Jump to content

Howard Stark: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Updated
Line 90: Line 90:


{{DEFAULTSORT:Stark, Howard}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stark, Howard}}

[[Category:Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.]]
[[Category:Characters created by Archie Goodwin]]
[[Category:Characters created by Archie Goodwin]]
[[Category:Characters created by Don Heck]]
[[Category:Characters created by Don Heck]]
[[Category:Comics characters introduced in 1970]]
[[Category:Comics characters introduced in 1970]]
[[Category:Fictional aviators]]
[[Category:Fictional businesspeople]]
[[Category:Fictional businesspeople]]
[[Category:Fictional engineers
[[Category:Fictional scientists]]
[[Category:Fictional scientists]]
[[Category:Fictional inventors]]
[[Category:Fictional inventors]]

Revision as of 08:59, 2 December 2013

For the American football player, see Howard Stark (American football).
Howard Stark
Publication information
PublisherMarvel Comics
First appearanceIron Man #28 (August 1970)
Created byArchie Goodwin, Don Heck
In-story information
Alter egoHoward Anthony Walter Stark[1]
Team affiliationsHellfire Club
Brotherhood of Shield
S.H.I.E.L.D.
Supporting character ofIron Man
Captain America

Howard Stark is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. He is the father of Tony Stark and the founder of Stark Industries. He is named after Howard Hughes.[2]

The character is portrayed by John Slattery in the 2010 film Iron Man 2 and Dominic Cooper in the 2011 film Captain America: The First Avenger and will reprise the role in the sequel film Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

Fictional character biography

Howard Anthony Walter Stark was a brilliant inventor throughout his life. He and his father Howard Stark Sr. worked on various projects, and later founded Stark Industries. Throughout his young adulthood, Stark worked on various government projects dating back to the World War I and World War II era, like the World War I Captain America project with John Crowe Ransom, which came to completion during World War II; the World War II Manhattan Project; and the "Arsenal" robots, hidden in a subbasement in his mansion. The robots were only supposed to be activated if the US was overrun during a presumed Cold War conflict (but both known models have been accidentally awakened and stopped by the Avengers). During the 1950s, Howard Stark was an agent of the secret science organization known as The Shield, partnered with Nathaniel Richards.[volume & issue needed]

Howard married Maria Collins Carbonell and together they had a son: Anthony "Tony" Stark. He constantly pushed Tony to be the best, telling him that someone must have "iron in their backbone" to be successful. Behind his heroic facade, however, he was an alcoholic who had a strained relationship with his son. Due to his power as a businessman, he was offered membership to the exclusive Hellfire Club, but it seems Stark was uninterested in anything other than the lavish parties the club threw. It is believed Stark was also a member of the V-Battalion. He was targeted by the Red Skull (Johann Schmidt), and is rumored to have met the Watcher, Uatu. Stark also prevented Obadiah Stane from taking control of Stark Industries at least once.[volume & issue needed]

On the Ides of March, Howard and Maria were killed in a car accident. It has been hinted that the incident was not random and possibly arranged by the V-Battalion, but this has never been confirmed; earlier indications were that the accident was caused by Republic Oil, but this is also unconfirmed.[3] Tony ran his father's company, started a charity in his mother's name, and later became Iron Man.[4]

When he was briefly trapped in Hell by Doctor Doom,[5] Iron Man faced what appeared to be Howard Stark as one of Mephisto's torments, the spirit 'wearing' a demonic version of the Iron Man armor and taunting Tony about his emotional weaknesses, but Tony rejected the spirit's reality when it claimed that he had been a disappointment to his mother as well, as whatever problems he had with his father, Tony knew that his mother loved him unconditionally.[6]

Other versions

House of M

In the House of M, Howard was alive while Maria's status is unknown. Howard turned over control of the company to Tony when he turned sixteen. Although officially listed as retired, he worked with Tony to build an armor capable of taking on the Sentinels and powerful mutants during the conflict.[7]

They began to work on Sentinels with Forge and Henry McCoy after being awarded them an exclusive contract. They planned to incorporate a "Vision Project", although there were problems with the control scheme. The two also competed on the wildly popular 'Sapien Deathmatch' television show.[8]

When Tony investigated a resistance group as Iron Man, Sentinels attacked. One, remotely controlled by Howard, scolded him for getting involved. Howard was secretly plotting against Magneto with Hank Pym.[9]

"Genome bomb" locations were discovered by Tony as Iron Man and the House was notified. Howard had programmed the Visions and Sentinels to serve him. He said this had all been part of a plan to make the mutants respect Tony for saving them. Tony would then use that as a chance to directly strike against Magneto. Tony refused to go along. Magneto suddenly appeared and personally dealt with Howard, killing him.[10]

Ultimate Marvel

Howard Stark in Ultimate Iron Man. Art by Andy Kubert.

The Ultimate Marvel version of Howard Stark is shown dealing with his second wife Maria Cerrera (a brilliant scientist) suffering a genetic accident while she was pregnant. After Maria died during childbirth, Howard uses a newly invented biological armor to save the life of their son: Antonio "Tony" Stark. A few years later, his business rival Zebediah Stane kidnaps and tortures Tony to attempt to learn how to manufacture the bio-armor for his own personal gain. Not long afterwards, Howard arrives with a SWAT team and arrests Zebediah. After the incident, a transparent version of the armor is developed, and Tony begins attending a prep school. Fast forward to Tony developing a prototype power-armor and befriends fellow student James Rhodes.[11]

