Tony Stark: A Life in Pictures

A photo album chronicling the life of Tony Stark. The photos are as follows:

1. Tony’s birth: Which adds that Howard Stark’s company was America’s largest supplier of munitions. It also mentions Howard’s high ambitions for Tony.[1]

2. Tony’s early childhood: Which is described as turbulent due to Howard Stark’s alcoholism and pressure for his son to be anything more than a bookworm.[2]

3. Tony Age 5: Notes that the child had become reclusive due to his father’s oppression. It was during this time he developed an aptitude for building things.

4. Tony Age 7: States that Howard sent his son to private school, much to the dismay of his mother, Maria Stark. Also notes that Tony had developed a strong relationship with Edwin Jarvis, the Stark’s butler.

5. Tony in Private School: Young Stark developed an interest in reading about the Arthurian legend as well as modern science.[3]

6. Teenaged Tony: States that Howard Stark allowed his son to return home as a teenager until he started dating Meredith McCall, the daughter of a business rival. Howard forbade the relationship and both the elder Stark and McCall shipped their children off to schools overseas to break them up.[4]

7. Tony’s graduation: States that Tony was a prodigy and graduated from MIT with double majors in physics and engineering while still a teenager.[5]

8. Adult Tony Partying: It is stated here that during this period Tony lived a life of leisure and partied and needed direction in his life.[6]

9. The automobile accident that claimed the lives of his parents.[7]

10. Tony becomes CEO of Stark Industries.

11. Tony makes a trip to Southeast Asia to visit one of Stark Industries’ plants in the region.[8]

12. Tony ended up stepping on a trip mine and got shrapnel lodged in his heat. He was then captured by the local warlord Wong Chu and force to work.

13. With the help of Ho Yinsen, Stark built his first suit of Iron Man armor. Yinsen sacrificed his life so that Tony Stark could break free defeat Wong Chu. He was later rescued from the jungles by Jim Rhodes.[9]

14. Tony Stark is heavily involved in “early days” of the spy agency known as SHIELD.[10]

15. Within less than a decade, Stark had transformed his company to Stark International and abandoned making munitions for the government. The company had pivoted to developing advanced technology in fields other than warfare.[11]

16. Tony losing it all: Explains the hostile take over of Stark International by Obadiah Stane, and Tony’s downward spiral into alcoholism that left him homeless.[12]

17. The foundation of Circuits Maximus: Details how Tony cleaned himself up and started this brand new enterprise.[13]

18. Stark reclaiming his fortune and starting Stark Enterprises.[14]

19. The Armor Wars: Tony Stark, as Iron Man, went on a mission to brick all stolen Starktech that was being used without his authorization. States here that Tony faked Iron Man’s death afterwards and claimed to the public that there was a new man in the armor.[15]

20. Tony Stark crippled: Mentions how Tony was confined to a wheelchair when he was shot by jilted lover, Kathy Dare. Tony’s health deteriorated to the point where he had to go into suspended animation until a cure for his condition was found.[16]

21. The betrayal of Tony Stark: Tony was revealed to be a sleeper agent for Kang the Conqueror. When he betrayed the Avengers, the team recruited his younger self to help stop him. In the end, the elder Stark regained control of his mind and sacrificed himself to stop Kang’s plan.[17]

Continuity Notes

1. At the time of this story, Tony believes that Howard and Maria Stark are his biological parents. However, in Iron Man (vol. 5) #17 it is revealed that Tony was adopted. International Iron Man #5-7, his parents are revealed to be SHIELD Agents Amanda Armstrong and a man known only as Jude. The Starks had one child prior to adopting Tony, Arno Stark, who was born disabled and hidden away from public view as detailed in Iron Man (vol. 3) #12-17. One could assume that this photo is of Arno instead of Tony.

2. The revelation that Howard Stark was an alcoholic was first made in Iron Man #313.

3. Tony’s talents for building things since he was a young child, and his time in private school as a boy were first chronicled in Iron Man #288.

4. Tony’s doomed relationship with Meredith McCall was first told in Iron Man #28.

5. Tony’s education wasn’t just at MIT (first referenced in Avengers: Timeslide #1), but also Cal-Poly Technical Institute (Iron Man #318), and he later attended Oxford (Indestructable Hulk Annual #1)

6. This statement is not entirely true, as Tony has since been depicted building inventions for the military as early as 19 years old (Iron Man (vol. 4) #1). His inventiveness got him invited to the Future Symposium when he was still a young man, as seen in Invincible Iron Man #501. One could assume that Tony just wasn’t applying himself and inventing wasn’t his central focus.

7. The apparent death of Tony’s parents in an automobile accident was first referenced in Iron Man #288. Iron Man: The Iron Age #1 goes on to state that the “accident” was intentionally caused by Republic Oil & Gas (later known as Roxxon). However, S.H.I.E.l.D. #5 reveals that Howard Stark was a member of the secret order known as the Brotherhood of Shield. In that story, it was revealed that they had a plan to fake Howard’s death in a car accident should they need him to disappear from the public eye. That said, as of this writing (January, 2023) it has not been verified if this was actually the case.

