What Was Tony Stark Like pre-Civil War?

[Kuwagaton]

Even during his worst in the MU, Ellis and the Knaufs still wrote him as a good guy in his own book. Like a more mature RDJ.

[Sutekh]

He was pretty uneven.

During the Armor Wars, he discovered that some of his technology had been stolen and had an *epic* freakout over it, attacking armored and battlesuited villains and heroes all over the world in an attempt to purge their tech of any stolen Stark technology.

Among the 'hits;'
He attacked Stingray, an (honorary) fellow Avengers, whose battlesuit *is made of electrically charged shark cartilage, and is about as likely to be stolen Stark tech as the Eye of Agamotto* and left him stranded on a deserted island after wrecking his battlesuit.
During a fight with Russian armored 'heroes' Crimson Dynamo and the Titanium Man (who *also* turned out to not be using Stark tech) the dude in the Titanium Man armor (the second Gremlin, who hadn't been a super-villain like his father) burned to death. The Gremlin, like his dad, was a mutant super-genius and didn't really need Stark tech anyway. And so, unlike Dr. Doom, who has flown into the US a dozen times and tried to kill Richards, Stark totally one-upped him, successfully flying into another country, killing one of it's heroes (state-sponsored, at that, holding rank in the Russian military), and then flew home, with the lasting geopolitical ramifications of that being 'eh.'
And he attacked and disabled the Guardsmen armors that *he'd sold to Project Pegasus,* which, hey, actually were Stark tech! Of course, the reason Project Pegasus had Stark tech armored suits, is because he *sold them* to the government, so he basically was reduced to attacking his customers for the heinous crime of using stuff he'd sold them...

It was a pretty awful storyline, and he first pretended to the world that he'd fired 'the guy in the Iron Man suit' because of all that international incidenting and killing people and attacking government agencies. The Avengers knew that Stark was 'the guy in the suit,' and he got fired for a time.

I haven't read whatever story this occurred in, but have read online that he later *mindwiped the entire world* to forget his crimes.

[Tony Stark]

Genius, charismatic, respected, brave. As a business man he was overly concerned with everything being safe and his staff being well looked after. He believed in himself and his work wether or not other people did and, as someone above said, he was concerned about his health. Look at how much he is willing to sacrifice himself in any of his major storylines (I recommend Byrne and Busiek's runs for two easy examples.) He always had the wit and humour but he had been through a lot more and held more responsibility. Of course, other than basically being portrayed as a villain these days, he has no company and doesn't seem to be portrayed doing anything other than pissing people off.

I agree about RDj's Tony being a mix of Heroes Reborn and Ultimate's Stark. I feel Downey has the skill to be that version yet project authority and seriousness when the story needs it. That's one of the things I was so happy to see when the first film came out.

Well said my friend.

[Minerboh]

He was pretty uneven.

During the Armor Wars, he discovered that some of his technology had been stolen and had an *epic* freakout over it, attacking armored and battlesuited villains and heroes all over the world in an attempt to purge their tech of any stolen Stark technology.

Among the 'hits;'
He attacked Stingray, an (honorary) fellow Avengers, whose battlesuit *is made of electrically charged shark cartilage, and is about as likely to be stolen Stark tech as the Eye of Agamotto* and left him stranded on a deserted island after wrecking his battlesuit.
During a fight with Russian armored 'heroes' Crimson Dynamo and the Titanium Man (who *also* turned out to not be using Stark tech) the dude in the Titanium Man armor (the second Gremlin, who hadn't been a super-villain like his father) burned to death. The Gremlin, like his dad, was a mutant super-genius and didn't really need Stark tech anyway. And so, unlike Dr. Doom, who has flown into the US a dozen times and tried to kill Richards, Stark totally one-upped him, successfully flying into another country, killing one of it's heroes (state-sponsored, at that, holding rank in the Russian military), and then flew home, with the lasting geopolitical ramifications of that being 'eh.'
And he attacked and disabled the Guardsmen armors that *he'd sold to Project Pegasus,* which, hey, actually were Stark tech! Of course, the reason Project Pegasus had Stark tech armored suits, is because he *sold them* to the government, so he basically was reduced to attacking his customers for the heinous crime of using stuff he'd sold them...

It was a pretty awful storyline, and he first pretended to the world that he'd fired 'the guy in the Iron Man suit' because of all that international incidenting and killing people and attacking government agencies. The Avengers knew that Stark was 'the guy in the suit,' and he got fired for a time.

I haven't read whatever story this occurred in, but have read online that he later *mindwiped the entire world* to forget his crimes.

I red that before (in The Sentient Armor arc).
When did that happened?

[Tony Stark]

I haven't read whatever story this occurred in, but have read online that he later *mindwiped the entire world* to forget his crimes.

He didn't mindwipe the world to forget his crimes. He did it to protect his secret ID and the people around him.

[Mikekerr3]

He didn't mindwipe the world to forget his crimes. He did it to protect his secret ID and the people around him.

Violating the mind of the entire planet for his own convenience is OK?

