., from scratch. He was also able to program his armors to fly to his body and the bodies of others. Stark was able to use simple supplies he got from a hardware store to build a home-made arsenal which he used to infiltrate the Mandarin's mansion. Stark was able to help Bruce Banner construct the Hulkbuster, create the Ultron AI, download J.A.R.V.I.S. into the Vision android. He was able to help Peter Parker create new Web-Shooters and the Spider-Man Suit, capable of focusing Spider-Man's superhuman senses within less than half a day.
 * Master Scientist: Tony Stark is very resourceful and knowledgeable in many different fields of science, being able to attach an Arc Reactor to his chest in order to save his life, to synthesize a previously unknown element discovered by his father, learning a subject overnight and to modify Maya Hansen's Extremis formula.
 * Expert Hacker: Tony is a highly skilled hacker, as he had managed to crack the Pentagon's firewall, while still in high school.

- Pepper Potts


 * Expert Businessman: At the age of twenty-one, Tony took over Stark Industries because both of his parents had died in a tragic car accident. Since then, Stark has helped the company grow, and get more business partners. Stark is extremely well-respected in the business world, able to command people's attentions when he speaks on economic matters by virtue of the fact that he is savvy enough to have, over the years, built up Stark Industries into the premier weapons supplier to the U.S. military for years. He is known for having his employees' loyalty, as well as his impeccable business ethics. However, upon his return, he now strives to be environmentally responsible in his businesses such as turning away from making weapons.
 * Expert Tactician: Stark has made many split-second decisions that have saved people's lives. Despite preferring to work on his own, Stark has proven to be a skilled and tactful leader when the situation calls for it.
 * Martial Artist: Stark is trained in unarmed combat by Phil Coulson and Happy Hogan, and has become quite formidable on his own when the situation demands it. He was able to hold his own against James Rhodes, a Lieutenant Colonel Air Force Combat Pilot. He was also able to battle Thor almost to a standstill for a time while using the Mark VI armor. Tony further refined his hand-to-hand combat skills and became skilled in martial arts, being able to take down the guards at Aldrich Killian's Mansion with ease using a homemade arsenal, and holding his own to evade and confront the Extremis Soldiers and Aldrich Killian on the Norco. However, Tony's combat skills are still not on par with someone as formidable as the Winter Soldier, who overpowered and knocked out an unarmored Tony rather quickly. However, while he was in his Mark XLVI armor, he was able to take down Bucky with ease and had the upper hand, as well as being able to hold his own against both Winter Soldier and Captain America simultaneously. Tony notably had the assistance of F.R.I.D.A.Y.'s combat analysis in order to hold his own against Captain America's superior fighting skills, though Rogers was still ultimately able to defeat Tony due to a last second distraction.
 * Marksman: Although he usually uses his armor, in some situations Stark is able to wield handguns with ease, using them to escape from A.I.M. operatives while not having access to his armor.
 * Pilot: Stark demonstrates a strong understanding of aerodynamics and air crafts, allowing him to perform complex maneuvers while flying in the Iron Man armor while being chased by F-22 Raptors. His aptitude also extends to ground-based vehicles, allowing him to efficiently drive in high-speed racing competitions such as the Monaco GP.
 * Multilingualism: Stark speaks his native English, as well as some French, along with a little Spanish, Italian, and Latin.

Tony Stark's Designs

 * Arc Reactor
 * J.A.R.V.I.S.
 * Dum-E and U
 * Holotable
 * Jericho
 * Gamma Ray Projector
 * Stark Sonic Cannon
 * Stark HUD 2020
 * Stark Medical Scanner
 * Tony Stark's New Element
 * Colantotte Bracelets
 * Bus
 * Iron Legion
 * Project Insight Helicarriers
 * Iron Man Mark XLII Telepresence Headset
 * Veronica
 * Ultron †
 * F.R.I.D.A.Y.
 * J.O.C.A.S.T.A.
 * T.A.D.A.S.H.I.
 * B.A.R.F.
 * Iron Man Gauntlet
 * Spider-Man Suit

