The MCU’s Tony Stark was born in 1970, and the original Iron Man takes place in 2008, the same year it was released in theaters. Interestingly enough, Downey Jr. himself was born in April 1965, so he was 43 when Iron Man debuted. The actor continued to play his career reviving role for 11 years after his first adventure, so by the time he was (seemingly) done with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he was 54. The question is, how old was Stark himself during his time in the franchise? Did Stark’s age ever line up with Downey Jr.’s? Not quite.
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But, by the end of the actor and character’s runs, their ages were closer than at the beginning. So, now that we’ve gotten the first Iron Man flick out of the way, what about the rest?
The Incredible Hulk & Iron Man 2 — 41 Years Old
When Stark approaches the late William Hurt’s General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross in The Incredible Hulk, he’s 41 years old. Like Iron Man 2, The Incredible Hulk takes place in 2011, three years after the MCU kickstarter that hit theaters just a month and a half prior.
The two movies’ place in the MCU chronology is confirmed by combining dialogue spoken by Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury in both Iron Man 2 and The Avengers. On the former end, in Iron Man 2, Fury tells Stark that he has “bigger problems in the Southwest region,” which is a reference to the events of Thor.
The Avengers — 42 Years Old
What is the Fury-spoken dialogue in question from The Avengers? He says that the events of Thor (and, by extension, the events of both Iron Man 2 and The Incredible Hulk) took place the previous year. In other words, of the six MCU Phase 1 movies, only Iron Man, Thor, the final scene of Captain America: The First Avenger, and The Avengers actually take place the year of their release.
Iron Man 3 — 42 (or 43?) Years Old
Iron Man 3 is a little bit of a toss-up, though there is something of a consensus. As shown in Avengers: Endgame, the Battle of New York in The Avengers without a doubt takes place on May 4, 2012.
The events of Iron Man 3 take place during the winter season of either 2012 or 2013 (the latter being the film’s year of release). The consensus is that the third Iron Man‘s narrative unfold in 2012, but there’s also a shot of newspaper The Daily Times with a headline that reads “Mandarin Attack: Stark Presumed Dead.” What’s the date of the issue? December 23, 2013.
The key to confirming the exact year is within Iron Man 3 itself. Specifically, there’s a flashback to New Year’s Eve 1999 and, at one point, it’s explicitly stated that his battle against the Mandarin is 13 years after that point. So, the date on the newspaper is a gaffe, and Stark is the same age in Iron Man 3 he was in The Avengers. Well, except for in the flashback scene, when he was 29 (and Happy Hogan had long hair).
Avengers: Age of Ultron — 45 Years Old
Avengers: Age of Ultron takes place in May and June of 2015, placing it exactly three years after the events of The Avengers. This makes Stark 45 when he accidentally creates a “murder bot.”
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Captain America: Civil War & Spider-Man: Homecoming — 46 Years Old
Like Avengers: Age of Ultron, the events of Captain America: Civil War unfold right when it was actually released in theaters (May 2016). So, he was one year older than he was in Age of Ultron, putting him at 46.
This also means he began mentoring Peter Parker when he was 46. And, considering the events of Spider-Man: Homecoming occur only two months after Civil War, much of that mentorship occurred when Stark was 46.
Avengers: Infinity War — 48 Years Old
Much of Stark’s forming Parker into a respectable superhero occurred when the former was 46, but he made his young ward an Avenger in 2018. That’s when Avengers: Infinity War takes place, making Stark 48 when Thanos snaps his fingers and eliminates half the universe.
Avengers: Endgame — 53 Years Old
A few scenes of Avengers: Endgame occur shortly after the events of Infinity War but, for the most part, it’s set in 2023. This includes the final battle, which occurred on October 17, 2023. This makes Stark 53 years old when he sacrificed himself to defeat Thanos once and for all. Rest in peace, Mr. Stark, and see you soon, Dr. Doom.
