10 Things Everyone Always Gets Wrong About Iron Man

No, he's NOT just another Batman.

By Ewan Paterson /

Marvel Comics/Adi Granov

Apart from Harley Quinn, and maybe even Spider-Gwen, no other comic book character has experienced as meteoric a rise as Tony Stark.

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Considered an integral part of the Marvel Universe but never as popular as its biggest characters, Stark only really emerged into the public spotlight with the release of 2008's Iron Man, a film now considered to be a watershed moment in the superhero genre, having kickstarted the monolithic Marvel Cinematic Universe with Robert Downey Jr. in the driving seat.

11 years, and over $11 billion later, and Downey Jr. is finally set to depart the role that galvanised his career with Avengers: Endgame. It's going to be pretty emotional, but it also presents the perfect opportunity to reflect on the character of Iron Man, how Downey managed to redefine him, and how the character's resurgent popularity has given rise to a whole host of misconceptions in the process.

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Since 1963, Iron Man has been a constant feature of the Marvel Universe, but the Cold War didn't last forever, and with a changing of the zeitgeist has also come a changing of the character himself. As a result, you'd struggle to find a superhero as misunderstood as Stark, and with his notoriety at an all-time high, there's no better time to delve into the character, and see what everyone always gets wrong about him.