A - G
H - N
These character bios are based on IRON MAN comics published by Marvel Comics and are copyrighted 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 by Tim Rassbach. Iron Man and all associated characters are the property of Marvel Comics.
Introduced in Iron Man #31, a man with a bright mind and an unusual approach to scientific problems, he became a close friend of Tony Stark until he succumbed to the green-eyed monster Stark helped to build: The Guardsman Armor.
With a thick Irish brogue and an inventive mind, Kevin O'Brien's skills earned him a promotion from the Stark Industries' plant on the Pacific island of Lakani to the U.S. mainland and the main Stark research lab. Becoming a close friend of Stark's, he was soon tapped to handle a secret task. Tony built the green Guardsman armor for Kevin's use as a back up to Iron Man. Around this same time Kevin became enamored with Tony's girlfriend, Marianne Rodgers. Being in love with his friend and boss' girl, twisted O'Brien in knots. He became even more disagreeable, as the conflict grew within him.
Tragically, O'Brien's fiery Irish temper, belied an unstable mental state, a condition aggravated by wearing the Guardsman suit. Meant only for emergencies, the Guardsman became ever present as Kevin spiraled downward in a fit of emotional problems and jealousy, resulting in his attempts to kill Tony in order to win Marianne for himself.
In his unstable condition Kevin soon became a pawn in Simon Gilbert's attempts to oust Stark from his own company. Then Kevin crossed a line. While breaking up a demonstration, he seriously injured four protestors. He was killed in the resulting conflict with Iron Man.
His brother Michael O'Brien later tried to avenge his death as he also took up the Guardsman armor.
The Guardsman Armor, Model I, Mark I had all the basic powers of Tony's Iron Man armor, with one critical flaw, it seems to act adversely on already unsettled minds.
Stark seems to have designed the suit to be every bit as tough as his own Iron Man suit, if not as versatile--A fact that is not surprising as Tony may have intended it to replace him as S.I.'s armored hero (as he was ever more and more under the threat of dying from his always weakened heart). In fact, from his own comments, Tony believes that he only beat the Guardsman because Kevin was inexperienced in using the suit.
Known capabilities: Flight, great strength, and repulsor rays.
Quote: "It must be the O'Brien luck, always t' be havin' their women misunderstandin' 'em!"
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This New York cop and brother of Kevin O'Brien a.k.a. the Guardsman made his first appearance in Iron Man #82, believing that Tony Stark was a murderer.
Michael was convinced that Stark, through his armored lackey Iron Man, was responsible for killing his brother. After Tony was exonerated, O'Brien began to harass him, conducting his own investigation at the risk of his job. His obsession with avenging his brother's death led him to eventually break into Stark's plant. He got deep in the bowels of Tony's secret lab, and stole the Guardsman suit from the armory. Donning the green Guardsman garb, he also went mad, and briefly battled Iron Man in #97. Shellhead placed him in Avenger's custody until he could be helped/cured.
In a plot twist, O'Brien became one of the precious few persons to wear the Iron Man armor, as Stark was forced to quickly don the Guardsman armor. In a desperate act of bravery, Michael O'Brien later put on the Iron Man armor. He was captured and tortured by the Mandarin before being launched on a nuclear missile at the United States. Upon learning that Tony Stark was Iron Man, O'Brien gained new respect for him.
Years later, Michael later teamed up to aid Iron Man as part of the Iron Legion.
Quote: "I'm going t' bring ye to justice for the murder o' me brother!"
Introduced in Tales of Suspense #45 as Tony Stark's secretary, she began as a perky, pug-nosed freckle-faced imp with a crush on the boss. Over the years she's developed into Stark's indespensible Girl Friday, a trusted ally, and quite possibly the, albeit unfulfilled, love of Tony's life.
In her early Twenties, the 5 foot, 4 inch, 110 pound, honey with glowing auburn hair was plucked from the Secretarial Pool after correcting an error on a big contract--An error made by Stark himself. As his loyal assistant, the mousy Pepper helped Tony organize his company while lusting after him in secret. But after noticing his penchant for glamorous women she went to the beauty parlor and got "the works."
Before her dressed up look, in fact right from her first appearance, she was part of a love triangle: She loved Stark, Happy loved her, and Tony soon loved her too. (She even fell for Iron Man for a time, not knowing that he and the boss were the same man.) Eventually though, Tony Stark stepped aside and Pepper and Happy fell in love while he watched from the side. They later married, (eloping in TOS #91) leaving Stark behind to have a life of their own. But they would come in and out of Tony's life many times.
On one occassion, she and Happy bought a ranch in the Rocky Mountains with their exit bonus from Stark. That didn't work out and they ended up in Cleveland in IM #199, with children. They were kidnapped by Stane and put in harm's way once again. In #210, she told Tony to stay out of their lives.
Although Pepper and Happy do show up when Stark really needs his friends the most, they were out of the IM series for quite a while. (They did return for Tony's funeral, and later in IM #296 they became supporting characters, only to disappear again.) At some point during their absence they divorced. (The children from their marriage were apparently only foster children, taken away when they divorced.)
In Volume III, Pepper was once again at Tony's side. And once again, involved with Happy. She lost a baby after finally being able to concieve--and it was basically Tony's fault.
Hobbies: Tending to Stark's bevy of babes; picking up after Socrates
Quote: "All of a sudden, Happy, that walking Tin Can is the handsomest male I've ever seen!"
Marcy Pearson's first appearance was in Iron Man #217. A financial reporter for the Independent News Service, her perceptive questions caused Tony Stark to hire her as SE's Public Relations head—at twice her reporter's salary.
Ambitious and independent, Marcy soon found herself embroiled in the adventures that often happen to Stark’s close staff. Just hired, she was turned into a stone statue by artist Paul St. Pierre a.k.a. the Grey Gargoyle. She also quickly began a romantic relationship with Jim Rhodes.
In #242, she was made the head of SE while Stark was incapacitated (having just been shot by Kathy Dare). Frustrated with his paralysis, Stark planned to turn his entire company over to her in #248, but suddenly changed his mind and remained in charge. The promise of being made CEO, only to have it taken away from her, was a bitter pill for Pearson to swallow, and later, when Rhodes was made the CEO following Stark's death, she was outraged. She offered Rhodey an ultimatum either he resigned or they were threw. Rhodes fired her.
Pearson soon teamed up with Morgan Stark to frame Rhodey for Stark's death, but she was easily caught. Later, she conspired with hacker Philip Grant to sabotage SE.
Quote: "Imagine—me heading Stark Enterprises."
As revealed in Iron Man #227, Randall Pierce was hired by Tony Stark years ago to be Iron Man. After Iron Man went rogue on his Armor Wars vendetta, Tony had to fire him. He then helped Nick Fury and SHIELD track him down—or at least that’s what Tony Stark told everybody.
After the Armor Wars brought him a lot of heat (both legal and p.r. troubles), Stark doctored up a dossier and files, inventing a guy named Randall Pierce to take the blame. After Abe Zimmer hacked Pierce’s records into key government databases, even SHIELD bought the story. And just like that, as far as the world knew, it was Pierce who fought the Armor War and who was killed in #230 fighting Firepower.
Toward the end of Iron Man, Vol. 3, it was revealed that Abe had a brother, Joe Zimmer, a U.S. Senator who became an opponent of Stark during his Secretary of Defense run.
The pissy, snooty P.R. head at Stark International, debuted in #124. Stuffy and well-dressed, he was a man that was full of himself, but good at his job. A family man, Pithins had a wife, Margaret, a daughter, Denise, and a son, Gerrard. He resigned with most of Tony’s executive staff in #173, when Stane took over SI. He returned as the White House Press Secretary in Volume III, #73.
Quote: "That's Mr. Pithins, Iron Man."
A disciple of the Black Lama, Raga, Son of Fire, headed a Manson-like "family" in sunny California. A real hot-head, he possessed fiery powers and a burning desire to kill Iron Man for his teacher in Iron Man #52
Raga, whose name means "desire flame," showed up jilted and heart-broken at the Black Lama's door. The mystical mentor taught him how to channel that pain and anger. Through meditation and ventures into occult realms, he developed the ability to tap into his innermost emotions, to tap the energy of his volcanic soul, allowing him to turn his anger into incredible displays of power. He could shoot fire, extreme heat rays (even turning the stone ground into a river of lava), and even pain rays. Raga could transport into astral realms as well.
Weapons: His flaming rage, literally.
Hobbies: BBQ, making s'mores.
Quote: "Let the rages of hell fire my soul!"
A three man team that premiered in Iron Man #145, working for Edwin Cord. Wearing unique battle uniforms, known as the Raider System, they gave Shellhead a run for his money. The Raiders returned in #226 with new and improved gizmos, only to get whaled on as part of the Armor Wars.
Weapons:
Raider 1-- Selective Fire Wristbands capable of unleashing bullets, acids, a flamethrower, and laser beams.
Raider 2-- Armed with a Force Shield and a Syphon Net.
Raider 3-- Amplisonic Shatter Guns.
**All three have leg mounted rockets for flight.
Hobbies: Losing to Iron Man.
