If You Wrote Comics: Iron Man

[The Dying Detective]

Not really related to Iron Man, but I think the biggest cliche is the whole Batman phenomenon. Really can’t name a sing A-list or B-list character created before the 2000s with two living parents who are married. Richard Rider was the last one, but he lost his dad last year. Everyone has to be motivated by tragedy these days. Throughout the Silver Age, both of Barry Allen’s parents were alive. Now the “Zoom kills her” origin has been baked into the cake.

Dead parents are something of a cliche as well actually I guess no one believes that characters from a functioning household can be interesting to write it requires additional effort but it's actually perfectly possible to try to do it.

[Triniking1234]

Tony has a whole list of enemies to go through but for my first arc I'd do a low-key Armour Wars 3 where people are making their own versions of the armour. I'll start off on Earth where he'll deal with Roxxon and Wakanda then I'll bring the alien War Machine back which will carry back into space. Then for the final act I'll reveal that while he was in space time was passing different for him and the main villain managed to take over Earth with his Super Adaptoid/Iron Legion army.

[Michael Watkins]

Not really related to Iron Man, but I think the biggest cliche is the whole Batman phenomenon. Really can’t name a sing A-list or B-list character created before the 2000s with two living parents who are married. Richard Rider was the last one, but he lost his dad last year. Everyone has to be motivated by tragedy these days. Throughout the Silver Age, both of Barry Allen’s parents were alive. Now the “Zoom kills her” origin has been baked into the cake.

Parents are just extra characters that you have to provide dialogue. They also tend to suck the fun out of a scene. Same thing with kids.

[Lammasu]

Didn't Happy and Pepper have adopted kids?

[Tony Stark]

Didn't Happy and Pepper have adopted kids?

Happy has a son that Tony helped cure from being Kid Abomination.

[Tony Stark]

I'd write Tony mentoring Riri Riri and Rhodey's niece. Help them with the armor or anything they need to know on what it takes to wear the armor. It carries a lot of weight. Also I would bring back Happy's son so Tony can look after him and through that is how Tony finds out that Spymaster killed Happy. The girls could join different teams and and Tony can stay in contact with them and check in to make sure everythings ok. I'd like for Tony to get his relationship back with Parker. Kind off Older brother/Younger brother thing. I would go back to the armor Prime as to me it really wasn't showed what it could really do. I would definitely bring back Bethany Cabe as she has been with Tony through some of his darkest days. Of course I would bring Rhodey back as War Machine. It was criminal what happened to Rhodey. I would bring back a lot of Tony's rogues especially Spymaster for such personally reasons as I stated before. It would be back to Howard Stark being Tony's biological father. It could be as simple as Howard meeting Tony's real mom and having an affair since Tony's mother Maria couldn't have kids again. After I did all of this then I would work on new villains and bring around old ones, but the only villain that would be over Spymaster is the man himself The Mandarin. Oh I would bring in Toni Ho as well and have her work with the girls as well. Like I stated Tony could teach them so much and they would be better for it.

[The Dying Detective]

I'd write Tony mentoring Rhi Rhi and Rhodey's niece. Help them with the armor or anything they need to know on what it takes to wear the armor. It carries a lot of weight. Also I would bring back Happy's son so Tony can look after him and through that is how Tony finds out that Spymaster killed Happy. The girls could join different teams and and Tony can stay in contact with them and check in to make sure everythings ok. I'd like for Tony to get his relationship back with Parker. Kind off Older brother/Younger brother thing. I would go back to the armor Prime as to me it really wasn't showed what it could really do. I would definitely bring back Bethany Cabe as she has been with Tony through some of his darkest days. Of course I would bring Rhodey back as War Machine. It was criminal what happened to Rhodey. I would bring back a lot of Tony's rogues especially Spymaster for such personally reasons as I stated before. It would be back to Howard Stark being Tony's biological father. It could be as simple as Howard meeting Tony's real mom and having an affair since Tony's mother Maria couldn't have kids again. After I did all of this then I would work on new villains and bring around old ones, but the only villain that would be over Spymaster is the man himself The Mandarin

As much as I dislike Riri for her inconsistent characterisation. I am partial to the idea of Tony Stark the man many do think of as a very responsible figure and something of control freak almost on the level if not more so than Batman being a mentor. It should give a whole new direction for Tony to finally learn real responsibility and learn to have more self-control. But maybe we could change Rhodey's armour a little because aside from the War Machine Armour looking cool it is pointless because the repulsors out class any standard and above average firearm. What would you do to the Mandarin anyway?

