User:Fandraltastic/Tony Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

Tony Stark (Iron Man) is a fictional character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. First appearing in the film Iron Man, the character appears as the central protagonist in that film and its sequels, Iron Man 2 and Iron Man 3. He is also featured as a member of the titular team in the crossover film The Avengers. He is portrayed by actor Robert Downey, Jr., who also made an uncredited cameo appearance as the character in the film The Incredible Hulk.

Within the context of the films, Stark is a genius industrialist who escapes captivity by creating a suit of armor. Dubbed Iron Man, Stark struggles to balance his new duties as a superhero, the day-to-day operations of Stark Industries, the watchful influence of the mysterious organization S.H.I.E.L.D., and his personal relationships with Pepper Potts and James Rhodes.

Characterization
Producer Kevin Feige said that one of the early concerns going into the first Iron Man was that people initially thought the character was a robot. "People just think he’s a robot. How do you counteract that?... I sat in a meeting with Paramount execs two years before the movie came out and said, 'I want Tony Stark... the name Tony Stark to be as recognizable as James Bond. Even more so than Peter Parker, even more so than Bruce Wayne, because it doesn’t just stand for the secret identity of the other, he’s the hero. It’s one and the same.'" Jon Favreau, the director of Iron Man and Iron Man 2, stated that he didn't intend to cast a big name actor in the role. He explained that "What's nice is that [superhero movies] don't require an expensive star; Iron Man's the star, the superhero is the star."

Marvel Studios announced that Downey had landed the part on September 29, 2006. On what Downey brought to the role, Favreau said "We didn't want to just go with a safe choice. The best and worst moments of Robert's life have been in the public eye. He had to find an inner balance to overcome obstacles that went far beyond his career. That's Tony Stark. Robert brings a depth that goes beyond a comic-book character who is having trouble in high school, or can't get the girl." Downey said that he used the comics as a point of reference for his performance, but also had to bring his own take on the character, stating "It's funny to me, because I have all this reference material and people will go, 'Oh, we don't need that.' I'm like, 'Wait a minute. People have been tweaking this character for forty-five years. I think everything of value is probably right in there.' But I wasn't entirely correct because we had to bring ourselves to bear... Jon and I really created this third thing, which was Tony Stark. We really talked about it and really treated it like it was wildly important. It was and it is." Producer Jeremy Latcham said that the film's script was not originally funny, and that the crew only realized how funny the movie could be once they had cast Downey.

The character's original origin from the comic books was adapted for Iron Man, with the setting updated from Vietnam to Afghanistan. Mark Fergus, one of the screenwriters on the film, explained that the origin was still relevant to modern audiences, saying "From the original comic, you have this kind of idea that America with strength and good intentions goes out and gets itself into a very cyclical thing, and I think that's about as much as [Iron Man co-creator] Stan Lee was trying to make in the [comic books]. So we just kind of feel like it's a different day and it's a different arena but it's still the kind of flaw that got us here and it's the same flaw that this character has. Tony's the guy with the blinders on, that has no real idea that he's one of the bad guys. He thinks he's promoting peace and freedom and strength, and he has no idea, or doesn't want to have an idea, that what he sells is destroying the world." Matt Holloway, another writer on the film, said that Stark's relationship with Yinsen was one of the keys to the film working. "Here is somebody that by all rights should hate his guts, because it’s Stark technology that has destroyed his village and has fallen into the hands of the people who have made Yinsen’s life a living hell. And we had to really sell that relationship, because this is the birth of the hero."

Video games

 * Downey voices Tony Stark in the movie tie-in video game Iron Man, while Stephen Stanton voices Iron Man.
 * Stanton again voices Iron Man in the video game The Incredible Hulk, in which he appears as a boss.
 * Eric Loomis voices the character in the sequel's tie-in game, Iron Man 2.