The hero of the film "Iron Man Tony Stark": history and interesting facts about the filming. Everything you knew and didn't know about Iron Man The film "Tony Stark - Iron Man": actors and roles

The Marvel Comics Universe gave the world great amount variety of superheroes, some of them impossible to forget. Of course, we are talking about a character nicknamed Iron Man (Tony Stark). Famous multimillionaire, conqueror female hearts and part-time brilliant scientist, thanks to his sense of humor, charisma and intelligence, won the hearts of millions and rightfully took one of the leading roles among superheroes. This character will be discussed in the article.

The appearance of a superhero

For the first time the world heard about a hero named Tony Stark (Iron Man) back in 1963. At first, the character did not have his own comic book and had to compete with stars such as Captain America for the attention of readers, but he quickly gained popularity.

Already in 1968, Marvel launches separate story about the hero. Despite the fact that the series lasted only 332 issues, it was able to shape the world of Iron Man. Initially, the stories about this superhero, as conceived by author Stan Lee, expressed anti-communist ideas and became a platform for expressing thoughts about the Cold War with Soviet Union. But after the unsuccessful Vietnam War, the series lost its political topicality and switched to terrorism and corporate crime.

A few facts from the character's life

Tony Stark (Iron Man) does not have any superpowers, which is what stands out from other heroes. He was not bitten by radioactive spiders or brought from another planet, he was not struck by lightning, he did not wear a cape and mask. The great scientist, thanks to his intellect and ingenuity, was able to reach unprecedented heights.

The future superhero was born in the family of a wealthy industrialist, owner of the huge corporation Stark Industries. At the age of 15, this genius entered the Massachusetts Institute, and at 19 he celebrated his graduation. At 21, Iron Man (Tony Stark), after the death of his parents, which happened as a result of a rigged car accident, becomes the head of the corporation. But for young man managing the company has become an unbearable burden, so Stark entrusts much of his work to assistant Virginia Potts (Pepper).

Iron Man on the big screen

The idea to make a movie about the adventures of this superhero appeared in 1990. It was at that time that the film companies 20th Century, Universal Studios, New Line Cinema began to film the comic book. But in 2006, she bought all the rights to shoot. Since this was the first project solely funded by the Marvell film company, its film adaptation took so much time.

The film "Tony Stark - Iron Man", which is described below, was the first film in a series of superhero adventures from the fictional Marvel universe.

The first film was directed by Jon Favreau. You can recognize him by the role of a friend of the protagonist Happy Hogan. John decided to distinguish the superhero from the rest, so the film about his adventures was filmed in California, and not, as usual, in New York. The director had his own approach to filming, he allowed the actors to freely change the dialogue, if the content of the film did not suffer from this. Probably, this became the basis of the tremendous success with which this action went through all the cinemas of the world.

The film "Tony Stark - Iron Man": actors and roles

In addition to impressive special effects, the movie about the adventures of a superhero also pleased with an excellent cast. Even before the start of filming, it was clear that this project was going to be an unprecedented success. That is why such stars as Tom Cruise claimed to participate in the film, and many others wanted to get into the film "Tony Stark - Iron Man". The main role went to Robert Downey Jr. He brought to life a superhero and a multimillionaire. The actor at the time of filming had reached the age of 43, so he had to carefully take care of his appearance and go to the gym at least 5 times a week.

Another global star who starred in this film is Gwyneth Paltrow. She played the role of the superhero's main assistant. It is noteworthy that at first the actress was not particularly eager to star in this film and agreed to participate only on the condition that the shooting would take place near her home.

The main villain and antagonist of Iron Man was masterfully brought to life by Jeff Bridges. The role of US Air Force Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes (Rhoady) went to Terrence Howard. Artificial intelligence, part-time butler Tony Stark, was voiced

The plot of the film

The story that the film "Tony Stark - Iron Man" tells us (the content is presented below) is slightly different from the comics. According to the plot main character- a multimillionaire and philanthropist who led a carefree life. A lot of money is brought to him by the supply of various weapons for the needs of the army. One fine day, after a demonstration of a new project, Tony Stark was captured by terrorists from Afghanistan, who demand to create a Jericho rocket for them. During the abduction, the main character was seriously wounded in the chest. Despite the fact that Stark removed the largest fragments, small shrapnel has settled in his body and seeks to get close to his heart. That is why the main character inserts an electromagnet into his chest. Tony realizes that even if he builds a missile, the terrorists won't let him go. So instead of "Jericho" the hero is taken to the production of heavy armor, which helps to get out of captivity.