8. The man greeting Tony at the airport in this photo is Toshi Kanada, as per Iron Man #267-268.

9. This of course retells Iron Man’s origin circa Tales of Suspense #39. Although Jim Rhodes’ involvement his escape from the jungles wasn’t told until Iron Man #144.

10. Strange Tales #135 set the idea that SHIELD was a brand new organization that Tony Stark helped build from the ground up. This was also expanded upon in Fury #1. However, many later stories starting with Original Sins #5 reveal that SHIELD actually existed as far back as 1966. History of the Marvel Universe #2 clarifies that SHIELD was a covert agency that wasn’t known to the general public. This was until the Modern Age when the version that Tony helped create was a public incarnation of the agency.

11. Tony veered his company was from munitions in Iron Man #48. He later renamed his company from Stark Industries to Stark International in Iron Man #73. By “less than a decade”, the Sliding Timescale dictates that Stark had made all these changes in his company in about five years since he took over as CEO.

12. Tony first admitted he was an alcoholic in Iron Man #128, and vowed to remain sober. That wasn’t to last. Obadiah Stane’s hostile take over and Tony’s spiral into alcoholism was chronicled in Iron Man #167-182.

13. Tony decided to go clean and sober in Iron Man #182 after a near death experience. He was convinced by Morley and Clytemnestra Erwin to found Circuits Maximus with them in Iron Man #184. The company opened for business in issue #188, the business didn’t last long as it was destroyed in Iron Man #199.

14. Tony regained his fortune after a final battle with Obadiah Stane in which Stane committed suicide in Iron Man #200. With his regained fortune, Stark Enterprises was founded and opened for business in Iron Man #217.

15. Armor Wars took place in Iron Man #225-232 and Captain America #340. The need to fake Iron Man’s death was due to the fact that he also went after government and foreign operatives that were using stolen Starktech, making his alter-ego a global fugitive.

16. Mentions how Tony’s damaged heart was repaired years earlier. That was in Iron Man #19. Tony’s spinal injury is a long winded affair and this paragraph glosses over the complex nature of the situation. Tony was shot through the spine by Kathy Dare in Iron Man #242. He regained his mobility thanks to an experimental bio-chip in issue #248. However, corporate rivals used this bio-chip to try and hack Tony’s body. In breaking free from this control, Tony’s central nervous system was left in ruins, as seen in Iron Man #259-266. With his health continuing to deteriorate, Tony faked his death and went into cryogenic suspension in Iron Man #284. A cure and his restoration happened in issue #289, however he would not regain full mobility until he underwent drastic physiotherapy. He regained his ability to walk in Iron Man #300.

17. Another overly complicated series of events. This all happened during The Crossing event. Tony was revealed to be a traitor in Avengers: The Crossing #1, his allies found out in Iron Man #323. Young Tony was recruited from the past in Avengers: Timeslide #1. Stark later sacrificed his life in Avengers #395. However, Tony will be resurrected following the events of Onslaught: Marvel Universe #1, as explained in Avengers Annual 2001. Young Tony gets merged with his older self in the process. Per Marvel Legacy: The 1990s Handbook #1, when the Avengers plucked young Tony from the past it created a divergent reality that has been indexed as Reality-96020.

Topical References

• The note on Tony’s “birth” photo states that Howard was the leading manufacturer during the Cold War. This should be considered topical as it suggests that Tony was born during the Cold War.

Milestones

A listing of Iron Man’s milestone stories over the years at the time of publication. Issues include:

Tales of Suspense #39, 40, 45-48, 50, 52, 56-57, 59, 62, 68, 70, 75, 77, 85, 95, 97, Iron Man #12, 17, 19, 21-22, 27-28, 31, 33, 46, 96, 102-103, 107, 116-118, 120, 124-126, 128, 139, 143, 150, 163, 167, 169-171, 173, 182, 188, 191, 193, 199-200, 202, 214, 216-217, 219, 223, 225, 229, 231, 233, 242-244, 248, 250, 258, 275, 282, 284, 288, 290, 291, 300, 310, 317, 325, Avengers: Timeslide #1, Avengers #395, Age of Innocence: The Rebirth of Iron Man #1, Iron Man #326, 329-330, Onslaught: Marvel Universe #1.

Armors

A showcase of the various suits of armor that Iron Man had worn over they years. This was before they were given specific model numbers, I have referenced them which model number in brackets.

The original gray armor (Model 1), the golden armor (Model 1, Mark 3), the proto-classic armor (Model 2), the classic armor (Model 3), the space armor (Model 5), the stealth armor (Model 7), the silver armor (Model 8), the deep sea armor (Model 6), the new red & gold armor (Model 9), the new space armor (Model 10), War Machine (Model 11), remote-controlled armor (Model 12), the modular armor (Model 13) the Hulkbuster armor (modified Model 13), the Retro Armor (not given a model number, used by Teen Tony in Iron Man #325).

