iron manThen again that's the hero gig - part of the journey is the end.
What am I even tripping for? Everything's gonna workout exactly the way it's supposed to.
Slightly taller than average, lean but solid. Short brown hair, brown eyes. Signature beard/mustache combo. These days, he sports the faintest of scars, a spiderweb of lines that run from his left hand all the way up his arm, shoulder and chest, and up his throat - difficult to see except in just the right light. The way he carries himself gives the impression of being bigger than he actually is, which is really only apparent when held up next to literal gods; he knows how to command a room and does it even without meaning to.⚙️ DEMEANORLeft to his own devices, Tony's happiest in jeans and tee-shirts: comfortable and casual (but expensive - he doesn't do cheap). When he has to, however, he'll wear a suit like it's made for him. Because it probably was.
⚙️ AURALTony gives the impression of being made of barely-restrained frenetic energy. When forced to sit still and pay attention, he's generally prone to fidgeting - drumming his fingers, tapping a foot, shifting in his chair, playing with his phone. Ironically, the more distracted he appears, the more dialed in on the conversation he actually is.
He speaks and behaves with the sort of authority that says he's used to people asking 'how high' when he says to jump, which often comes across as dismissive unless one has piqued his interest. He's also mastered the art of appearing engaged while being incredibly guarded - people see and know what he wants them to see, which is is the carefully-crafted public persona.
Though he's tried his best to shed it, the New York accent comes through loud and clear, pitched in that comfortable sweet spot. He speaks with the sort of confidence that says he's used to people shutting up and listening.⚙️ OLFACTORYHis tone often carries a certain amount of sarcasm and dry humor, and it is not uncommon for Tony to jump tracks from thought to thought, expecting people to keep up.
Clean teakwood soap, spiced vanilla, sea-salt, coffee, and an underlying hint of sharp metal. And (occasionally, in emergencies) Dark Temptation, by Axe.
Look, the whole 'superhero' thing is just worn out, okay? It's a lot of expectation and bullshit and - for what? It doesn't keep people safe. Superherodom was something Tony stumbled into, too drunk on his own ego to consider that it wasn't his job to protect the whole damn universe.
But if he wasn't going to, who would?
Tony Stark is not what comes to mind when you think of a good person. He's selfish and arrogant, can easily command a room, and doesn't bother to mince his words, which means people tend to either love or hate him. He's an impulsive type A personality, checks damn near every box for a textbook case of narcissism (at least, on the surface), and doesn't exactly hate the fact that he's extremely polarizing because that just means the ones who aren't worth a damn stay out of his way.
And all of that is pretty much shit.
Tony is a man who prides himself on his carefully crafted public persona. He loves the theatrics of it all, sure (a man doesn't make a suit of armor in those colors if he's not at least a little bit about the spectacle), but it would be nothing without Tony Stark - the eccentric genius who can't keep it in his pants, or Tony Stark - the man who can't take anything seriously, or Tony Stark - the man who doesn't give a shit about anyone but himself. That isn't to say that isn't true (though he's tempered some of his wilder ways as he's gotten older), but it's also not entirely accurate.
With Tony Stark, everything you see is a smoke-show amped to eleven and designed to catch you off-guard because distraction is always going to be the quickest and easiest way to get at a person's core motivations without them suspecting a thing: people who are too busy trying to figure you out let things slip - and Tony is excellent at making things slip. It tells him what he needs to know so that he can adjust accordingly.
He is someone driven by fear. Tony's genius means that he doesn't just look at the big picture, it means he also sees the multitude of ways things could go absolutely, horrifically wrong. It was one thing when you're talking arms dealers and human terrorists, things humans created and humans can defeat; the Battle of New York blew open the idea of just how massive and dangerous the universe is. He holds people at arm's length because to know them is to care about them, and to care is to see himself losing them, and that's something he just can't stomach. Ironically, that fear is also part of what makes him absolutely fearless in the face of danger, facing down the worst of the worst with humor and sarcasm in tact.
Cap once accused him of not being the guy to make the sacrifice play. It was meant to be a dig at his character, and it fits with his public persona, but it couldn't be further from the truth. There is one respect where Tony Stark is completely selfless, and that is where the greater good is concerned. He isn't one to hesitate to throw his life down when he needs to - because he's judged that not doing it risks greater catastrophe. It's the pragmatism of brilliance, but it comes from a place of genuinely wanting what's best for those around him. (Might also be a bit of a hero complex and main character syndrome, but no need to point that one out.)
Those few who get beneath the public persona get a Tony who is absolutely devoted. Oh, he'll roast them up one side and down the other if he even thinks they suspect he gives a shit, that's just how he rolls, but he will also not hesitate to have their back in a pinch or lay down his own life because the idea of standing by and doing nothing is worse than the idea of maybe dying to do what's right. Death doesn't scare him, but losing the people closest to him is at the top of the list of things that keep him up at night. It's a trait that makes him extremely dangerous because he's also incredibly calculating and if he's going down - you can bet your ass he's taking you down with him.
The real thing to understand about Tony is that he is not a man with a sense of false hope. He stepped into the role of Iron Man with eyes wide open - sure, part of it was feeding his own ego, but part of it was just because someone had to. Life experience has taught Tony that if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself - with him, trust is not easily given. His inner circle is small, and breaking that trust cuts incredibly deep; he isn't one to forgive a betrayal easily. He holds his hurts close, all of them - and though they're rarely seen, he uses them as motivation to be just a little bit better.
Because fuck 'em, that's why.
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⚙️ EARLY LIFE
As the only child of Howard and Maria Stark, Tony grew up wanting for nothing. Howard's wealth and influence meant he could afford his son the best opportunities in life and he spared no expense where Tony's interests or education were concerned.Howard was a scientific powerhouse (he gained notoriety for his participation in both the Manhattan Project and Project Rebirth during World War II), but from an early age, Tony's aptitude for science and technology outshone his father: by the age of 17, he'd already graduated from MIT with a pair of Master's, no easy feat, and by 18, was employed full time as the head of research and development at Stark Industries.
Some people said it was a nepotism hire; Tony quickly proved them wrong - and then fired them.
⚙️ STARK INDUSTRIES
he assassination of Howard and Maria Stark in 1991 meant young Tony was immediately thrust into the spotlight as the CEO of Stark Industries. As the public face of the company, Tony led Stark Industries into a new era of rapid expansion, and SI flourished into a multi-trillion dollar corporation, becoming the largest tech conglomerate in the world and the primary supplier of weaponry to the US Government and many of her allies.Tony leveraged his wealth and charm to become something of a celebrity in his own right. Weapons manufacturers aren't usually on the front page of gossip rags, but Tony's penchant for being wild and unpredictable landed him there more often than anyone around him would have liked. Tony, however, lives by the motto that all publicity is good publicity, and his escapades helped more than harmed. Mostly.
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