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A Fresh Start
In the 190s, Tony began to realize that the armor—wearing it—was partly responsible for his drinking. The armor shell, living behind the armor, yadda, yadda. He knew that the armor, that being Iron Man, was as addictive as any substance—plus, it came with all kinds of other problems. Tony didn’t want to be Iron Man or wear the armor any more. He let Rhodes be Iron Man, while he got on with his life and began building a future.
Although he reluctantly resumed being Iron Man to take revenge on Obidiah Stane, Tony would still struggle with being the armored hero. Afraid that his addiction to the armor was the root of all of his addictions, he worried that the thrill of being a hero was his truly destructive addiction. |
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"For better or worse, there will always be an Iron Man."
Iron Man #108 |
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Iron Man Once More
As his book ran into the two-hundreds, Tony Stark had made a fresh start in California with a new company. At the same time, he was taking on the world in a new armor. Good friends, fun times, and warm sunshine; life was good for the billionaire inventor. But subtle health problems were bothering him.
Something Was Wrong
Stark began to suffer bouts of nausea and bothersome muscle twitches—and the symptoms usually occurred after he’d been out being Iron Man. After a couple of weeks of this, Stark went in for a check-up. In issue #215, Dr. Corday diagnosed that Stark was suffering from a deteriorating nervous system. Tony realized that his revolutionary Silver Centurion Armor was the culprit, specifically the Chameleon Effect camouflaging unit. While he continued using the armor for a little while longer, he discontinued use of the more harmful devices. |
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They Stole His Technology
When Tony discovered that Force’s suit contained his technology in #225, he tore up his lab in a rage looking for a bug or some other eavesdropping tech. (Spymaster had stolen the info for Justin Hammer months before.) Finding none, he was beside himself. He blamed himself for all the pain and suffering caused by Force during his criminal career. As it became clear that other criminals were out there using his stolen technology, Tony really lost it. He had dedicated his life to making the world a better place, and now all that was being undone. He felt that the blood these villains had spilled was on his hands.
Tony couldn’t sleep. He was edgy, barking orders at friends and employees, even involving his friends in shady operations to uncover who was using his technology. When all his legal avenues were exhausted, he knew he would have to take the law into his own hands. And he would do whatever he had to to reclaim and destroy all illegal copies of his armor. Thus began the Armor Wars (issues 225-231).
Stark’s actions during this time took a big toll on his psyche. The overwhelming guilt that his armor designs were out there hurting people, caused Tony to act abruptly, wildly. While he thought he was ultimately doing the right thing, Tony was greatly troubled by his aggressive actions. He was totally stressed out.
His double-life became a kind of triple-life in #226, when he was forced to put distance between CEO Tony Stark and his Iron Man, publicly firing the super hero. (Although Tony secretly remained Iron Man, of course.)
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"Iron Man is no longer to be associated with Stark Enterprises in any way, form, or manner. . . . He’s fired!"
Iron Man #226
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Besides tarnishing IM’s shiny image, Tony’s actions also put a lot of strain on his personal relationships—isolating him. His brusk demeanor was turning his employees against him. He had a falling out with the Avengers (who kicked him off of the team he founded in #229). And, then, after trying to play his good friend Steve Rogers, he out-and-out betrayed him, turning on him and attacking him in #228. In the end, Rhodey was the only person left he could confide in.
Stark’s war also had physical consequences. Tony found it hard to live with his actions—but he continued down this path. The stress and emotional strain of his actions caused him a great deal of pain. Then, in #230, Firepower gave him a major pounding, leaving him with three cracked ribs, a sprained arm, a banged-up knee, and a face that looked like he went forty rounds with Ali in his prime. (Rhodes called it once of the worst beatings he ever saw.) |
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"Funny, no matter what happens, somehow, I always end up wearing armor."
Iron Man #205 |
Iron Man Is Dead
Ol’ Shellhead died at the end of the Armor Wars, and Tony wanted to let him stay dead. But a campaign of harassment by Edwin Cord and his boy Firepower caused him to go and create a new suit of armor. Tony defeated Firepower and the Armor War was truly over—and Tony got the first good night’s sleep he’d had in ages. |
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