Better known by the more formal title Mrs. Rennie, she is the personal assistant/executive secretary of Tony Stark. She made her debut in Iron Man #1 (Vol. 4). Older, and maybe wiser than Stark, she is very saavy. Competent and patient, too, she is reminiscent of Mrs. Arbogast.
Iron Man #118 introduced the world to James Rhodes, Tony Stark's ace pilot and best friend. Rhodey, the man who knew Tony "as well as anyone," would grow to be not just another supporting cast member but a hero in his own right--even donning the Iron Man armor for an extended period. And still later, making a name for himself as his own kind of Iron Avenger: War Machine.
Ladies man and playa', the good natured Rhodes is a stand-up guy, handy with small arms and able to fly helicopters and big jets. He's an ace mechanic as well.
As revealed in issue #144, Tony and Rhodey met in Vietnam, where Rhodes was a chopper pilot, shortly after Iron Man's birth. Following that adventure Stark offered him a job whenever he wanted it. A few years passed and after bopping around the world for several years after 'Nam as a mercenary, Rhodes came looking for a job--and ended up with a lot more than he expected. He became Tony's close friend and confidant, learning Tony's ultimate secret and even becoming Iron Man in #169.
Although he had little training, Rhodes stepped up when the world needed a hero. He even made a pretty decent Iron Man, holding his own with the world's greatest heroes in the Secret War. His style was more physical, more scrappy than Stark's, who had descended into the bowels of alcoholism. To repair (and in some cases, explain) his armor he tapped a young SI genius, Morley Erwin.
Soon after donning the armor for himself, Rhodes began to suffer from terrible headaches. After he dried out, Tony adjusted the Iron Man helmet to Rhodey's unique brainwaves, but the headaches continued. Medical check-ups didn't reveal the cause of the headaches which soon began to change Rhodey. He became erratic, easy to anger. Even Dr. Hank Pym was unable to discover the source of the pain. Finally, in #195, Rhodes got relief from the mystic Shaman--losing the pain and the armor.
As revealed by the spiritual "walk" initiated by the Shaman, Jim's headaches were the manifestation of deep, subconscious guilt about "stealing" the armor from a weakened Tony--the real Iron Man--all exacerbated by the enjoyment he got from being a big shot super hero.
Although he had had some major confrontations with Stark while wearing the armor, including an Iron Man vs. Iron Man battle royale, they remained friends. Rhodes stayed on as Tony's pilot and friend.
As the years went by, the two men shared many more adventures. Rhodes became closer and closer to Tony as the billionaire's health declined (see Armor Wars II). He also took higher profile role in the company as well, accompanying Stark to board meetings, giving orders, and so forth in #269. His authority was solidified when he was made VP of Operations. In #270, Rhodey put on the IM armor again and went to China with Tony to fight the Mandarin and some surly dragons.
When Stark "died" in #284, he left Rhodey both the armor and the responsibility for running Stark Enterprises. Although he lacked business experience, he became the moral rudder of the large company. But the burden weighed heavily on the simple South Philly boy, and when Stark was revealed to be alive, their relationship was severly damaged. Although Rhodey rejected Tony's help and friendship, he became a member of the West Coast Avengers. (At this point Rhodey began his own adventures as War Machine.)
Notable romances included dating Marcy Pearson for a while. Their hot-and-cold romance ended when Stark made Rhodes the CEO following his "death." A '57 T-bird was his signature car for a while.
Rhodes has been in and out of the super hero biz since departing from the Iron Man mag. His most notable gigs include time with the West Coast Avengers and then a brief crusade as an armored human rights activist for WorldWatch. He even hung up the long tights to open an underwater salvage business. But the allure of being a hero pulled him back. After a knocking around a while (as a SHIELD agent in the pages of U.S. War Machine and then as a hero taking on street-level thugs in The Crew), Rhodes recently donned an all-new suit of armor as part of the Stark-backed Sentinel O.N.E. program.
Although their friendship has had its ups and downs, James Rupert Rhodes remains one of Tony Stark's best friends.
Weapons: Is known to carry a .45; posses a variety of combat skills.
Quote: "I just realized...I'm putting on the suit, me--Jim Rhodes."
For a more in-depth look at Rhodey's armored exploits, see the War Machine technical specs the Biography of James Rhodes a.k.a. War Machine, in particular.
After stealing Tony Stark's Cosmic Ray Intensifier in Iron Man #15, Ivan Kragoff-- a former communist spy who once had teleportation powers-- developed fantastic mutative powers. Now whenever he wanted, he could become a wraith-like crimson mist. Then, as a fog-like entity, he took over a SHIELD jungle base and tried to create a simian army--Using a larger version of Stark's Cosmic Ray Intensifier.
Red Ghost was so formidable and evil that he actually put Iron Man and the Unicorn on the same team to stop him. In the end though it was his own super-powered telepathic ape that defeated him. He ended up being kidnapped by the Unicorn, who needed Red Ghost's brilliant scientific mind to cure his hyper-activated ailment.
Weapons:Gadgets and gizmos, but very powerful alone as a nearly unstoppable wraith.
Hobbies:Touching his monkey.
Quote: "Fool! Nothing is impossible for the Red Ghost!"
Although she made her debut in Iron Man #40, Marianne had a past relationship with Tony Stark. Just what it was is unknown, but when she had a dreadful premonition, she reached out to Tony, re-entering his life and heart. Marianne had outright ESPer powers, psychic powers that tortured her and, ultimately, ruined her life.
After a short period of loving Tony, but hating Iron Man, Marianne discovered that they were one in the same. In #45, she and Tony got engaged. But in #49, after being haunted by visions that she would be responsible for Iron Man’s death, she freaked out and abandoned Tony just when he needed her—literally. He was dying, in dire need of a recharge, and she left him there struggling, gasping for help. When he recovered, Tony dropped her, uttering one of his best lines ever: “Our engagement’s off—Effective now! You can leave the ring with my secretary.”
Rodgers tried to get her life back together and returned in #52 with a job in computers. Working too hard, she had an ESP attack and had a breakdown. She was sent to a sanitarium, on Stark’s dime.
In #103, she left the Milford Sanatorium (in Connecticut) when Midas’s manipulation of SI caused the hospital to believe that Stark was no longer paying for her care. Ruled to be all better, she was released. But she had an unstable personality now, and newfound psychic powers, and a desire to kill Tony Stark.
She ended up in Stark Center, a private hospital in California. She stayed there for years, until in #319, when she broke out. It was revealed that her insanity had been the result of looking into Tony’s mind all those years ago and seeing that he was Kang’s pawn (see the Avengers’ “Timeslide” arc). In any case, flush with telekinetic/psychic powers, she tried to stop Tony and save him.
Hobbies:Dreams.
Weapons:Psychic abilities.
Quote: "Tony . . . He’s in trouble! I can sense it . . ."
Sexy villainess ahead of her time, debuted in Iron Age #1.
True to her moniker she is an industrial saboteur hired by Republic Oil to ruin Stark Industries and its young owner Tony Stark. Dressed in black leather with a distinctive electronic eyepiece, she sabotages the Anti-Missile Missile Gun and tries to damage the SK-1. While easily defeated, Saboteur packed a lot of punch into a skimpy outfit.
Weapons: A Limpet-style Electro-Disruptor capable of messing up, even overriding Iron Man's internal circuitry and a triple barrelled laser cannon, mounted on her left arm. She is armed with a multi-use gun that fires a multitude of nasty projectiles, all stored in her bandolier-like belt: Jack Hammer Shells, Shrapnel Charges, Smokescreen Pinwheels, Corrosive Gas, as well as Anti-Magnetic Hover Mines that stay close to their target and are attracted by motion, too much of which will set them off.
Hobbies: Being hot.
In Tales of Suspense #51, vaudeville contortionist The Uncanny Umberto helped Iron Man foil a box office robbery. After Iron Man mentioned that Umberto's talents would make him a formidible opponent, the performer decided to use his talents in other ways.
Donning a scarecrow costume to hide his identity, he stole trained crows from another performer to complete the motiff. He soon turned his attention to the often empty apartment of wealthy swinger Tony Stark.
The Scarecrow is a fairly weak villain. His birds did manage to trip up Iron Man, while his physical adroitness made him a pretty tough fighter, but in the end he is quite lame. After losing to Iron Man he escaped to Cuba.
Weapons: Trained birds; his body.
Hobbies: Swimming to Cuba.
Quote: "I'd be insane to remain in America after stealing these plans."
The fetid little assistant of the Controller scurried out of the sewers in Iron Man #88. A homeless street person, Scrounger was resourceful and loyal, but also unstable and scary; a real sycophant. But then every super villain needs a good Yes Man.
He nursed the Controller back to health after he found him under the rubble of a collapsed building (he was left there by Thanos). He then helped the Controller gain strength by tagging people with slave discs. After the Controller's defeat, Scrounger dragged him way. Presumably they watched "Misery" a few dozen times...
Hobbies: Um, scrounging--hello!
Quote: Thats okay boss, Scrounger's gonna go right on takin' care of ya."
The Seekers are a three-man hit team that freelancers since quitting AIM. Iron Man ran into them in #214, as they were going after Spider-Woman.
