History This is an abridged version of Tony Stark's history. For a complete history see Tony Stark's Expanded History Birth and Adoption

Personality I can create a world without war. I can make a world without alcohol or drugs. Without hate or jealousy. But then it wouldn't be the world we live in. Nothing would be learned, nothing would be gained. We wouldn't advance as a species. —Iron Man[src] Tony Stark is, for the lack of a better word, complicated. During his early days of success, Stark was a man who only cared about fame and wealth. He had no sense of responsibility or humility, always rubbing his success in the faces of everyone he met.[277] This all changed when he was captured by terrorists. After building the first Iron Man armor and escaping captivity, Stark realized the kind of person he really was, and engaged in a life of heroism to atone for his past mistakes.[76] Plagued by many vices, Stark is prone to womanizing, pride, and, most of all, alcoholism. The latter was an addiction developed in big part due to Howard's abuse of Tony, who forced him to take his first sip when he was a child.[278][279] This lifetime of troubles has caused him to develop a cynical view of the world. Despite this, Stark is devoted to truly make the world a better place.[143] This desire has sometimes caused Stark to resort to morally questionable methods, as long as the end justifies them, including his crusade to safeguard his technology (leading him to confront heroes such as Stingray and the Captain), and the superhuman Civil War, during which Iron Man was hell bent on implementing the Superhuman Registration Act, because its failure would have led to a harsh response from the government.[280][281] However, Iron Man has shown to be ridden by guilt over this type of course of action, which has developed into self-hate.[22][207][282][283] Tony Stark has been described as "man enough to do what needs to be done, even knowing full well what it will cost him."[284] Stark's self-hating tendencies have also led to Stark being suicidal,[285][286] and undervaluing his own life, especially in favor of others'.[282][287][288] According to Reed Richards, Tony Stark is "a future man trapped in the now. A prisoner raging against the slow crawl of human evolution." Stark's relationships, morality and ethics are highly adaptable and malleable to what he would consider the greater good of mankind's necessary survival and progress.[214] Tony has also been described as "[A person who] really cares. He's been on the top and he's been on the bottom, and he's done all 12 steps and a few more. He knows what it's like to have a habit that eats you from the inside, like worms. And he knows there's no easy answer, but every solution to every problem has to start somewhere. He's just trying to help."[289] Tony has also been shown to loathe taking other people's lives and resorting to killing people only as an extreme measure,[132][290] and explicitly stating he doesn't kill,[291] and having claimed that's "not the way we work."[292] Iron Man is a hero that relies on his intellect and technological resources to defeat foes and achieve victory. Stark invariably prides himself on being one of the most intelligent people of the Marvel Universe.[293] Alcoholism