Returning home, Stark refuses to manufacture any weapons and spends all his time creating a more advanced suit. According to the plot of the protagonist, more than one battle with terrorists awaits. He will have to protect the innocent, confront the US Air Force and unravel the plot in own company. Also, Iron Man (Tony Stark) will get acquainted with the mysterious SHIELD group, which the hero will meet more than once in his future adventures.

A huge success

Never participated in such projects before, but he managed to create a great action game with amazing special effects. Particularly successful, according to experts, were the scenes with flights. And this is not surprising, because after the end of filming, Robert Downey worked for another 8 months on special effects in the studio in order to harmoniously convey the movements of the superhero. Critics praised the film's excellent cinematography and soundtrack.

The picture was a huge success in cinemas around the world. "Tony Stark - Iron Man" (fiction) was nominated 8 times for the "Saturn" award - the main prize of the Academy of Science Fiction, especially popular with fans of films from this genre. The film was also nominated for two Oscars.

Continued adventure

The film "Tony Stark - Iron Man 2" appeared on the screen in 2010. The director of the film was the same Jon Favreau. The cast has remained virtually unchanged: Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow remained in the lead roles. Terrence Howard, who played James Rowdy, left the project due to a disagreement with Marvel over the fee, and Don Cheadle was chosen to take his place. The leading lady Gwyneth Paltrow also wanted to demand a pay increase, but after the refusal she decided to stay in the project and not create a scandal. Here's Robert Downey Jr. hit the jackpot. The first part brought him $ 500 thousand, and already for the second he was paid 10 million.

The star cast of the second part

Appeared in the film "Tony Stark - Iron Man 2" and new, but well-known faces. In the second part, the protagonist had to confront the brilliant Soviet engineer Ivan Vanko, nicknamed Whip, masterfully played by Mickey Rourke. In order to get used to the role of a Russian prisoner, the actor visited the Butyrka prison.

Scarlett Johansson is another world-famous star who got into the second part of the superhero adventure. According to the plot, the actress played a special agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., nicknamed Justin Hammer, embodied the role of another villain with whom Tony Stark had to fight.

Rental and awards of the second part

The rating of this film was significantly lower than the previous part. So the film received average ratings. The picture was nominated for prestigious awards such as Oscar and Saturn, but she failed to win a single prize. Critics lamented the lack of disclosure storyline and that the movie wasn't as funny as the first one. Iron Man 2 was a relatively good box office success. The president of the Marvel film studio was still pleased with the results of the film and said that the continuation of the adventure would be more interesting and would appear on the screen as early as 2013.

One of the highest grossing films in history

Tony Stark - Iron Man 3 hit theaters in April 2013. Jon Favreau left the director's chair, and was replaced by the master of ironic action movies Shane Black, with whom Downey had already worked on the film Kiss Bang Bang. The main roles are played by the same Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle. TO cast joined by Ben Kigsley, Rebecca Hall and Guy Pearce, they played villains and the main opponents of the superhero.

Iron Man (Tony Stark) in this part showed how he can cope with difficulties even without his hero costume. After losing the first battle with the main enemy, the mandarin, the hero begins to deal with the villain in earnest. And then one plot twist after another falls on the viewer. The film keeps you in suspense from the beginning to the end credits. And the fact that the picture is full of jokes and amazing special effects gives it more charm.

The change of director had a positive effect on the whole picture as a whole. Shane Black, familiar from two parts of the blockbuster Lethal Weapon, was able to discover new character traits for the amazing superhero named Tony Stark.

Iron Man 3 was a huge success around the world. With a budget of $200 million, the film grossed over $1 billion at the box office and was one of the top 10 highest-grossing films of all time. No less impressive is the fee of the leading actor. Stupid Robert Downey Jr. realized that without him the film could not exist, and asked for $ 50 million for his participation, and still received them.

"Tony Stark - Iron Man 4"

To date, the Marvell film company has not officially announced the release of the continuation of the solo adventures of the movie hero.

And this is not surprising, because the studio releases several major films from the comic book universe, in which Tony Stark (Iron Man) is also present. The year of release of this film, according to preliminary estimates, is 2018, if the project is approved and implemented.

iron man marvel comics

Read Iron Man Comic Online

Iron Man - Iron Man Vol.1 (1964-1996) Iron Man - Iron Man Vol.2 (1998-2003) Iron Man - Iron Man Vol.4 (2005-2008)

Iron Man Character History Marvel Comics

Iron Man: Iron Man is a fictional superhero from Marvel Comics. Its creators are Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Don Heck. Appearing for the first time in March 1963, the main character is a wealthy billionaire named Tony Stark. When one of his experiments takes place in the desert, he is kidnapped by a group of terrorists. While the terrorists are building hellish plans against the world, he quickly develops an escape plan. Invents an iron suit with the ability to fly, and thus escaped from captivity. He also creates a reactor, which is a magnet that keeps shrapnel from reaching his heart. In principle, he should develop terrorist missiles. Instead, Tony makes an Iron Man suit so that his biggest enemy of 2008 will be made Feature Film episode starring Robert Downey. In 2010 the second part was made and in 2013 the third part of the film comes. In the first part, Tony Stark invented a suit in captivity of terrorists called "Nine Rings", who are his regular customers. He decided to stop selling weapons. Iron Man read comics online in Russian

