These 5 Things Made Iron Man A Marvel Legend

Iron Man has had one of the weirdest existences in comics. He was created in the early ’60s as part of the birth of the Marvel Universe, an intrepid Cold Warrior who used his intelligence and cash to become one of the most formidable heroes ever. He helped found the Avengers and became its payroll department, paying its members and supplying them with a home and technology. For years, he was one of the most popular Marvel characters, but all of that started to change in the ’80s and ’90s, leading the character to become important in-universe but not important to readers. He was always in the stories, but his books never sold a lot. Then, in 2008, a little movie called Iron Man came out and changed all of that. Suddenly, he was one of the most popular superheroes ever.

While you can still argue that Iron Man in the comics isn’t as popular as his position in-universe would lead you to believe (although you definitely should be reading the current Iron Man series; even if you’re barely a fan of the character, you’ll love it), you can’t deny that he’s a legend. His movie didn’t just get popular in a vacuum; Iron Man was always a great character, one who has earned his legendary status. Iron Man is a Marvel legend because of these five factors, surviving decades of ups and downs at the top.

5) He’s All About Innovation

Superhero comics are a business that is all about nostalgia. Sure, you get new stuff at times, but for the most part, it’s all about reminding people of the glories of the past in new ways. Innovation can be very hard to find in superhero stories, which is one of the reasons that Iron Man is so awesome – he’s constantly innovating. Tony Stark is constantly upgrading his Iron Man armors, keeping them on the bleeding edge of tech and allowing him to battle against the most powerful enemies in comics. Whenever his book needs a shake-up, creators just have to come up with a new armor design or new tech to add to it. Tony Stark is a character whose entire purpose is to innovate and this is one of many things that make him such an interesting character. His restless mind is constantly going, trying to come up with something new in a world where it often feels like everything has been done before.

4) His Rivalry With Doctor Doom Is More Interesting Than Reed Richards’s

Robert Downey Jr. is playing Doctor Doom in the MCU, leading fans to talk about their rivalry and trying to use it to make sense of the casting (personally, I don’t think we’re even actually getting Doom, but Stark in another armor). While they aren’t exactly archenemies, their relationship has always been one of Marvel’s best. Doom is much better known for his rivalry with Reed Richards, one which has become intensely personal, but there’s something about his feud with Iron Man that’s just more interesting. Doom’s hatred of Reed is rather childish, when it comes right down to it. Meanwhile, his feelings for Stark are altogether more complex. The two disagree on most things, but there is a respect there that Doom and Reed are missing. You get the feeling that Doom sees Stark as something of a kindred spirit, the two of them all about taking the things in their brains and bringing them to the outside world. Doctor Doom is Marvel’s most storied villain and all their major characters have some kind of relationship with him, but few of them are as cool as Iron Man’s.

3) His Witty Repartee Is Always Entertaining

One of the things that helped make 2008’s Iron Man such a hit was the humor. Lots of people basically chalked this up to the ridiculous charm of Robert Downey Jr., but he was just playing the character as written. Iron Man has long been one of the most witty heroes in comics. While everything wasn’t a sarcastic joke like MCU Stark, over the years his witty repartee has been one of the things fans love the most about him. You know that he’s going to come up with something to say for any given situation and it’s always going to be entertaining. It’s his personality that has helped make him a legend over the years. Sure, he was cool-looking and powerful, but fans fell in love with Tony Stark the character first and foremost. Marvel, especially early Marvel, was all about the characters and Stark was long one of the best. Plus, as with many characters, he uses his wit and humor as a coping mechanism for the insanity of his life, so it’s all a part of the depth that makes the character so beloved.

2) He’s the Most Important Avenger

The Avengers are Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, the foremost defense force of the Marvel Universe. The team has boasted the most important heroes in Marvel history and that can make it rather hard to pick an important member. However, if you know Marvel history, it’s easy to see that Iron Man is the most important member of the group. He’s one of the founders, but unlike the others, if you removed him, you don’t have the Avengers. He gave them their first base, he supplied the technology they needed to work, and he paid them so they could concentrate on being superheroes and not have to worry about having jobs in their civilian life. Since then, he’s been chairman of the Avengers numerous times and is always a part of the major decisions made for the group. In a lot of ways, he defines the team – he and the Avengers are both always in a state of flux, doing their best to save the day against the worst odds. There are Avengers’ teams without him and there will be more in the future, but that doesn’t change how integral he is to the group.

1) He Has Cool Armors

There are loads of reasons that fans have loved Iron Man since the ’60s, but the main reason is the most obvious – his awesome armor. When it comes to superheroes, one of the most important things is the “rule of cool”. Basically, if something is cool, people are going to like it. Iron Man’s armor has always been the coolest part of the character – sure, great personality, he’s funny, has exciting adventures, but when it comes right down to it, it’s the armor. It’s the first thing that you notice and it’s helped him become extremely popular. His armors have always been eye-catching and over the years, we’ve gotten every different kind you can think of – we’ve had bulky, powerful looking armors, we’ve had sleek high-tech looks that stepped out of the Apple Store, we’ve even had steampunk-inspired armor. Iron Man’s armors are amazing, their look grabbing readers and getting them to pick up the comic, which is honestly half the battle. The stories have been great, but it’s the armor that helped the most to make him into the legend he is today.

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