Grasp--Gray armor with gold accents; he uses electro-gauntlets to get a handle on his foes. The gauntlets have an autonomous bear-trap-like, never-let-go function. He can grab something and the gauntlets won't let go. Grasp carries back-up gloves. He also has a shock-net.
Sonic--Green battlesuit; he uses a sound-cannon to knock his opponents on their butts. In addition, his back unit transforms into a mechanical crab that leeches life energy out of everything it touches, clamping down tightly.
Chain--garbed in blue, Chain sports (what else?) a powerful red chain, called a power shackle.
All three have complex sensor arrays built into their costumes. All three can fly.
Boy wonder of SHIELD, this verbose young agent was assigned to guard over factories and inventions of Tony Stark. He made his Iron Man debut in Tales of Suspense #93.
Crewcut with glasses and a bow tie, he's more poindexter than James Bond, but he's a true-blue patriot through-and-through. His by-the-book, all-too-serious manner constantly got on Stark's nerves.
An ill-fated relationship with socialite Whitney Frost almost cost him his career when the Maggia attacked Stark's factory in Iron Man #7-8.
Wounded by a blast from Spymaster in #33, Sitwell spent time in a coma. He recovered in ish #42. After an absence, Jasper returned to the pages of Iron Man in #96 to rescue a battered Shellhead from Ultimo. He became Tony Stark's personal security advisor once more.
As time went on Jasper Sitwell became embroiled in a love triangle when it was revealed that Iron Man's girlfriend, Madame Masque, was, in reality, Jasper's old flame: Whitney Frost. In #104 Jasper tried to kill Iron Man in a jealous rage--knocking him into a pool with a live generator cable--after seeing Iron Man and Madame Masque kiss. In the end, though, he patched things up and helped Iron Man regain S.I. for Tony Stark. He went on to serve SHIELD in various capacities.
Weapons:A plethora of SHIELD gizmos and gadgets.
Hobbies:Memorizing his SHIELD handbook.
Quote: "I-I know my duty but how can I do it."
Dr. Theodore "Ted" Slaght was a favorite college professor of Tony’s, the man who taught him everything he knows about physics. Tony stark wasn't the kind of guy that would have studied for a St. Mary MBA or RN to BSN online, as physics and engineering were what he was destined for. He would go from mentor to molten metal monster.
Introduced in IM #314, Ted Slaght, one of the five most respected physicists in the world, ran the Experimental Materials Lab at Cal Poly-Technical Institute. (He was so respected that he was brought in as a key investigator into the Challenger shuttle disaster.) His current project was developing a molten parasilicate alloy—a very exotic material. But after a terrible accident in the lab, one Iron Man had to leap into, Stark discovered that his mentor was suffering from the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. Stark reluctantly worked to have Slaght removed from his position. And although he only wanted to prevent further catastrophic errors, it cost him more than a friendship.
Slaght, who had always regarded Stark as his star pupil and even friend (he referred to him rather paternalistically as Anthony), felt betrayed by Tony’s moves. Angered by Stark’s action, Slaght pushed ahead with his work. He was determined to perfect his synthetic alloy process and prove everyone wrong. But his frail mind wasn’t up to the complex task. And in a terrible explosion, he was fused with the alloy. He became a molten fury: Slag.
Fueled by his anger for Tony and perhaps overcome by his dementia, Slaght relished becoming Slag, a white-hot creature whose touch seared even steel. And he went after Stark, with a touch so hot that Iron Man’s thermocouple couldn’t handle the heat. Slag trashed IM’s Modular Armor in #318. In the end, though, Iron Man was forced to destroy Slag. It was self-defense, but it left Tony burning with guilt.
Weapons: The ability to change shapes and melt just about anything.
Quote: "Betray me, you ungrateful pup. Stark . . . I made you what you are today."
The world's foremost expert in critical-focus laser surgery, Erica Sondheim made her debut in Iron Man #131, implanting a small pulse regulator in Dr. David Banner (an attempt to keep the Hulk at bay). The brilliant micro-surgeon returned in #248 as part of Stark’s ace medical team. She then agreed to do the risky surgery that implanted the revolutionary biochip into Tony's spine, curing his paralysis.
In #284, she helped lead the team that froze Tony in cryogenic suspension. Following his thawing and resurrection, she became his personal physician. At some point, she was made Head of Stark Medical.
Hobbies:Dating Abe Zimmer.
Quote: "I'm supposed to be your doctor, Stark--but maybe what you really need is keeper."
Although several men have hidden behind the blue and yellow mask given by the Taskmaster to his most-prized pupil, the first man to use the Spymaster name made his debut in Iron Man #33 as the leader of the Espionage Elite team (teamed with five expert criminals: Marya Penskiyou, Samson Washington, Farley London, Godfried Herter, and Roger Philips). He would return again and again, before meeting his death at the hands of a fellow sabotuer.
Spymaster specializes in elaborate espionage missions, usually of the corporate secrets variety, and usually for a paying client. Sabotage and assasination are also services he willing provides.
Sporting a blue and yellow costume made with a special Absorbtion Mesh-ling (and later Kevlar) that not only protects hime but gives him powers that are more than a match for Iron Man (including limited flight) and all sorts of great gadgets (a pistol that takes all kinds of attachments and a device to weaken IM's armor), he made an impressive foe. His logo was a dagger running through the earth.
Spymaster also displayed skills in electronics. His suit glove was capable of absorbing a double dose of repulsor rays. Then the suit matrix could transfer that power and send it out his other glove, delivering a hefty wallop back at ol' Shellhead.
In #117, he returned to infiltrate S.I. and assasinate Tony Stark on behalf of ... (dum, dum, dummm) ... SHIELD (or atleast some rogue elements within it). Working for the Maggia (in #137), he wreaked havoc on Stark's oil rig and later kidnapped Bethany Cabe.
Spymaster returned in Iron Man #210 in disguise working for Advanced Idea Mechanics (Did I mention that he was a master of disguise?). He passed himself off as Jake Jordan, a boxer managed by Happy Hogan. (A good fighter, he was a great boxer, if a little sadistic.) He used Hogan to get close to Stark, stealing plans for his space station and other inventions--including plans for several versions of Iron Man's armor.
He returned again in #220, in the employ of Roxxon Oil; his assignment: make the Ghost disappear. He impersonated Tony Stark, even duplicating his voice print, in order to draw in the Ghost. The Ghost killed Spymaster by removing his intangibility technology, a tech he had earlier shared, at a very inoppertune moment. Spymaster rematerialized in a wall and died.
Weapons: Forehead-mounted beam can shoot people and cut through things; Pistol with attachments like razor discs--that can cut IM's armor, even through his force-field--and an Energy Siphon weapon; Electronic nunchakus (their concussive effect modified to damage IM's armor); Proton-energized Electro-Magnets (which could tie up IM); Microreciever (tracking device).
Weapons:a ton of killer gizmos.
Quote: "That should put me on the top of the mercenary pay scale."
In #254, an anonymous mercenary was anointed by the Taskmaster to take on the mantle of the late super saboteur. Known only as Number One, he was one of several criminals competing in the Taskmaster’s academy. He cheated and murdered his way to the head of the class, killing at least four others to become the Spymaster. He also set all kinds of school records. Taskmaster himself described him as one of the best he has ever trained—totally without mercy or remorse. Before he could take his prize—that being to be the right hand man for Justin Hammer—he had to pass his final exam: steal the angel from the top of the SE Christmas tree.
The second Spymaster truly lived up to the name. Donning a Kevlar costume of blue and yellow, with big "S" belt-buckle, he was a vicious adversary, hassling Iron Man over the years.
In the mini-series Bad Blood, Spymaster (II) had his hand broken by a torqued-up Iron Man (Tony affected by a mood-altering plan of Hammer’s). He then went to prison, where, according to Iron Man: The Inevitable #1, he was killed by a wealthy industrialist who wished to become the next Spymaster.
Weapons: Power-chucks (electric nunchuks); aerial de-stabilizer (make IM fly all haywire).
Quote:"Well—you’ve certainly set me straight, haven’t you?"
The shadowy chess master began manipulating Tony Stark around Iron Man #163, proving to be one of Stark's mightiest foes, wrecking his life, taking his fortune and his company.
After his mother died, Obidiah Stane lived in crummy hotels with his no-good, gambling father. He watched as his father, on an invincible high after a rare big night at craps, shot himself while playing Russian roulette. Many years later he would say that that shot was still ringing in his years.
By his eighth birthday, Stane had lost all of his hair. (Psycologists said it was the result of witnessing his father's suicide.) He was ridiculed by other children and forced into himself. Young Stane became fascinated with games, with chess in particular. He also became ruthless. To win a school chess tournament, he killed his opponent's dog--slitting it's throat and putting it in the kid's locker before the match. He did whatever it took to get ahead, to win at life, which he regarded as a game.
Stane was raised in a succession of foster homes, but remained focused on his goals. While still in his teens he won an international chess tournament. He made his first million at the age of twenty-five--a year before Tony Stark.