[MichaelC]

What would you do to the Mandarin anyway?

I'd start with the five page origin Stan Lee gave him and flesh it out. It's a really good five pages, combining the angst of tormented aristocratic children like Roman Sionis, tormented super-soldiers like X-23, and the disturbing exploitation of explorers like Christopher Columbus. But it's still just five pages, and absolutely nothing has been done to flesh it out since then. So I'd flesh it in the manner of "Penguin, Pain and Prejudice".

[Tony Stark]

As much as I dislike Riri for her inconsistent characterisation. I am partial to the idea of Tony Stark the man many do think of as a very responsible figure and something of control freak almost on the level if not more so than Batman being a mentor. It should give a whole new direction for Tony to finally learn real responsibility and learn to have more self-control. But maybe we could change Rhodey's armour a little because aside from the War Machine Armour looking cool it is pointless because the repulsors out class any standard and above average firearm. What would you do to the Mandarin anyway?

I would bring him back and have him with his daughter and Ezikel Stane. Almost like a family getting together to destroy Tony. And of course with the 10 rings.

[The Dying Detective]

I would bring him back and have him with his daughter and Ezikel Stane. Almost like a family getting together to destroy Tony. And of course with the 10 rings.

The Mandarin was killed off when? And he had a daughter? I thought he only had a son Temujin.

[The Dying Detective]

I'd start with the five page origin Stan Lee gave him and flesh it out. It's a really good five pages, combining the angst of tormented aristocratic children like Roman Sionis, tormented super-soldiers like X-23, and the disturbing exploitation of explorers like Christopher Columbus. But it's still just five pages, and absolutely nothing has been done to flesh it out since then. So I'd flesh it in the manner of "Penguin, Pain and Prejudice".

Interesting ideas but the Mandarin's origin is steeped in the old Yellow Peril propaganda how do you intend to update him? Or has he already been updated?

[Tony Stark]

The Mandarin was killed off when? And he had a daughter? I thought he only had a son Temujin.

At the end of Fractions run. Also he has a daughter by Justine Hammer. That's right, Justin Hammers daughter, but she was killed by her daughter and Ezikel Stane at the end of Fractions run as well.

[Tony Stark]

Also really enjoying these threads The Dying Detective. It really gets fans to share their ideas in how they want to see their favorite characters.

[MichaelC]

Interesting ideas but the Mandarin's origin is steeped in the old Yellow Peril propaganda how do you intend to update him? Or has he already been updated?

In what way? He's an aristocrat who squandered all his wealth on training to be a sort of evil Renaissance Man, like a cross between Roman Sionis and Batman. Are Roman Sionis and Batman steeped in yellow peril? He was raised by a cruel aunt who hated the world and raised him to be an evil super-soldier, somewhat like X-23. Is X-23 steeped in yellow peril? Once he lost everything, he became an explorer, looted the alien weaponry and riches near some poor native villagers, and then enslaved and exploited those villagers, like a sci-fi version of Christopher Columbus. Is Christopher Columbus steeped in yellow peril? And that was established about waayyyy back in the silver age, in, irrc, his third appearance.

There's nothing about his origin that is yellow peril. The most you can say against it is that the Silver Age art, with it's exaggerated features, has aged poorly.

[The Dying Detective]

In what way? He's an aristocrat who squandered all his wealth on training to be a sort of evil Renaissance Man, like a cross between Roman Sionis and Batman. Are Roman Sionis and Batman steeped in yellow peril? He was raised by a cruel aunt who hated the world and raised him to be an evil super-soldier, somewhat like X-23. Is X-23 steeped in yellow peril? Once he lost everything, he became an explorer, looted the alien weaponry and riches near some poor native villagers, and then enslaved and exploited those villagers, like a sci-fi version of Christopher Columbus. Is Christopher Columbus steeped in yellow peril? And that was established about waayyyy back in the silver age, in, irrc, his third appearance.

There's nothing about his origin that is yellow peril. The most you can say against it is that the Silver Age art, with it's exaggerated features, has aged poorly.

Actually I think it's just the way the Mandarin looks at least in the older comics that reflects that makes me think of the Yellow Peril propaganda.