Iron Man

IRON MAN

Real Name: Anthony Edward “Tony” Stark



Alias: Iron Man



Identity: Public



Age: 45



Species: Human


Physical Appearance: Tony is considered by most to be exceptionally handsome with short black hair, a dazzling smile, and his trademark goatee. His style is reminiscent of the golden age of Hollywood, but with modern flair. He’s equally comfortable in casual attire (often with the addition of a classic rock band T-shirt) as he is expensive tailor made suits of the highest quality. Perhaps to augment his activities as a superhero or simply to help with the strain of wearing heavy armor he keeps in fairly descent shape.




When not clad in the finest threads money can buy, he suits up as Iron Man. Each suit of armor has its own purpose and aesthetic, but they often follow a common theme. The helmets tends to sport a grimace thanks to a downward turned mouth slit, the eyes and various other hard points along the body glow with energy, and the arc reactor in the chest shines brightly. Though not true of all models, most armors have a red and gold color scheme and make Stark resemble a futuristic robot.


Personality: Billionaire, playboy, and philanthropist. All are apt descriptions of who Tony Stark is, yet none fully embrace the complexity of the man. A genius mechanical engineer he has long used his gifts (even while being a weapons developer) to create devices and technology that would change the world for the betterment of all mankind. His successes and the fact that he is typically the smartest person in the room have also led to him having a massive ego with narcissistic tendencies. Being rich and powerful he enjoys the perks that go along with it and for a very long time was a self-centered womanizing jerk. His stubbornness in matters usually means he must learn the hard way that he is wrong before he ever even considers the opinions of others. He is also rather eccentric, prone to rash behavior and OCD like traits that further separate him from other people.


Having lost his parents, living in his father’s shadow, and never really feeling loved by his father Howard, he has allowed work to fill the void always working to keep a safe distance between himself and those who would want to get close. This means he will often sabotage his own relationships to avoid having to be truly open with friends or lovers. Since he does not trust easily, he was and still is to some degree, prone to working alone and tackling issues solo rather than have to rely on a team (though he has grown in recent years.) He is also known to respond to things, friends, and foes, in a snarky manner which only adds to the image that he is arrogant beyond belief.



Despite his less tasteful personality traits, Tony has a heart of gold. Many of his problems, self-made though they are, come from caring too much. He sees problems and he wants to fix them. A futurist he believes he can see where the future is heading and likes to prevent problems before they arise, creating solutions to issues that don’t yet exist. He has a soft spot for kids since his own childhood was not normal and is fiercely loyal to those few people he considers friends and family. Often it is this drive to do good and to save people that forces him to make hard decisions others cannot or won’t. Coupled with his guilt over his technology being used to bring harm to innocents Stark can see a great deal but is often blinded to simple truths, making him his own worst enemy.



Powers: Stark lacks any natural or supernatural powers, relying instead on his intellect and his armors.


Abilities:

Genius- Tony is one of the smartest people alive. A prodigy mechanical engineer he can design complex machinery often with limited supplies, invent new and ever more powerful technologies, and can hack nearly any system imaginable. A scientist knowledgeable in many fields he has at least a working understanding of many different types of scientific study and theories and is more than capable and willing to learn anything he may not fully understand.


Master Businessman- Tony took over Stark Industries at a young age where he proved that he is not just an inventor, but also a shrewd businessman able to negotiate and maneuver the political waters with the best of them, while remaining profitable.


Martial Artist- Tony has been trained in hand-to-hand combat by the likes of Captain America, Happy Hogan, and Phil Coulson. While he has grown as a fighter and is able to defend himself moderately well, he is far from a master combatant.


Pilot- He has an aptitude for operating machines and that extends to many vehicles be their airborne or otherwise.


Weapons/Equipment:



Iron Man Armors- Tony had (on his Earth) many, many armors with different functions and purposes. He has only two armors presently, though he is going about recreating his suits and developing newer designs on the New Earth. While each armor is unique, they all share some common traits that spring from being powered by Arc Reactor Technology and each grants Stark amazing abilities. On occasion he will also carry with him pieces of the the Iron Man Tech such as a bracelet that turns into a gauntlet/repulsor combo or one that allows suits to hone in on his location.


Repulsors- particle beam weapons fired from the palms of the hand, the force levels of these can range from enough to disable living targets to cutting through metal and rock. They can be neutralizing or lethal depending on the need.

Flight- Repulsor technology allows Iron Man to fly, reaching speeds sufficient to cross the country in short order. Flight is achieved via thrusters in the boots, the repulsor gauntlets, and hard points along the armor.

Unibeam- most power reroutes to the chest mounted Arc Reactor and fires a devastatingly powerful beam.


Various Weaponry- from tactical smart guns in the shoulders and bunker buster missiles in the wrists to high-powered one off lasers and plasma bolts the armors are a walking arsenal. Some even sport an energized blade in the gauntlet or magnetized beams capable of disarming gunmen.

