Happy Birthday, Tony Stark!

More than a year has passed since your arc concluded in the MCU, and I'm still not over it.

I have already expressed many, many feelings about you -- and will likely express many, many more each time I re-watch your movies in the future. Why? Because there's so much there.

I adore you because you're so deeply human. You have capital-I Issues. You don't process trauma well or trust others easily. Sometimes you get scared; sometimes you lose your temper. You make stupid mistakes. But all the while, you're trying.

And then there are the little things. Like the Christmas stocking you've kept for Jarvis. Or that ridiculous bunny. Or the fact that you talk to inanimate objects like they're people. Or the fact that you teach Nebula how to play paper football just because. When the defensive mask comes off, you're the biggest dork in the world.

And holy eff, do you love your friends and family! You will invite a terrorist to your home for a cage match to avenge a buddy's injury. And yes, that's you being an idiot -- but it's also the depth of your passion on full display.

As I once said in a YouTube video, your story of growth and redemption is one of the world's ur-stories. I think that's why I - and countless others - find it so deeply satisfying. We all need to hear that, no matter how far we've fallen, we can still change course -- and change the world.

So here's to you, Tony. You are a damned legend.

Video: Shocking News - People Like Good Characters

This video is excellent -- and not just because the Critical Drinker recognizes Tony Stark is amazingly well-written. ;) He's basically right about every character he discusses.

IMB, 2/2/20: Another Lovely Fanvid from the YT Wilds

This character will own my life for all time.

IMB, 12/18/19: Guilty Pleasures

Before Thanksgiving, I hadn't touched the Marvel Ultimates line at all. But now that I've read the two trades pictured above (which you can pick up here and here), I can finally say: I like them. They're the opposite of idealistic, but the art (at least in these volumes) is incredible, and the stories are solid.

They're definitely guilty pleasures if you're a Tony-stan, though. And I say this because - uh - Ults Tony is the most unapologetic playboy of all the versions of Tony that exist (as far as I know, anyway). Like I remarked on Facebook, if Ults Tony met 616 Tony and MCU Tony at a multidimensional shindig, he would playfully scold his counterparts for being too damned serious. (He would especially boggle at the domesticity of Endgame MCU Tony. Good grief!)

Ults Tony likes to fly around the city in his armor and wave at the "very, very pretty" office girls. He's also a heavy drinker -- but doesn't see it as a problem. Actually, he says at one point that vodka is an absolute necessity for the line of work he's chosen -- that he wouldn't have the nerve to climb into the armor if he weren't sloshed beforehand. And every time something remotely grim comes up - like his terminal cancer or Natasha betraying him - he flatly refuses to dwell on it.

No one would get away with writing a character like Ults Tony in Current Year. (Though, to be fair, I have my doubts that MCU or 616 would pass muster either.) Which just goes to show how joyless our current era is, really, because Ults Tony makes me laugh -- a lot. How could I not giggle at Tony singing drunkenly as he's picking enemies off during a battle, declaring that despite being utterly wasted, he's an excellent shot?

Plus, there's still something weirdly noble about Ults Tony -- even though, as his death approaches, he's firmly decided to pursue the CHIPS regimen (CHIPS: cocaine, Hawaii, intoxication, parties, and sex). He doesn't give up, for one. In his first major engagement in volume one, he gets physically and emotionally overwhelmed at one point. But when he sees how much the assembled crowd is depending on him to pull through and save the day, he gets right back up. The upshot? The guy does have depths. And he's admirably resilient.

Do I like Ults Tony as much as I like my sweet, tortured sons in the 616 and the MCU? Not yet. But he's roguishly lovable in his own way.

---

Bonus: Pallbearers, my fanfiction tribute to MCU Tony, is now complete.

IMB, 12/6/19: Crack! Glorious Crack!

So I was going to talk about the Millar/Hitch Ultimates this week -- but then the ever-helpful internet informed me of the existence of this:

Guys, guys: Let me tell you about this comic. This comic is the definition of "What the Actual Fuck?" It involves Guy Smith ("Mr. Sensitive") and our Tony battling it out to seize possession of this brain thing -- while in the nude.

You see, said brain thing has fallen into the territory of a religious nudist colony. So when Guy and Tony show up to retrieve it, the locals insist the heroes disrobe according to the colony's custom. But wait, wait, it gets even better! Naked Guy and naked Tony don't have access to their usual armaments (because, as we've established, they're naked), so they attack each other's physical weaknesses in what is, essentially, an extended slap fight. Guy has hypersensitive skin, so Tony tries to disable him by - well - poking him and throwing grass at his face. Guy, meanwhile, attacks Tony using pressure points that fuck with Tony's abused heart and liver.

