10 Comics That Broke All The Rules
8. Demon In A Bottle (1979)
When it became clear to Stan Lee and others that there were some rules the publisher could break concerning drug addiction, the focus shifted to a more widespread problem: alcoholism. Tony Stark was featured in a multi-issue story arc called "Demon in a Bottle," which focused on his alcoholism.
This story is one of the most groundbreaking of all — even more so than "Green Goblin Reborn." In that comic, a non-superhero character dealt with his demons, but in "Demon in a Bottle," one of the most powerful and influential superheroes showed that he was just as human as the rest of us.
He had to resign as Iron Man because of his drinking, and the story explored how alcoholism tore apart every aspect of his life, leading him to hit rock bottom. The books featured the CCA seal, but they definitely broke the rule regarding alcohol abuse.
Still, Marvel got away with it again, and it has a lot to do with how well the story was written. Alcohol was truly shown to be the "demon" in Tony's bottle, and while he was already a hero before his drinking problem, he proved how much of a hero he truly was by overcoming it.