Project P.R.O.T.E.A.N.

""Picotech Regenerative Ordnance with a Tactically Evolving Adaptation Network." It means intelligent machines. On the scale of an atom. They regenerate or modify whatever they're built for. At the time I killed the programme, that meant weapons."

- Tony Stark

Project P.R.O.T.E.A.N. (Picotech Regenerative Ordnance with a Tactically Evolving Adaptation Network) was a project developed by Stark Industries. The aim of the project was to create intelligent machines that could regenerate or odify whatever they were built for. It was shut down after being categorized as questionable and dangerous. After his dismissal from Stark Industries, Kearson DeWitt revived the project at A.I.M..

Early Days
Stark Industries developed Project P.R.O.T.E.A.N. with the intention of creating intelligent machines that could regenerate or odify whatever they were built for. At the time, this was weapons. However, the project was later deemed questionable and dangerous, and was shut down. Kearson DeWitt, who had worked in the Stark Industries Theoretical Weapons Division and been one of the original engineers on the Arc Reactor prototype, continued to work on Project P.R.O.T.E.A.N. and refused to stop allocating resources to it. For this reason, he was fired by Tony Stark.

Revival
After being dismissed from Stark Industries, DeWitt was recruited by A.I.M., who tasked them to their own Iron Man project. Using their resources, he revived Project P.R.O.T.E.A.N. and evolved it into Project Ultimo and Operation Daybreak.