10 Unusual Facts About Iron Man

Becca Marsh
6 Minutes Read
Updated:

Did you know that in the Marvel Universe, Iron Man owns Area 51?

    Iron Man is a wealthy businessman who invests time and money into creating his enhancing suits.

    His witty humor and confident personality have made fanatics crazy for him.

    Iron Man is different from most other superheroes, as he uses his scientific mastermind to create a suit that gives him enhanced skills and abilities.

    Here are ten unusual facts about Iron Man that you should.

    Iron Man first appeared in the Marvel Comic “Tales of Suspense” in 1963.

    Iron Man in the Tales of Suspense comic

    Iron Man’s first appearance in the Marvel Universe was issue #39 of “Tales of Suspense.”

    Iron Man was also a founding member of the Avengers.

    It wasn’t until 1968 that Iron Man debuted in his first standalone comic, which was a gamble for Marvel.

    Marvel was unsure about the popularity of a millionaire becoming a superhero, and Iron Man was a new breed of superhero.

    Iron Man used to use jet-propelled roller skates!

    Iron Man on skates!

    The first time Iron Man’s roller skates appeared in the comics was in Tales of Suspense #40, where he presented the concept to a US Army general. The skates enabled the wearer to travel at an impressive 60 miles (95 kilometers) per hour.

    He finally wears them in Tales of Suspense #45, where he seemingly has made some upgrades, boosting the speed of his skates to 200 miles (321 km) per hour!

    Iron Man regularly used the skates in the comics for some time afterward, but they were never featured in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

    Not all of Iron Man’s concepts made the cut, though. In 1974, a nose was drawn onto Iron Man’s mask following a conversation between the illustrator and Stan Lee.

    After looking at it for a while, it was decided that the nose didn’t look quite right on the mask, and since then, Iron Man’s mask has been noseless.

    Iron Man has created over 50 different versions of his armor.

    Iron Man's blue suit

    Stark created over 50 different suits, all in various colors, each with specific qualities to suit each situation.

    His first suit was gray and was built to help him escape his kidnapping.

    Upon his escape, Stark developed suits in more colors; silver and then blue with more features.

    Iron Man’s suits started with features that gave him the ability to lift up to 100 tons (90,718 kg) in weight!

    Stark created his black suits, which allowed him to enter stealth mode; however, his most famous is his red and gold suit.

    As well as this range, Stark experimented with suit model number 53 by designing it so it could turn into a flying car.

    He has also created space suits and aqua suits, allowing him to function in space and underwater.

    Iron Man owns area 51.

    A danger sign at area 51

    Area 51 in the US is known as a government-owned piece of property, and it is suspected to be the territory of extreme extra-terrestrial activity.

    But did you know that Iron Man actually owns Area 51 in the Marvel universe?

    Iron Man purchased Area 51 from the state and used it as a hiding place for the reality gem.

    There have been two female versions of Iron Man.

    Iron Woman

    The first female version of Iron Man appeared in an alternate universe known as Earth-3490 with the name Natasha Stark or Iron Woman.

    Much like Iron Man, Iron Woman relies on her suit for her superhero powers and, has a fiery relationship with Captain America.

    Their relationship became so heated that Iron Woman became romantically involved with Captain America.

    The second female Iron Man character was Ironheart, known as her alter ego Riri Williams, who made her first appearance in 2016.

    After being created by artist Mike Deodato and writer Brian Michael Bendis in 2015, Ironheart made a cameo appearance in May 2016 in Invincible Iron Man Vol. 2 #7.

    She made her first full appearance in Invincible Iron Man Vol. 2 #9, released in July 2016.

    Ironheart is a 15-year-old studying at MIT. She uses stolen materials from campus to re-create a suit similar to that of Iron Man.

    She embarks on a mission to stop a pair of criminals from escaping prison, and once Tony Stark hears of this, he endorses her as a superhero.

    Iron Man has four main enemies.

    Iron Man knocking someone out

    Iron Man has many enemies and has fought many villains; however, there are four who are his worst enemies.

    These are Mandarin, Crimson Dynamo, Iron Monger, and Justin Hammer.

    Iron Man’s archenemy is Mandarin, a powerful martial arts specialist with great superpowers.

    Crimson Dynamo is a duo of secret agents from Russia. Both Crimson Dynamo and Iron Monger use suits similar to, but not as good as Iron Man’s.

    Justin Hammer is a businessman who aims to destroy and take down Stark Industries. He uses henchmen against Iron Man.

    As well as these top four, Iron Man has other enemies such as Doctor Doom, Firepower, Whirlwind, and Titanium Man.

    In 2007 Iron Man became the director of SHIELD.

    Iron Man creating a shield with his fists

    As an outcome of the Civil War, Iron Man was named director of SHIELD. As a result, he became the seventh known executive director.

    Agent Maria Hill was the director at the time of the Civil War, but she appointed Stark to lead the team through the war.

    As a result, in 2007, Hill asked if Stark would become a director as she recognized Stark was more qualified than herself.

    Stark remained director of SHIELD until 2008, when Norman Osborn took over.

    Iron Man has a life-threatening condition.

    Iron Man's heart being tended to

    When Stark was kidnapped, he endured a life-threatening injury to his heart.

    A piece of shrapnel was lodged deep into his chest, just missing his heart.

    It was a near miss; however, he had to wear a magnetic chest plate to stop the piece of shrapnel from reaching his heart.

    This plate has to be charged every day; otherwise, Iron Man could die.

    Although he has an altered nervous system that enhances his ability to heal, it would kill him if the shrapnel moved.

    Iron Man is the fourth richest fictional character.

    Iron Man with loads of bundles of cash behind him

    Iron Man’s character was based on real-life millionaire Howard Hughes.

    This association allowed the team to form a true likeness in characteristics to a millionaire.

    In 2013 Forbes published their list of the world’s richest fictional characters.

    Iron Man, or in his human form Tony Stark of Stark Industries, came fourth on the list with an estimated worth of $12.4 billion.

    Number one on the list was Disney’s Scrooge Duck.

    There is a villainous version of Iron Man.

    Superior Iron Man sitting on a sofa

    Every superhero has its evil version, and for Iron Man, his villainous version is called Superior Iron Man.

    Although Superior Iron Man has the same suit, it is different in color; it’s white and blue.

    He is a pharmaceutical billionaire who gives away an enhancing drug called “Extremis.”

    But when he stops supplying it to the world for free and starts charging, he becomes wealthier than ever before.

    Sadly the people will do anything to get the money to buy it, hence creating a destructive society.

    The colder-colored suit and evil personality define this villainous version of Iron Man from the original that protects the world.

     

    Iron Man was inspired by a real-life millionaire and has stayed true to that persona throughout the Marvel Universe.

    He is a superhero with the ability to create technologically advanced armor that gives him power and strength to defeat his enemies.

    Iron Man was the first of his kind, a millionaire superhero, and people fell in love with the character, making him one of the most popular superheroes of the 21st Century.

Previous Article 15 Fun & Interesting Facts About Michigan Next Article What Is A Beaver Moon?