Here's a sample of the dialogue I swear I'm not making up:

Guy: Take that!
Tony: Eat finger!
Guy: MY SKIN!
Tony: MY HEART!

And here's a real, totally-not-Photoshopped panel I captured from this issue for - er - reasons:

My God, I've never laughed so hard in all my life! I don't even know where the hell this came from, but it certainly brightened my day. Why not inflict it on all of you?

---

In other news, I've made quite a bit of progress on that fic I first posted before the Thanksgiving break. Chapters four through seven are now up!

IMB, 11/20/19: Another Writing Project!

Pallbearers

The rest of the world arrived at the ruins of the Avengers compound not long after the battle’s sudden end. CNN. MSNBC. Fox. Every local news outlet in the state of New York. Medical crews. And Damage Control, of course, to pick through whatever was left.

Some perfunctory interviews were conducted. Basic facts were laid out in clipped, hurried syllables for the curious, frightened reporters who gathered at the scene. Some of those reporters were left at a loss for words.

Everyone, it seemed, wanted to talk to Captain America. But the leader of the Avengers was no longer there. He had already left on a Quinjet with Pepper Potts-Stark and seven others. Seven volunteers for another mission.

Word rippled out into the ether: Iron Man had fallen. Tony Stark had died to save us all.

And eight witnesses wanted to help his wife bring him home.

--*--

Or: Ten reflections on a life.

Chapter One // Chapter Two // Chapter Three (Out of Ten Planned Chapters)

(Note: This is meant to be a character/relationship study and a more explicit opportunity to vent my feelings about Tony Stark and Endgame. 'Tis self-indulgent, I know, but I hope you'll bear with me while I work this through. ;))

IMB, 11/6/19: The Christian Lens

Looking at Tony Stark (MCU) through the Christian Lens
(Another post inspired by Doxacon)

On Sunday, I mentioned that the coherence of the MCU's Infinity Saga as a whole relies heavily on a Christian notion: the Imago Dei. Because our civilization is rooted in the idea that each person is an image of God and is therefore infinitely valuable, most of us recoil instinctively from Thanos and his unfeeling calculus -- even if we aren't explicit believers. It's an open question how long this popular assumption will last given that Western society pulled out the bottom Jenga block (a personal God) a long time ago, but for now? It remains inescapable -- even, it seems, for extremely secular Hollywood.

Today, let's go further. Let's zoom in on Tony. Tony's arc, in my view, also relies on traditional ideas -- in particular, on certain critiques of modernity that Christians should instantly recognize.

Tony's baseline faults are thoroughly modern. He is --

-- promiscuous. His wit and his riches guarantee a steady stream of female admirers, and he takes full advantage of that. In this, he reflects our society's post-Sexual Revolution demand for frequent, consequence-free intercourse.

-- complacent. Regardless of what some political factions might say, there's nothing inherently wrong with being a defense contractor. Tony's chief sin is that he's too comfortable to notice the treason happening right under his nose. In this, he reflects our society's belief that we are all fine just the way we are -- that self-examination and self-correction are both needless.

-- purposeless. All Tony is doing at the start is babysitting his father's legacy. And sure, he's rehearsed some stock responses when he's questioned about that legacy, but there's no sincere attachment -- to anything. In this, I think he reflects our society's observance of democratic forms without understanding or appreciating their underlying moral principles. And I think he also reflects what's happened in our society now that our universe has been stripped of ultimate meaning.

-- proud. Tony believes he can master the cosmos through sheer force of intellect. In this, he reflects our society's conviction that all ills can be cured through science -- or through rationally managed government programs.

-- contemptuous of authority. "Following's not really my style," Tony says in The Avengers. In this, he reflects our society's extreme aversion to any moral code that places limits on our wills.

So quick question: isn't it weird that the Infinity Saga points these flaws out as flaws?

Isn't it weird, for instance, that the rutting playboy is eventually tamed? Sure: as my brother and I determined in one conversation, today's #MeToo feminists would have a field day with Tony if he were real (even though there's no evidence that his partners are anything but consenting and, oh by the way, flirting and joking are not crimes). But the movies' response to Tony's early behavior is not the feminist response. It's traditional. Tony becomes a better man not through workshops on "rape culture" and "affirmative consent" but through embracing monogamy and fatherhood. Hmm.

Isn't it weird, too, that Tony's developing heroism is so rooted in self-criticism? He puts up a front as a cocky bastard in public (especially when he's under threat), but in private, he repeatedly declares himself deficient. In Tony's own judgment, he's "not the hero type," beset by "a laundry list of character defects" that make him unworthy of both Pepper's love and Peter's admiration (among other things). And while he stumbles quite a bit, relying as he does on his imperfectly formed conscience to suss out right and wrong, Tony always - always - tries to course correct when things blow up in his face. Guilt, for Tony, is salutary -- an odd thing to observe in movies produced by a culture that is so shameless and self-satisfied.