In the second part, Tony Stark is about to die from palladium toxicity, but the SHIELD organization helps him with injections that reduce Stark's symptoms. He must make a new reactor, or rather a mini arc, but no longer with palladium, but bring out a new element that is a replacement for palladium and cannot kill him. In the third part, Tony confronts an explosive person, but, of course, everything ends successfully. Iron Man read comics online in Russian

Description of the character Iron Man

Tony Stark was born into a family of wealthy industrialists and even in his youth heralded as the future pillar of American capitalism. Already at the age of 15, he began studying electrical engineering at MIT. After the death of his parents in a car accident at the age of 21, he took over the family's defense-industry real estate company, Stark Industries, previously led by his father, Howard Stark. Supporting American efforts in the fight against communism, Tony was responsible for delivering and testing new technologies for the needs of the armed forces. In the original release of vol.1 #39, during the Vietnam War he was the victim of an attack by communist warlords. Severely wounded by a piece of shrapnel that hit him in the chest. Tony was taken prisoner by the Vietnamese communists. He was forced to build weapons for them. Instead, Tony along with a fellow prisoner, physics professor Huo Yinsenem, developed a suit of armor that helped him escape. Later, TONY discovered that he would die if he ever removed the magnetic plate that keeps the shrapnel fragments from his heart. Iron Man read comics online in Russian
Based on the armor prototype, he began to create another, more sophisticated exoskeleton. Among his allies were mostly Soviet villains:

• Scarlet Dynamo;
• Titan Man.

In addition to them, among the antagonists of Iron Man were some adversaries, such as:

• Mandarin;
• Whiplash;
• AIM organizations;
• Fin Fang Foom;
• Madame Masque and MODOK.

The theme of the fight against Iron Man in Asia against the Mandarin had a political connotation, as it reflected the struggle of Western civilization against the Eastern world, during the Vietnam War. In The Avengers vol.1 #1, in September 1963, along with Hulk, Ant-Man, Wasp, and Thor, he formed a team known as the Avengers, in which they would fight together against evil in the person of Loki. Iron Man read comics online in Russian

Tony's entourage included such figures as secretary and mistress Pepper Potts and chauffeur and assistant Lucky Hogan. Early stories Potts' romance of Stark is depicted, while Lucky Hogan's love for Potts, while creating a love triangle between the main characters. Finally, Potts and Hogan marry in Tales of the Unknown Vol. 1 #91 and disappear from comics for a while, although both of those numbers played a part, notably the Civil War crossover and later. humorous stories. Another important figure is Tony's friend and pilot, James Rhodes. Created by David Michelinie'ego and Bob Layton, James Rhodes made his debut in the comic Iron Man vol. 1 #118 since 1979. Rhodes donned the Iron Man armor while Tony was badly injured (Iron Man vol. 1 #170), and Iron Man vol. 1 #284 acquired his own (heavy) armor and became the assistant superhero known as War Machine.
More important events related to this form include (Iron Man vol. 1 #128 Nov. 1979), and tells about the heroes of the fight against alcoholism, or the history of Doomquest (Iron Man vol. 1 #149-150 from 1981), Iron Man and Doctor Doom - back in time to the days of King Arthur. The story, titled Stark Wars (later renamed to the popular title Armor of War I) from Iron Man vol. 1 #225 to #231 (originally released between December 1987 and June 1988), tells how Stark was obsessively hunted down and destroyed all the technology he created that fell into the wrong hands, including one that was in use by the US Army. However, in the story of sexpartite Extremis (Iron Man vol. 4 #1-6 published from January 2005 to April 2006) Warren Ellis, Tony I is injected with a nanotech virus that has developed in his body an interface connecting him nervous system with Iron Man armor read comics online in Russian

Armor Iron Man

Subsequent versions of Iron Man costumes (film version):

