For eld in mainstream pop culture , no one really thought much aboutIron Manbesides a few die - hard comic fans .   However , even inside the Marvel comical book universe , Iron Man was n’t really much of an A - list superhero .

WhenIron Manhit theatres in 2008 ,   though , everything changed .

It was both Robert Downey Jr. ’s comeback function , and the one he seemed destine to dally . Much as Christopher Reeve   was inseparable from the role of Superman , Robert Downey Jr. will for   most fans always be synonymous with Tony Stark .

Ben Affleck as Christian drumming his hand on the table while talking to Cynthia Addai-Robinson’s Marybeth in The Accountant 2

Iron Manwas an unexpected monster smasher , grossing over $ 585 million worldwide , which was enough money to kick off a whole Marvel Cinematic Universe — 19   movies and count .

With the totally out - of - left - field achiever of theIron Manmovie , interest in the comic Quran eccentric surged .

He ’s not your typical Marvel hero . Instead   of the down - on - their - luck relatable characters that   helped divide Marvel from DC back in the 1960s , Tony Stark was a " adept , billionaire , playboy , altruist . "

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He was also an arm dealer to the boot , something that went against the grain from a fanbase that was mostly against the Vietnam warfare .

However ,   this did n’t seem to matter . Fans loved him anyway , and as always , Marvel ground direction to give him flaws and make him appealing at the same prison term , which is partially why Robert Downey Jr. is an inspire choice to play him .

How much do fans really cognize about Tony Stark and his soundbox , though ? The comics have a rich chronicle , and chances are there some surprises there that even hard-core fans might not be cognisant of .

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Here are the20 unknown Things About Iron Man ’s soundbox .

He Was Modeled On Howard Hughes

Like all great comic - book graphic symbol creators , Stan Lee took stirring for many of his superheroes from literal - sprightliness figures in story .

The larger - than - life Tony Stark , who seemed to live a charmed existence , was directly inspired by famous aviator , billionaire , and inventor Howard Hughes .

Stan Lee tell , " Howard Hughes was one of the most coloured men of our time . He was an artificer , an adventurer , a multi - billionaire , a ladies ' man and ultimately a nutcase … without being softheaded , he [ Tony Stark ] was Howard Hughes . "

Tony Stark and Iron Man suits

Another modern soma rooter have compared Stark to include Elon Musk , the entrepreneur and thought drawing card behind PayPal , SpaceX , and Tesla Motors .

The only   major difference is that neither Howard Hughes nor Elon Musk moonlight as a superhero … that we know of .

His Original Injury Has Healed, But He’s Sustained Repeated Injuries That Require The Arc Reactor

Tony Stark ’s arc reactor is built-in to his origin . After being injured in a   enemy   attack , he needs an electromagnet in his pectus to prevent shrapnel from entering his nerve .

The arc nuclear reactor powers the electromagnet , but has enough surplus energy to power the Iron Man suit , a boisterous version of which he make to escape   enslavement .

In the mirthful book version of the fibre ,   after a while , he no longer needs the spark nuclear reactor or electromagnet to keep the shrapnel out of his vital reed organ .   This is also reflected in the plot ofIron Man 3 .

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However , because of his active superhero life history , he sustained many injuries both   interchangeable   and also more serious than the I from the original   foeman approach .

This impel Stark to " hack " his organic structure using the nuclear reactor to keep many of his vital functions going .

He Had A Sentient Brain Tumor

Just like DC Comics , Marvel comics have storylines that bechance on alternate world or alternating timelines .

In one such timeline , Tony Stark developed a brain tumor .   However , it was n’t just any run - of - the - mill brain neoplasm - this one really developed consciousness and became sentient .

The tumour communicated with Stark as the hallucination of a untried boy distinguish Anthony .

Arc reactor

In technical terms ,   Anthony act as a parallel processor to Stark ’s brain , append to his brain , but it was also adequate to of acting and thinking severally of him .

However , when Reed Richards discovered one of the Infinity Stones was obliterate in Tony Stark ’s brain ( yeah that ’s weird ) , he sent Quicksilver to recall it ,   destroying the tumor " Anthony " in the mental process .

Captain America Trained Him

Stark was smart enough to know that he would n’t always have his armour to bank on , so he had to have a programme B in case he needed to defend his way out of a jam . Captain America became his   strong-arm flight simulator and sparring partner .

Well , he did n’t actually think that far beforehand — it was more a topic of necessity .

There was a flow of clip where Stark was unable to habituate his armour , so he needed a way to defend himself if thing went sideways .

Iron man brain tumor

Though Steve Rogers and Tony Stark do n’t always get along , Rogers helped develop Stark so he could be more ego - reliant   and handle himself without the technical assistance .

When he lastly got the power to use his Iron Man suits again , those new fighting moves would still come in handy .