After finding out that bullies were ordered from an unknown individual to kill Tony, Howard decides to enroll Tony, Rhodes, and Nifara, who witnessed the attack, into the Baxter Building also enrolled Obadiah Stane (Zebediah Stane's son) in the school. Shortly after their arrival, Tony and Howard witness Obadiah murder a pair of students and make it look like an accident. Howard witnesses Tony makes his first "Iron Man" armor with the intent to punish Obadiah.[12]

Sometime later, Stark was arrested based on planted evidence (by Obadiah) for Zebediah's murder. While the elder Stark was wrongly imprisoned for Zebediah's murder, his teenage son is forced to run Stark Enterprises. When Obadiah drugs a prison guard with a "hypnotizing bio-drug", the guard tries to kill Howard but fails although Howard was shot in the process and ends up in ICU.[13]

While his son Tony is trying to fix all of his current problems, Howard is recovered enough to go to prison, but the guards sent to escort him were not sent by the Police Department. Howard fights them off and escapes. Tony meets with him and thinks Loni (Howard's first wife and Obadiah's mother) is the mastermind behind the scenes trying to kill them all. Tony, Rhodes, Nifara, Howard, and Obadiah set off to Utah to find Loni. They arrive and their chopper explodes injuring Rhodes. Obadiah falls off a cliff, but Tony catches him as terrorists arrive on the scene. Tony flees, but follows them as they take Obadiah to Loni and their hideout. Tony breaks into the compound and Loni floods it with poison gas trying to kill him, abandoning Obadiah. Tony saves Obadiah, but Howard and Nifara are taken captive by Loni. After Loni kills Nifara, she confesses to Howard that all she ever wanted was power, hence why she married Howard, divorced him, remarried with Zebediah, had Obadiah, and later had Zebediah killed.[14]

Tony shows up, and Loni shoots Howard in the chest, threatening to shoot him again if he doesn't take the suit off. Tony takes off his Iron Man armor, and Loni shoots him in the head, not knowing that his entire body is a brain and will heal itself. Tony fights Loni, beats her, and tends to his father. Obadiah, mad that his mom abandoned him for dead with the poison gas, enters the room and kills her. Tony, Obadiah and Howard are all picked up by the feds and go home.[15]

Ultimate Howard Stark's history depicted in the Ultimate Iron Man series have been retconned as an in-universe fictional TV show about Iron Man's life.[16]

The real history Ultimate Marvel version of Howard Stark is told in Ultimate Comics: Iron Man. He is seen as the founder of Stark Enterprises but sought help from Chinese conglomerate Mandarin International. While his son Tony Stark is trying to start a company of his own along with his girlfriend Josie Gardner, Howard continually tries to persuade to take his place as the CEO which he eventually does.[17]

Howard Stark Sr.

The retconned Ultimate Marvel also shows Howard Stark Sr. in Ultimate Comics: Armor Wars. He is the one who hired Ghost to steal covert tech piece "Remnant 242".[18] He sends his ARSENAL cyborgs to kidnap Iron Man. In his base "Project Tomorrow", Howard Sr. used the former military area to transform himself into a Man/Machine fusion. Believed to be dead, the grandfather Stark's been trying to use Iron Man's armor tech to upgrade his rusted green, body armor to achieve immortality. When the elderly Stark is given "Remnant 242", it's revealed to be the head of an alternate reality version of his grandson found dead in a barren wasteland during research with Reed Richards. When the alternate head's advanced armor failsafes kills technology, a massive pulse that kills Ghost, the ARSENAL drones, Justine Hammer and Howard.[19]

In his first (and only) appearance within any continuity of Marvel Comics, the Man/Machine fusion appearance of Howard Sr. is a hybrid of Iron Monger and Titanium Man.[20]

Marvel Noir

In the Marvel Noir miniseries Iron Man Noir, set in the 1930s, Howard Stark is believed to have been killed by Nazi agents. It is eventually revealed that he was subjected to chemical brainwashing by the Nazis, and became Baron Zemo. Under this guise, he builds war machines for the Nazis based on original designs he shared with Tony at a very young age. He dies when Iron Man destroys Baron von Strucker's airship.[21]

In other media

Television

Film

Dominic Cooper as Howard Stark in the film Captain America: The First Avenger.

Video games

References

  1. ^ S.H.I.E.L.D., vol.2 #231
  2. ^ "Mask of the Iron Man". Game Informer. 1 (177): 81. 2008. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  3. ^ Iron Man: The Iron Age #1-2 (August-September 1998)
  4. ^ Tales of Suspense #39
  5. ^ Iron Man: Legacy of Doom #1
  6. ^ Iron Man: Legacy of Doom #2
  7. ^ House of M: Iron Man #1
  8. ^ House of M: Iron Man #1
  9. ^ House of M: Iron Man #2
  10. ^ House of M: Iron Man #3
  11. ^ Ultimate Iron Man #2
  12. ^ Ultimate Iron Man #2
  13. ^ Ultimate Iron Man #1
  14. ^ Ultimate Iron Man #3
  15. ^ Ultimate Iron Man 2 #5
  16. ^ Ultimate Comics: Ultimate Avengers vs New Ultimates #3
  17. ^ Ultimate Comics: Iron Man #2
  18. ^ Ultimate Comics: Armor Wars #1
  19. ^ Ultimate Comics: Armor Wars #4
  20. ^ Ultimate Comics: Armor Wars #3
  21. ^ Iron Man Noir #4
  22. ^ Breznican, Anthony (July 11, 2013). "'Marvel One-Shot: Agent Carter' -- FIRST LOOK at poster and three photos from the new short!". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved July 11, 2013.
  23. ^ http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Captain-America-Winter-Soldier-Bringing-Back-Dominic-Cooper-Howard-Stark-37534.html

[[Category:Fictional engineers

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Howard_Stark&oldid=584184013"