Iron Monger: Comic Book Origins
iron monger, iron man, origins, comic books, comics, obadiah stane, Ezekiel, tony stark, marvel, superhero, super hero, avengers, shellhead, stark industries, Jeff Bridges, robery downey jr, howard, order, watchmojo,
Written by Craig Butler
He's a sinister reflection of Ol' Shellhead's metallic might, and a dark reminder of the dangers of power in the wrong hands. Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we will be exploring the comic book origins of The Iron Monger.
As with most comic book characters, there are often re-imaginings and different versions of a character's past. We've chosen to follow the storylines which unfolded in 1982's "Iron Man" Vol.1 #163 and 1985's "Iron Man" Vol1. numbers 198 and 200, which were later expanded upon in 2008's "The Order" Vol1 #8, and 2008’s "Invincible Iron Man" Vol.1 #1.
Obadiah Stane suffered greatly during his formative years as a child, losing his mother when he was very young, and living with a drunken, gambling addicted father on a losing streak. One day, Stane's father Zebediah felt he was on a roll after a small string of gambling successes, and decided to take the ultimate risk with a game of Russian Roulette. He lost, and the young Obadiah was forced to witness his father's death by gunshot first hand, leading not only to the loss of his hair, but a gained sense of determination, at any cost, for power over those he saw as beneath him.
This determination eventually lead to financial success as the adult Obadiah founded his own company, Stane International, selling international arms while simultaneously working together with Howard Stark, father of Tony Stark, otherwise known as Iron Man. Stane would eventually set his sights on acquiring the younger Stark's stake in his father's business, however, utilizing everything at his disposal in order to attack Iron Man where it hurts: with his family and friends.
Not only does Stane send his associates the Chessmen to attack Stark's friend James Rhodes, a.k.a. War Machine, but the devious businessman also sends the Chessmen's Queen Indries Moomji as a spy, infiltrating Stark's life by becoming his lover while returning information back to Stane. One particularly important piece of information that comes Stane’s way is access to the original Iron Man armor schematics, which Stane's scientists use to develop a rival suit of their own, dubbed the Iron Monger armor.
Stane and Stark's battles eventually come to a head when Stane himself takes on the Iron Monger armor, going head to head against Stark in his newly completed Silver Centurion Iron Man suit. Although Stane proved to be a formidable threat, the Iron Monger suit was outmatched by Stark’s powerful new Centurion armor. Iron Man emerged victorious after destroying Stane's access to the Iron Monger's external computer system. Stane, humiliated at his defeat, decides to commit suicide by blasting himself with the Iron Monger's repulsor beam, rather than being arrested and exposed.
The legacy of Obadiah Stane would live on in the work of his son Ezekiel, who was introduced in yet another incarnation of the Iron Monger in the eighth issue of "The Order" in 2008. The younger Stane followed in his father's footsteps as an arms dealer, manufacturing biomechanical weaponry for terrorists and supervillains. He also inherited his father’s hatred for Iron Man, whome he blames for his father’s death.
Contrary to the original Iron Monger's bulky, large-scale armor, Ezekiel Stane's impressive arsenal derives from his genius level intellect and biological knowhow. His newer technology allows Stane to decrease the caloric consumption in his body, enabling the emission of this excess energy via repulsor bolts from his fingers, similar to the repulsor bolts from his father's original Iron Monger armor. This essentially gives the younger Stane a physical makeup similar to a cyborg, allowing all the freedom of human mobility alongside some very dangerous abilities.
Indeed, "dangerous" is a good word to describe the Stane Family, the Iron Monger and their relationship with the Starks, as these devious geniuses have used nearly everything in their power to attack Tony Stark and those closest to him with a savage and relentless determination.
Are you a fan of the Iron Monger and the Stane Family legacy? For more deadly top tens and bioengineered comic book origins, please subscribe to WatchMojo.com!
Comic Book Origins: The Iron Monger
He's a sinister reflection of Ol' Shellhead's metallic might, and a dark reminder of the dangers of power in the wrong hands. Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we will be exploring the comic book origins of The Iron Monger.
As with most comic book characters, there are often re-imaginings and different versions of a character's past. We've chosen to follow the storylines which unfolded in 1982's "Iron Man" Vol.1 #163 and 1985's "Iron Man" Vol1. numbers 198 and 200, which were later expanded upon in 2008's "The Order" Vol1 #8, and 2008’s "Invincible Iron Man" Vol.1 #1.
Obadiah Stane suffered greatly during his formative years as a child, losing his mother when he was very young, and living with a drunken, gambling addicted father on a losing streak. One day, Stane's father Zebediah felt he was on a roll after a small string of gambling successes, and decided to take the ultimate risk with a game of Russian Roulette. He lost, and the young Obadiah was forced to witness his father's death by gunshot first hand, leading not only to the loss of his hair, but a gained sense of determination, at any cost, for power over those he saw as beneath him.
This determination eventually lead to financial success as the adult Obadiah founded his own company, Stane International, selling international arms while simultaneously working together with Howard Stark, father of Tony Stark, otherwise known as Iron Man. Stane would eventually set his sights on acquiring the younger Stark's stake in his father's business, however, utilizing everything at his disposal in order to attack Iron Man where it hurts: with his family and friends.
Not only does Stane send his associates the Chessmen to attack Stark's friend James Rhodes, a.k.a. War Machine, but the devious businessman also sends the Chessmen's Queen Indries Moomji as a spy, infiltrating Stark's life by becoming his lover while returning information back to Stane. One particularly important piece of information that comes Stane’s way is access to the original Iron Man armor schematics, which Stane's scientists use to develop a rival suit of their own, dubbed the Iron Monger armor.
Stane and Stark's battles eventually come to a head when Stane himself takes on the Iron Monger armor, going head to head against Stark in his newly completed Silver Centurion Iron Man suit. Although Stane proved to be a formidable threat, the Iron Monger suit was outmatched by Stark’s powerful new Centurion armor. Iron Man emerged victorious after destroying Stane's access to the Iron Monger's external computer system. Stane, humiliated at his defeat, decides to commit suicide by blasting himself with the Iron Monger's repulsor beam, rather than being arrested and exposed.
The legacy of Obadiah Stane would live on in the work of his son Ezekiel, who was introduced in yet another incarnation of the Iron Monger in the eighth issue of "The Order" in 2008. The younger Stane followed in his father's footsteps as an arms dealer, manufacturing biomechanical weaponry for terrorists and supervillains. He also inherited his father’s hatred for Iron Man, whome he blames for his father’s death.
Contrary to the original Iron Monger's bulky, large-scale armor, Ezekiel Stane's impressive arsenal derives from his genius level intellect and biological knowhow. His newer technology allows Stane to decrease the caloric consumption in his body, enabling the emission of this excess energy via repulsor bolts from his fingers, similar to the repulsor bolts from his father's original Iron Monger armor. This essentially gives the younger Stane a physical makeup similar to a cyborg, allowing all the freedom of human mobility alongside some very dangerous abilities.
Indeed, "dangerous" is a good word to describe the Stane Family, the Iron Monger and their relationship with the Starks, as these devious geniuses have used nearly everything in their power to attack Tony Stark and those closest to him with a savage and relentless determination.
Are you a fan of the Iron Monger and the Stane Family legacy? For more deadly top tens and bioengineered comic book origins, please subscribe to WatchMojo.com!
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