And ask yourself too: what actually makes Tony happy? That's a hard question to answer, I know, because Tony spends so much of his arc in pain and fearful of the coming cataclysm. But there are moments of genuine joy, and they all center on his mission as Iron Man and on his family. The superficial pleasures of the playboy lifestyle don't give Tony anything real and lasting; he has to awaken as Iron Man to find what his soul really longs for.

Then there's the fact that all the fruits of Tony's brilliance eventually prove to be an insufficient response to the threat Thanos poses. Tony's technology puts him in a good position to achieve the final victory, sure, but in the end, what matters is Tony's goodness, not his smarts. This relegates science to its proper place: it is a tool, not the source of our salvation. Given the ascendancy of scientism in our culture, this should definitely make us sit up and take notice.

One by one, each of Tony's modern vices is challenged in the Infinity Saga in ways that, to me, are noticeably counter-cultural and implicitly Christian. That's very interesting indeed!

---

Bonus video:

Doxacon AAR

Well: hanging out with the Orthodox geeks was fun. Think I'll do it again!

What did I learn? I learned that Uzbek comfort food is delicious. I learned that, supposedly, the Greek Orthodox have money, but the Slavic and Arab Orthodox don't. And I learned that even Greek and Slavic Orthodox Christians don't consider themselves white. Yep, that's right: at lunch, I was referred to as the "white girl" by everyone at my table. I wasn't offended; I thought it was hilarious.

And the talks? There were several common themes to chew on:

First, there was much discussion on what I will dub The Problem of Superman. See, when Superman was first conceived, he was meant to be messianic. But in the (I think correct) view of the two Superman enthusiasts who spoke, today's writers and directors are no longer able to wrap their minds around the character because our culture has been stripped of any conception of the transcendent and/or God-like. We are better, said speakers argued, at writing heroes who rise from below; our moral imagination is now too flat to handle heroes who come down from above.

Not that there's no value in the rise-from-below sort of hero, of course. In post-talk discussions, it was clarified that heroes like Tony Stark can be bridges to evangelization too (especially since all the flaws Tony has to overcome in his story are quintessentially modern flaws) (oh yes, an essay from me is in the offing). Indeed, we came up with a really intriguing notion: heroes like Superman fulfill the need for the transcendent, while Marvel heroes like Tony fulfill the need for hagiography. Heroes like Superman echo Christ; the heroes in the Marvel stable echo the saints.

The MCU echoes the Cloud of Witnesses? Yeah, I'm going to play with that.

Obviously, the people involved with the MCU have no idea they were doing this. And that brings us to the second common theme: the fact that we live in a post-Christian (not un-Christian) society that is still haunted by Biblical ideas. In what turned out to be my favorite presentation, the following question was asked: how do the Avengers know that they are right and Thanos is wrong? The answer is unconscious Christianity. Even Hollywood can't completely escape the consequences of a foundational theology that declares God is a Community of Persons and that human beings, made in the image of those Persons, are therefore each of infinite value.

The above speaker was clearly disappointed that the Avengers don't make this more explicit (aside from Cap coming close with "we don't trade lives") and was disturbed that, in some scenes, our heroes use the Thanos-style utilitarian calculus themselves. He pointed to this as evidence that the MCU's Infinity Saga wants to say something important but simply lacks the language to do it coherently. But personally, I'm not so sure he's 100% right on this score. After reflecting on this on the long ride home, I think the climax - Tony's immolating himself for the sake of the universe - is the answer our presenter was looking for because there is nothing - and I mean nothing - utilitarian about that move. Indeed, Endgame spends large swaths of time hammering home that very point. Tony, to put it succinctly, has a lot to live for at the moment he dies. That he chooses to die anyway is itself a rebuke of Thanos. So sure: maybe the Avengers waffle when they try to argue with Thanos about the particulars of right and wrong. But maybe we can let Tony's actions speak louder than anyone's words.

Feel free to discuss further below. I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts!

Halloween Pic!

What did your Right Geek do for Halloween?

Well, she worked. But she was allowed to dress up, so:

Yep, I rocked the Tony Stark look. What did you expect?

In other news, I'm heading up to Maryland later today to attend this event. The theme this year is superheroes, so it should be fun. I'll be posting the full report on Sunday. Stay tuned!

IMB, 10/30/19: Fic Completion & Video

---

The fic I started a few weeks ago is now complete!