• Mark I is Stark's first suit. Tony made his project on his home computer. He built it in a cave with the help of Jarvis. He had very strong armor, but he was free. The first arc reactor could operate for 15 minutes. He gave Tony great power. He was armed with flamethrowers on his arms and a grenade launcher on his left forearm. He could fly, but slowly and did not turn. After Stark's rupture in the desert, the suit broke into pieces. Pieces of the suit were found by the terrorists, who managed to restore and upgrade it, among other things, They changed its appearance, added software and strengthened the weapons;
• Mark II is Stark's second suit. This is a specifically modified Mark I. Stark changed his appearance, added OS with home computer Stark, under the name Jarvis, the suit is able to fly for a long time. Using only 3% of the reactor power during flight. He is armed with weapons in the form of pulses generated by the flight stabilizers on his arms. Its disadvantage is the thin coating that after crossing the ceiling in 12 km. he cuts out. The Mark II has been restored to a War Machine suit. The replica was destroyed in an attack on Stark's home in Iron Man 3;
• The Mark III is an upgraded version of the Mark II. This costume is made of titanium and gold alloy, dyed red in some parts (it was all gold before the addition of red). He has more equipment, including torches in his thighs, a flare gun on his right forearm, and a chest jug in place of the reactor. It was destroyed in an attack on Stark's house in Iron Man 3;
• Mark IV - Few details in appearance, not much different from Mark III Except. He shared the fate of the remaining armor;
• Mark V - First appears in Iron Man 2. This is a portable suit that looks like an unused suitcase. When you turn it on, it is distributed throughout the body. He is armed with weapons in the form of pulses generated by the flight stabilizers on his arms. It was destroyed in Iron Man 3 in an attack on Stark's house;
• Mark VI - Tony's other suit. It is powered by a new active element of the reactor. His most powerful weapon is laser beams, which are generators placed on his wrists. This is one weapon - Tony used it in combat drones against Ivan Vanko. It was destroyed in an attack on Stark's home;
• The Mark VII is a weapon used by Stark to fight Loki and the Space Army in The Avengers. Does not differ significantly from the previous model, except for the laser beams, which are no longer disposable, additional missiles, a large supply of ammunition and reinforced armor. In the nuclear missile catch, you can see that the armor was mounted on the hull with additional engines. He shared the fate of the remaining armor;
• Mark VIII-XLI - different armors that have their own specific features. They could be under the control of Tony (no one found out) and Jarvis. The armor was built in secret. Some of them were destroyed by Extremis soldiers with AIM. They appeared in Iron Man 3;
• Mark XLII - Availability a large number defects that require correction, spacesuit prototype interceptors. It was destroyed on Stark's orders;
• War Machine Mark I - This suit is a modified Mark II. The Mark II was taken over by Tony's friend Rhodey'ego and rebuilt to military base. The only change is the change appearance and weapons. Arming represent. Rifle FN F2000 machine gun M134 Minigun, grenade launcher, M24 rifle and semi-automatic pistol. Another weapon is the Kinetic Air-to-Air Missile, which is a devastating weapon capable of smashing the Bunker;
• "War Machine Mark II Iron Patriot - improved and reinforced armor, piloted by Lt. Col. James Rhodes. It was painted in the style of Captain America;
• The Iron Monger is an upgraded version of the Mark I designed by Obadaya Stan. It was sort of a big Mark I, destroyed in the explosion of the Stark Arc Reactor;
• Mark XLIV (also called "Hulkbuster") is an armor designed by Stark and Bruce Banner in case Bruce loses control of his alter ego, the Hulk.

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Genius, billionaire, playboy and philanthropist Tony Stark is the most powerful superhero on the planet. Long years service in the team "Avengers" and the authority of the successful corporation "Stark Industries" gave him great power.

Iron Man's first armor

Iron Man's first armor

Tony's parents died in a car accident when he was just a child. In the end, the orphan remained the heir family business and at the age of 21 he headed the company. His first inventions benefited the US Army and became the prototype of the Iron Man armor. After developing mini-transistors that could be used on the battlefield, Stark traveled to Vietnam to see them in action. However, after the bomb exploded, a piece of shrapnel hit him in the chest, and Tony himself was captured by the local warlord Wong-Chu. The villain stated that he would remove the fragments from Stark's body only after he developed a new weapon for Wong-Chu, but Tony refused. Teaming up with another prisoner, Ho Yinsen, he created an iron suit that allowed him to defeat the villains who captured him and escape.

The rise of Iron Man

Avengers

In the following years, Tony donned the armor many more times. In order to legalize the armor in the public eye, he stated that he got himself a bodyguard - Iron Man (eng. Iron Man), and constantly improved the costume. Later, the life of Stark himself began to change: he reduced sales of weapons, realizing that they do more harm than good, and opened many charitable foundations. Together with Thor, Hulk, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Tony co-founded the Avengers team and allowed her to use his mansion as the main heroic base. Despite his willpower, twice Stark still succumbed to the influence of alcohol. this first happened when a combined force of supervillains hired by Justin Hammer attacked the hero. He was later accused of killing a diplomat, and at the same time, SHIELD tried to buy his company and military secrets. Stark's life nearly collapsed. Fortunately, with the help of friends, Tony managed to overcome his addiction. But the second time it was much worse. As a result of the psychological manipulation of the villain Obadiah Stein, Tony became a homeless pauper. Waking up one day in the hospital, he realized that this could not continue, he immediately stopped drinking, created new company and soon overpowered Stein in battle.