Strength Enhancement- most suits allow him to lift in excess of 100 tons, with strength levels depending on how much power is being fed to what systems at any given time.


Self Contained Life Support- The armor blocks out chemical attacks, has its own air supply allowing Tony to go underwater, blocks radiation, and some suits can even allow for space travel.


Durability- The suits can take physical attacks from many superhuman enemies, survive direct hits from most conventional weaponry, and even has minor shields meant to disperse energy based attacks. They are also capable of surviving most environmental extremes. Energy conversion abilities also allow the armor to recharge from various sources.


A.I. OS- Artificial Intelligence Operating Systems such as JARVIS assist in giving battlefield readings, collating data from media sources, suggesting tactics, monitoring suit integrity, switching vision modes, linking Stark to his base of operations, and operating sensor arrays.

History:

“Is it better to be respected or feared? I say…is it too much to ask for both?”

Tony Stark was a billionaire playboy and entrepreneur living up to his father’s legacy as the most prolific weapons designer in the world. While in Afghanistan showing off his newest weapon, the destructive Jericho missile system, Tony’s convoy was attacked. Injured by one of his own weapons and taken hostage he awoke in a cave to find himself at death’s door, with shrapnel inching ever closer to his heart and the terrorist organization known as the Ten Rings demanding he build them Jericho Missiles. With the help of fellow captive Ho Yinsen he developed his first miniaturized Arc Reactor to help keep the shrapnel from entering his heart and to power the Mark I Iron Man armor they had constructed in secret. Changed by his experience he shut down Stark Industries’ weapons development division, perfected the Iron Man armor, and uncovered a plot to take over his company and sell his weapons to the highest bidder. Defeating traitor and long time family friend Obadiah Stane and his Iron Monger armor, Stark shocked the world when he ignored the cover story provided by S.H.I.E.L.D. and revealed that he was indeed Iron Man.

“The truth is…I am Iron Man.”

Following his announcement that he was indeed the man in the armor, Stark’s popularity soared. A fan favorite, the public ate up his every move and appearance and thrilled to the sight of Tony refusing to give his armor to the government. While it did seem that he and longtime assistant Pepper Potts were growing closer, Stark even signing the company over to her, he was having a personal crisis as he was dying from palladium poisoning, the key element in his Arc Reactor. Adding to that his fear of Arc Reactor technology getting out in the world, courtesy of Ivan Vanko, the son of the man who worked with Stark’s father Howard on researching the Tesseract, and Stark began to give into his vices, especially heavy drinking. Either because he feared Stark would harm people or via Tony’s manipulating him into believing it, long time friend Col. James Rhodes took his Mark II suit. Business competitor and Vanko co-conspirator Justin Hammer altered the suit allowing Rhodes to become War Machine.

Only the intervention of Nick Fury, forcing Stark to look closer at his father’s work, enabled Tony to create a new element that stabilized the Arc Reactor and did not poison him. This allowed Iron Man to save the crowd at the reestablished Stark Expo from an army of armed forces drones and a hacked system War Machine armor. Together, Tony and Rhodey defeated Whiplash (Vanko) and Hammer was arrested.

“I already told you I don’t want to join your super secret boy band.”

Tony, deemed ineligible for Fury’s Avenger’s Initiative, was instead brought on as a consultant. Helping S.H.I.E.L.D. develop better technology and advising on how to handle the then recent Hulk incident, Tony was not content to be a consultant began to look at solutions to help the world. These included a sustainable energy initiative and weather manipulating technology meant to bring much needed rain to drought stricken areas. Both were hijacked for nefarious means by others. Responding to a mysterious attack on the Stark Data Spire, a massive database that also housed an early copy of JARVIS’ code, he found agents of Roxxon stealing as much data as possible. Working with S.H.I.E.L.D. and War Machine to retrieve the data, he uncovered a plot involving former Soviet General Shatalov to build a suit of armor called the Crimson Dynamo. Shatalov however was merely being used as a pawn by Kearson Dewitt, a former Stark employee who proceeded to combine JARVIS' code with his own PROTEAN project, fusing with the program to become ULTIMO. ULTIMO, utilizing Stark plans for a Climate Control device to weaponize the sky itself, began to spread across every system in the world. Only the combined efforts of Iron Man, War Machine, and Nick Fury managed to stop the crazed A.I.

The entire incident left Tony in a dark place, his inventions once again being used to harm innocent people. 


The return of Loki to Earth and his stealing of the Tesseract led to the emergency formation of the Avengers. Tony, not a team player had issues with his fellow heroes almost immediately. Coupled with the machinations of Loki to have them tear each other apart from within, the team seemingly fell apart before it could really begin. Not until the death of SHIELD Agent Phil Coulson did the group truly cooperate. Coming together as a team just in time to face the Chitauri invasion, Stark played an integral role in stopping the aliens and saving NYC by redirecting a nuclear missile into a wormhole, destroying the Chitauri fleet and nearly killing himself in the process. It proved that the man was not as much a machine as his suit was, that he was indeed willing to sacrifice all in order to save the world.