DSM-V: Chapter 1 // Chapter 2 // Chapter 3 // Chapter 4 // Chapter 5 // Chapter 6

As I said in my final note, I will be writing more in this fandom. Indeed, I already have another idea in development that will probably be completed some time in November. We shall see how that goes!

IMB, 10/23/19: Fic Continuation & Interesting Link

The story I started last week is now two-thirds complete:

DSM-V: Chapter 1 // Chapter 2 // Chapter 3 // Chapter 4

The rest will be linked in the next installment of IMB. As I suggested last Wednesday, writing MCU fanfiction is just another way for me to process my grief. I just hope I'm entertaining somebody.

I also came across an excellent post today on the MCU that I think deserves to be shared:

Masculinity and the Marvel Movies, Ed Feser

I've always wanted to write up a post on Tony, Steve, their relationship, and how their respective arcs respond to each other, but this gentleman beat me to it -- and probably did a better job than I ever could. Go and read!

IMB, 10/16/19: A Video & A Fic

I'm still adding content to my YouTube channel. Please subscribe if you haven't already!

What do I offer? Well, in this video, I prove Martin Scorsese wrong via a discussion of Tony Stark:



At the same time, I'm also working through my feelings regarding this character through fanfiction -- because, as my brother would say, I am a mega-dork. Here are the first two chapters of a six-chapter work-in-progress in which I'm exploring Tony's canonical PTSD as seen through the eyes of the people around him:

DSM-V: Chapter One // Chapter Two

I'm arranging the chapters both chronologically and by intimacy of the relationship, so if you're looking for, say, Tony/Pepper, that's coming. Stay tuned!

Iron Man Blogging, 9/27/19: Dad Energy

Tony Stark (MCU) and the Evolution of His Epic Dad Energy

We all know Tony Stark is the most dynamic character in the MCU. He changes -- dramatically. He grows. Follow any thread through time and you'll see this dynamism at work.

Take, for example, the theme of fatherhood. Throughout the Infinity Saga, Tony cobbles together a healthy notion of fatherhood basically from scratch. After all, he has no role models to follow. Throughout Tony's early life, Howard Stark was a distant workaholic who, evidence suggests, was more focused on developing his son's prodigious technical genius than on developing his son's character or emotional intelligence. Perhaps, given more time, Tony and Howard might've sorted out their issues and forged a more affectionate bond, but -- well, we all know how things turned out. Howard was taken too soon, and Tony was locked in a state of seemingly permanent adolescence (as revealed by his early attitude regarding authority in particular).

We know all of the above from Tony's own self-report -- which, granted, may not be wholly reliable. But if you look at something as simple as, say, the way Tony interacts with his first creations, I think the case for Howard's coldness is pretty strong. With the workshop bots, Tony's short and scolding -- all threats and dunce caps. There's an undercurrent of love there, yes, but it's expressed rarely and generally through action rather than words. With JARVIS, on the other hand, we see what Tony really wanted from his dad instead: an ever-present guardian who both challenges and protects. I say "challenges" because Tony programmed JARVIS to be sassy as hell. I says "protects" because -- duh. Listen, listen: JARVIS straight-up saves Tony's life in Iron Man 3. The AI is also apparently programmed to notify Tony when he's gone too long without sleeping/eating/otherwise taking care of himself -- or to warn Tony when he's about to do something stupid and/or dangerous. And yeah, Tony ignores JARVIS most of the time because Tony Stark Does What He Wants, but he must find some comfort in those reminders or he wouldn't have given JARVIS those capabilities in the first place. Bottom line: JARVIS was apparently made for reasons beyond the pragmatic; JARVIS was, in fact, made in part to fill a hole in his master's heart.

So that's it. That's Tony's box of daddy scraps. That's what Tony has at his disposal at the start of his journey to fatherhood: the criticism he knows and his inchoate longing for something more. The former comes naturally; the latter is the ideal he stumbles towards from the moment he crash-lands in a snowy field in rural Tennessee.

Encountering Harley is an accident that happens at a particularly vulnerable moment, but Tony rolls with it the best he knows how (at least at this time): by being snarky and standoffish the way he would if an adult had caught him in this compromising position. But even in that very first scene with Harley, we see Tony warring with himself. He yells at Harley for messing with the armor -- but then he internally berates himself and changes tack. When Harley mentions that his dad has abandoned him, Tony crudely brushes him off -- but is also folding his arms, which is a huge tell that Harley's story has hit home. (Every time Tony folds his arms, something's going on with him emotionally. He folds his arms when he admits to Pepper that he's struggling. He folds his arms when he has that panic attack on the side of the road. Seriously: don't challenge me to write a post on Tony and arm-folding as a sign of distress because I'll totally do it. Also: damn you, RDJ, for being so freakin' good that you're consistent with your body language.) By the end of their initial meeting, Tony has set up sort of a quid-pro-quo relationship with Harley based on their mutual self-interest -- but isn't it odd that he guesses correctly that Harley's being bullied? Tony's leading with his gruff and crusty side here, but the kind and nurturing side is also peeking through the armor. That's why I find all his moments with Harley in Iron Man 3 so curiously charming. Here, Daddy Stark is being born.

