| Iron Man | |
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from Ultimate Comics: Armor Wars #1(September 2009) by Steve Kurth |
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| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Ultimate Marvel (Marvel Comics) |
| First appearance | Ultimate Marvel Team-Up #4 (July 2001) |
| Created by | Brian Michael Bendis Mike Allred (based upon the original character by Lee, Lieber, Heck & Kirby) |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Antonio "Tony" Stark |
| Team affiliations | Stark Industries S.H.I.E.L.D. Ultimates New Ultimates |
| Partnerships | Ultimate Captain America Ultimate Thor Ultimate War Machine |
| Abilities |
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Ultimate Iron Man (real name Antonio Stark), is the Ultimate Marvel version of the fictional superhero Iron Man that first appeared in Ultimate Marvel Team-Up #4, written by Brian Michael Bendis and drawn by Mike Allred. He later appeared in the Ultimates and often appears in the same titles they do. In the Ultimate Universe, Antonio "Tony" Stark is a wealthy business tycoon and inventor who created the Iron Man power armor. Like his mainstream counterpart, Tony has a drinking problem and life-threatening affliction; in this case an inoperable brain tumor which will kill him anytime between six months and five years, which he explains is the reason he has become a philanthropist and superhero.
Whilst the character hasn't yet featured in his own ongoing series, Stark's early life and origins were initially explored in the Ultimate Iron Man miniseries written by science fiction author Orson Scott Card. However, this origin story is no longer considered canon in the Ultimate Marvel Universe. In Ultimate Avengers vs. New Ultimates #2, the events of Ultimate Iron Man were retconned as only being a fictional Japanese anime of Stark's life.[1] The characters adult years on the other hand, have been covered mainly by Mark Millar in his Ultimates work, and Warren Ellis.
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In the first volume of the Ultimates, when Stark first hears that Nick Fury is assembling a team of superheroes, he volunteers his services. After helping defeat the Hulk, Stark develops a friendship with Thor and Steve Rogers (Ultimate Captain America). Though he has many great accomplishments, during the first volume of the Ultimates, he remains unsure of himself, clearly shown when he's heavily beat down and throws up in his own helmet. He acts arrogant, but also constantly doubts his own abilities. In the last issue he seems to decide that he can't continue fighting until a soldier asks, "If you don't do it, who will?". Later, he fights against the X-Men in Ultimate War, captures the Rhino in Ultimate Spider-man, and fights along with Spiderman himself in Ultimate Six.
Stark also appears in Ultimate Wolverine vs. Hulk, where he supports Wolverine being sent to kill Banner. Stark also criticizes the law being used to stop the Hulk, during which he mockingly suggests creating a Superhero Registration Law referencing the mainstream Stark's support of the Superhero Registration Act. The Ultimate Galactus trilogy also shows the first signs of an early friendship between Stark and Reed Richards (despite the age difference), in addition to him successfully sneaking aboard a Kree spacecraft in Ultimate Secret, and decapitated a Silver Surfer clone in Ultimate Extinction.
Stark quickly falls in love and proposes to Natasha Romanova (Black Widow) in Ultimates 2. Just prior to proposing, Stark gives her a black suit of armor, almost identical to his own. The flight test of the suit includes flying over her homeland, where Stark had paid the three million inhabitants of her hometown to stand in a field, spelling out his proposal, which she immediately accepts. When the Liberators invade America, the Widow shoots Edwin Jarvis and then tries to get Stark, at gunpoint, to transfer much of his fortune to her. However, Stark has ultimate control of the nanites in her bloodstream that allows her to interface with her armor. Using these nanites, Stark incapacitates Romanova and retrieves the enemy plans from her mind with the intention of fighting back against the Liberators. He takes "Iron Man 6", a massive helicarrier-sized ship armed with dozens of laser cannons and machine guns, and wipes out the air force of the Liberators in Washington, D.C. (as well as his opposite number in the Liberators, Crimson Dynamo). He then heads to New York to aid the heroes there. After the battle Stark agrees to finance the now independent Ultimates, and seemingly very quickly gets over Natasha's betrayal with the help of a pretty blonde.
Ultimate Power marks the first appearance of the independent Ultimates, fighting against an alternate universe Squadron Supreme. This soon follows with the start of Ultimates 3 which sees Stark becoming a full-blown alcoholic. A sex tape that he made with Natasha during their time together also makes it into the public, causing a PR nightmare for the rest of the Ultimates. In Ultimate Human, which was published around the same time, the focus is on Bruce Banner as he pleads with Stark to cure him of his Hulk affliction just before Ultimatum, which dealt with Magneto's attempt at complete destruction.
After Ultimatum, there was an acclaimed Ultimate Comics: Armor Wars mini-series where Iron Man starred in racing across the world to find his stolen armor and save the remains of his enterprise, all before featuring as a main character in Ultimate Comics: New Ultimates where he started a relationship with Carol Danvers and fought against a returning Loki. Then, fairley recently in Ultimate Comics: Spiderman, he was also involved with Captain America and Thor in training Spiderman to become a better hero; and also during this time, Stark's brother Gregory Stark took his place as financial manager for the newly formed Avengers team in Ultimate Comics: Avengers, which also featured former best friend Rhodey (War Machine), and a new Black Widow.
After the currently ongoing Ultimate Comics: Avengers vs. New Ultimates, Iron Man will star along with the rest of the Ultimates in a new Ultimate Comics: Ultimates ongoing series by Jonathan Hickman for the Ultimate Rebirth following the Death of Spiderman.
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