Saying Iron Man wasn't well known before 2008 is ridiculous (comics)

[CTTT]

The character had been around for almost 50 years by the time the movie came out. Obviously he had staying power in the MU or would have been discarded long ago. Sure he had a 4 year run with Denny O'Neill and Demon in a Bottle. But two great story arcs aren't enough to keep a character around. Tony's solo title had been around since 1968.

[Tony Stark]

He definitely had staying power and more than just 2 great runs. Now he is more well known because of the movie. He’s an ICON now. People always say that Tony only has one good run or that his rogues gallery is garbage, but yet he’s been around since 63 and it’s because of the character. He’s such a compelling and complex character. Tony is interesting when he’s in or out of the armor. Very very few characters you can say that about in my opinion.

[Revolutionary_Jack]

Among the various publications that Marvel has put out, Iron Man earned enough consistently to stay in print but that's not the same thing as being "well known" and "famous".

Here's how it breaks down.

Both Marvel and DC have readers who largely want to read and are familiar with just the Marvel Universe and the DC Universe respectively. Let's call this the "base" of their readership.

To be "well known" you have to be famous enough, or moments famous enough, that even people of the rival company's base knows who you are.

Marvel Comics readers around 2008 would have known Batman, Superman, and maybe JLA but they wouldn't know for instance Suicide Squad or really obscure DC stuff like OMAC. All they would know about Wonder Woman is "Oh right, she's the big female hero...but what's her deal again?" Ask about Flash and Green Lantern and where DC fans can compare all the different GL and Flashes, Marvel readers would think about the Justice League cartoon that ended and go, "Green Lantern's black right?".

DC Comics readers around 2008 would know Spider-Man, X-Men and maybe Fantastic Four but beyond that it gets fuzzy.

Iron Man sold well to the Marvel fanbase and Marvel comics reader and he was famous among Marvel readers but he didn't have comics wide fame that Batman, Superman, Spider-Man and X-Men did.

Among non-superhero comics readers -- people will know Spider-Man, Superman, Batman that's it. Around 2008, Iron Man wasn't as famous as say Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and indeed in the 90s, you could say Spawn was as big a character as Iron Man.

[charliehustle415]

I don't know who is saying this but he was the architect to some of the biggest plot points in the Marvel Universe.

Sure he mainstream now and probably rivals Spidey in name recognition, but he's always been "well known"

[Marvell2100]

Besides his solo he's an Avengers which is well known and has a pretty long run. He was involved in the biggest comic event in Marvel history - Civil War which began in 2006.

So yes, he was well known before 2008.

[Revolutionary_Jack]

I don't know who is saying this but he was the architect to some of the biggest plot points in the Marvel Universe.

Around 2008? The biggest was CIVIL WAR, aside from that, what else was he an architect of?

SECRET WARS'84 by Jim Shooter, Bob Layton, Mike Zeck was the first Marvel event, the event comic that was a gateway for civilians to the Marvel Universe...Tony Stark isn't in that story at all. There's an Iron Man there but his name is Rhodey.

THE INFINITY GAUNTLEY, that was the Thanos story and Adam Warlock was the leader of the heroes. Among the Avengers who put up a fight against the titan, Cap was the one who made waves. (and before anyone says Thanos made his debut in Iron Man...Infinity Gauntlet was the story that made Thanos famous).

Other big events...
--MAXIMUM CARNAGE...a Spider-Man centric event, where again Captain America was the big Marvel-wide guest star.
-- X-Men events like AGE OF APOCALYPSE, ONSLAUGHT, MUTANTS MASSACRE before that.

[Revolutionary_Jack]

[COLOR="#000080"]Besides his solo he's an Avengers which is well known and has a pretty long run. He was involved in the biggest comic event in Marvel history - Civil War which began in 2006.

But was Iron Man the most notable thing about Civil War?

The big thing which made CIVIL WAR hit the newspapers was Spider-Man unmasking in that story. Would CIVIL WAR have been so big without a headlines-grabbing gotcha' like that?

[Marvell2100]

Operation Galactic Storm(He Leads the team that killed the Supreme Intelligence)
Korvac Saga(Avengers face the greatest threat to the universe. He leads the team.)
Armor Wars(one of the biggest Tony/Steve fallouts)
The Illuminati(2006)

[Marvell2100]

But was Iron Man the most notable thing about Civil War?

The big thing which made CIVIL WAR hit the newspapers was Spider-Man unmasking in that story. Would CIVIL WAR have been so big without a headlines-grabbing gotcha' like that?

Yes, he was. The whole thing was the ideological divide between Tony and Steve so I'd say he was pivotal. And it would have been big whether Spidey was in it or not.

Spidey situation while big was just relevant to just Spidey but the effects of Civil War had a greater impact on the MU as it shaped Marvel for years to come.

Iron Man becomes the director of SHIELD
Captain America is killed
The Skrulls take advantage and we get Secret Invasion
Norman Osborne seizes an opportunity which leads to The Dark Reign and the Dark Avengers.
That's just to name a few.

None of this happens it Tony and Steve don't have their falling out.

[Ultimate Captain America]

Iron Man had an animated series in 1994, but I'm not sure if it counts. As far as I know, its success was nowhere near the one of the X-Men and Spider-Man animated series of that time.

[Ultimate Captain America]

And of course, we had this one as well, but it counts even less towards "fame"...

[Ultimate Captain America]

And of course, we had the "Ultimate Avengers" animated films (with Iron Man in them, but just a character among others) in 2006, and the stand-alone "The Invincible Iron Man" animated film in 2007 (from the same studios, but in another continuity). However, as the MCU started the next year, their influence to his "fame" is kind of a moot point.

[Ultimate Captain America]

In any case, when the words "Iron Man" were said before 2008, there was a bigger number of people (myself included, and I knew about Iron Man since the Busiek run in Avengers) who would think first in this.

[Huntsman Spider]

Iron Man had an animated series in 1994, but I'm not sure if it counts. As far as I know, its success was nowhere near the one of the X-Men and Spider-Man animated series of that time.

No, but it got better in the second season, especially with the intro to that. Even adapted Armor Wars, but with Hawkeye in place of Steve Rogers/Captain America/"The Captain."

[regg215]

He has absolutely leveled up and is significantly more popular since 2008 but a lot of people exaggerate like they just pulled some random character from the comics and made a movie about him. Iron man is now at the level of batman, superman, and spiderman, and while he wasn't at that level before he was still well know. Pop culture wise there was the song, multiple cartoons, action figures, continued comic books for over 50 years, think he was even mentioned on seinfeld, so its not like he was unknown. I think sometimes in order to elevate the MCU people act like he was just this unknown character that only hardcore comic book readers knew and that isn't true, he wasn't batman, Wonder Woman, superman or spiderman, but he was at the same level as characters like Captain America,Hulk, Flash, Green Lantern and Thor, those sort of secondary characters that people knew but probably couldn't tell you their origin story. It's not like Iron Man was Star Lord or Groot where even casual comic book readers had no idea who they were.