Today Is Tony Stark's Birthday

Today is a very important day in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It's Tony Stark's birthday.

While Stark and his heroic alter ego Iron Man -- played by Robert Downey Jr. in the MCU -- have been a fixture in Marvel Comics since his 1963 debut in Tales of Suspense #39, the fan-favorite character kicked off the MCU with 2008's Iron Man which followed the brilliant billionaire inventor as he began to go from self-absorbed playboy to the hero who, in the latest MCU installment Avengers: Infinity War, attempted in vain to stop Thanos from "balancing" the universe.

It hasn't been an easy path for Stark, though. Over the course of nine of the 19 films in the MCU, audiences have watched Tony survive a kidnapping by the Ten Rings (prompting him to make the first Iron Man suit to save his life,) betrayal by family friend and business partner Obadiah Stane, poisoning by his own Arc Reactor, and the invasion of New York by the Chitauri and subsequent PTSD only to come out a stronger hero than ever. Fans have also seen Tony's approach to being Iron Man change over the years, something seen most clearly in Captain America: Civil War where, wracked with guilt over having created Ultron, Stark strongly supported the Sokovia Accords designed to regulate the Avengers -- a decision that brought him into conflict with his best friend, Steve Rogers/Captain America.

And while it is Stark's 48th birthday, we're not sure he's going to be feeling up to too much celebrating. Last fans saw of Iron Man he was on Titan, grappling with not just having failed to stop Thanos from acquiring the Time Stone but with watching the deaths of those around him when the Mad Titan made good on his promise to snap his fingers and wipe out half the life in the universe -- Peter Parker/Spider-Man's death being particularly heartbreaking. Here's to hoping that Tony's made his way back to Earth and has found something happy to celebrate -- and here's to hoping his 49th birthday next year is a happier one. After all, Avengers 4 will be out. Maybe we should save the cake and balloons for then.

Avengers: Infinity War is in theaters now. Tony Stark will return in the fourth Avengers movie on May 3, 2019. Other upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe movies include Ant-Man and the Wasp on July 6th, Captain Marvel opens on March 8, 2019, the sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming on July 5, 2019, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in 2020.