Tony Stark likely needs no introduction. Robert Downey Jrs brilliant portrayal of the character has served as the bedrock for the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe. Which is perhaps as it should be, given that Iron Man was one of the founding Avengers, with 513 appearances to date. Iron Man has been a consistent member of the team, as well as a consistent leader. He is one of the few to have served on both the core team and the West Coast Avengers, and after the dissolution of the latter, he funded a new team made up of former West Coasters called Force Works. After the Avengers were shaken up following Disassembled and given an entirely new roster with the New Avengers title, it was Iron Man who was one of the veterans to return. Hes remained a pivotal character in virtually every Avengers-focused event, from Civil War on. Iron Man has been a member of the core Avengers book since Marvel Now, while also working behind the scenes in a questionable manner in the pages of New Avengers, with his Illuminati team. There looks to be some shake-ups with that, as Captain America has recently discovered what Iron Mans been up to, and does not approve. Downey will return for Age of Ultron as well as the as-yet-untitled Avengers 3, and hes also hinted at the possibility of doing a fourth Iron Man movie. But the characters future beyond that still remains to be decided.
Percival Constantine is the author of several novels and short stories, including the Vanguard superhero series, and regularly writes and comments on movies, comics, and other pop culture. More information can be found at his website, PercivalConstantine.com
