Today, billionaires such as Jeff Bezos are hated by the masses; billionaires are heavily criticized and hated for doing unreasonable things with their money. Even though becoming a billionaire is a dream that many hope to achieve, in reality, many fall short. Billionaires are perceived as self-centered, unsympathetic to others, and unrelatable to the common people. In the superhero universe, many billionaires are portrayed and Tony Stark is one of them. Because of this, it would be insightful to think that Mr.Stark is hated because of these characteristics, however, it is quite the opposite. This leaves us wondering: why is Tony Stark loved, even though he portrays the same characteristics as realistic billionaires?
Anthony Tony Stark, an industrial billionaire superhero, was created in 1963 by Stan Lee and first appears in Tales of Suspense #39 where he first becomes Iron Man. Within Tony Stark’s creation, Stan Lee admits that Iron Man was introduced during the Cold War and wanted to make a superhero that nobody would like but would make them by “shoving it down their throats” (Mcguire). Lee ultimately made a character that represents and incorporates military and war, which were both things people hated at the time (Mcguire). In 2008, Tony Stark’s character was reintroduced into a live-action film, featuring actors such as Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow. Well-liked, this movie became a hit that eventually turned into a well-known series throughout the globe.
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With Tony Stark introduced in the 1960s during the Vietnam and Cold War era, his portrayal and influence on its viewers were much different than the Tony Stark we know today. In Tony Stark’s first stand-alone comic the Invincible Iron Man Vol.1, he is portrayed as invincible - nothing can affect nor harm him; he destroys his enemies showing no weakness. In a time where mental health and weakness were taboo to talk about, Tony Stark was created in just this way to have no weaknesses or struggles to show how humanity ran in that era. It wasn’t until later in the development of the series that his problems started to be uncovered as he faced emotional manipulation from Obidah Stane - his old business partner - Tony being framed for murder, and the national security agency attempting to buy his company and gain his military secrets. These all resulted in him being drawn to alcohol just like his father as he grew addicted to helping him face his demons. He overcame all these challenges, defeated Stane, and built himself back up (Defalco 190-191). His overcoming these struggles helped play a role in his comeback story and helped him gain some popularity and likeability among his viewers. Finally, in the early 21st century his identity was revealed inside the comics vanquishing the theory of Iron Man being Tony Stark’s secret alter-ego.
With the start of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Tony Stark is reintroduced as a more relatable, likable, and authentic type of character with many flaws from the start. Robert Downey Jr, who plays Iron Man, ultimately changes his character into the captivating character we know and praise today. “Downey Jr’s effortless charisma, charm, and cheeky demeanor made him the perfect Tony Stark for over a decade”(Fisher). Downey Jr. gives his own special effect to the films that keep the viewer engaged and seeking more. He portrays Tony Stark as “really anything but invincible where he often faces internal struggles such as depression, anxiety, and an alcohol problem”(Thomas). This is something that viewers like because they feel like they are able to connect and relate with the authenticity of the characters with all their imperfections and problems that everyone else faces. Just like in the comics a great role in his story is his comeback story even though he has made many disastrous mistakes he still makes up for it by saving the day, getting his redemption, and ultimately making the audience love him even though he has many wrongs. He shows this through compassion towards others at times and goes from being self-centered to doing what he can to save the world. In Avengers: Endgame, Tony Stark exhibits this when he gets Thanos’s infinity gauntlet and snaps, defeating Thanos and saving the world. This was his greatest sacrifice as it ends up killing the beloved character, Iron Man. This left Marvel fans in tears as they saw one of their favorite characters die in a blink of an eye. Introducing humor was also something that shifted the portrayal of Stark as it set up a representation that Stark is a more genuine, relaxed type of guy instead of this formal uptight guy as seen in the comics compared to the film series.
Technology is what makes Tony Stark who he is, it has shaped him into the most known techno billionaire in the film world but also has had many influences in reality. Through technological innovation, Stark has been able to keep what holds him at such high social status and without this innovation, he would have nothing. Iron man suits and technology are often attempted to be made and replicated, however, some completely fail and some find some success. One of the best replicas of the iron man suit comes from Frank Pillar, an Air Force technical sergeant, and a skilled mechanic. He spent thousands of hours of work and research on his replica which led to the success of his Iron Man suit. While his suit “isn’t meant for the battlefield” it is still completely wearable and has many cool functions and is made from 3D printing parts (Clark). Without the Tony Stark character, some technological advances in the real world may not have occurred which shows his great impact on technology around the world. Tony Stark’s technology is something people admire him for even though it is unreasonable and causes more harm than good. Even though most of the time billionaires are hated for their inherited money, Tony Stark is still able to be liked even though he has this unlikeable feature.
Market factors and political events have played a role in the creation and reintroduction of Iron Man as they were influences and inspirations. When Iron Man was originally created it was during the Vietnam era the peak of the cold war; this was a time people hated the military and war and Stark was just that but in a way, he also gave the readers an identity of the u.s war. During the financial crisis of 2008, marvel was in trouble finally so it took a risk with Iron Man and made a live-action film. Marvel especially took a big risk by casting Robert Downey Jr. to play stark as many thought he wouldn't play him as well as Tom Cruise would who was originally supposed to be Stark. Even Kevin Feige, the president of Marvel states that “ Robert Downey Jr was both the biggest risk and the most important thing in the founding of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (Desk). It is known that this risk paid off as Iron Man brought in 585 million dollars from the box office. The success of this movie is what began the amazing run marvel has been on as Iron Man truly revived the marvel franchise. People began to love Iron Man as he started to appear in more movies and become the face of marvel. Now looking at the post-911 influences on stark and his enterprise as well as the avengers. These effects are sometimes more under the surface of things than visible. Through Ilias Ben-Mna’s scholarly article, she discusses these events and their effects. She discusses how the location of New York City and the Stark Tower is being read as a reconstruction of the twin tower and the post-traumatic city. She firmly states that the first Avengers released in 2012 plays a role in the reconstruction of national strength and identity.
Overall Tony stark is not the best guy you will meet especially having many flaws and negative character traits but throughout the reintroduction of Iron Man in the cinematic universe, he has turned into one of the most loved superheroes. In the comic books, he wasn’t the most popular superhero and definitely not very loved but now with Robert Downey Jr starring as Tony Stark, he gains much popularity and love among the masses. Over the course of Tony Stark’s wealthy superhero legacy, he has come from a perfect, unlikeable, military superhero to a flawed, loved tech superhero.
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