The Symbolism Of Tony Stark In Technology— “Iron Man”
The MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) is opening a new chapter and closing an old one. This also marks the end of Tony Stark’s character “Iron Man”. One of the most beloved superheroes in the MCU and comic books, Iron Man was the industrialist inventor billionaire turned Avenger.
In Avengers Endgame, he meets his destiny as the hero against the forces of Thanos. The once described arrogant and selfish Tony Stark gives his life for saving the rest of humanity in an epic movie ending. This was the Russo brothers vision, not exactly the ending fans wished for.
Tony Stark The Inventor Genius
There is symbolism in Tony Stark not just among comic book and superhero fans. The character also has a following among techies — IT professionals and engineers — who revere Iron Man. In order to understand why, let’s take a look at who Tony Stark was. Stan Lee wanted to base the character on Howard Hughes, a wealthy inventor and notorious playboy.
He was the son of an industrialist who founded Stark Industries, so he was inspired by technology at a young age. He was a child prodigy, graduating from MIT with a degree in physics and engineering. Many assume he must have taken a physics minor with a major in electrical engineering and computer science. Many techies can identify with his background because of this.
Tony Stark however has been portrayed as heartless and arrogant. These are some traits of your typical techies, especially those who work in corporate settings. They don’t necessarily have good people skills, but excel in science and complicated problem solving. This was what Tony Stark did best, but it sends the wrong signals to fellow Avengers like Captain America.
In contrast, Captain America has a more social justice character that was about helping the community and defending the weak. The character of Iron Man seems to be misunderstood because eventually he does things for the greater good, including the ultimate sacrifice in Avengers Endgame. That is the same with techies who fix problems in the office everyday. They come up as strong and arrogant at times, but who else is going to fix computer problems but the tech guys.
Stark Industries has been credited for its inventions and patents in the MCU. They also partner with agencies like SHIELD in research and development. Tony Stark was quite ambitious too in his quest for developing the Iron Man suit and all the technology behind it.
His workaholic attitude also affected his relationships, including that with Pepper Potts, his wife. Although he may seem like a heartless person, he was actually very generous and helpful. The irony about a heartless Tony Stark seems to fit the narrative because the character actually had an artificial heart.
The Iron Man of the MCU has been updated to more recent times. You have a Tony Stark who uses nano-technology, AI, robotics and an exoskeleton armor suit. Iron Man also has a state of the art laboratory that makes use of voice command interfaces e.g. JARVIS (Just A Rather Very Intelligent System). JARVIS shows a fine example of an applied natural language processing interface. The operating system Tony Stark interacts with appears to be a custom Unix-like OS which he probably compiled himself.
Parallels With Batman
I also cannot help but parallel Iron Man with Batman. Maybe Stan Lee was also inspired by DC Comic’s Batman when Iron Man was created. Growing up, Batman was my favorite superhero. There was a mystery behind Batman that adds to the fascination with the caped crusader. Both Iron Man and Batman seem to have a similar life, like they were in a parallel universe. Let me share my thoughts on this.
Like Batman, Iron Man was from a wealthy family. They both lost their parents and inherited a fortune. Bruce Wayne as Batman had Wayne Enterprises and Tony Stark has Stark Industries. They were both highly technical and genius inventors. Bruce Wayne had an Alfred, while Iron man had a Jarvis. Batman has his bat-mobile and suit with various weapons.
Iron Man was all about the armor suit and gadgetry. They both used science and technology in crime fighting since neither of them had any inherent superpower. They relied on their ingenuity and innovation to create weapons to enhance their prowess as crime fighters.
Despite these similarities, Bruce Wayne and Tony Stark had different personalities. Batman was more like Captain America, a superhero of the people while Iron Man seems to fight for his own agendas. Eventually Iron Man would always choose the greater good, to stop evil in its tracks from harming the rest of humanity.
While Tony Stark’s identity is known to the public, Bruce Wayne remains anonymous in the shadows. If the MCU and DCEU ever had a duel, they should consider a Batman vs. Iron Man fight because it seems like a great match. Neither have innate superpowers but rely on their technological prowess as their main weapon.
Iron Man In Reality
It would be great if we had Iron Man, but that is just not how things are in real life. However, there are some people in reality who are like Tony Stark. The name that pops in my head when I think of Iron Man is none other than Elon Musk.
The man behind Tesla and SpaceX and co-founder of PayPal, the similarities with Tony Stark are all there. He is a wealthy inventor and genius as well who works to solve problems. Perhaps Elon Musk has agendas like Tony Stark, but its all business. They both own their own company and it is in their best interest to put business first, unlike the superhero ideal of putting the people first.
Like your typical techie, they can be stubborn and arrogant. They are geniuses that know more than the average person. What goes on in their minds is beyond what common people can comprehend. Thus they can come off as being arrogant pricks since the common person won’t understand them. Yet, they are willing to share their ideas to innovate and create. That is what I liked about Tony Stark when he explains his theories and ideas to fellow Avengers. Likewise, Elon Musk does this in his keynote speeches.
I am sure there are other people who fit the real life Tony Stark character. It just seems Elon Musk is like the real life Tony Stark, if Stan Lee were to create the character in the present. All superheroes have their strengths and weaknesses just like real people. Even Elon Musk has his fair share of critics like Tony Stark. At one point in time, Tony Stark was even like the villain in the MCU during Captain America Civil War. It seems many expect them to fail when all they want to do is succeed.
The Legacy
In terms of what Tony Stark has done for the MCU, he’s planted the seeds for a brighter future. Not only did he defeat Thanos, but what he’s accomplished is huge in setting the next generation of the MCU. His guidance of Peter Parker, the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, is going to be an inspiration. We also would not have War Machine if it were not for Tony Stark’s willingness to share his technology with the government. We have to thank Stark Industries for Captain America’s shield. The Avengers resources were also in good hands thanks to Tony Stark and Nick Fury.
All was not perfect of course. Ultron was probably Tony Stark’s biggest mistake. Instead of helping humanity, it tried to destroy it. This is something techies can also identify with. A software engineer who writes an automation program to help people but instead leads to replacing people’s jobs shows the dilemma. That is perhaps one of the biggest lessons we can learn in technology. Sometimes what we think will minimize problems actually create new ones.
“Part of the journey is the end.”
- Tony Stark in Avengers Endgame
Robert Downey Jr. played Tony Stark really well. Kudos to him and his portrayal. Perhaps the MCU would have to part ways at some point. The end of Iron Man was not exactly how all fans would have hoped for. It could have been different, like how Captain America aged after traveling back from the past.
For the generation of Marvel fans who admired Iron Man it is bittersweet. It was inevitable since you cannot have Robert Downey, Jr. play Iron Man forever. Who knows, maybe Tony Stark found a way to transfer his consciousness to a machine which activates upon his death. Even Elon Musk believes that things like this are possible. Perhaps we will see Tony Stark’s legacy live on in his daughter or maybe even from the little boy in Iron Man 3, Harry Keener. Iron Man maybe dead, but long live Iron Man in our memories.