The next evolution happens with Peter. This relationship is also, at first, kindled by Tony's self-interest: he needs an extra hand on deck. But Tony's also visibly enchanted by Peter the moment the kid explains why he decided to become Spiderman -- and no wonder given that Peter's motivations are extremely similar to Tony's (a topic for another post). And when all hell breaks lose on the Germany trip, Tony commits himself to mentoring Peter for the duration to atone -- a major step he's clearly not quite ready to take given how much he struggles during Homecoming and Infinity War to, once again, overcome his own childhood conditioning. Dear God, Tony tries with Peter. He tries so hard with his baby monitors and his adorably nonsensical advice. ("Don't do anything I wouldn't do. And don't do anything I would do." Say what, Tony? Want to run that by us again, you silly dork?) And you can tell Tony cares and is especially terrified that Peter will be hurt or killed living the superhero life -- the reason why Tony fusses at the kid so much. But there's still a part of Tony that wants to push Peter away with sarcasm and abrasiveness too, so he swings wildly between "I want to break the cycle of shame" and "Zip it, the adult is talking" as two conflicting impulses duke it out inside his messed-up head.

But through all of his mistakes with Harley and Peter, Tony is learning too. Learning, in fits and starts, how to be more open. Learning, over time, how to be softer. So when Morgan comes along, Tony finally starts to get it right. He looks at all of his regrets and pain and loss and works out, at long last, what he needs to do differently to escape all the issues that have been holding him back. And thus, post-Gap, we see a Tony who is so, so gentle and demonstrative -- a Tony who just cannot stop cuddling his kid. In every scene with his daughter, we see Tony hugging Morgan or caressing her hair. What's more, when Morgan asks for his attention, he gives it -- even if it means stepping away from his time travel problem for a minute to have a juice pop. It's like he resolved, immediately post-Snap, to do everything he never got to do with his other ersatz kids. It's like he remembered everything his father did and decided to do the opposite. And the results reverberate beyond his little family on the lake. When he rejoins the Avengers, he's softer with them too. When a distressed Thor, for instance, tries to commit suicide-by-gauntlet, it's Tony who steps up and stops him. The Epic Dad Energy runneth over. Tony can't stop it. The dam has been cracked open.

This transformation I've just described is just as phenomenal as the transformation from spiritually dead cynic to self-sacrificing hero - and it's just one more reason why Tony Stark is the most beautifully written character in the MCU.

Iron Man Blogging, 9/20/19: Normie Orientation

These are a essentially a video version of the posts I wrote here and here.

Iron Man Blogging, 9/13/19: Adorkable

Reasons Why Tony Stark (MCU) Is the Most Adorkable OG Avenger

I know I've mentioned some of these in previous posts, but why not put them all in one convenient place for future reference?

Bots are people in his universe.

He threatens to donate DUM-E to a city college with the same exact energy he later uses to order Morgan to bed. When he wants to consult with JARVIS in the middle of the night, he asks "are you up?" even though he surely knows the AI is always operational. And when his Malibu home is destroyed, he doesn't just start over with a new set of bots; he goes back and rescues the old ones. For Tony, the line between machine and man is very fuzzy, especially when it comes to his own creations.

He's such a textbook Odd.

He can see an atom in his father's exposition model -- but can't remember Pepper's allergic to strawberries. He can work out conservative time travel in one evening -- but can't wash the dishes without destroying the kitchen. He's capable of remarkable feats of intellect -- and also remarkable failures of common sense. He reacts with palpable delight when he encounters someone who can follow his normal mode of communication -- which baffles the majority of the people he works with. And oh yes: I'm pretty damn sure he has ADHD. All of these features mark him as a member of The Tribe. He's not simply an asshole; I honestly believe at least half the annoying shit he does is unconscious.

He's not the dominant partner in his romantic relationship. He's the little spoon.