Iron Man is America's enemy

Enemy of the state

For a long time, Tony was a member of the Avengers team, but this did not prevent him from conflicting with the US government. When Justin Hammer stole Stark's technology and gave it to the villains, the hero decided to find and find the stolen one himself. His attempts to take the armor from the Guardsmen displeased the government and even Captain America himself. As a result, Tony was called a traitor.

The Fall of Iron Man

The Fall of Iron Man

During Civil War Stark led the superheroes who supported the "Superhero Registration Act". After the conflict, he became the new director of SHIELD and founded the 50 States Initiative. Due to participation in the organization of the Illuminati during the World War Hulk, Tony was the victim of a giant attack. This scandal began his downfall. When the Secret Invasion began, Stark was demanded to be removed from his post as head of SHIELD. Tony was replaced by Norman Osborn (see article Green Goblin), who immediately ordered the arrest of his predecessor. As a result, Tony became the same refugee as the other superheroes he pursued after the Civil War.

Iron Man and the Dark Times

Iron Man and the Dark Ages

Norman Osborn's rise to power during the Dark Reign coincided with the fall of Tony Stark. The hero had to remove all secret information from the SHIELD base so that Osborn would not get to them, and the only backup copy remained in Stark's head. Unfortunately, this damaged his brain, and Tony's incredible intellect began to degrade dramatically. This resulted in him losing the ability to control his suits and nearly dying. Meanwhile, Osborn created his own armored suit and named it the Iron Patriot. After tracking down Stark, he fought the hero and nearly killed Iron Man. Pepper Potts managed to capture it on camera, and public opinion didn't go well for Norman. Tony managed to survive thanks to the intervention of Dr. Donald Blake, Thor's second personality. Stark's friends tried to reboot his brain with a backup file that the genius had prepared ahead of time. Doctor Strange helped them in this, and the hero's mind was restored. Even without fully recovering, Tony put on the old Iron Man armor and went to help other heroes defend Asgard from Norman Osborn, who besieged the kingdom. As a result, Stark defeated the villain in front of everyone and exposed his madness.

"Stark Resilience"

Fear in the Flesh - Iron Man Armor

After the fall of Osborn's regime, Stark, along with Pepper, founded a new company, Stark Resilience, to create not weapons, but clean energy for the whole world. When Tony left the business, Justine Hammer (Scarlet Cloak) and her daughter Sasha Hammer launched their own line of armor production, Detroit Steel. To prove that their technology could compete with Iron Man's inventions, they attacked Stark and nearly overpowered him. Tony had enough problems without that: during the events of Fear in the Flesh, he fought the Gray Gargoyle in Paris, but was never able to save the inhabitants of the city from being turned into stone statues. Stark asked for help from Odin himself, and he allowed him to use the forge of the dwarves of Svartalfheim. There, Tony forged new weapons for his comrades-in-arms, and the Avengers defeated their enemies. Later, the Allfather revived the Parisians who had been turned to stone. The Mandarin and Ezekiel Stane soon joined forces to upgrade the costumes of Stark's old enemies in order to attack him. Then the hero realized that he had to leave the company: the only way he could save the life of Pepper and other employees. Stark even staged own death with the help of James Rhodes, and he became the new Iron Man.

The third part of the legendary Marvel franchise is released. Her hero, Tony Stark, appeared in comics exactly fifty years ago, back in 1963. Since then, he has managed to change dozens of costumes, acquire new enemies and girlfriends, and most importantly, become one of the most popular characters in the Marvel universe. decided to compile a detailed guide to the world of Iron Man.

Hero origin

First appearance of Iron Man in marvel comics happened in March 1963. The character, invented by both artists and, at first did not have a separate comic book, so he became a regular participant in the Tales of Suspense anthology. There, he competed for public attention with Captain America, who regained popularity during the so-called Silver Age of comics (circa 1956-1970). In 1968, Marvel launched the first "iron" ongoing (Iron Man). It lasted only 332 issues, but formed the canon of the Iron Man universe. Moreover, the early releases, in accordance with Stan Lee's plan, were a platform for expressing anti-communist views and thoughts about cold war with the Soviet Union. However, after the Vietnam War, the comic gradually lost its political topicality and switched to more impersonal conflicts such as corporate crime and terrorism.