Family

 * Grandfather
 * Grandmother
 * Howard Stark † - Father
 * Maria Stark † - Mother

Allies

 * Stark Industries
 * Pepper Potts - Former Girlfriend and Former Assistant
 * Happy Hogan - Close Friend and Former Bodyguard
 * Maria Hill - Employee and Former S.H.I.E.L.D. Deputy Director
 * J.A.R.V.I.S. - Creation, Former Partner, Assistant and Close Friend
 * F.R.I.D.A.Y. - Creation, Partner and Assistant
 * K.A.R.E.N. - Creation and Appointed Assistant to Spider-Man
 * Christine Everhart - One Night Stand
 * Ho Yinsen † - Fellow Captive and Friend
 * Edwin Jarvis † - Former Butler of the Stark Family
 * Avengers - Former Teammates
 * Iron Man's Team
 * Natasha Ramonoff/Black Widow - Former Assistant (as Natalie Rushman)  and Former Teammate
 * James Rhodes/War Machine - Best Friend and Military Liaison
 * Vision - Creation
 * Captain America's Team - Former Teammates and Temporary Enemies
 * Steve Rogers/Captain America - Former Team Leader, Close Friend and Rival
 * Clint Barton/Hawkeye
 * Sam Wilson/Falcon
 * Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch - Former Enemy and Enthraller Turned Former Teammate
 * Thor - Former Teammate
 * Bruce Banner/Hulk - Collaborator, Colleague and Close Friend
 * Pietro Maximoff/Quicksilver † - Former Enemy Turned Teammate
 * S.H.I.E.L.D. (First Incarnation)
 * Nick Fury - Former Director
 * Phil Coulson - Former Liaison and Friend
 * Jasper Sitwell † (former)
 * Oracle Corporation
 * Larry Ellison
 * Elon Musk
 * Maya Hansen † - Former Love Interest
 * Wu
 * Helen Cho - Friend
 * Harley Keener - Friend
 * Gary
 * Mrs. Davis
 * Erik Selvig
 * Matthew Ellis
 * Laura Barton - Hostess
 * Thaddeus Ross
 * Joint Counter Terrorist Centre
 * Everett Ross
 * Sharon Carter
 * T'Challa/Black Panther
 * Peter Parker/Spider-Man - Recruitment and Mentee
 * May Parker - Hostess

Enemies

 * Obadiah Stane/Iron Monger † - Former Business Partner
 * Ten Rings
 * Raza †
 * Abu Bakaar †
 * Omar †
 * Lina - Love Interest turned Enemy
 * Rodriguez - Ally turned Enemy
 * Hammer Industries
 * Justin Hammer
 * Hammer Drones
 * Ivan Vanko/Whiplash †
 * Loki
 * Chitauri
 * Leviathans
 * A.I.M.
 * Aldrich Killian † - Former Fan turned Enemy
 * Eric Savin † - Victim
 * Ellen Brandt † - Victim
 * Trevor Slattery
 * Ponytail Express
 * HYDRA
 * Wolfgang von Strucker †
 * List † - Victim
 * Senator Stern
 * Bruno Horgan/Melter
 * Ultron † - Creation
 * Ultron Sentries †
 * Ulysses Klaue- Former Acquaintance
 * Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier - Temporary Ally and Attempted Victim
 * Scott Lang/Ant-Man
 * Helmut Zemo
 * Vulture