Pepper is a goddess, y'all; she's independent, supremely competent, and emotionally centered. While losing Tony has always been her greatest fear, I think, in the end, she can go on without him. That's why she's able to summon the strength to tell her dying husband that everything's going to be okay at the end of Endgame: because, ultimately, everything will be okay. But -- can you imagine what would happen in the opposite scenario? NO. NO GOD PLEASE STOP THE PAIN MY POOR HEART. Tony would be utterly lost. And Tony knows this. He knows he's a human disaster. He knows Pepper doesn't have to stick around -- and is grateful to the point of outright clinginess that she's chosen not to leave.

"Yay!"



He has the best glasses.

I almost devoted this post just to the glasses -- particularly the square ones we see in Infinity War/Endgame because they're so preciously dweeby (especially when you pair them with that uniform he's wearing during the 1970 mission). But really, all the glasses are great. They don't just make him look cool; they're his eye armor. He uses them to cover up his biggest tell. It's not a coincidence, for example, that he slips them on at the end of the Pens-of-Nostalgia scene in Civil War. (That reminds me that I need to do a lengthier write-up of said scene; its blocking is genius from start to finish.)

Edited a little later to add: He's an endless fount of silly nicknames.



Edited a little later to further add: His big heart accepts all kinds.

He's not afraid of the Hulk. At all. And he wants Bruce to be okay with "the other guy" too.

He's also not afraid of Nebula despite her past as a Child of Thanos. Indeed, you can hear in his message to Pepper that Tony's actually fond of the "Blue Meanie." And he's willing to sit down and patiently explain paper football to her just to pass the time. It's so heartbreakingly sweet. The upshot? The Guardians played their role in humanizing Nebula, but Tony unquestionably continued the process just by being his beautiful self.

And finally: He's smol.

I mean, movie magic hides exactly how tiny RDJ is, but still: when you stand Tony next to Steve or Thor, you can't help but notice a difference. Tony's very fit, but he's not a body-builder; he's a wiry scrapper. And goodness, that SHIELD outfit in Endgame just swallows him up. It's hilarious -- and cute as hell.

Bottom line at the end: Tony is a ball of angst and trauma and bad decisions, but you will never be able to dissuade me from thinking that he's also a damned cinnamon roll who needs to be protected at all costs.

#CutestAvenger

Iron Man Blogging, 8/16/19: End Volume 1

A month ago, I wrote up a little post describing the ways in which the MCU borrowed from the Iron Man source material while also spinning off and doing its own thing. Of course, at that point, I'd only gotten to issue #40 of the original Iron Man run. Now that I've officially finished the first volume, I can add some addenda to that analysis. Here we go:

Futurism/Old School Progressivism

In the MCU, Tony applies his arc reactor technology to the alternative energy sphere. He also dumps his considerable funds into other bleeding edge research and a number of charitable concerns. This is not just because he's supposed to be the Elon Musk of these movies; it's 100% in line with the comics. In the 80's, for example, Tony spends several issues using his armor to build a freakin' space station because he's genuinely passionate about the possibilities of the final frontier. (By the way, those issues are absolutely precious to me. I was legitimately heartbroken to see that station destroyed later on.)

Will Do Anything to Keep His Tech Out of Questionable Hands

This pretty much describes the plot of Iron Man, does it not? Tony finds out his inventions have been funneled to terrorists, so he shuts down his weapons division and then scares Pepper by flying into combat zones to destroy everything that's his -- and he does all of this with a noteworthy emotional intensity and obsessive focus that foreshadows what he will one day become.

Now, dear reader, let me introduce you to "Armor Wars." "Armor Wars" is an amazing arc written by David Michelinie in the late 80's in which Tony discovers by accident that members of the Marvel Rogue's Gallery are using Stark tech and promptly goes halfway insane trying to track it all down. All unapproved users are on his target list, and if that means he has to break into a federal prison and, in the process, disable Captain America, well -- it is what it is. The reaction here is so extreme, in fact, that Tony has to fire himself - and, at the end, fake Iron Man's death temporarily - to avoid the public relations shitstorm. And all the while, the West Coast Avengers can only boggle helplessly at what's come over their dear friend.

The driving force behind both of these stories? "If my name's on it, I'm responsible for how it's used."

Major Health Crises

We all know about Tony's palladium poisoning in the MCU -- and how it nearly killed him. Well, in the comics, Tony nearly dies more than once. In the early days, the problem is repeated heart hiccups (which are eventually resolved by artificial heart technology). Late in volume 1, on the other hand, the problems are neurological. Tony, you see, gets shot by a creepy stalker ex (which is rather tabloid-y, I must admit), and to resolve the resulting paraplegia, he agrees to have an experimental biochip implanted in his spine. Unfortunately, that chip turns out to be a parasite (one designed by a disgruntled competitor) that takes over his entire nervous system and eventually destroys it. For a while, Tony functions using his armor and/or a full-body external neural net, but repeated physical strain (from being Iron Man, natch) eventually overwhelms these compensatory systems. Ultimately, Tony ends up in cryogenic suspension while researchers try to work out how to reprogram the parasite.