Tony Stark, hiding under the mask of Iron Man, characterizes himself in the film "" (, 2012) as "a genius, billionaire, playboy and philanthropist." According to Stan Lee, this image was based on the person of Howard Hughes, a famous inventor, businessman and adventurer in the 1950s. In addition, he was supposed to be an idealized version of the American industrialist. This led Tony Stark, first to actively participate in various charity events, and then to the fact that Stark's weapons company gradually switched to the creation of computer developments and electronics. Unlike in the Iron Man films, where Stark's image has benefited from the fact that he is a superhero, in the comics, Tony is careful to hide this fact. Not only that, he even passes off Iron Man as his bodyguard. One of the first to know the secret was his fiancée (no, not Pepper Potts), who convinced him to become a superhero. Success in this field, however, led to a break in the engagement, but contributed to the formation of Stark as one of the most loving heroes of the Marvel Universe.

The dark side of Tony Stark

However, the life of Anthony Edward Stark (such full name hero) is far from cloudless. The Hollywood version of the character smooths over the flaws in his character for the sake of attracting an underage audience. While the early Iron Man comics depict Tony Stark in darker terms, Stark the Industrialist is often presented as a self-righteous and arrogant man who believes that the end justifies the means. Suffering from the pain caused by shrapnel that hit him in the chest, Stark seeks solace at the bottom of the bottle. It is no coincidence that for most of his history, Tony Stark has been battling alcohol addiction and even attends Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. However, frequent clashes with powerful enemies from time to time lead to breakdowns and binges. So, for example, after the official announcement that he is Iron Man, Stark accepts an offer to take the post of US Secretary of Defense. However, a drunken brawl in the UN building, provoked by one of his girlfriends, leads to the fact that political career Starka ends before it even starts.

Capabilities

Being by birth ordinary person, Stark lacks any superpowers. He compensates for this with such a developed intellect that he is considered one of the most gifted characters in the Marvel Universe. (At the age of 15, the child prodigy Tony entered the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to study engineering). In the early comics, Tony Stark received some combat training from Captain America, and later issues mention that Stark's trainers included his friend James Rhodes and even a professional boxer. At the same time, it is obvious that Stark's functions without a suit practically do not involve physical contact with enemies.

In relatively recent issues of Iron Man, it is revealed that after the collapse of his nervous system, Tony Stark replaced it with an artificial one. Thanks to this, he temporarily acquired hypersensitivity and the ability to sense the biological processes taking place in his body. During a massive 2008 crossover titled "Secret Invasion", Stark injects the techno-organic substance extremis into his nervous system, which completely rewrites his biology. Extremis allows Stark to practically merge with the Iron Man suit, as well as control any technique using the power of thought. This improved model of Tony Stark did not go beyond the scope of the crossover, and the extremis in his body was struck by another virus, which almost caused the death of the character.

Over the 50 years of the character's history, Iron Man has changed many costumes - from the very first, assembled in captivity from improvised scrap metal, through the classic red and yellow, drawn by the legend of the comics industry (in 1976), to the costumes created in the film trilogy. In total, more than 50 suits appear in the Iron Man comics, each of which was created either for a specific event (for example, for individual story arcs or crossovers) or for specific purposes (with an emphasis on flying abilities, durability, water resistance, etc.). It should be noted that, despite popular belief, Tony Stark's costume has little in common with knightly armor. In fact, it consists of many tiny elements that can change their shape. Each of these elements has own set properties, but is able to generate energy and control the entire suit. Thanks to this, Iron Man's equipment remains functional even after severe damage, and when inactive, it can collapse to microscopic sizes. In addition to giving the wearer superhuman strength and the ability to fly, the suit is also equipped with a whole range of weapons (from machine guns to rocket launchers) and communications equipment (radio, radar).

love interests

The need to make Stark attractive to a family audience led to the fact that in the Iron Man trilogy romantic relationship associate him with only one girl - Virginia Potts, better known by the nickname Pepper (). In the comics, Pepper was personal secretary Stark, and at some point even served as chairman of the board of directors of his company. Although their romance ended in nothing (Pepper even married the chauffeur Stark), they remained close friends for life and Pepper was one of the few who knew that Tony Stark was a superhero. At the same time, not taking into account fleeting hobbies, about two dozen heroines appear in the comics about Iron Man, who had affairs with Stark. In addition to ordinary girls, Stark had relationships with the daughters of his enemies (Janice Cord and Whitney Frost, known as Madame Mask), and even with superheroines (Janet van Dyne - Wasp, and Natasha Romanova - Black Widow, a former Soviet spy, and after - a participant in the Avengers project).