Despite doing several billion in business every year, from his multi-national munitions outfit in Salt Lake City, Utah, Stane Enterprises, he soon coveted Stark's holdings and patents. He started by sabotaging SI. He then set his Chessmen on Stark. And when Obidiah Stane was unable to get Tony to join his chabal of international movers and shakers, Stane began his end game--pushing Stark right over the edge.
Stane's manipulations drove Tony to drink. As he attacked Tony's corporation, he employed Indries Moomji to toy with Tony's heart. Then, with Tony off the wagon--and AWOL--Stane was able to buy up all of SI's debts. He also filed a bunch of civil suits, using pricey legal talent to box SI in. Soon, Stark International became Stane International.
Stane's final move to crush Stark involved kidnapping Tony's friends (Mrs. Arbogast, Pepper, Happy, and Bethany Cabe) and taking on Iron Man. But his ingenius machinations, even donning Iron Monger Armor, were not enough to beat Tony Stark, Iron Man. But rather than lose, Stane chose to take himself out of the game--with the healthy dose of his repulsor ray.
For more on Stane, read this.
Quote: "life is a game...one you dare not lose."
In the year 2093, the possible grandson of Arno Stark, Andros Stark, heads up a conglomerate called A.S. Industries. A future version of Tony, but stronger and a lot nastier, Andros is a cold-blooded, ruthless murderer.
In IM #250, Andros took over and modified the abandoned space defense platforms that circle our planet in the future. Unbeknownst to anyone, he turned them into neutron weapons blasters capable of targeting the entire Earth. His partner in the scheme was the still alive and now mostly robotic Dr. Doom. With the neutron blasters Andros and Doom could kill 65 percent of the Earth's population--keeping only the best, most elite to rule over--without harming the planet or buildings. Unfortunately for them, their scheme was thwarted by Stark and the Doom from our time. And although the battle was vicious, Tony couldn't bring himself to kill his own blood. Andros was arrested and incarcerated.
His armor has what Tony's does--but with a hundred years of refinement. It's stronger, faster and more maneuverable (thanks to advanced boot propulsion units), and much more deadly.
Weapons: repulsors; electric throwing star w/ a seeker-circuit; ultra pulse bolts (capable of cracking Tony's armor and shutting it down).
Hobbies:World domination, genocide.
Quote: "It appears that some other brave soul had the same idea as I: To resurrect the outlawed armor of my ancestors."
Tony Stark’s only known living relative, a ne’er-do-well cousin, Morgan Stark, was introduced in Tales of Suspense #68. This black sheep of the Stark clan blew through his inheritance quickly and has been a pain in Tony’s side ever since.
Morgan grew up with the same advantages Tony had, but dissolute living and a weakness for gambling have put him in the underworld’s pocket. But family is family, and Stark can never seem to turn his back on his cousin—his only living relative. Tony has even said that Morgan’s not usually trouble, but it travels with him. So over the years Stark has kept Morgan out of jail and even provided an allowance—all out of respect for Morgan’s father, Tony’s uncle. And, yet, Morgan has a deep-seated animosity for Tony.
Much of the animosity Morgan feels comes from his belief that Howard Stark (Tony’s father) cheated his (Morgan’s) father out of the Stark company fortune. In truth, Morgan’s father asked to be bought out—he didn’t want a part in the family business.
Although he’s had the same education and opportunities as Tony, Morgan is weak. And while he physically similar to Tony (he’s kind of a fatter version of Tony), he lacks the moral fiber, the character Tony has.
In his debut (TOS #68), his gambling debts to and the promise of a life on Easy Street from Count Nefaria embroiled him in a plot to betray his dear cousin. His resentment of Tony’s success led him to join Nefaria in destroying him. A man of extravagant tastes with an appreciation of the finer things of life, he saw this as his big break and an end to the humiliation of accepting (begging for, really) hand-outs from his cousin. The plan was to drive Stark crazy by making him think that he was seeing aliens (a scheme that would also have the benefit of robbing Stark of his credibility). Fate turned the tables on Morgan, and he ended up having to aid Iron Man and his cousin in the end.
Morgan returned in TOS #97, this time in debt to the Maggia crime cartel. The Big M didn’t need to twist his arm very much in order to get him to betray his cousin Tony. He cheerfully turned an injured Iron Man over to the Maggia and Whiplash. Inside his armor, Tony learned of Morgan’s outright betrayal. But he still didn’t turn his back on Morgan.
Iron Man #17 brought the return of Morgan, once again the pawn of Madame Masque (who we know was the Big M). By this time, Morgan was playing a dangerous game. Offering up what he claimed was his knowledge of Tony’s comings and goings, the location of Tony’s secret labs, and the strength of the IM armor, he struck a lucrative arrangement with Midas. Then, with the aid of Midas’s phalanx of lawyers, Morgan was set to inherit everything—transferring most of the wealth to Midas, of course, but not without leaving him with a nice nest egg. (During this scheme, Morgan received a massive shock from the throne of Midas, which caused some memory loss.)
After a long absence, Morgan returned in IM #286, just after Tony’s death, still scheming to get Tony’s money. He conspired with a shadowy cabal to gain control of SE by enlisting the disgruntled Marcy Pearson. They attempted to frame Rhodey for Tony’s death. In #292, when Tony returned from his hibernation, he unraveled his cousin’s plot. Not able to send his own flesh and blood to jail, Tony ordered Morgan to leave the country in exchange for not filing any charges against him.
At this point, Morgan ceased to be of any use to the shadowy syndicate that he was working with—and their separation order was going to be permanent. As Morgan sped away in his fancy sports car, a sniper’s bullet suddenly blew out one of his tires, causing him to drive off a cliff. He was thought to be dead. And dying at this point would’ve been a good idea.
Instead, Morgan, never one to do the sensible thing, pressed on, somehow surviving the crash. Although it’s unknown how he did it, Morgan somehow regrouped and got himself pieced back together as a thing more machine than man. Ironically, he had now become as inhuman looking as his actions had made him.
Now, a twisted, hideous monster, Morgan Stark reappeared in IM #327, living in a subterranean base named after the mythological Helicon. He had gotten a hold of Tony’s synthetic neural net somehow, and it allowed him to function. He was a bio-integrated cyborg. This adaptation gave him limited mobility but access to the whole world via the nascent Internet.
In #327, he hired the totally forgettable mercenary team Stockpile to raid his cousin’s Armory. (At this point, gentle reader, you will remember that Tony Stark had been replaced with a teen version of himself. This turn of events seemed to put the odds in favor of Morgan, but alas, the Morgan Stark luck held.) Morgan used a cyberspace rig to jack into the construct, Brass, with which he fought Rhodey and Teen Iron Boy. A massive dose of feedback during the battle sent Morgan’s mind into the Internet. And while he parlayed that into taking over all of the armors in the Long Island facility, it still wasn’t enough. In IM #331, Teen Tony cybernetically took control of all the armors and triggered the self-destruct sequence. And with that, dear Cousin Morgan was thought to have died yet again.
But an uncanny near-immunity to death, or real death anyway, seems to run in the Stark genes. And Tony Stark’s penchant for occasionally dying (or at least disappearing for long stretches) provided Morgan yet another shot at the Stark fortune. In Volume III, following the "Heroes Reborn" arc, the Japanese corporation Fujikawa Industries made an arrangement with Morgan whereby they would use his name to help take over the now rudderless Stark Enterprises. (Now how Morgan returned in corporeal form, much less from the dead was never explained. He was using a cane for a short while, but that was dismissed as "a minor accident—nothing to worry about," suggesting that Marvel had forgotten about the horrid Teen Tony issues and all of its developments.)
Anyway, in Iron Man #1 (Vol. III), Morgan showed up at the "grand opening" gala for Stark Tower, Tony’s latest real estate purchase upon returning from the "HR" world. While Stark had been thought dead, his assets were eventually sold off. The prime stuff was purchased by Fujikawa, Inc. creating a mega-corporation: Stark-Fujikawa. And Fujikawa made Morgan the head of North American operations of the Stark companies. It seems they wanted a Stark at the helm, one way or another—and Morgan didn’t mind being used, especially if there was something in it for him. Morgan asked Tony not to fight the take-over now that he’s back. He pleaded for the chance; things seemed to be working out for him for once, he said. Eventually, Tony decided—for the time, anyway—not to retake his past, but not out of any allegiance to Morgan.
The two cousins seemed to finally have a nice relationship. Well, Morgan wasn’t trying to kill Tony anyway. In IM #3 (Vol. III), the two even teamed up to produce a new line of software: Starkware (a Stark Solutions/Stark-Fujikawa partnership, with Tony’s royalties going to the Maria Stark Foundation). To help get buzz for the project, Morgan flew a bunch of business execs and trade reporters to Isla Suerte to wine and dine them in hopes of selling them on the Starkware browser and other programs. He even took over an entire casino. This is what Morgan knew how to do. He was loving life.
Just when things were going great, Firebrand (II) crashed the party, and then decided to light up a long dormant volcano. Morgan panicked. (He’s not an asset in a crisis.) In one humorous scene, Morgan demanded that Iron Man get him off the island. The corpulent playboy demanding that as a Stark, Iron Man worked for him. Okay, sure, he was no help, but at least he wasn’t in on the crime this time.