He Has Never Conquered His Alcoholism

battle with addiction are vivid , and most boozer know it ’s a womb-to-tomb battle to keep forged habits at bay .

Though hinted at in theIron Manmovies , producers sought largely to downplay Stark ’s alcoholism because they thought it was too dark .

However , you may see not - so - pernicious contact here and there , include the bender inIron gentleman 2where he almost ruin his own house in a drunken brawl with his buddy Rhodey .

Captain America and Tony Stark

Iron Man was one of the first superheroes in cartoon strip to have an inebriant problem , as described in the " Demon in a Bottle " storyline in the recent 1970s .

As various writers take turns with the character , Stark lapses in an out with his habituation , sometimes to calamitous results .

He Has A Rebooted Brain

In the backwash of the events ofCivil Warin the comics , Tony Stark is on the rill from Norman Oswald , who lie with that Stark has the only remaining transcript of the registration act phonograph recording of superheroes in his brain .

If Oswald receive that information , he ’ll have all the hoagie ' secrets , so Stark desperately looks for a way to delete the records without destroying his own thinker .

He tries one effort , but it leaves him in a coma . Luckily , he leave operating instructions for Pepper Potts in the form of a holograph .

Tony Stark alcohol

It ’s a complicated plan that ask many players , including Thor for his thunder and Dr. Strange to help usher Tony ’s awareness   from a trapped state inside his own mind .

as luck would have it the attempt succeeds , but Tony ’s remembering is recuperate only until the events before   the Civil War .

He Was Once A Green Lantern (Sort Of)

Though DC and Marvel are competitor , they have establish a few joint projects together , one of them being the ambitious Amalgam line of comics , which sport meld edition of Marvel and DC heroes .

Such combination included Batman mix with Wolverine ( Dark Claw ) , Superman fused with Captain America ( Super Soldier ) , and Iron Man fused with Green Lantern ( Iron Lantern ) .

In the Iron Lantern origin , Hal Stark owns Stark Aircraft . When a simulator that he ’s working in takes off and flies to another major planet ,   he   crash lands near an injure unknown ’s starship . The foreign perishes while trying to communicate .

Tony Stark rebooted brain

Hal uses the wreckage of the alien ship and   a mystic power author to build his " Iron Lantern " suit to keep himself alert and return to Earth .

His office are a mixed bag of Green Lantern ’s energy constructs and Iron Man ’s technology .

Robert Downey Jr. Spent Five Days A Week Weight Training For The Role

Robert Downey Jr. adopteda punishing exercise regimen ,   groom five Clarence Shepard Day Jr. a hebdomad and taking martial arts training .

In addition to this , he never gave up his yoga practice session , which help stick out all other orbit of his fitness . Consuming approximately 5,000 calories a solar day in combination with his training , Robert Downey Jr. put on an astounding 25 lbs of muscle , effectively transforming himself to play the part .

Unlike other superhero characters like Wolverine or Superman , most of the natural process takes place while Tony Stark is wearing the Iron Man suit that conceals his eubstance , so you ca n’t even see him deform .

Iron Lantern

However , that ’s not the level — the character is the man , not the suit , and audience emphatically prefer someone they see as physically " suitable " enough to hold out it and believably combat restrain threats .

Robert Downey Jr. Had To Wear A Prosthetic Chest

There ’s that great scene inIron Manwhere Pepper Potts is cajoled by Stark to serve him with something in his laboratory .

Before she recognize it , she ’s an unwilling participant in something similar to open heart surgery , with Tony ’s endurance at endangerment while she substitute the electric discharge nuclear reactor in his chest .

Angry that he so nonchalantly talked her into something so life-threatening , she ’s also relieved that he ’s alive . It ’s really a sexual love aspect .

Robert Downey Jr working out

Though many thought that this was just clever CGI , the peculiar outcome technician start old school and used a prosthetic chest .

Special effects thaumaturge used exchangeable pragmatic effect engineering in Star Trek : First Contact .

It work convincingly well , with the extra " ick " gene of watch someone fumble around with gooey insides .

Iron Man prosthetic chest

The Nano-tech Suit Is Controlled Completely By His Mind

A far yell from the stark mechanical Iron Man suit that Tony Stark first fashioned while in captivity in Afghanistan , his unexampled nano - tech suit of clothes as seen inAvengers : Infinity Waris a futurist technological wonder that borders on deception .

Using a housing in his chest that used to be exclusively for the arc nuclear reactor and an electromagnet , it now houses an electric discharge nuclear reactor and billions of nanites — lilliputian nano - tech particles that respond to Tony Stark ’s mind and his A.I. to form whatever mechanical construct he need . tetraiodothyronine

he suit itself can materialize and dematerialize at will .

Iron man cool nano-tech suit

As check in the movie , this means that he can create improvised weapons and tools and boost his capability as far as his imaging will take him , whether that means extra engine powerfulness , a manus - maw , or a transonic blaster .

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Iron Man