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| Iron Man |
| Real Name: Anthony "Tony" Stark Powers: Iron Man's armor enables him to lift about 70 tons under standard operating conditions. The suit incorporates various offensive weapons, including repulsor blasters and a uni-beam, and grants its wearer a degree of invulnerability and the power of flight. History: Tony Stark -- brilliant industrialist, inventor and CEO of Stark Industries, a weapons and munitions enterprise -- was struck in the chest by shrapnel while tending to business interests abroad. Wounded, he was taken prisoner by the Asian warlord Wong Chu and coerced into developing a powerful weapon in exchange for an operation that would save his life. Instead, Stark erected a small laboratory with the help of fellow prisoner Ho Yinsen and realized the latter's design for an electrically powered, transistorized suit of iron armor equipped with heavy weaponry. Transformed thereafter into the invincible Iron Man, Stark defeated his captors. Having won his freedom, he went on the offensive -- exposing spies, bringing criminals to justice and opposing any individual or force representing a danger to national security. Stark was instrumental in establishing S.H.I.E.L.D. -- the Strategic Hazard Intervention Espionage Logistics Directorate, a worldwide intelligence and peacekeeping organization -- while Iron Man became a founding member of the Avengers, Earth's Mightiest Heroes. All the while, Stark was required to wear the armor's chest-plate to keep the shrapnel from stopping his heart. Wishing to retain a certain degree of anonymity, Stark devised a cover story that cast Iron Man as his paid bodyguard. Initially, he donned the armor solely to battle criminals who threatened Stark Industries. Stark matured into a true champion only when he realized his creation could serve the greater good. Since shedding his selfish preoccupation with the protection of his own interests, he has battled numerous foes as Iron Man -- including the Mandarin, the Iron Monger and Whiplash. But Stark's greatest nemesis has been alcoholism. A threatened takeover of Stark Industries, compounded by personal problems, led him to seek solace in a bottle. Although Stark managed to recover quickly from his first serious bout with alcohol abuse, the compulsion to drink remains a constant temptation. Through the years, Stark has refined the design of his armor. From a bulky, transistorized iron shell, he eventually evolved a relatively lightweight, integrated-circuit, magnetically polarized suit with human-looking, articulated musculature. However, Stark has retained possession of his outmoded armor and prototypes. One of his suits even became sentient and tried to replace him as Iron Man -- a battle that ended with Stark receiving a new mechanical heart. |
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