[jackolover]

I thought Pre-CW Tony Stark was a pretty decent chap. He played his role as an Avenger and as a solo hero in his own book. I can't say he manipulated anybody that I can recall. I know he never forced his world view on anybody in that time. There was this one time Kang manipulated Tony to be this evil version who went around assassinating Avengers, but that was quickly argued that this was not Tonys fault. (This should have been when Nick Fury , he Man on the Wall, should have taken the shot and killed Kang).

Overall, I would have trusted Tony Stark, drunk or not. He went through a rough patch during that alcoholic period, but he cleaned himself up and even CW didn't get him drunk again. (It took Cul the Alfather to make him an alcoholic again). Nobody would have anticipated the CW Tony Stark that we saw in that Event from the way Tony behaved before that.

[Mikekerr3]

Overall, I would have trusted Tony Stark, drunk or not. He went through a rough patch during that alcoholic period, but he cleaned himself up and even CW didn't get him drunk again. (It took Cul the Alfather to make him an alcoholic again). Nobody would have anticipated the CW Tony Stark that we saw in that Event from the way Tony behaved before that.

We got him deceitfully betraying Frienfd and then throwing him away in WWH, That is to me at least where they started working very hard to make him a scumbag, When Naor calls uyou out for being a dirtbag and an idiot you know you have really crossed the line, or you would if your Ego was not crippling you.

[Tony Stark]

Violating the mind of the entire planet for his own convenience is OK?

Were did I say it was OK?! Show me. I was stating the reason he did it.

[Majin_O.A.W.]

Were did I say it was OK?! Show me. I was stating the reason he did it.

Do they complain about what Spider-Man just recently did?

Iron Man is hard to peg down. But Civil War has done the most harm to his character. Lately, he has become a more morally flawed character to contrast to Steve Rogers or perhaps to make Steve seem more saint like.

I remember JMS writing him in Thor way back when, and he was written almost as if he was a government lackey. Shameful....

[Vic Vega]

He was pretty uneven.

During the Armor Wars, he discovered that some of his technology had been stolen and had an *epic* freakout over it, attacking armored and battlesuited villains and heroes all over the world in an attempt to purge their tech of any stolen Stark technology.

Among the 'hits;'
He attacked Stingray, an (honorary) fellow Avengers, whose battlesuit *is made of electrically charged shark cartilage, and is about as likely to be stolen Stark tech as the Eye of Agamotto* and left him stranded on a deserted island after wrecking his battlesuit.
During a fight with Russian armored 'heroes' Crimson Dynamo and the Titanium Man (who *also* turned out to not be using Stark tech) the dude in the Titanium Man armor (the second Gremlin, who hadn't been a super-villain like his father) burned to death. The Gremlin, like his dad, was a mutant super-genius and didn't really need Stark tech anyway. And so, unlike Dr. Doom, who has flown into the US a dozen times and tried to kill Richards, Stark totally one-upped him, successfully flying into another country, killing one of it's heroes (state-sponsored, at that, holding rank in the Russian military), and then flew home, with the lasting geopolitical ramifications of that being 'eh.'
And he attacked and disabled the Guardsmen armors that *he'd sold to Project Pegasus,* which, hey, actually were Stark tech! Of course, the reason Project Pegasus had Stark tech armored suits, is because he *sold them* to the government, so he basically was reduced to attacking his customers for the heinous crime of using stuff he'd sold them...

It was a pretty awful storyline, and he first pretended to the world that he'd fired 'the guy in the Iron Man suit' because of all that international incidenting and killing people and attacking government agencies. The Avengers knew that Stark was 'the guy in the suit,' and he got fired for a time.

I haven't read whatever story this occurred in, but have read online that he later *mindwiped the entire world* to forget his crimes.

That story was fun to read at the time. Lots of guest stars and armor battling.

It just hasn't aged all that well.

Its a LOT worse when you realise that Stark spent more time and effort going after armored allies than he did armored criminals.

The Raiders were no threat to him and Mauler gave up his armor when confronted figuring it wasn't worth getting shot over.

That was it for the bad guys.

So Stark went on a focused campaign to take armor away from dudes who at best were just minding thier own business (Stingray) or active in the lawful defense of a foriegn nation (Dynamo and Titanium Man).

At worst Tony attacked the staff of a United States facilty in order to take back weapons he himself sold them.

Considering that both the Crimson Dynamo and Titanium Man armors were created
by Soviet geniuses specifically to combat Iron Man, his attacking them come off kind of like him airing out a grudge.

So at least there he had an excuse. A bad one but at least I can see him thinking that they were only going attack him later anyway so's he might as well get them first.

[Tony Stark]

Do they complain about what Spider-Man just recently did?

I've come to notice that it's not about what a character does, but what character does it.

[Majin_O.A.W.]

I've come to notice that it's not about what a character does, but what character does it.

Let's face it, Marvel just hates wealthy and upperclass characters.

[Tony Stark]

Let's face it, Marvel just hates wealthy and upperclass characters.

I don't think it's that at all. What I'm saying is that I've noticed here and on other boards that if Tony does something bad he is basically satan, but other characters who do horrible things. Some worse than what Tony does get a pass.

[Mark]

I don't think it's that at all. What I'm saying is that I've noticed here and on other boards that if Tony does something bad he is basically satan, but other characters who do horrible things. Some worse than what Tony does get a pass.

Reed Richards comes to mind. Tony didn't create Clor or send the Hulk into space all by himself.