Character Discussions

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Iron Man is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Tales of Suspense #39 (March 1963), and was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber, and artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby. Anthony "Tony" Edward Stark, after suffering a severe heart injury and being kidnapped, was forced to build a devastating weapon. He instead created a suit of power armor to save his life and help protect the world as the superhero Iron Man. He is a wealthy industrialist and genius inventor who created military weapons and whose metal suit is laden with technological devices that enable him to fight crime.

In the character's original incarnation, Iron Man was a vehicle for Stan Lee to explore Cold War themes, particularly the role of American technology and business in the fight against communism. Subsequent re-imaginings of Iron Man have gradually removed the Cold War themes, replacing them with more contemporary concerns such as corporate crime and terrorism.

Throughout most of his comics career, Iron Man has been a member of the superhero team the Avengers and has been featured in several incarnations of his own various comic book series. The character has been adapted for several animated TV shows, as well as for the 2008 live action film Iron Man starring Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark.


Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man in the newest adaptation of Iron Man 2008.

Virginia "Pepper" Potts is a fictional supporting character in the Marvel Comics universe, debuting in 1960s comic books as executive secretary to Tony Stark, a.k.a. Iron Man, in Tales of Suspense #45 (September 1963). She is portrayed by Gwyneth Paltrow in the 2008 Iron Man movie.

Pepper, originally in the secretarial pool, gets her job by fixing an accounting mistake made by Stark himself. Pepper is originally infatuated with Tony and responds to the attentions of Stark's chauffeur and assistant Happy Hogan with caustic remarks. This, almost immediately after her first appearance, coupled with Stark's growing affection for her, puts her in a love triangle between Stark and Hogan. Pepper is for a time interested in Iron Man, unaware that he and Stark are the same person. However, she eventually falls in love with and marries Hogan, eloping with him in Tales of Suspense #91, though that relationship isn't without its troubles.
Pepper and Happy.
Pepper and Happy.

Pepper and Happy eventually leave Stark Industries settling in the Rocky Mountains and then finally in Cleveland where they adopt children after being unable to conceive, and disappear from the main Iron Man storyline. After being kidnapped by Stark's rival Obadiah Stane, Pepper tells Tony to stay out of their lives. At an unspecified point during their absence, Pepper and Happy divorce. After Tony Stark's return from the Heroes Reborn universe, Pepper and Happy join Tony at his new company Stark Solutions and once again become core characters. After some time, Happy and Pepper once again became involved and remarry, eventually considering starting a family to supplement their adopted children. At this point Tony and Pepper's relationship has a brief rekindling during trouble in Happy and Pepper's marriage. Pepper eventually does conceive, only to lose the baby at the hands of Stark's former lover and enemy Ayisha.

After Happy sustains massive injuries in a fight with Spymaster during the Civil War story arc, Pepper requests that Tony turn off Happy's life support. The final pages of Invincible Iron Man vol. 4 #14 shows the apparent death of Happy; it is debated as to whether Tony actually complied with Pepper's request as the only link between Happy's heart failure and Tony is the fact that they are side by side in the panel.

After the events of the superhuman Civil War, Pepper joined the Fifty State Initiative as a member of 'The Order', a government sanctioned superhero team operating within California. She assumed the moniker of the Greek goddess Hera and used advanced computer hardware and prosthetics to monitor and coordinate the team's missions. Upon the absorption of The Order into the Initiative, Tony Stark offers her a job on the special projects team at Stark Enterprises, which she accepts. She will appear as a regular cast member in the new Invincible Iron Man series.




Gwyneth Paltrow as Virginia Pepper Potts in the newest adaptation of Iron Man 2008.