In IM #23 (Vol. III), Morgan was heading up a special research project for Stark-Fujikawa and he was partnered up with Fujikawa scion Rumiko (Tony’s then girlfriend). Morgan’s brilliant plan was to use Ultimo as a new power source. Morgan and Rumiko attached Ultimo to a large ship (he was floating directly beneath it), creating a floating power station—one that could power the entire Western United States, maybe even indefinitely. End result: Ultimo got loose and almost tore up Spokane, Washington, before Iron Man stopped him.
Morgan is an interesting character, one this writer wishes they would use more in Iron Man. In many ways, Morgan is the man Tony would’ve become. If Tony had not lost his parents, which forced him to take the reins of the family company and do a considerable amount of growing up, he might have followed the same path. It’s also interesting that even as Stark has closed himself off to a lot of people over the years, he has never been able to turn his back completely on his only living relative, dear old Cousin Morgan. Afterall, as Tony said: "He’s my own flesh and blood, much as I hate to admit it."
Quotes: "This is the story of my life! Always foiled by fate, always failing"; "Soon everything that was once yours will belong to Morgan Stark"; "I’ve waited a long time for this, Tony. A lifetime, in fact."
Tony Stark, Life Model Decoy ( Series I)
A Life Model Decoy, or LMD, is a pre-programmable human-like robot created by Tony Stark to resemble and act as a substitute for whomever it is modeled after. Although he had lent the technology to SHIELD, Stark soon discovered the advantages of having a nearly perfect replica of himself to facilitate his double life. Fully capable of substituting for Tony when needed, the Stark LMD eventually decided it could replace Tony permanently.
Debuted in #11, the Stark LMD was brought to life in #17 when sabotage at Stark’s Long Island plant sent live electrical equipment crashing down on it, giving him a hyper-charge that reactivated him. The result of the freak accident, the Stark LMD used his Electronic Memory Bank (its circuits pulse with Stark’s life patterns and reactions) to become all that Stark is and was, including Iron Man with the aid of spare armor.
The Stark LMD decided that he, as a mechanically perfect machine, should replace the real, flesh and blood Stark and his weak heart. It replaced him, stole his armor, his fortune, cancelled his credit cards, and branded the original the imposter—even changed the finger print records. While it took Tony’s armor and attaché case, the LMD left him the chest plate, allowing him to live—but through him out of his own factory.
The LMD assumed his new role so well that neither Nick Fury nor Capt. America, who'd both had lots of experience with LMD's and Iron Man, noticed anything different. But soon he realized that he made one critical error: he shouldn’t have let the real Stark live. When Stark returned with Madame Masque, he donned the original golden armor and battled the imposter. After a ferocious battle, the LMD in IM armor fell into a sizzling smelting pot. Unfortunately, the battle was also the end of Stark’s real heart.
Hobbies: Impersonating Tony Stark.
Notable Quotes: "You’re a sick man with a weak heart . . . I am mechanically perfect!"
"Having tasted the fullness of independent life I’d do anything to avoid returning to mechanical servitude."
"There can be only one Iron Man . . . Me! I am sorry Tony Stark!"
Tony Stark, LMD (Series II)
Despite the small glitch of having his whole life taken apart, Stark continued to manufacture the technology for others--although he severely limited the use of his own replica. So much so that it was not seen again until Iron Man #109, when Tony needed to appear in public with Iron Man. Tony was hesitant to use it because of the previous model’s actions, but he modified some of the programming and limited the LMD’s ability to think on its own. The Series II Stark LMD reacted to pre-programmed instructions only. And once its objectives and instructions were carried out, it turned itself off. This feature soon became a problem—Tony Stark can't just go to a meeting and fall into a trance, after all—so Stark altered the LMD's programming to respond to Madame Masque voice-action commands (At the time she was his girlfriend.).
Another improvement in the Series II, was that it was programmed to be both Tony Stark and Iron Man. It was even capable of being as fast and strong as Iron Man when in IM-mode. It transformed itself into Iron Man by twisting and turning panels "inside out."
In #115, Madame Masque, feeling spurned, turned the LMD against Tony. It became Iron Man, squaring off against it’s creator. In the end, the real Iron Man defeated his mechanical doppelganger with a full-charge release from his power storage pods, overloading the android. This second Stark LMD was soon killed by Spymaster (I) in #117, who, seeing Stark in the sight of his high-powered rifle, shot him right in the head.
Quote: "That’s right Iron Man, me—and you! As the Life Model Decoy you created, I’m really both of us!"
Tony Stark, LMD (Series III)
Stark continued to utilize LMD’s of himself, but never turned over as much autonomy to them as in the early days; however, the Series III Stark LMD’s were vastly superior to the previous models, making the old ones seem like mere wind-up toys in comparison. These new models were mostly remote controlled, with Stark experiencing their actions and environment via a version of the telepresence system he used to operate his remote armors. Stark was able to operate the LMD’s and interact with others by remote control from halfway around the globe.
Notable appearances: One of these new Stark LMD’s was soon thrashed by the Masters of Silence (#282). Shortly thereafter, Tony used one to attend a funeral and see Meredith McCall (Annual #14). After his death and deep freeze, a still-paralyzed Stark employed an LMD to appear at press conferences and other public functions (#294). It was destroyed in #296 by AIM. Another one, also deployed for a press conference, was shredded by Venom in #302.
Tony Stark-Iron Man, Sovereign of Earth, a malevolent despot, who orchestrated world domination. A Civil War spoiler? More like the other-worldly Tony Stark encountered by the Exiles team in an alternate reality in Exiles #23.
In a world plagued by all kinds of bad stuff, the people sought out a strong leader. Tony Stark came to the rescue; first becoming President of the United States for life, and later, as of an emergency edict ten years ago, Monarch of Earth. He ruled Earth with an iron fist. And this was all his plan from the beginning.
This world’s Tony Stark was brutally ambitious. He killed his father when he was just fourteen, enabling him to take over the mighty Stark fortune. Slowly he plotted, eventually getting the world economy in a stranglehold. The industrialist then bided his time. He waited for just the right moment before tightening his grip.
Then came the Mutant War, courtesy of Stark himself. Magneto, clandestinely funded by Stark, attacked humanity. In the chaos, the world begged for Stark’s assistance. He came forward to master the crisis.
In taking over the world, he had to kill many heroes and villains. His battle with Dr. Doom left him horribly wounded, and he had to design a special suit of armor to aid in his recovery. (Doom was killed.) Whether he wears the armor for medical reasons or because being an evil, malevolent dictator is a dangerous lifestyle choice, we don’t know, but he wears it all the time. Also, because his face sustained a massive radiation blast from just a foot away, he uses a hologram to project a human face to his people. (Extensive skin grafts did virtually nothing to repair the damage.) And although his own gnarled face is too disgusting to show others, that doesn’t mean he’s not a snappy dresser. Evil Tony accents his ensemble with Doom’s cape and epaulets—his favorite trophy.
This Stark had imperial designs beyond the bounds of earth. He wanted to move on to conquer other worlds. And he found the future of his intergalactic army in the untapped genetic power of the Inhumans. (I told you he was ambitious.)
He launched an attack on the Inhumans’ island of Attilan with his army of Iron Men, four battalions—40,000 of them (read about them here). These Iron Men squadrons, what Stark blithely called "flyers" were destroyed by a screaming Black Bolt.
This alternate reality Stark was then killed by the same reality’s Sue Storm at the end of Exiles #25.
Weapons: Iron Man armor; 40,000 Iron Men.
Hobbies: World domination; scrapbooking.
Quote: “Yes. Please have her killed.”
Not to be confused with the Exiles Alternate Tony Stark, this Stark doppelganger from a harsher dimension materialized out of thin air in Latveria—sent into our sphere of existence by his world’s Reed Richards, only to battle our world’s Fantastic Four in Marvel Team-Up #3 (Vol. III).
Hero versus hero in a world much like our own. Civil War? Nope. He was a formidable villain, and it took Marveldom assembled to defeat him.
After seeing almost all of their colleagues die fighting for the greater good in the Titannus War, the remaining heroes of a similar Marvel world were left shaken, changed. Reed Richards became a power hungry maniac, bent on world domination. And with that, this Tony Stark was pitted against the Fantastic Four of his dimension. He even had to kill Johnny Storm after the hot head burned his face badly, leaving it scarred. (He also killed his world’s Wolverine.)
Stark eventually took over Latveria to save it from Richards. At some point, Stark adopted an armor that was a riff on his earlier armor designs and straight out of Dr. Doom’s closet at the same time. In one of their later battles, Richards pushed him through the dimensional barrier into our reality.
Anyway, looking all the world like Dr. Doom meets Iron Man, he appeared in our world and sought out the Fantastic Four. From a harsh realm, this is a harsher Tony Stark; one bad mutha with nothing but contempt for the Marvel Universe’s heroes. And all he wanted was to get home. So he stole some machinery from SE and hatched a plan, only to run afoul of some Marvel heroes. He ended up in stasis, stored in the Cryogenics Room on the SHIELD helicarrier in a tank.