Yeah, it's a lot of comic book science hooey, but wow, some of the things they do with this plot are truly awesome. See the next three bullet points.

Using the Armor to Escape

Tony hates helplessness in all his incarnations, it seems, and will use his armor to avoid it if he can. In the MCU, we see this in the first act of Iron Man 3 especially (see previous posts in which said movie is discussed). In the comics, meanwhile, Tony retreats to his Iron Man persona to avoid the frustrations of the above-mentioned neurological degeneration (which are aggravating enough that he repeatedly loses his temper and, in one scene, punches and breaks a mirror).

Daddy Issues

While Tony's in cryo, we take a trip down memory lane and learn that Howard Stark was himself an alcoholic and a hard man who demanded his son be tough and uber-masculine ("Stark men are made of iron"). So the daddy issues in the MCU are also a direct lift from the comics (although the MCU softens what's in the source material quite a bit).

Drawing Strength from Suffering -- Eventually

As already established, no version of Tony I've encountered handles set-backs like a stoic philosopher; MCU Tony and 616 Tony both have episodes in which they sink into despair over their respective plights. But in either medium, Tony also has the capacity to take all of his sorrows and use them to make himself strong. In the comics, for instance, we have this scene, in which Tony overcomes an attempt at mind control by channeling his recent difficult history (click to embiggen):

And then we have this, in which Tony defeats VOR/TEX and gets his own body back by, once again, using his intimate knowledge of pain:

And in the MCU? Well, we have that scene between Tony and Bruce in The Avengers in which Tony tells Bruce that he sees his trauma as a "terrible privilege" and encourages Bruce to look at his own inner monster in the same light. And then there's Endgame. Many people online have made the following insightful observation: Tony doesn't scream when he wields the Infinity Stones. Thanos screams like a little bitch when the power of all six stones courses through him, but Tony? As his body is being burned from the inside out - as flames are crawling up his arm and face - Tony stays. fucking. silent. until his iconic snap. How the hell is this fragile mortal able to handle the stones so calmly? Where the hell does that strength come from? I'll tell you: it comes from his suffering.

God, I'm crying over this character again. As regular readers are no doubt aware, I am a disabled chronic pain patient. Watching Tony transmute similar struggles into something this incredible is an inspiration to me personally. It honestly makes me feel that I myself can make my stupid, messy life into something good.

Iron Man Blogging, 8/9/19: I've Committed Fanfiction

I mentioned yesterday that I was occupied with a little writing project. Well, here it is:

Closure

'Tis an Endgame missing scene featuring Tony, Steve, and their healing friendship.

I'm heartily sorry, but Tony started yakking in my head and wouldn't shut up until I wrote it down.

(Let's be real, though: the only reason I've ever written fanfiction is to placate a character who's taken over mental real estate.)

Video of Interest: An "Honest Trailer" for Endgame

I intended to put up some recommendations today, but inspiration for a little writing project hit me square in the face, and I had to pursue it before it drove me crazy. So - uh - those recommendations are going up next Wednesday. Cross my heart.

In the meantime, here's a video that contains much that's true. "... like Iron Man, who's really matured since Iron Man 1 -- but is still the a-hole who'd rather die than let someone else get the last word." It's much too soon, but I still laughed.

Iron Man Blogging, 8/2/19: Relapse

I'm still plowing through the original run of the Iron Man comics; as a matter of fact, I've made it all the way to issue #200.

So: remember what I said about "Demon in a Bottle" and its preceding context? Ha ha, just kidding. The stretch I read this week is in fact The Rough Patch. Here's a sampling of Facebook posts that documented my emotional response to this portion of volume 1 in real time:

---

Iron Man comic multiple choice:

Is SI on fire?
A) Yes.
B) Not yet, but soon!

If you work for SI, are you currently in the process of betraying Tony Stark?
A) Yes.
B) Not yet, but soon!
C) I'm actually one of the precious few who won't betray Tony ever.

(Okay, I'm exaggerating -- but only slightly.)

---

A visual summary of my reaction to Iron Man, v.1 #162-167:

*gif of girl screaming*

---

*then, four hours later in the middle of the night...*

More Iron Man comic multiple choice:

You're a woman Tony's into. Do you...
A) die?
B) marry someone else?
C) leave when your presumed-dead husband is found alive?
D) go insane?
E) betray him?

-OR-

F) pretend you share his feelings to pull off a crazy conspiracy to destroy him because you're a STONE COLD BITCH?

These are your only options so far. Jesus God.

