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Tony Stark is a genius inventor and billionaire industrialist, who suits up in his armor of cutting-edge technology to become the super hero Iron Man. The adopted son of weapons manufacturer Howard Stark,[50] Tony inherited his family's company at a young age following his parents' death.[51] While overseeing a manufacturing plant in a foreign country, Stark was kidnapped by local terrorists. Instead of giving in to his captors' demands to build weapons for them, Stark created a powerful suit of armor for himself to escape.[52] Returning to America, Stark further upgraded the armor and put his vast resources and intellect to use for the betterment of the world as Iron Man,[53][54] also quickly giving up weapons manufacturing, having experienced first-hand the horrors of war.[55] Tony kept his alter-ego a secret for most of his career, juggling his responsibilities as head of Stark Industries while becoming a key player in the superhuman community as Iron Man and founding the world's premier super hero team, the Avengers.[56] Over the years, Stark has faced numerous enemies, such as the Mandarin, Justin Hammer, Iron Monger, and the Titanium Man, as well as many personal demons, most notably his addiction to alcohol.[57] For many years, Tony covered for his alter-ego by claiming that Iron Man was his anonymous bodyguard, but Tony eventually brought his dual identity to the public light.[58] Recently, Iron Man was cornered by the anti-mutant industrialist Feilong, who seized control of Stark Unlimited and repurposed its technology into mutant-hunting Stark Sentinels, servicing the pro-human think tank Orchis in their campaign of oppression. Teaming up with a mutant counter-offensive, Tony played a key role in bringing Orchis' ultimate defeat.[59] As he reclaimed control of his company, Tony's grasp was quickly challenged by an alliance between the terrorist organization A.I.M. and the unscrupulous oil giant Roxxon.[60] Although Tony managed to fend off his company from a hostile acquisition,[61] he was left locked out of his armory by a magical virus, which forced him to jerry-rig an Improvised Armor to remain in fighting form.[62]
After preventing an international nuclear disaster caused by Radioactive Man—who manages to escape—the Avengers face criticism regarding the limits of their actions and their lack of responsibility given the power they possess. Amidst this climate of instability, the mysterious European aristocrat Baron Helmut Zemo emerges from the shadows, determined to prove that the Avengers can be defeated. Secretly, Zemo assembles a group of superpowered criminals: Enchantress, Skurge, Abomination, Crimson Dynamo, Radioactive Man, and Wonder Man, forming the Masters of Evil. More than winning a battle, Zemo wants to destroy the Avengers' symbol, especially Captain America, because of an old connection to Steve Rogers' past. While Enchantress emotionally manipulates Hulk, transforming him into a threat, Radioactive Man and Absorbing Man expose the destructive potential of Thor's powers. The pressure begins to divide the team: Hank Pym fears that the Avengers are causing more chaos than solutions, leading to conflict with Janet. Meanwhile, Tony Stark and Steve Rogers disagree about leadership and responsibility. Steve confronts ghosts from the past linked to Zemo, while Tony questions whether Iron Man has done more harm than good to the world. When the Masters of Evil launch coordinated attacks around the globe, the Avengers realize too late that it was all part of a larger plan: to isolate each hero before the final blow. The confrontation culminates in a massive siege in Washington, where Zemo reveals he has studied each member of the team. For the first time, the Avengers face an enemy that relies not only on strength, but on strategy.