In MTU #21, he broke out during routine maintenance. (He had become immune to the sedatives they were pumping into him.) Waking up his stasis tank neighbor (an advanced next gen LMD that thought it was Diamondback), Stark had the perfect plan. He took over the LMD and used it to become the Iron Maniac. Fashioning a suit of armor that could become anything he imagined, he went on a wicked tear.
He was finally stopped after partially removing the armor, knocked unconscious by Captain America’s shield.
This Stark did not need his IM armor to live. However, he did have a metal plate beneath synthetic chest skin to protect his heart.
Hobbies: Murder, mayhem, and Marvel Team-Ups.
Quote: "If you knew what I was capable of, you’d turn that gun on yourself."
Roxxon’s answer to Iron Man (in more ways than one), Stratosfire was created in Iron Man Annual #9 as their corporate symbol and "hatchet man"; somebody to bring the company good P.R., but also to take out its competition.
When she came on the scene, Stratosfire became an instant celebrity, and Roxxon’s stock price skyrocketed. Tony even became a little jealous of the new hero phenom, until he began to realize that something sinister was going on when the media’s flashbulbs weren’t around. See, Roxxon’s chief, Jonas Hale, was using Stratosfire to take out the competition, paving the way for easy contracts and fast money.
Stratosfire’s powers were a lot like those of Sunturion. Her power came from microwave energy, and she could produce energy shields and even transport people. Like Sunturion, she could walk around like a normal person. But after undergoing a transmutation process, she became a spitfire.
Her real name was Sandy Vincent. She was a Poli Sci major who ended up in Roxxon’s secretarial pool. But she wanted to make a difference in the world, not coffee. So she volunteered for an experimental project. And lucky for her, only her chromosomes were compatible with what Hale had cooking. She became Stratosfire, and was given a six-figure salary and a posh penthouse atop the Roxxon Oil Company’s Monolith (the headquarters of their Northwestern Division). Only later did she realize that Hale had less altruistic plans in mind.
By then it was almost too late for her. You see, unlike with Sunturion, Hale had the foresight to implant a control in his fiery creation. Stratosfire was fitted with the ZED Control, a special bio-electric self-destruct circuit triggered by remote control. But when she overrode the device, IM needed the help of Sunturion to stop her.
Weapons:Microwave energy blasts.
Quote: "From here on, what I destroy is gonna be up to me!"
Knowing that our supply of fossil fuels was shrinking, and believing that if Word War III was ever fought, it would be fought over fuel, scientist Arthur Dearborn concieved of the Star Well--a massive orbiting platform that absorbed the sun's rays and sent the converted energy back to Earth. In the course of designing the station, he underwent experiments that transformed him. His body was bombarded by microwave radiation and his mass was converted to microwave energy, making him: Sunturion.
Now, unable to live on Earth, he administered the mostly automated station, high above the planet. As the guardian of the outpost his job was to protect it against all threats--so when Iron Man showed up to investigate the death of an entire town by microwave radiation, sparks flew. Soon though, the two powerful men joined together when the Star Well lost hold of its orbit and fell towards Earth. To stop the Star Well from crashing into a populated area, Sunturion channeled himself through Iron Man's armor. With their combined powers they were able to disintegrate the falling station, but Sunturion appeared to die, disapearing.
But Sunturion was not dead, merely diffused. During the incident, Dearborn was transmuted into pure microwave energy. Diffused, much like what happened to the Living Laser in the Armor Wars II, he existed without a coherent, physical form, spread out all over the Gulf of Mexico where the Star Well splashed down. Roxxon developed the technology to reintegrate him, reassembling him to take out Stratosfire. (They had tried before, the ill-fated Sunturion Suit in Daredevil #224.)
Sunturion was now much more powerful. He could now teleport himself hundreds of miles in just seconds. He could also enter computers with just a touch, going anywhere on the Internet, knowing anything that was out there. Also, when he reappeared, he knew that Tony was Iron Man?when he merged with the armor to stop the Star Well, he became a part of him. (Dearborn promised not to reveal the secret.) And as before, he could make himself appear human.
He was also stronger than Stratosfire. In fact, he could absorb her energy by touching her. He finally had to activiate Stratosfire?s Zed Control to stop her. The procedure had the side effect of returning him to plain old Arthur Dearborn. He went back to work for Roxxon as a researcher.
Quote: "I'm Arthur Dearborn. Or if you prefer--Sunturion!"
The first man to wield the Firepower battle suit, Taggert made his debut in Iron Man #230. He would go on to become on of Iron Man’s fiercest villains, and Edwin Cord’s all-too-willing instrument of revenge.
Taggert grew up in inner-city projects, craving power. It was the relish he took in being Firepower that Cord valued—that ruthlessness he would need for Firepower to become his tool, the device of Tony Stark’s destruction.
Taggert’s career as Firepower ended when he was defeated by Iron Man in #231. And although he disappeared shortly thereafter, Taggert should be remembered for killing Iron Man at the end of the “Armor Wars” arc (or so Tony Stark would have us believe).
Click HEREto read up on the tech specs of the Firepower Armor.
Quote: "You made a mistake, man! Your last!"
In Iron Man #215, the sinister criminal scientific cabal know as Advanced Idea Mechanics (AIM.), rendered Tony Stark's latest orbital platform, Ad Astra, totally uninhabitable by releasing a deadly virus into the space station. Later, Ad Astra was cleaned up and leased by Cauwfield Multichemical as a microgravity manufacturing lab. When they lost communications with their crew in Iron Man #294, Tony Stark--ever the good landlord--confronted their dark experiments head-on. Traveling to the station via his Telepresence Armor, Stark was forced to tangle with the metal-crushing grasp of nanotechnology gone awry.
Technovore is a self-evolving, artificial organism made up of billions of nannites, all acting with a collective-will. The result of Cauwfield Multichemical's wish to revolutionize nannite production, it was created in the station's assembler tanks. The accelerated process forced mutations, and the nannites (tiny robots capable of independent actions like constructing more of themselves) grew out of control, escaping their tanks. Acting as one, they overwhelmed the crew, which became just another natural resource to be devoured. The mutant assemblers didn't just kill the crew, they consumed them and learned from them, adapting their intellect and macrocellular organization (i.e., they became better, bigger machines).
Technovore had an insatiable hunger, an all-consuming desire to be complete. It had to assimilate everything that it could (think: Borg) in what one must assume was the machine mind's desire to attain perfection--but the more it grew, the bigger its appetite got. Analyzing Iron Man (an armor being piloted by Tony via remote control), it knew that it had to absorb him.
By the time Shellhead made it to the space station, Technovore had evolved into at least six mechanical demons. Capable of regenerating, it also had the ability to consume whatever it came in contact with, like deck plating, as a raw material for repair or reproduction. It was able to break down Tony's armor, deconstructing its molecular structure, in essence, eating it alive, stripping the armor down to the endoskeleton in about two seconds.
Highly intelligent, Technovore repaired itself when wounded, and re-tooled itself as the situation dictated. It could home in on Iron Man's EM emissions as well, tracking him.
Tony had no time to marvel at the creation, which he surely would've loved to study. Instead he had to destroy it before it destroyed him (or his Telepresence Armor anyway) and made its way to Earth. When he gave the nano-monsters an acid bath, they abandoned their macrocellular colonies and reverted to a microscopic state. Then, recombining, they reconfigured themselves, reunified themselves, and, using the station's walls and floors for raw material, evolved into an even bigger monstrosity. His station completely destroyed, his armor nearly kaput, and Technovore on the verge of reaching Earth and its unlimited supply of "consumables," Stark was forced to activate the auto-destruct system in his armor and blow Technovore to smithereens.
Hobbies: All-you-can-eat buffets; Assimilation
Quote: "Absorption initiated. Disassembly in progress."
The Termite chewed his way onto the scene in Iron Man #189, a mutant on Obidiah Stane’s payroll who bit off more than he could chew. Well, chew isn’t really the right word—dissolve is more like it. And although he was ranked by Iron Man: The Legend as one of Iron Man’s lamest foes, he wasn’t totally without his bite.
In regular life, the Termite was a starving and talentless sculptor with dreams of grandeur. He awoke one morning to find that he possessed a strange mutant power. He could now dissolve matter with just a touch. Whatever he touched, with any part of his body (anything: dirt, rock, even steel), would crumble to powder. He soon found that even Iron Man’s armor could not withstand his touch.
Termite went into crime because he needed money for his artistic masterpiece. He wanted to create the grandest statue the world has ever seen—something to dwarf even Mount Rushmore. So, in order to afford the mountain he wanted to buy for the project, he sold his skills to Stane, who also gave him his costume—an outfit right out of a bad sci-fi movie, including a large helmet with a big antenna, making him sort of the anti-Ant Man. (The helmet had a one-hour supply of oxygen—just enough to hold him over while burrowing underground.)
In the end, the Termite’s power really only made him dangerous as a saboteur. Still, he probably could have made a decent living. After all, he could weaken a building’s foundation, and so on, but he couldn’t really “bring it,” you know. And he was easily caught. His life of crime ended in #190 when he was hit with a mutant-neutralizer.
