A lot of Tony's problems also stem from the relationship he had with his father--or lack thereof. Howard Stark was absent most of his life, but he’s still a presence that looms in his life. Howard pushed him to be the man that he is today (potentially one of the reasons Tony is conflicted about him, because he hates who he is), shipping him off to boarding school and grooming him to take over the company. When discussing his father with Director Fury, Tony describes him as cold and calculating. "He never told me that he loved me; he never even told me that he liked me."
Of course it turns out in the second movie that Howard adored his son, knowing that Tony would accomplish great things with the resources and scientific breakthroughs that Howard himself did not have in his time. Eerily enough, Tony is almost the spitting image of his dad. Compare Stark Expo from Iron Man 2 to the scene where Howard is introduced in Captain America—classic case of the apple and the tree.
Tony seems to have an aversion to rejection--whether he’s just not used to it, or hates it, all the same. Tony shoots down the conversation at first (telling Fury he doesn’t want to join his “super-secret boy band”). But when he meets with Fury again after Vanko was defeated and Tony had a new ticker that wasn’t slowly killing him, he seems taken aback by Natasha Romanov’s analysis of him. In fact, he even goes so far as to try and defend his case, pointing out that she had been shadowing him during abnormal circumstances (his screw-ups being in direct correlation to what he thought were his final days on earth), and he was changed.
Most superheroes choose to keep their identities under wraps, living two compartmentalized lives—Tony spontaneously announces who he is to the entire world in a highly publicized press conference. Everyone knows that Iron Man is Tony Stark and Tony Stark is Iron Man. He doesn’t even worry about his security the way fellow billionaire-genius-playboy-superhero Bruce Wayne does, as proven in the sequel when he makes a public statement worthy of a pro-wrestling arena about how nobody was brave enough to go toe-to-toe with him in the Iron Man suit. These actions say a lot about his character, his ego, and the fact that he wants to be a public about his actions. He doesn’t seem to worry too much about his enemies attacking him or his loved ones—the first part because his methods are much more definitive than Batman’s, not having the same code about not killing, and the second because he probably doesn’t consider it, too often.
It was a gutsy move, among many other gutsy moves. From testing Bruce Banner’s limits to openly threatening a demigod that killed eighty people in two days, Tony has iron balls, if nothing else. He has no reason to believe that his math is ever wrong, and he wouldn't be able to find a quick way to slip out of danger.
Despite everything that he has done in the Iron Man suit, no one has truly forgotten the Tony Stark that existed before he became Iron Man—mostly because he never really changed, from an outside perspective. And from a storytelling standpoint, this is probably for the best--Tony wouldn't be half as interesting if he made a total transformation and started kissing babies and rescuing harp seals from trees. He’s still obnoxious, eccentric, and madly in love with the sound of his own voice. So what would drive a womanizing egotist to jet around the world in a metal body cast, fighting terrorism and making innocent people feel safe? Apart from trying to score with one of those beauty queens that like world peace so much. Or maybe he just shoots to thrill, just like the song says.
When it comes to problem-solving, Tony takes a practical approach, concerned primarily with the success or failure of his actions (and even then, he often cares quite a bit more about his successes rather than that other thing). In fewer words, Tony is a pragmatist--a man that takes action, and believes that the ends will always justify the means.
Before his Humvee is attacked by the Ten Rings, Tony makes a speech to a military quadrant, claiming that he believed the best weapon was not one you never had to use, but one you only had to use once. Depending on your point of view, this statement could either be considered reprehensible and heartless, or chillingly honest. A lot of things changed about Tony when he returned from Afghanistan: he stopped producing weapons, and chose to focus on arc reactor technology instead (something that would benefit the people more than explosions), but he doesn't become a diplomat or moves Pepper and Jarvis to a neutral country to stop dealing with war all together--hell, he doesn't even become a Buddhist. Instead, Tony reinvents the Iron Man suit, which he won't define as a weapon, but he also punched a hole through a thick layer of stone and blew up a tank in it—it might not be a weapon, but the Iron Man is not a basket of kittens, either.
Tony Stark | MCU: The Avengers | Reserved
Of course it turns out in the second movie that Howard adored his son, knowing that Tony would accomplish great things with the resources and scientific breakthroughs that Howard himself did not have in his time. Eerily enough, Tony is almost the spitting image of his dad. Compare Stark Expo from Iron Man 2 to the scene where Howard is introduced in Captain America—classic case of the apple and the tree.
Tony seems to have an aversion to rejection--whether he’s just not used to it, or hates it, all the same. Tony shoots down the conversation at first (telling Fury he doesn’t want to join his “super-secret boy band”). But when he meets with Fury again after Vanko was defeated and Tony had a new ticker that wasn’t slowly killing him, he seems taken aback by Natasha Romanov’s analysis of him. In fact, he even goes so far as to try and defend his case, pointing out that she had been shadowing him during abnormal circumstances (his screw-ups being in direct correlation to what he thought were his final days on earth), and he was changed.
Most superheroes choose to keep their identities under wraps, living two compartmentalized lives—Tony spontaneously announces who he is to the entire world in a highly publicized press conference. Everyone knows that Iron Man is Tony Stark and Tony Stark is Iron Man. He doesn’t even worry about his security the way fellow billionaire-genius-playboy-superhero Bruce Wayne does, as proven in the sequel when he makes a public statement worthy of a pro-wrestling arena about how nobody was brave enough to go toe-to-toe with him in the Iron Man suit. These actions say a lot about his character, his ego, and the fact that he wants to be a public about his actions. He doesn’t seem to worry too much about his enemies attacking him or his loved ones—the first part because his methods are much more definitive than Batman’s, not having the same code about not killing, and the second because he probably doesn’t consider it, too often.
It was a gutsy move, among many other gutsy moves. From testing Bruce Banner’s limits to openly threatening a demigod that killed eighty people in two days, Tony has iron balls, if nothing else. He has no reason to believe that his math is ever wrong, and he wouldn't be able to find a quick way to slip out of danger.
Despite everything that he has done in the Iron Man suit, no one has truly forgotten the Tony Stark that existed before he became Iron Man—mostly because he never really changed, from an outside perspective. And from a storytelling standpoint, this is probably for the best--Tony wouldn't be half as interesting if he made a total transformation and started kissing babies and rescuing harp seals from trees. He’s still obnoxious, eccentric, and madly in love with the sound of his own voice. So what would drive a womanizing egotist to jet around the world in a metal body cast, fighting terrorism and making innocent people feel safe? Apart from trying to score with one of those beauty queens that like world peace so much. Or maybe he just shoots to thrill, just like the song says.
When it comes to problem-solving, Tony takes a practical approach, concerned primarily with the success or failure of his actions (and even then, he often cares quite a bit more about his successes rather than that other thing). In fewer words, Tony is a pragmatist--a man that takes action, and believes that the ends will always justify the means.
Before his Humvee is attacked by the Ten Rings, Tony makes a speech to a military quadrant, claiming that he believed the best weapon was not one you never had to use, but one you only had to use once. Depending on your point of view, this statement could either be considered reprehensible and heartless, or chillingly honest. A lot of things changed about Tony when he returned from Afghanistan: he stopped producing weapons, and chose to focus on arc reactor technology instead (something that would benefit the people more than explosions), but he doesn't become a diplomat or moves Pepper and Jarvis to a neutral country to stop dealing with war all together--hell, he doesn't even become a Buddhist. Instead, Tony reinvents the Iron Man suit, which he won't define as a weapon, but he also punched a hole through a thick layer of stone and blew up a tank in it—it might not be a weapon, but the Iron Man is not a basket of kittens, either.