In the Marvel Universe, there are dozens of Iron Man's enemies, but the most powerful of them are three: The Mandarin, Justin Hammer and Doctor Doom (also the main enemy of the Fantastic Four):

Iron Man Archenemy Mandarin- A megalomaniac who repeatedly tried to conquer the world. He has an intelligence equal to that of Tony Stark and is a master martial arts, capable of destroying the Iron Man suit with his bare hands. Main source his power - ten rings forged from metal found by the Mandarin at the crash site spaceship aliens. Each of the rings has special properties and is worn on a specific finger.

Doctor Doom (Victor von Doom)- a brilliant inventor and a powerful sorcerer, able to control any machine, summon hordes of demons from hell and copy the superpowers of other heroes using the technologies he creates. One of the significant losses in the transfer of the image of Doctor Doom to the screen in the Fantastic Four dilogy 2005-2007. (where he was played) was a rejection of his developed sense of honor, which did not allow him to attack weakened rivals, and on occasion even forced him to save their lives.

Justin Hammer- A wealthy American industrialist and the main rival of Tony Stark in the fight for tenders for the supply of weapons to the military. Unlike Doctor Doom and the Mandarin, Hammer does not have any superpowers. Hammer's main way of dealing with Iron Man is to recruit all sorts of mercenaries, to whom he provides the most advanced technology and weapons in exchange for eliminating a competitor. In addition, he finances organized crime and supplies weapons to criminal groups in exchange for 50% of the income. In the comics, Justin Hammer is portrayed as a middle-aged man who would be Tony Stark's father figure. In the second "" (2010), the character's age was adjusted so that he was the same age as Stark (played by Sam Rockwell).

One of Tony Stark's closest friends is military pilot James Rhodes (he played this role in the first film, in subsequent films). They met in Vietnam after Tony Stark's escape from captivity: Stark in a suit stumbled upon a pilot whose plane crashed, and together they made their way to the location of the American military. As Stark's confidant, Rhodes acted as Iron Man several times when Stark was either too drunk or recovering from his injuries. Subsequently, especially for Rhodes, Stark created new suit, in which the pilot became known as the superhero War Machine.

Other friends of Tony Stark in the films include Pepper Potts (first as an assistant, then as a love interest), Happy Hogan - a bodyguard and chauffeur (played by , who directed the first two films), Jensen (a scientist who helped the captive Stark create the first suit) and Jarvis (voiced by ; artificial intelligence, often used as a voice common sense). In addition to them, in the comics dedicated to Iron Man, friendly relations associate Tony Stark with Peter Parker, Archangel and Cyclops (members of the original X-Men cast), members of the Avengers (especially Captain America and Thor), and the Fantastic Four. In particular, its leader Reed Richards (Mr. Fantastic) is repeatedly mentioned in comics as Tony Stark's best friend.

The Avengers and the SHIELD Agency

Although Tony Stark is reluctant to join the superhero team in The Avengers, claiming he "works better alone", in the original comics his role is much more significant. For 50 years now, Iron Man has been central character comics about this group of superheroes. And none other than Tony Stark and his girlfriend Wasp, are the founders of the first Avengers, which also included Ant-Man, Thor and the Hulk. They were soon joined by Captain America, discovered by Stark in polar ice and brought back to life by S.H.I.E.L.D. technology. With S.H.I.E.L.D. under the control of spy Nick Fury () Tony Stark also has a long-standing partnership. His father, Howard Stark, was one of the founders of the agency, and Stark himself, in addition to participating in the Avengers initiative, acts as a consultant. It was the agency that recruited Black Widow to guard Stark, with whom she had a passionate affair.

Alternate versions of the character

Like the universe described in DC comics, the Marvel Universe is a multiverse - with a huge (albeit finite) number parallel worlds. Their chronology differs significantly from the main one, and the heroes of the main universe may well be villains in other worlds. Alternate universe comics are grouped in DC under the Elseworlds imprint, and in Marvel partly under the What If? banner. (What If...?) At the same time, much of the alternate history of Marvel's superheroes remains unstructured. This also applies to the Iron Man comics.

To the most unusual versions Iron Man can be attributed to:

1602: The New World (Spanish gunsmith becomes the villain Iron Lord);

"2093" (Stark and Doctor Doom find themselves in the distant future and are looking for the sword of King Arthur Excalibur);

"Earth X" (Stark builds a shelter from a plague that gives everyone superpowers. In the end, it turns out that the shelter is a huge war machine built in the image of Godzilla); "Iron Maniac" (a villainous version of Iron Man from a universe where all the Avengers died fighting the alien Titanus);

"Iron Man Noir" (Stark in the 30s looking for Atlantis and fighting the Nazis);

"Zombie Marvel" (Tony Stark is bitten by zombies, and eventually most his body has to be replaced by cybernetics).

