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I...am...Iron Man! |
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— Himself |
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Tony Stark is the CEO of Stark Industries, StarkTech, and any number of Stark-related companies. He also happens to be the invincible Iron Man! While his identity is semi-secret, it's not entirely under wraps, which is different from most costumed super-types.
Personality
Initially, most people would probably think Tony Stark to be a wealthy playboy who loves to party and takes few things seriously. They would be correct in some respects, but ridiculously off in others. Deeper than just his surface persona, Tony has worked very hard to cultivate those aspects of himself; in some ways, they are his escape from his inner turmoil. Struggling with an abusive, neglectful childhood and deep-seated inadequacy, Tony is a workaholic who will never see himself as good enough. Depression and disillusion are his constant companions, and it is only through the company of those few he calls friends and, more often, partying and hedonistic new experiences, that he is able to silence the gnawing at his resolve. He believes at least that, as Iron Man, he can make the world a better place, and in his suit, he feels like a hero.
Background
Tony Stark inherited his family's fortune and company as his teenage years came to an end, when a tragic accident cost his parents their lives. Although he was still not ready to take on the responsibility, he stepped up to it in the absence of anyone else and promoted his personal secretary, shifting most of the administrative burden for the moment. He concentrated, instead, on his real strength: developing brilliant tech.
However, during a demonstration abroad of a potential weapon, Tony was nearly killed by an explosion caused by revolutionaries hoping to steal the weapon for their own use. They took him captive and forced him to work, but Tony instead developed the arc reactor that kept his heart beating and developed a prototype version of what would later become the Iron Man armor. Once he escaped the situation, he swore that his company would never again develop weapons of any kind, least of all for any government.
Eventually, Tony became the hero Iron Man to address the frequent super-powered dangers to Tony Stark, and over the years he has developed the suit again and again, altering and improving it repeatedly, until it has become relatively streamlined and super-efficient. He continues to maintain a high profile, both as Tony Stark and as Iron Man, both in the Avengers and on his own.
SKILLS
BUSINESS - Expert: Mostly out of necessity, Tony has become extremely good at business and business dealings. He's so proficient that he can delegate effectively, as well as handle high-level business affairs when in less than ideal states, or when attempting discretion.
COMBAT - Competent: Tony is versed in hand-to-hand combat and ranged combat, preferring the latter but capable otherwise. While assisted with AIs and computer enhancements, he is able to do what he needs to do in order to engage a foe. Ideally this is in his Iron Man suit, but even unarmed, he is capable of engaging foes in a fight.
GENIUS - Expert: Tony is an undeniable expert in various sciences; he doesn't even have to try to create spectacular advances that literally no one on Earth has ever conceived of. What's more, he typically has the personal ability to realize most of his ideas in reality, allowing him superlative control over his innovations.
PARTY - Expert: Wherever Tony is can become a party whenever he pleases. He knows what the people want, and he's willing to give it to them. He has lifelong experience with festivities and, if given sufficient time, can arrange for truly magnificent occasions. But even on spur of the moment, he is able to bring people together to have a very good time.
POWERS
ADVANTAGES
AI Tony likes to invent AI systems and usually names them after philosophers. His most prominent and well-known ones are HOMER and PLATO. Whereas HOMER tends to assist Tony with more technical matters in his scientific work and experiments, PLATO is more of a majordomo, crafted to give Jarvis some relief.
CONNECTIONS Both in business and in superheroic endeavors, Tony can call upon a number of connections and allies with reasonable expectation of assistance or information. Most of them, of course, would expect reciprocation of this courtesy.
IRON MAN SUITS Tony has developed a number of Iron Man suits and, while he typically uses the most recent and advanced one, keeps the old ones in case of need. The Iron Man suits are obviously armored, possess independent power sources, and are equipped with armaments with which they may fight and protect themselves. All of them also have the capability of AI assistance from HOMER, for example, or any other AI developed by Tony.
Each suit is configured for different operations, but most offer him a sealed system that grants protection from outside elements or dangers, while providing him with oxygen to breathe. Suits designed for outer space or underwater use can operate for up to several hours this way if needed, perhaps longer if he goes into low-power mode. Thermally regulated, they also protect against extreme temperatures and caustic atmospheres.
In terms of armaments and defenses, most of the suits are of at least Enhanced level durability against damage with Supreme level defenses against impacts due to falling, being thrown into things, and so forth. The heavier duty suits offer Supreme level defenses in general. The suits also carry varied armaments, from low-level weapons designed only to stun or inflict Basic damage, to high-end energy weapons. His standard energy beams and punches do Enhanced-level damage, while his highly charged energy attacks or punches from his heavy duty physical suits do up to Supreme level damage.
JARVIS The Stark family butler, Jarvis, is fiercely loyal, well-trained, and a highly intelligent and capable man. He has known Tony since Tony was a child and is able to voice understandings that others may hesitate to mention. He is also more than decent in a fight and possesses remarkable willpower.
RESOURCES As the CEO of major tech and manufacturing companies, Tony has at his disposal a number of things such as cutting-edge technology, manufacturing equipment, and more; the reputation of his family name and his companies open many doors. There are also numerous things that the Stark companies can manufacture themselves, making it much easier to maintain the Iron Man identity and to develop further upgrades and gadgetry.
WEALTH Tony comes from an incredibly wealthy family and is the sole heir to a prestigious lineage. He could retire tomorrow and live in remarkable luxury for the rest of his natural life.
WEAKNESSES
COMPLICATED Tony is overconfident in a number of ways, but he's also profoundly insecure and struggles with depression and feelings of inadequacy, which drive him to overachieve and push himself far beyond healthy bounds. All of these things are a particularly dangerous combination, which can lead to him being overconfident in situations he should assess more realistically and him being crippled by depressive self-worth issues when he's needed most.
IDENTITY Tony's identity as Iron Man is a little complicated. He doesn't try too hard to keep his identity secret, but Iron Man is still invariably known as his bodyguard. He has gone to great lengths to allow for remote manipulation of the Iron Man suit, should he need it, and regularly engages in this to throw off his enemies. At the same time, it isn't a major priority for him to keep his identity secret. This could be used by enemies to target Tony or the people important to him.
IMPULSIVE Tony is terribly impulsive and will often try to invent strategies on the fly when he hasn't given a situation adequate consideration at all. While it usually works out for him, when it doesn't, it can land him into serious trouble. Even if he can usually figure a way out in the end, it's not as good or as easy if he had taken the time to plan carefully in the first place.
MONEY Fabulous riches may be a great advantage, but Tony has learned in his life that problems can often be solved simply by throwing money at them. It's become something of a tendency for him to resort to this fairly frequently, sometimes by default. Obviously, it's not the kind of thing that can resolve the sorts of situations he often finds himself in now.
PARTY BOY Tony Stark is an unabashed party boy. He loves to party and have fun, and it's hard for him to know when to say he's had enough. He'll party all night...and crash when the day breaks. If he has to decide between responsibility and enjoyment, he will usually decide on the part of enjoyment, unless it's a life-or-death situation. He's not entirely irresponsible, but having a good time allows for him to feel alive...which most of the time is something that is a challenge for him.
