Why Iron Man Matters: A Super Hero Deconstructed

Iron man has always been one of the underdog characters in comic book fandom. He has never sold as many copies as Batman or Spider Man, yet the popularity has been enough to continue with the series since the 1960s. There is even a movie planned with Robert Downey Jr. playing the armored warrior.

Iron Man's real name is Tony Stark. He is usually a billionaire (he has lost this trait before), whom gained much from the empire his father built in weaponry. The original Iron Man came about after a piece of shrapnel connected with Tony Stark during the Vietnam war. He was there consulting and found himself near death. Stark was captured and forced by a Viet-Cong leader to make him a weapon. The problem was Stark had a piece of metal close to his heart; he wouldn't survive to see what the Viet-Cong leader would do with his weapon.

Instead Tony Stark built a suit of armor to not only save himself, but to stop the evil lord.

That's the basic synopsis of how Iron Man came to be. There have been many different variations, but that was the original, if controversial, origin of one of the greatest Marvel comic book characters.

Why does Iron Man matter? He is a classic hero who has regularly toed the line between super hero and troubled soul. As noted in the graphic novel, "Demon in a Bottle," Tony Stark has fought alcohol addiction for much of his life. This humanized the character, making him seem real to many fans.

There had been mentions of drugs in stories like Spider Man and Hulk, perhaps even minor characters with alcohol addiction, but Tony Stark was the first major hero to have such an ailment.

What makes Iron Man different? He wasn't hit by gamma rays or bitten by a spider. Instead, he is almost more frail than a normal person because of the condition of his heart. While there have been stories of this being cured, he has always been a human, never endowed with some magical abilities. Any advantage he gained over opponents was because of the Iron Man armor or his wit.

Iron Man's villains are aplenty. From the giant Ultimo, the evil Mandarin, or large corporations seeking to take what he has, Iron Man has always battled an interesting allotment of villains.