---

*looks at Iron Man v.1 #168-182*

Ok, you know what's going to happen. You did your research a long time ago. You can do this.

*ten minutes later*

HELP HELP I CAN'T I'M BROKEN AND CRYING TEARS OF BLOOD

---

So I've dialed up the melodrama in my reactions to the first relapse arc in the Iron Man comics mainly to entertain all of you -- but the serious fact remains that I probably would've gone CRAZY if I had been old enough to see that unfold over a year-plus of publication time. Thank God I can binge read it now instead of waiting in agony!

---

*then, in the comments to the post above...*

But if I hadn't been 4-5 when those comics were published, I would've been that girl writing monthly tear-stained missives to the letters department begging them to stop the pain.

---

At this point, you probably get the picture: I was losing my mind all week long. Now let's explain to the movie-only folks* why the bloody hell I was freaking out.

(*Like my brother, for example. Matt is movie-only by choice. He took one look at a comic I was reading and said, "Nope. I can't get used to Tony looking like that. He has to look like Robert Downey Jr." Heh. In fairness to Matt, whenever I read Marvel fanfiction on AO3, I picture RDJ too. If the fic is marked "Marvel 616," I have to work hard to adjust my mental image -- even though I've read some of the comics!)

(Also in fairness to Matt: he doesn't like universal reboots, which have happened in the comics. I'm not looking forward to that either, but at this point, I'm committed.)

One: 616 Obadiah Stane makes his appearance. Yeah.

MCU Obadiah Stane is a creepy effer who not only takes advantage of Tony's disengagement to deliver weapons - and Tony himself! - to terrorists (bad enough!) but also consistently invades Tony's personal space in a manner that can only be described as "clinically affectionate." Seriously: whenever I watch Iron Man, I'm always a little surprised that Obie doesn't, at some point, start patting down Tony's haunches or examining his teeth like he's a prize-winning show dog. And I don't think this expectation is off the mark given that, as he's removing Tony's arc reactor at the start of the climax, Obie makes it pretty explicit that he doesn't value Tony as a friend -- or even as a human being. The "golden goose" indeed!

Still, MCU Obie doesn't hold a candle to 616 Obie. 616 Obie's goal is to take over Stark International from the outside for his own nefarious purposes, so he constructs an elaborate plot to break Tony completely. First, he sends his "Chessmen" in quick succession to battle Tony until our hero is emotionally and physically exhausted. Then comes the coup de grace: Indries, a woman Tony dates throughout the Chessmen arc, reveals herself to be an associate of Stane and basically trashes Tony to his face as pathetic and unlovable. Note: when I read that last indignity, I yelled YOU BITCH loud enough to wake the neighborhood. I'm not even remotely kidding.

Two: 616 Obie's plan works -- initially. Tony starts sucking down booze again and basically disappears for more than a year (at least in publication time).

Of course, I already had prior knowledge of this plot; indeed, I'd already read a few of its more famous issues. (Cap carrying Tony out of a burning flophouse, anyone?) But reading every last little bit of this relapse broke my damn heart. Tony waking up from a blackout, realizing that SI's being attacked, trying to access his armor, but then ultimately failing because he's too trashed to get his shit together? Tony running away from Rhodey's mom - and Cap - because he can't face his own shame? Tony sitting in a raging blizzard knowing that if he doesn't find shelter, he's going to die -- but then deciding he doesn't care? GOOD. GOD. DAMN. Listen, guys: one of my uncles was found dead in a park from a drug overdose many years ago. Watching Tony spiral thanks to a related affliction hits me in a very personal way.

And you know what also makes this story so exquisitely painful? The fact that we keep seeing flashes of Tony's core heroism. In one issue, he gives up the diamonds he's wearing - diamonds he could've sold for alcohol or a place to sleep - to protect a fellow drunk from a gaggle of local bullies. And then there's the very thing that helps him pull out of the tailspin: Gretl's baby, for whom Tony resolves to live and sober up.

I respect the hell out of 1980's Marvel for taking this huge risk. I can easily see a story like this going so very wrong in the hands of some of today's hacks, but the writers of the 80's manage to drag Tony through the mud and mire without actually destroying him utterly. That's an accomplishment.

And in the end, despite all my wailing, I'm glad there's a relapse story in volume 1, and I'm glad it's so devastating. It makes Tony's triumphant return as Iron Man and victory over Obie in issue #200 all the more sweet. Which just goes to show, once again, that if you're a writer, you have to let your heroes suffer and fail because that's what makes their successes actually matter.

And when it comes to writing Tony Stark in any medium, it seems redemption arcs are an inescapable part of the gig.

Bonus Iron Man Fanvid