Pepper Potts

"I do anything and everything Mr. Stark requires. Including occasionally taking out the trash."

- Pepper Potts

Virginia "Pepper" Potts is the Chief Executive Officer of Stark Industries. Originally working as Tony Stark's personal assistant, she would take care of his schedule and perform any task he wished. During this time, she became good friends with Stark. When Stark returned from captivity in Afghanistan, she was trusted enough by him to see his Iron Man suits and his workshop. She helped Stark defeat Obadiah Stane who tried to kill him by overloading the Arc Reactor killing Stane. After Stane's death, Stark made Potts his new business partner taking Stane's place.

Believing his death was imminent, Stark stepped down as CEO and appointed her as his replacement. After Stark defeated Whiplash at the Stark Expo, Potts and Stark developed a romantic relationship. During the crisis surrounding the Mandarin's terrorist attacks she was kidnapped by the Mandarin and injected with Extremis. She was freed by Stark during the Battle on the Norco and later in the battle killed the Mandarin.

Early Life
Virginia Potts worked with Aldrich Killian, though she did not enjoy the experience.

After working with Killian, Potts  was hired by Stark Industries where  she worked in finance. During her tenure as an accountant, she found an error in Tony Stark's recent calculations that would cause the company serious harm. She rushed to Stark to correct the error, forcing her way past bodyguards by spraying pepper spray. He was impressed and hired her as his Personal Assistant, nicknaming her Pepper as a joke.

Weapons Test
Potts, along with Stark and his best friend James Rhodes, visited the to test a new Stark Industries weapon. After the test was finished, Potts gave the weapon's specifics to the officials of the US Military that watched the test.

Kidnapping of Tony Stark
"Tony, you have to go to the hospital. The doctor has to look at you." "I don't have to do anything. I've been in captivity for three months. There are two things I want to do. One, I want an American cheeseburger, and the other..." "That's enough of that."

- Pepper Potts and Tony Stark

Potts greeted Christine Everhart after her one night stand with Stark with her clothes, coldly escorting her out. She then prepared Stark for his imminent trip to Afghanistan. There Stark was kidnapped by the Ten Rings. During his absence, Potts was worried for his safety. When he returned from Afghanistan after his capture and escape, Potts along with Happy Hogan greeted him at the plane's landing site. She expressed her gratitude that he returned and not having left her looking for a new job shedding a slight tear. She accompanied him to get a burger from Burger King and to a press conference where Stark announced that Stark Industries would no longer produce weapons. At the conference she was approached by Agent Phil Coulson of S.H.I.E.L.D. for an interview with Tony Stark to debrief his escape from the Ten Rings.

Stane betrays Stark
"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."

- Tony Stark and Pepper Potts

Potts visited Stark at his workshop to bring him a cappuccino and bagel and he asked her to help him replace his Mark I Arc Reactor. After he told her to destroy the old one. Disregarding his directions, she took the old reactor with her, and decided not destroy but put in a glass frame and engrave it with the epitaph: "Proof that Tony Stark has a heart". Potts also bought herself a new dress, correctly assuming that Stark would have forgotten that it was her birthday.

At Stark's annual charity ball, Potts wore her "birthday present" and was asked to dance by Stark. Both felt nervous about talking about their feelings for each other and went to take some air where they nearly kissed before Potts asked for a martini. Stark left to get the drink but then exited the party after Christine Everhart provided him with pictures and information of the Ten Rings, outfitted with Stark Industries weaopons, leaving Potts.

Duel of Los Angeles
"Obadiah, he-he's gone insane!" "I know!" "He-he built a suit!" "Listen, you'd better get out of there! Just get out!"

- Pepper Potts and Tony Stark

When he returned, Potts was angry but after Stark told her he needs to destroy the weapons and stop the Ten Rings, Potts agreed to help him. He gave her a USB to copy all the files from Stark Industries realizing that Obadiah Stane ordered the Ten Rings to kill Stark. Leaving to arrest Stane with Agent Phil Coulson and other agents, they are confronted by him in his Iron Monger suit. Stark arrived in a charge-less Mark III armor and battled Stane, where he told Potts to overload the main Arc Reactor, which killed Stane and charged up Stark's Mark I Arc Reactor, saving his life. She was later present at a press conference where Tony Stark announced he was Iron Man.