The Company He Keeps

Profiles of the various companies that Tony Stark has owned over the years including Stark Industries/International, Circuits Maximus, and Stark Enterprises.

Stark’s Staff

Brief profiles on various Stark employees and their roles at the various companies he held. They include Virginia “Pepper” Potts, Harold “Happy” Hogan, Abraham Klein, Anton Vanko, Krissy Longfellow, Eddie March, Kevin O’Brien, Bethany Cabe, Bambi Arbogast, Victor Martinelli, Yvette Avril, Artemus Pithins, James Rhodes, Carl Walker, Scott Lang, Erica Sondheim, Morley Erwin, Abe Zimmer, Clytemnestra Erwin, Bertram Hindel, Marcy Pearson, Felix Alvarez, Phillip “Raven” Grant, and Roderick Withers.

Iron Man’s Greatest Foes

Self-explanatory, lists the Mandarin, Crimson Dynamo, Justin Hammer, Blacklash, Blizzard, the Controller, the Unicorn, Dreadknight, the Living Laser, the Ghost, and Kang the Conqueror.

Scary Monsters

Lists the various monsters, creatures and aliens Tony has fought over the years. Includes Fin Fang Foom, the Freak, and Ultimo.

Dead Foes of Iron Man

Identifies Iron Man enemies who (at the time of publication) were listed as being among the deceased. This list includes Firebrand, the original Spymaster (revealed to have faked his death later in Dark Reign: Made Men #1), Obadiah Stane, the original Black Knight, the Bulski and Gremlin Titanium Men (Bulski was revealed to have survived in Iron Man (vol. 3) #49), MODOK (who was resurrected in Avengers #387 and is here in error), and the Melter.

Iron Man’s Lamest Foes

Pretty self-explanatory, lists Mordecai Midas, Gargantus, the Chessmen, Quasar the Future Man, Black Lama, Mister Doll, the Termite, and Vibro.

Many Loves of Tony Stark

A peak into Tony Stark’s little black book which includes Pepper Potts, Natasha Romanov (aka the Black Widow), Whitney Frost (aka Madame Masque), Janice Cord, Meredith McCall, Marianne Rodgers, Roxanne Gilbert, Bethany Cabe, Indries Moomji, Janet Van Dyne (aka the Wasp), Heather Glenn, Clytemnestra Morley, Gretl Anders (gross), Brie Daniels, Rae LaCoste, Kathy Dare, Su Yin, Joanne Nivena, Veronica Benning, and Kris Degann.

Tony’s Homes and Gardens

The many properties owned by Tony Stark including Stark Manor/Avengers Mansion, Stark House in Long Island, his Manhattan penthouse, his home in Southern California, Villa Mi Casa in the Caribbean, and the Hawthorne Building penthouse on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.

Those Who Wore the Armor

Another list, this time of others who have worn Iron Man’s armor. This list includes Happy Hogan, Eddie March, Michael O’Brien, Jim Rhodes, Carl Walker, Bethany Cabe, Valentin Shatalov, and the AI known as VOR/TEX. (Good luck reading the captions on this page, hope they fired the page designer who though it was a good idea to put black text on a black backdrop.)

Stark’s Inventions

A page detailing the various inventions of Tony Stark including the Life Model Decoy*, the HOMER and PLATO artificial intelligence systems, SHIELD’s flying cars, the Jupiter Landing Vehicle, the Stark Space Station, the Enervator Intensifier, Hand-Held Cobalt Super-Weapon, Nuclear-Powered Earth Borer, the Centrifugal Force Ray Projector, and the Cosmic Ray Intensifier.

* Although Stark is credited for their creation in Strange Tales #135. It’s later revealed in were actually ancient inventions of Leonardo Da Vinci. Their invention dates back to the Renaissance period, as per Secret Warriors #26. One could assume that the present day Life Model Decoys were designed by Stark. Either Stark stole credit, or was manipulated into thinking he created LMD technology.

Stark of the Future

A list of individuals or organizations in possible future timelines that are new incarnations of Iron Man, or Stark related properties. This list was compiled before reality numbers were assigned to them. I have included the reality numbers in brackets. These identifiers can be found in either Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Alternate Realities 2005 #1, or Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #1-5.

The Stark (Earth-691), Iron Man 2022 (Earth-8410, the year he exists should be considered topical now), Iron Man 2093 (Earth-8912), Stark-Fujikawa (Earth-928)

Young Tony Stark

A profile on the Teenaged Tony Stark from Reality-96020.

Armor Comparissons

Compares Iron Man’s technology against competing suits of armor including those worn by the Crimson Dynamo, Doctor Doom, Firepower, Force, the Guardsman, Iron Monger, the Mauler, Sunturion, and Titanium Man.

Iron Man’s Most Embarrassing Armor Improvements

A list of gadgets added to Iron Man’s arsenal that have not aged very well. This includes his jet skates, the horn and rivet designs to past helmets, and the “iron snozzle”, aka the time Stark build a helmet that had a nose.