Over a year ago, I published the article titled The Avengers 2: 5 Qualities We Need To See From Captain America. It was my first foray into WhatCulture and after much pondering, I have decided to create a series about each Avenger leading up to the release of The Avengers: Age of Ultron. The next entry in the series deals with Tony Stark himself. Its painstakingly obvious the success of the Avengers and the Marvel Cinematic Universe rested on the shoulders of Robert Downey Jr. At the time, casting a former drug addict as an unknown superhero was as ridiculous as casting Heath Ledger as The Joker. We all know how both turned out. Without Iron Mans box office success, the future of Marvel and the Avenger may have resembled a black hole. Now a global phenomenon, Marvel continues to rake in billions, adapt unknown heroes, take huge risks, and shape the future of cinema. Not bad for an obscure B-list comic-book superhero. One of the biggest questions concerning Age of Ultron is What Will Tony Stark Do? After the events of Iron Man 3, Tony is once again a changed man. He has destroyed his Iron Man suits, left heroism, is committed to Pepper, and most importantly, removed his arc reactor. The shrapnel and arc reactor were what defined him. They served as a reminder of Yensen and the new man he became. Tony has entered a new chapter in his life. Iron Man 3 served to show that Stark does not need the suit. Tony Stark is the weapon. And as he says, I Still Am Iron Man. But where does life take him now?