Total alternate versions of Iron Man (acting in the main or minor role) more than a hundred, and even listing them all (not to mention reading them) is not an easy task.

A powerful blow in the gut to all films about superheroes. That's probably the best way to describe this movie. If you remember, almost not a single film about a hero alone from Marvel could do without a river of tears and snot, which were smeared on the canvas to a poor viewer who came to watch a film about a killer uncle who breaks everything and at the same time manages to save everyone. Hulk, Ghost Rider, The Punisher, Head Off Spider-Man was so completely turned into a snotty-educational melodrama, one Blade partially escaped the fate of turning into a whining drama about how hard it is to be a super-hero, but if you soberly evaluate things, and Blade had to cry.

Only always drunk, cracking jokes one after another, unaware of such a thing as a conscience, sleeping exclusively with the most gorgeous girls, insanely rich, never tired and, of course, incredibly smart and inventive Tony Stark wanted to spit on the worries of a poor student and eternal loser Parker, ex-FBI Frank, who lost his family, blind and incredibly sensitive and kind-hearted lawyer Matt, super-cool biker Johnny, for who, through his stupidity, entered into a contract with Satan because family problems, downtrodden scientist Bruce, who is not glued personal life, and at times, due to severe stress, he turns into an uncontrollable and unkillable green giant who loves to destroy and yell, and is not used to thinking. All these losers in life remain in the shadow of Tony, a successful inventor and rich man in all plans.

The film also has a very, very good feature that other directors who are going to film simple comics from Marvel should take note of: the action here is diluted with humor, and not reflections on the high and thoughts about the hard lot of the hero. This, of course, is all wonderful, it can also be very useful to move the convolutions, but, in my opinion, this should not be done on such films, not on such films. While the long-suffering spider is thinking about how to pay for the apartment, Tony drives an Audi R8, when Sue and Reed dream of a quiet wedding, Stark and his friend fill themselves with sake in a private jet, surrounded by model-looking flight attendants dancing to deafening music.

The plot is insanely simple. And nowhere and does not remind of fellow films. The graphics are impeccable, humor and action are dosed to highest level, you can see where 140 million have gone American presidents. It’s immediately obvious that Marvel themselves were following the work, if it were the same, in the production of previous comic book adaptations of this wonderful studio, the old mistakes would not have been made, and the Raimi monster would not have been allowed to spoil poor Venom like that. Music is another aspect that I want to praise over and over again. The compositions are so elegantly matched to the action taking place on the screen that you want to stand up and clap at the end of the film. The direction is just as flawless as everything else. To be honest, I did not expect this from Favreau, just a good fellow, he gave slaps in the face to all kinds of Raimi, Tim Storey, and Angham Lee with Mark Steven Johnson.

The actors played just brilliantly, I have never watched with such pleasure the actions of the actors on the screen while watching the film adaptation from Marvel. Downey with just saying The truth is I am Iron Man. plugged into his belt all the brethren of super-heroes who appeared before him. Everyone from Affleck and Maguire to Cage and Griffith as the Gum Man fell silent in the blink of an eye in front of Robert's incredible talent.

Paltrow did the same with other superhero girls. Only Terrence Howard did nothing new, as usual he played the one he usually played before, nothing new, as always, the same mask on his face, of course, all the characters change with Tony, but without Stark, Jim would have remained the same good fellow that Terrence played before in other films.

What is the result? Killer in all respects, the picture of how an incredibly smart brawler with a huge wallet, who lives in a cool house, drives exclusively cool cars and sleeping with the same exceptionally cool women, a super-grenade created by him was hooked by an explosion, after which he stopped making trunks and, having got out of the captivity of the evil Afghans with the help of an unremarkable old man inventor, made himself an incredibly cool suit. Which, by the way, looks so cool that Parker with his rags has rolled his lip so much that he can dig holes, and which has so many useful electronic gadgets that Batman from the DC comics universe is huddled and smoking in the corner of his hole, while Tony drinks the best drinks in his huge domina on the ocean shore in California, waiting until his incredible smart friend, the talking computer, will paint the miracle suit.

Do you want to take a break from business, relax in a chair, laugh and enjoy a pleasant picture, wonderful special effects and brilliant acting? " iron man» the first thing I can advise you. I have not experienced such delight from a completely entertaining film for a long time, and probably never from Marvel adaptations.

Thanks to Marvel for the good control over the filming process and great character, Favreau for an excellent director, a composer for a wonderful soundtrack, designers for mind-blowing effects, actors for colorful characters, and separately to Robert Downey Jr. for the most chic and unique portrayal of a super-hero on the screen, now, as Depp has secured his brilliant pirate Jack Sparrow, Iron Man / Tony Stark is only Downey Jr. and no one else.