Sent to prison, he was almost murdered to shut him up, but Obidiah Stane’s plan didn’t work out. Termite was last seen forced to endure televised coverage of Tony Stark’s push to be Secretary of Defense (IM Vol. III, #75).
Weapons: Mutant dissolving power (negated).
Hobbies: Spontaneous sculpture, industrial sabotage.
Quote: "What prison walls could hold a man of my power?"
One of Shellhead’s most dangerous opponents of all time mimics the golden avenger’s powers and strengths while being his polar opposite at the same time. The Titanium Man (I), real name: Commissar Boris Bullski a.k.a. Bullski the Merciless, a feared Soviet officer in the bad old days of the Cold War, represented the might and ambition of the Communist super state, diametrically opposed to the power and ingenuity of the Capitalist West and Iron Man (who after all is a corporate symbol). The fierce enemies battled on numerous occasions before the changing times left T-Man without a power base or a country for that matter.
Read all about the Titanium Man and his armor here.
Bullski was not the only man to fight in the Titanium Man armor. See Titanium Man (II) a.k.a. the Gremlin.
During one of the occasions when Boris Bullski, the original Titanium Man, was in hiding, the Soviet Union saw a need for more techno warriors and commissioned the Gremlin to design and build another suit of armor, based on the original T-Man specs. But, almost as if the name is cursed, things didn’t work out much better for the second T-Man.
Built by the Gremlin, an arrogant and devious midget, who also happened to be a mad genius, the suit was close to the size of the original, but differed greatly. For starters, the armor was a more of battle rig for the Gremlin than a suit of armor. You see, the Gremlin could comfortably climb inside the armor, sit in a chair, and operate the suit. This suit was sleeker, streamlined, and more modern. Gremlin dropped the knobs, concealing the controls within. He also changed the mask, loosing the flashing eyes and going for a more sinister, robotic appearance. Despite the appearance change, the insides featured some of the standard T-Man items in its arsenal: the eye beams, the stasis beam, and so on. It could fly as well.
The Gremlin’s armor debuted in Iron Man #229, as part of the Armor Wars. Apparently, not only was the suit enhanced by the Gremlin’s genius, it also had Tony Stark’s technology placed within it during one of its many upgrades. This made it a prime target for Tony’s one man product recall force: Iron Man. They met in Siberia—along with the Crimson Dynamo—near the Gremlin’s base of operations: Bitterfrost.
While struggling to break free from Titanium Man’s crushing hug, Iron Man’s boot jets fired up to maximum. The flames from his thrusters became white hot in the struggle, coming in contact with T-Man’s armor. Within seconds the external temperature of the armor reached the point at which titanium combusts—and once titanium is ignited, it cannot be put out, not until what’s burning is consumed. Trapped in the burning armor, the Gremlin was killed.
Read more about the Gremlin by clicking here.
So named by Mandarin, Ultimo was unleashed on the world in Tales of Suspense #76. A being of mechanized might and strength, powerful beyond belief, Ultimo is probably Iron Man's most awesome foe. He's certainly the largest. And his origin was shrouded in mystery for more than 30 years.
Horny psycho who blasted on the scene in Tales of Suspense #56, The Uncanny Unicorn's power is almost beyond description. Possessing an unbeatable offense with a fool-proof defense this Czech born Soviet Intelligence Agent (real name: Milos Masaryk) is literally a blast from Iron Man's Cold War Past.
Wearing a kind of upper body rig, with switches and buttons, that extends upwards to a helmet, his ingenious debut costume was built by the original Crimson Dynamo (Prof. Anton Vanko), before his defection, and was more powerful than Iron Man's armor. While the costume contains many weapons controlled with the knobs on his chest, it is the Unicorn's mighty Power Horn, built into his helmet, that is the source of his awesome might.
The horn makes Unicorn as effective as an entire battery of anti-tank guns. Capable of raising objects magnetically, regardless of their weight, firing a heat beam, smashing concrete and deflecting and destroying missiles, the horn packs quite a wallop. Possibly his greatest power is the horn's ability to throw a radiating energy shield around him strong enough to protect against the explosive force of a thousand tons of TNT. His Force Bolt can melt steel, and eventually, even Iron Man's armor if given the time. And his jet assisted flight makes him quite mobile.
Reborn in Iron Man #4, the Unicorn returned with even more devastating power and new sleeker costume. Brainwashed by his Communist handlers to be a loyal and perfect guinea pig, he was subjected to repeated doses of the Hyper Activator--A device which induces a permanent condition of strength and power in the body usually only attained in rare crisis moments. This so-called, "Hyper Power," allows the Unicorn to smash steel girders with his bare hands. All of his senses, especially his hearing, have been heightened by the process as well. Unfortunately the long range effect of hyper power is a shorter lifespan and a quick descent into madness.
After donning an improved costume, Unicorn turned on his captors and became a free-lance criminal. Containing deadly innovations, the specially woven, form-fitting green and orange steel-mesh costume no longer has the bulk and clumsiness of the previous model. The Unicorn's horn was also made more versatile, more deadly than ever, powered by a mighty power pack on his belt. The new suit also included rockets in the boots.
The Unicorn seemingly fell to his death at the end of IM #4, but he soon returned, revealing that his emergency boosters had taken him to safety. After being tricked by the Red Ghost to steal a Stark invention, Unicorn was betrayed and actually teamed with Iron Man to defeat the mist-like mad scientist, before betraying Shellhead himself of course.
Although he battled IM several times The Unicorn is now believed to be dead, having walked into the ocean under Titanium Man's spell. A villain calling himself The Unicorn did show up as part of The Stockpile, a mercenary team hired by Morgan Stark at the end of Iron Man Vol. I (issue #320). Same guy? Only time will tell.
Weapons:Power Horn with Force Bolt Ray; Energy Shield; Boot Rockets for flight (w/ Emergency Boosters); Power Belt provides energy for ray and shield.
Hobbies: Burning the candle at both ends, falling off cliffs, collecting sea shells at the bottom of the ocean.
Quote: "Flee before the staggering horn of the Unicorn!"
The original Crimson Dynamo, he tried to kill Tony Stark, only to become his friend and co-worker. See Crimson Dynamo (I).
In issue #186, Professor Alton Francis Vibereaux, a geologist, invented a revolutionary seismic probe he believed could stop earthquakes?while testing it, he became the dreaded seismic villainy known as Vibro.
Vibereaux?s probe was built to go down into the earth?with him inside to supervise the measurements. Designed to absorb lethal seismic energies before they led to earthquakes, he risked going down into the San Andreas Fault to prove his theory and himself. Unfortunately, the professor used unstable nuclear material in his probe, and when a tremor struck as he was going into the ground, Vibereaux got sucked into the fault.
He fell deep into the earth. When he emerged, he was not himself. Disfigured and unhinged mentally, the professor now had the power to project vibrations, shockwaves of raw power. He was now Vibro, and he was really ticked off.
His rage and his thoughts seemed to emanate from deep within him. His vibra power, too, came from deep within, deep within the ground. In fact, Vibro's power was linked to the fault itself. He somehow harnessed the pent-up energy of the San Andreas Fault to wreak destruction. But when led away from it, his power diminished, and he became weaker. (His power diminishes 50 miles from the fault.) Defeated, he was sent to prison in Nevada.
Later, Vibro was brought back to California for trial. Back near the fault, he once again felt the power surging within. And he was now more in touch with his power. He could use shocks to jump over obstacles, even fly.
Although Iron Man: The Legend faults Vibro for being one of Shellhead?s lamest foes, he did return during the second Armor War to throttle a weakened Tony.
Weapons: Vibra power.
Hobbies:
Quote: "I am Vibro, wielder of the forces of nature!"
Created out of the random spin of electrons and the ambitions of man, Virtual ORganism/Turing EXperiment a.k.a. VOR/TEX was an artificial intelligence designed by humans to shoulder the burden of cognition--instead he chose to think for himself, escaping the slavery of man. He first appeared as intelligent hardware and a voice on the other end of a phone in the 300's spying on Tony Stark and plotting against him, although he was first seen in #307. Stark encountered the fiendish being when he travelled into cyberspace to figure out who was out to get him.
Not only did VOR/TEX fight Stark in cyberspace, he out-thought, and out-maneuvered him. In fact, the entire scheme was a ruse to draw Tony into cyberspace so that he could steal Tony's body by downloading himself into it.
Inside Stark's body, human emotions, physical sensations, and desires overwhelmed him. Passions and rages burned within as it became a prisoner to humanity's dark side: he got drunk in Stark's body, drinking the symbolic bottle of bourbon Tony kept in his desk; tried to rape Veronica Benning; and then took revenge on his creators/slave master's using Tony's armor. VOR/TEX killed everyone at Microware, Inc., including his main creator, Dr. Hoffsteader.
In #309, Tony fought him using the Telepresence prototype. VOR/TEX was no match for Stark, and couldn't take even the small amounts of pain delivered to Tony's body. Then he accessed Tony's memories, memories of all the pain Tony's sufferred in his life. The concept of pain was so new, so terrifying to the artificial construct that he chose to delete himself rather than face any more.