Trivia

 * When Tony Stark calls Rhodes, the ringtone is the original Iron Man theme song from the.
 * He considers calling his autobiography "A Cheap Trick and a Cheesy One-Liner".
 * Tony Stark's official net worth stands on $12.4 billion.
 * So far, every Marvel Cinematic Universe movie that Bruce Banner was in, Stark was in as well. That theme continues in any film they are mentioned. In Thor, Dr. Selvig mentions a "pioneer in Gamma radiation" and when the Destroyer arrives Agent Coulson questions if it is "Stark's". Vaguely relevant in Captain America: The First Avenger, Stark's father is involved in Project Rebirth, the same program that is recreated by Banner in The Incredible Hulk. During the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, both Stark and Banner are mentioned twice: Stark is mentioned as the engineer behind the turbine systems of Project Insight and "Iron Man" is part of the bargain Fury has with Pierce over delaying Project Insight, while Agent Sitwell lists "Bruce Banner" in his Zola Algorithm monologue and Fury mentions Banner as the mind behind Tetrodotoxin B.
 * The reason why Tony's arc reactor changes from an inverted pyramid back to a circular shape in The Avengers is because Director Joss Whedon personally disliked it, so most likely it was only kept in future films to honor continuity (although the inverted pyramid remains within the circular arc reactor if one simply looks close).
 * Starting with the Mark IV (and expecting the Mark V), the armors no longer use Stark's Arc Reactor as a power source. Instead, the suits each have their own individual Arc Reactor as seen when Killian damaged the one powering the Silver Centurion armor and Stark's own Reactor remained unscathed.
 * Tony Stark bookends the Battle of New York. He was the first to shoot back when the Chitauri began streaming through the portal, and ended the battle by hitting the Chitauri Command Center with a nuclear missile.
 * Other than his cameo in The Incredible Hulk, Tony Stark has been grabbed by the throat in every film he appeared in.
 * Stark is prone to dramatic pauses followed by an unemotive "Son of a bitch" in the event of an epiphany, as demonstrated when he realized Loki was seeking to use Stark Tower to mount his assault on New York and the revelation Helmut Zemo had framed The Winter Soldier for murder.
 * Stark has a prototype shield of Captain America.
 * Stark's de-aged appearance in Captain America: Civil War is based on Robert Downey, Jr.'s appearance in the 1987 film .
 * Hawkeye mockingly calling Stark "The Futurist" is a reference to a studio album that Robert Downey, Jr. made in 2004.
 * Method Man mentions Iron Man in his song "Bulletproof Love" in the Luke Cage episode Soliloquy of Chaos.

Behind the Scenes

 * Robert Downey, Jr. was uncredited for his appearance in The Incredible Hulk.
 * Before Robert Downey, Jr. was cast as Tony, and  were interested in playing Iron Man. Cruise, in particular, was going to act in and produce the film. Cage played another Marvel superhero in Ghost Rider. According to Jon Favreau,  and Sam Rockwell are among the actors that were considered for Tony Stark during pre-production. Rockwell would appear in Iron Man 2 as Justin Hammer.
 * Favreau had planned to cast a newcomer in the role but ultimately chose Downey (a fan of the comic) because he felt the actor's past made him an appropriate choice for the part.
 * "The best and worst moments of Robert's life have been in the public eye," the director explained. "He had to find an inner balance to overcome obstacles that went far beyond his career. That's Tony Stark. Robert brings a depth that goes beyond a comic book character who is having trouble in high school, or can't get the girl." Favreau also felt Downey could make Stark a "likable asshole", but also depict an authentic emotional journey once he won over the audience. Downey had an office next to Favreau during pre-production, which allowed him greater involvement in the screenwriting process. He brought a deeper sense of humor to the film not present in previous drafts of the script.
 * Downey stated that he initially pushed Joss Whedon to make Stark the lead in The Avengers, "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 are the theme, and everybody is just an arm of the octopus."
 * A recurring theme in the Iron Man films is birthdays. In Iron Man it is Pepper Potts' birthday; in Iron Man 2, it is Tony Stark's birthday, and in Iron Man 3, it is Christmas (Jesus Christ's birthday). It can even be said that in The Avengers it is the "birth" of The Avengers and in Avengers: Age of Ultron it's the "birth" of Ultron and Vision.
 * Throughout The Avengers, Tony is seen wearing a Black Sabbath t-shirt, a reference to the band's song "". Despite the fact the song was created with no link to the Marvel comic, the Iron Man film series have often adapted the song to use in film and advertisements. However, in the novelisation of the first film, Stark chooses the name himself rather than being given it by the press, naming his alter-ego after his favorite song.
 * Actor Simon Williams portrays Tony Stark in-universe. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 features a poster for a biopic of Stark, which is an obvious parody of the poster for the film  starring  in the.