How Iron Man Was Created

Sixty years ago, Iron Man first appeared in the pages of Tales of Suspense. Since then, he’s become a cornerstone of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. To celebrate his birthday, let’s take a look back at how this iconic hero was created.

Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Larry Lieber collaborated on the hero’s debut. Stan served as editor and story-plotter, while Kirby provided the cover and art. Lee’s younger brother, Larry, was also a part of the team, writing many stories and drawing a few well-known characters, including Spider-Man and Thor.

The first time we see the character, he’s flying down a canyon to meet with his estranged father. The camera lingers on the old man’s hands, which are visibly shaking. This is the first sign of what the character would go on to do for decades: inspire awe in people, and sometimes frighten them.

After the end of the Cold War, the world grew increasingly tense and dangerous. Seeing this, Stark built the repulsor system to protect those most vulnerable. The technology is incredibly powerful, and it can even withstand nuclear attack. Initially, Stark used it to defend his own home, but then began using it to help the world.

When Tony first created the armor, he chose to keep his identity as Iron Man a secret. He feared that his genius could be exploited, and he wanted to use it to better society. However, after he stopped an outbreak of lions and tigers at a circus, his date, Joanna Nivena, encouraged him to use the armor to save lives, revealing that her husband was the hero.

Over the next few years, Iron Man battled new and old enemies, including terrorist groups and government agencies. But the most significant threat came from the Mandarin, who regained the power of his ten rings and resurfaced with a deadly scheme.

During this time, the hero also teamed up with Phil Coulson to form S.H.I.E.L.D., a task force that has helped him battle his various adversaries.

In the film, Tony’s tech company is named Stark Solutions. And the timeline is rock solid; we know that it’s 2008 because of a TV display in his mansion, which lists May 4 as the date. It’s not as clean as a title card or spoken dialogue, but it’s a good anchor point for the rest of the movie’s chronology.

The most notable difference between the film and the comics is that it updates the technology for the era in which it’s set. For instance, MySpace is referenced several times throughout the film. Of course, by the time the film was released in 2010, MySpace was pretty much dead. This is one of the few nitpicks we’ll make, but it still feels appropriate. It’s the same year that Marvel made a movie about Facebook, after all.