Just ten short years ago, if you told a comic book fan that Iron Man would one day be Marvel's most popular and lucrative creation, they would have laughed in your face and called you a rude word. Then again, if you told a comic book fan that Guardians of the Galaxy would be made into a film one day, they'd probably respond with "who the hell are Guardians of the Galaxy?", so maybe us comic book fans aren't as smart as we like to pretend we are. Getting back on track, the meteoric rise of Tony Stark to the very tip-top of the Marvel Universe has been a surprising but welcome one. Once a decidedly B-list character, Iron Man can now be seen in video games, on film, on TV, and on lunchboxes officially licensed and otherwise. Tony Stark has become a global phenomenon, and his standing in comic books has improved too, including a recent storyline which revealed his hitherto untold true parentage. We could even see similar revelations for Robert Downey Jr's Cinematic Universe rendition of the character, as Howard Stark is due to crop up in the mooted Agent Carter TV show. Those are the secret origins Marvel want us to know, but Iron Man has plenty more forgotten episodes in his past where those came from. There are dozens of instances of lapses in Tony Stark's - and the creative team behind him's - judgement that could hurt a character who has become a guaranteed money spinner. Here are the skeletons in Iron Man's closet (probably some sort of high-tech super closet that chooses outfits for you and automatically dispenses moth balls) Marvel would rather you not uncover.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