New CEO of Stark Industries
Six months later, Potts was promoted to Stark Industries' CEO while Tony Stark was getting his affairs in order. Unbeknownst to her, he had developed terminal complications from the poisonous side-effects of the Arc Reactor's palladium core. As a result, he began to spiral out of control and eventually his increasingly reckless behavior pulled them apart entirely.

Their reconciliation came on a night when Stark's arch-rival, Justin Hammer, unveiled his latest military marvel, a series of humanoid combat drones. When the drones activated and attacked Stark, apparently of their own accord, Potts and Natasha Romanoff confronted Hammer and demanded they be shut down. When they found that Hammer had lost control of them, Romanoff departed to deal with them while Potts remained at the expo. Stark swooped in and saved her when she strayed close to one of the damaged drones right before it was about to explode. Potts was extremely scared and quit the job of being CEO, giving it back to Stark. Stark and Potts then kissed after awhile and then James Rhodes interrupted them saying that they looked like "two seals fighting over a grape".

Interrupted by Coulson
Pepper Potts had a romantic date with Tony Stark at the top floor of the Stark Tower, but they were later interrupted by the sudden arrival of Agent Phil Coulson, who had to crash J.A.R.V.I.S.'s systems in order to get into the tower, since Stark was trying to close him outdoors. Potts had befriended Coulson during their previous meetings, and asked him about his personal life, as well as convincing Stark to listen to him and to read what documents he was giving him. Potts was well aware of the Avengers Initiative, due to Stark's inability to keep a secret (especially a government-related one that he cared little for), and she managed to convince her boss and boyfriend to help S.H.I.E.L.D. save the world from Loki. She then caught a flight to Washington, D.C. to work on the zoning of three more Stark Industries buildings.

Battle of New York
Later, when the Chitauri had started their invasion, Potts was on a private plane, safe in distance from the battle. Tony Stark, before sacrificing himself to destroy an atomic missile sent on Manhattan, tried to call her on the phone, but she didn't hear it and didn't call back.

After the battle, when the Avengers were disbanded and everyone came back to their normal lives, Potts rejoined with Stark, helping him redesign and rebuild Stark Tower together while having their romantic moment.

Nightmares
After the battle of New York, Tony Stark found himself troubled by acute insomnia and doubting his ability to protect "the only thing he couldn't live without", Potts, in a world of gods, aliens and other dimensions. He isolated himself in order to create more armor, forcing Potts to become the head of Stark Industries once more. This strain resulted in him becoming increasingly distant from Potts, as his efforts to ensure that he could protect her ironically drove him to spend less time with her.

One day Potts was visited by an old acquaintance, Aldrich Killian, who asked her to join his organization A.I.M. and told her about a serum they had developed called Extremis; an offer she declined.

Destruction of Tony Stark's Mansion
After Tony Stark publicly threatened the terrorist Mandarin, Potts tried to convince him to leave the city, but then scientist Maya Hansen arrived at their mansion to warn Stark about the Mandarin as well. Shortly thereafter, armed helicopters attacked the mansion with missiles. In order to protect Potts, Stark commanded the Mark XLII to form around her. Once Potts and Hansen were safe outside the collapsing structure, Stark summoned the suit once more, this time to himself, in order to defeat as many terrorists as he could. During the attack, he was left for dead.

Captured by Killian
"You think he'll help you... he won't." "It's more, uh, embarrassing than that. I brought you here because you were once his girlfriend and now you're my, uh..." "Trophy." "Yeah."

- Pepper Potts and Aldrich Killian

Later that night, Potts found the helmet of a destroyed Mark VII, and noticed it contained a message from Tony Stark, telling her he was actually alive, but couldn't return home until he found the Mandarin.

Potts and Maya Hansen moved to a safe place as the latter apparently wanted to tell Stark something else more than to be alert for Mandarin's attack. Hansen revealed to Potts she had been working on the Extremis and that her boss, Killian, was selling it to the Mandarin. Killian found them, but it was revealed that Hansen was still working for him and not against him, that they needed Tony Stark's intellect to stabilize Extremis, and that Potts could be used as an incentive.

Battle on the Norco
"Oh my God. That was really violent."

