Since 2008, superheroes flood our screens, one of them has become a real icon, and we are not talking about the actor who embodies him in the cinema. This is obviously Tony Stark aka Iron Man, the character played by Robert Downey Jr. had a glorious end in 2019, let's go back together on the story of the Iron Man…
Armor against communism
The billionaire in armor appears in 1959, in the pages of Tales of Suspense n°39. It is designed from the outset to evoke important topics of the day and in particular the Cold War between the USSR and the United States. 
Inspired by philanthropist Howard Hughes, Antony Stark is an industrialist who thinks only of his own interests until the day he is injured in an explosion and taken prisoner by a group of Viet Cong. Forced to build weapons for the Communists with his days numbered, Stark decides to build armor that can save him and allow him to escape. 
At the time, this story fits perfectly into American news, we are in 1959 and the United States is in the middle of the Vietnam War. Like Sylvester Stallone in Rambo II, hundreds of men are taken prisoner by the Viet Cong and tortured. 
The beginnings of the character are therefore marked by the conflict between the Western and Eastern blocs. He then faces communist enemies such as the Crushers, the Purple Dynamo, its Russian equivalent, or the Mandarin. 
A hero with two faces
Iron Man is the result of a cross between two great cultures. It takes up on the one hand the theme of knights in armor, so dear to medieval Europe, and on the other hand, it represents the inventor and the American adventurer. 
Thus, Tony Stark is the successor of a long line of American heroes such as Thomas Edison or Raymond Loewy. The image of the rich entrepreneur who sticks to the hero therefore corresponds to a whole section of American culture! 
Stark is the archetype of the genius-businessman, who starts from nothing to ultimately contribute to improving the lot of humanity as a whole; a kind of superheroic Steve Jobs, who never stops fighting to build a better world.
More than a hero, a criticism
Far from being just another patriotic hero, Iron Man will evolve into a living critic of American industry and US arms policy. 
A wealthy industrialist addicted to his job, Tony also has to deal with his responsibilities as a hero and all this stress has consequences. Just like Steve Jobs, who took LSD, the hero has his own addiction, alcohol. 
The character created by Stan Lee does not deviate from the rule of the "weak point" of Marvel superheroes, he finds himself facing the same problem as most major American industrialists and thus reveals what lies behind the success of these men and women who embody the greatness of America. In another register, the billionaire relays some criticism against the American arms policy. If he made his fortune through the sale of weapons, Stark decides to stop this type of transaction in order to protect the world by promoting, for example, industries related to the protection of the environment. 
If Captain America represents the past glory of the United States, Iron Man is involved in the security of his country, he embodies its future and the problems it faces today. Tony Stark is today one of the most famous heroes of the general public. Nevertheless, we hope that this article has made you want to learn more about him and his story!
