Ho Yinsen

Ho Yinsen was one of Tony Stark's fellow captives in Afghanistan. He was a medical doctor and he removed much of the shrapnel from Stark's body, and helps keep him alive long enough to build a shield around his heart for the remaining shrapnel.

Biography
Yinsen, a Muslim man from a small Afghan village called Gulmira, was one of Tony Stark's fellow captives of the "Ten Rings" terrorist group in Afghanistan. He met Tony previously at a technical conference on integrated circuits given by Stark in Bern, though he understood that Stark didn't remember as he was so drunk. A master of technology, Yinsen removed much of the shrapnel from Stark's body, and helped keep him alive long enough to build an electromagnet in his chest to keep the remaining shrapnel from entering his heart. Under captivity, Stark and Yinsen were ordered by the terrorists to build a missile similar to the kind Stark was demonstrating to the US military or they would be killed. However, both men knew that they would be murdered either way and planned an escape instead. He then helped Stark keep the Iron Man Mark I suit he was making a secret from their captor, Raza, and assisted him in its creation. When Tony asked about Yinsen's family, Yinsen merely noted, "I will see them when I leave this place." Yinsen also pointed out the damage wreaked upon the region by the terrorists, using Stark's own weapons, and asked if this is what he wished "the legacy of the great Tony Stark" to be. During the escape he was killed while attempting to stall the guards long enough to buy Stark enough time to charge the suit. In his dying breath, Yinsen told Stark "Don't waste your life."

Relationships

 * Iron Man - Fellow Captive and Friend
 * Raza - Enemy

​Trivia

 * In the comics, Yinsen is Chinese, while in the movie continuity he's Afghan.
 * Yinsen's relationship with Stark mirrors Captain America's with Abraham Erskine.