- Pepper Potts

Potts was injected with Extremis, and taken to the Norco, a docked oil tanker where Killian intended to keep her as collateral and as a trophy. As her Extremis infusion progressed through its second bonding stage, he also ushered the Iron Patriot armor into the room, which then deposited President Matthew Ellis onto the floor before them. Potts was shocked when Killian explained how the President was to be executed, before he stuffed Ellis back into the suit and sent him back out.

The execution was interrupted when Tony Stark and James Rhodes launched their rescue attempt, but were caught by Extremis Soldiers. After several minutes of fighting explosions rocked the room where Potts was imprisoned, sending her tumbling out onto a gantry, and almost within reach of Stark. He tried grabbing her, but failed, and Potts plummeted to the deck of the tanker.

The Extremis in her system saved her from the lethal fall however, regenerating the damage from the fall. When she awakened, she found Killian advancing on Stark. She intervened with a surprise attack of her own, first bashing Killian away with a metal bar, then with a Stark explosive and repulsor ripped from a passing Iron Man armor. Detonated by the repulsor, the explosive munition obliterated Aldrich Killian.

After being reunited, Stark and Potts reconciled. Stark promised Potts he could find a cure for the Extremis in her body, but also that he would no longer be obsessed with his job, as he ordered J.A.R.V.I.S. to activate the Clean Slate Protocol, which caused every Iron Man armor to be destroyed in a firework-like explosion, in celebration of Christmas. Tony was able to use his resources to cure Pepper of the Extremis and they continued their relationship. Pepper supported Tony when he made the decision to have the shrapnel removed from his heart. When the procedure was done Tony gave Pepper a necklace made her the pieces of shrapnel to symbolize the fact that she has saved his life.

S.H.I.E.L.D. Civil War
After the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D., Maria Hill became an employee of Stark Industries, apparently working with Potts. While on the phone complaining about the Congressional hearings she was attending and the ludicrous number of poorly-trained (in Hill's opinion) agents of the FBI and other agencies tailing her, Hill realized that Melinda May had arrived, and told Potts she would call her back.

Powers
Thanks to Extremis, Potts temporarily displayed various superhuman abilities, such as strength, agility, an enhanced healing factor, and the ability to genereate intense heat. However, Tony Stark was to negate all its effects and had the Extremis removed from her body.
 * Superhuman Strength: Extremis enhanced Potts' muscles to the point of being able to make a hole in one of the Iron Man Armors and rip its arm to use it as a weapon
 * Enhanced Agility:
 * Healing Factor:
 * Exothermic Manipulation: Hosts of the Extremis virus are able to consciously raise the temperature of parts of their bodies. The effect can be controlled to the extent that it might only scorch skin, or increased to the point where it can cause steel to turn into a molten state.

Abilities

 * Expert Businessman: Pepper Potts possesses no superhuman abilities but she is an exceptionally capable business woman with a very forceful personality. She found an error so grievous when she worked in the finance department of Stark Industries that she had to see the CEO personally. Ultimately, Stark entrusted her with his family's company and she expanded it from Los Angeles to New York to Washington, D.C. in the United States alone.

Family

 * Mother

Allies

 * Stark Industries
 * Tony Stark/Iron Man - Love Interest and Former Boss
 * Happy Hogan - Friend, Bodyguard, and Chief of Security
 * Bambi Arbogast - Former Secretary
 * Maria Hill - Friend
 * James Rhodes/Iron Patriot - Friend
 * S.H.I.E.L.D.
 * Phil Coulson - Friend
 * Natalie Rushman - Former Assistant

Enemies

 * Obadiah Stane/Iron Monger † - Ally turned Enemy
 * Whiplash/Ivan Vanko †
 * Hammer Industries - Business Rivals
 * Justin Hammer - Business Rival turned Enemy
 * A.I.M.
 * Aldrich Killian † - Former Co-worker turned Enemy and Victim
 * Maya Hansen † - Former Friend

Trivia

 * In Iron Man 3, Potts, for a brief moment, dons the Iron Man Mark 42 suit by Tony Stark to save her from the explosion who in turn saves him from the falling debris. This is a reference to her comic book hero counterpart, Rescue.
 * It's currently unknown whether or not Pepper's retained the Extremis powers after Stark stabilized her.