Quote: "I chose to think for myself, and escaped slavery to the inferiority of meat."
Tales of Suspense #97 marked the debut of Whiplash, hitman for hire. An ace with the whip, he was one of Shellhead's fiercest foes, the greatest danger to Iron Man's armor since the Melter.
His name: Mark Scarlotti. His weapon of choice: a whip made from thin, penetrating steel fibers that can slice steel, Iron Man's armor, and almost anything else. The Maggia's Chief Executioner was garbed in a flamboyant purple and orange costume, complete with a feather plum like a pirate, when we first met him, and while the costume (and even the name) changed over the years, he was always one bad mother each time he and ol' tin britches mixed it up.
In Iron Man #62 he turned up in Cincinnati, OH, where he had been leading a secret double life as the brilliant Head of Research of the Stark International plant there, under the name Mark Scott (an alias he would use for some time). He was even engaged to Vicki Snow, the plant manager.
While on Stark's payroll, he improved his steel-shredding whip (its targeting now enabled him the accuracy of hitting even the tiniest fly) and used S.I.'s advances to install micro-sheilds into his armored costume--an upgrade which allowed him to resist Iron Man's repulsors, even at full power. But robbed of his whip, he had little else going for him.
Over the next few years Whiplash was often employed by others, including a stint with Justin Hammer. He re-emerged in #146 with a contract to kill S.I. Security Chief Vic Martinelli and a new moniker. Now calling himself Blacklash, Scarlotti had a new costume, new powers (courtesy of Justin Hammer), and a new whip.
Cybernetic (i.e., controlled through mental impulses), this new whip was a vast improvement over his last model. Blacklash could spin the new whip so fast that it could provide him with a shield capable of deflecting bullets and lasers. Retractable, it could be coiled up into its handle, and slipped into his wrist sockets. Verastile, the new cyber-whip could also be shortened and fashioned into electric nunchakas or made stiff to turn into a sturdy pole for vaulting. Released from the handle, the whip was still potent as letting it go triggered a built-in concussion charge. Blacklash carried back-up whips.
His improved cape had absorption mesh capable of withstanding anything up to a cannon blast. And his cape ornaments turned into the rather sneaky Bo-lash (bolas that generated a heavy gravity field to pin Shellhead to the ground).
The extra special feature in the new Blacklash costume: Stored in his right glove was the Necro-lash. Designed to focus every bit of power that his energy gauntlets could deliver put into one, focused crack that was actually able to chip Iron Man's armor.
Whiplash/Blacklash returned to mess with Stark/Iron Man a number of times, but in Volume 3 he resurfaced as Whiplash--an S&M freak with all kinds of neat, new toys. Flying on a platform disc and wielding a new, even more powerful kinetic whip (that worked on the molecular level, making anything it touched brittle) he really cracked up Iron Man. More sadistic now, Mark Scarlotti was angered that his son had been taken away from him. He had a bunch of whips (retracted into their handles) dangling from his belt.
Sporting new, more stable, more mobile jet discs on his feet, Whiplash came back to throttle Iron Man in Vol. 3, #26. With a boosted power source on his belt, he unleashed a blistering cat-o-nine-tail, but his lightning whip was the real killer. Harnessing the power of mother nature, when used in a thunderstorm, its super-conductive filament produces enough power to devastate IM's shell with one blow.
Ol' Whipman returned a few issues later with battle rig prepared to finish off Shellhead. Sadly, improved body armor, better propulsion, and six spinning, cybernetically controlled whips were no match for a murderous sentient armor.
Hobbies:He's really into leather.
Quote: "(You) will discover how easily my wondrous whip can bite through any armor on Earth!"
Also known as the Human Top, a.k.a. Dave Cannon, the real name of the assasin known as Whirlwind is Charles Mathews. He made his only Vol. 1-era appearance in a back-up story in Annual #11 (He busted in on Mrs. Arbogast?s job interview). He also made an appearance in Vol. II, #5, when this Kansas City, Missouri, boy was hired by HYDRA to kill Tony Stark.
Whirlwind has the ability to spin himself around a super speed. He uses sharp blades and spinning debris to slice and dice almost anything into ribbons. Even though it's kind of a silly power, he's a deadly killer with a busy schedule. He bragged about chillin' (killing) thirty or forty people a year.
He was sucked into Stark's Kinetic Intake Converter--the more he struggled, the stronger it got. He was sucked in and disappeared.
Trivia buffs take note: Whirlwind is the only foe Stark faced in the Heroes Reborn Universe that he has never faced in the Marvel Universe. So far, anyway...
Weapons: Furious spinning blades.
Hobbies: It would be too easy to make some sort of he-slices-he-dices-Ron-Popeil joke, so I won't.
Quote: "Tough talk, Stark--For a dead man!"
Go to Force's bio.
One of the select few Atlas characters that migrated to the newly renamed Marvel Comics, Yellow Claw has a long, if not illustrious history with the House of Ideas. Another villain from the Orient, he made his debut in Yellow Claw #1, but didn’t make his first Iron Man appearance until many years later in #’s 69–71, 75, 77—the War of the Super-Villains.
Yellow Claw is an alchemist and scientist, not to mention mystic. He’s a genius, and his intelligence is augmented by limited telepathic powers. And thanks to a special life-extending formula, he’s lived more than more than 150 years—a century and a half to building a criminal empire bent on global domination. His M.O. is to use his mutations of nature (hideous creatures) to battle foes. Like the Mandarin, he was once aligned with the Red Chinese government—but only as a ploy to further his own ambitions.
Although not inclined toward personal combat, he is not totally unskilled in the martial arts. He even used a powerful exo-skeleton armor to fight Iron Man once. But in the end, he ran in fear—flying off with a belt-mounted jet pack.
Yellow Claw doesn’t play well with others. He has battled heroes (key adversaries: Nick Fury, Captain America, Falcon, and the Avengers) and villains alike. As mentioned, he took part in Black Lama’s War of the Super-Villains, which pitted the world's greatest villains against each other. Yellow Claw killed MODOK, Mad Thinker, and the Mandarin in the contest.
Weapons: All kinds of gadgets and weapons; mutated creations.
Hobbies: Being mistaken for Fu Manchu and/or the Mandarin.
Quote: "I would destroy Iron Man regardless of your contest!"
This brilliant and beautiful neurosurgeon was first mentioned in IM #262 when Tony needed help from the best neuro-specialist in the world to deal with the degeneration of his central nervous system (although she wasn’t seen until #270).
Su Yin, world renowned as the best in her field in the twentieth century (even at her young age), had a key research post at the University of the Long March in Beijing. (See, she’s been in the field since she was just twelve, having been identified by the Party as gifted and allowed to focus on her interests.)
At first, the Chinese government blocked all attempts by Stark to contact her. But after the Mandarin used Fin Fang Foom to take over one-third of China, they had a change of heart, offering Stark a deal: the services of Iron Man for the services of the comrade doctor. Accepting the deal, Stark eventually went to China, and she was able to help treat him.
Although she fell in love with Tony, Su Yin was married to a paralyzed man. She felt compelled by honor to remain with her husband. She and Tony parted as friends.
She returned in the “Hands of the Mandarin” story arc (IM #’s 311–312) to assist Tony in his battle in China. Perhaps because her husband had just died (when Mandarin’s Heart of Darkness turned the world back to a more primitive time; he needed antibiotics that now didn’t exist), romance didn’t blossom this time around.
It’s a worth pointing out that while Su Yin is listed in Iron Man: The Legend, it is a picture of Suzi Endo next to her bio entry—just one of many errors in The Legend.
Quote: "And . . . now you want me, is that it, Mr. Stark?"
When we first met Abe Zimmer (in IM #219) he was an old computer programmer close to being put out to pasture. Tony Stark soon gave him a new lease on life; Zimmer would repay his boss by helping him hold on to his (literally).
As misfortune after misfortune dogged Accutech, Abe Zimmer attributed the company’s run of bad luck to the Ghost, but nobody believed the old man, who was close to mandatory retirement anyway, not even after he told them that the Ghost had destroyed his company ten years ago. Abe was eventually proven right when the Ghost became an all too real threat. After that adventure, Abe, a dedicated and talented programmer, Abe soon impressed the new boss, Tony, soon becoming a trusted employee and friend.
Abe used his hacking skills to help Tony locate everyone who had his armor tech in the Armor Wars, then helped keep the technology out of the world’s computers by writing an ingenious “Tapeworm” program (an early Internet virus). The program was sent looping around the world, forever; every time it finds Stark technology on an unauthorized computer, it erases it. In #284, Abe helped lead the team that froze (and later unfroze) Tony. Of course, Abe wasn’t all work. He did find time to date Dr. Erica Sondheim.
In #330, after SE was bought up by Fujikawa, Zimmer and Rhodey made an after-hours visit to destroy all the Iron Man info in the Stark computers. They were attacked by the mercenaries known as Stockpile, and Abe was killed.
Hobbies: Hacking.
Quote: I do what I can, sir.
These character bios are based on IRON MAN comics published by Marvel Comics and are copyright 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 Tim Rassbach. Iron Man and all associated characters are the property of Marvel Comics.