“Nothing’s been the same since New York.”

Following the Battle of New York, Tony began suffering from panic attacks and PTSD-like symptoms. He barely slept, focusing on building increasingly complex armors, drinking heavily, and worrying constantly about the return of the alien threat…or something worse. His obsessive behavior and drunken escapades put increasing pressure on his relationship with Pepper and it only increased when Aldrich Killian and Maya Hansen, scientists he knew years before, attempted to get Stark Industries to cooperate with Killian’s think tank Advance Idea Mechanics.

AIM however was behind the false terrorist attacks perpetrated by Killian through his puppet actor pretending to be the legendary Mandarin. Hansen’s attempt to improve mankind through her flawed Extremis project led to Pepper being kidnapped, Tony’s house being destroyed, and President Ellis being abducted in a scheme to give Killian control of and profit from world wide conflict. Throughout the ordeal Tony proved that he was Iron Man, with or without the armor, getting by on his own smarts until he activated the House Party Protocol that destroyed all of his suits. With the crutch of his armor gone and having nearly lost Pepper, Tony faced his fears and finally had the shrapnel removed from his chest allowing the arc reactor to be a tool he used rather than something that was a part of him. 

Choosing to focus on curing Pepper from the effects of Extremis and to face his demons head on, Tony took a break, leaving War Machine/Iron Patriot as something of a temporary replacement until he could suit up once again.

“I see a suit of armor around the world.”

Despite  still struggling with his addiction and fear, Tony was forced back into action after HYDRA's infiltration of S.H.I.E.L.D. came to light. While helping the Avengers mop up HYDRA cells worldwide he also began seeking ways to protect the entire planet. These plans meant a system, linked to his Iron Legion drones, to one day retire the Avengers and prevent disasters world wide. He found what he needed when the Avengers raided the last remaining Hydra base to retrieve Loki’s scepter. Little did Stark know that an apocalyptic vision of the future induced by Scarlet Witch and the discovery of an infinity stone within the scepter would lead to him and Bruce Banner creating the murderous A.I. Ultron.

Following the Ultron incident in which he took over Sokovia via the Iron Legion and nearly destroyed the world, Tony finally realized just how irresponsible he was. The massive casualties, the haunting vision, knowing that he was nearly responsible for the very thing he was trying to prevent, and a break-up with Pepper left Tony a more introspective man looking to take responsibility for his actions. This led to his supporting the Sokovia Accords which called for the Avengers to be placed under the command of the United Nations. His support of the move and his demand that the Winter Soldier be handed over caused a rift within the Avengers, with some signing up with Tony and others supporting Captain America and his anti-registration forces. With dark truths revealed and the team fractured and in the wind, Tony sank further into depression and reverted to isolating himself from others.



Weaknesses:

Man in a Can- at the end of the day, for all his power in the suit, Tony is a man wearing mechanized armor. He can be thrown around and injured inside it and can be killed the same as any man when not wearing it. Furthermore each suit, while impressive, has vulnerabilities. those with super strength can and have damaged them beyond repair or destroyed specific systems aboard them.


Heart of the Machine- the Arc Reactor is key to each and every function of an Iron Man suit. If it is damaged or stressed beyond the capabilities of a suit certain weapons and features may not work, may work incorrectly, or may require more power than is available. If the Arc Reactor dies completely the suit too is dead.


The Demon in the Bottle- Tony is an alcoholic thus the temptation is always there.


Nightmares- Stark is scared, so much so that it is starting to control his life. He fears falling off the wagon. He fears not being able to save the world because he is not smart enough. He worries all the time that his technology will end up in the hands of those who would use it for evil and that the end of the world he so fears will be brought about by his actions or inventions. As a futurist and a genius he also knows that there is always somebody smarter and someone working on similar concepts, so the idea of becoming obsolete and out of date (both personally and his armor) scares the hell out of him. Every since The Battle of New York he has been prone to panic attacks when overwhelmed with too many unknowns or reminders that he may not be as invincible as he likes to think he is.


A Pretty Face- attractive women drive Tony to distraction and on more than one occasion have nearly been his undoing.


His Own Worst Enemy- Tony is arrogant and egotistical and a wise opponent can exploit this while these traits may work towards driving away potential allies.


Other Information: While primarily based upon the MCU version of Iron Man, there are aspects used from the comics that help round out the characters more. For instance, I am including a version of his the “Demon in a Bottle” arc (assuming it blended into the Iron Man 3 movie) so as to address his alcoholism in a more direct manner than the movies ever have. Also, elements of the Iron Man 2 tie-in game have been mixed in to help fill in some gaps and to explain his transition to the New Earth.

OOC Information

OOC Name: Rift

Face Claim: Robert Downey Jr./MCU Iron man