OVER THE NEXT few weeks, things got very interesting for Tony. Obadiah Stane was not in the least happy with Tony’s decision to close down Stark’s weapons-manufacturing division. But Tony didn’t care what Obadiah or anyone else thought about it. It was Tony’s company, built by his father, and no one could tell him what to do with it.
Even after shares of Stark Industries’ stock plummeted 57-percent, Tony refused to budge. He’d had a change of heart in Afghanistan, both figuratively and literally. Yinsen’s struggle and sacrifice had opened Tony’s eyes. He had talent and money and a fantastic scientific brain. Why, then, shouldn’t he be helping the world as opposed to hurting it?
Tony spent most of his time rebuilding the suit he had developed in Afghanistan. Only this time it wouldn’t be big and clunky, but as sleek and stylish as Tony himself. He was tireless in his efforts to get the jet propulsion just right so he could fly effectively. He strengthened the Arc Reactor that powered his heart and the suit. And he developed repulsor disks—much like the ones he’d used on the Jericho missiles—that would be affixed to his palms and could be used to fight off adversaries.
Ultimately, Tony had created the perfect tech suit. After a test flight, Tony’s virtual butler, J.A.R.V.I.S.—who had the run of Tony’s house and vied with Pepper for the most important position in Tony’s life—suggested making the armor gold. Tony felt it was too flashy. He suggested adding splashes of red—and with that, Tony’s suit’s trademark red and gold colors were decided.
Now one of Tony’s inventions wouldn’t be used to hurt people, but to help them. Tony stepped into his newly refined suit and decided to take it for a ride. J.A.R.V.I.S. warned Tony that he might want to test the suit further before flying around the skies over California, but Tony was never one to shy away from adventure.
Tossing caution to the wind, he zoomed out of his house and into the night sky—shaky at first, but very quickly getting the hang of it. He swooped over the city, over the sea, and around office towers—it was the most amazing feeling Tony had ever experienced.
Once he became comfortable in his suit, he quickly put it to good use. His first mission would be the most obvious—he planned to return to Afghanistan, to the area where he’d been held captive, and help the people in Yinsen’s village. Tony was successful on this first mission, but unfortunately he caught the eye of the US Air Force—and his friend Rhodey. The military wasn’t happy about the idea of a maverick fighting unauthorized on war-torn foreign soil.
Worse, his actions caught the attention of Obadiah Stane, who was fed up with Tony and, it came to light, had been for some time now. Tony discovered that Obadiah was the person who had set up his kidnapping in Afghanistan. Obadiah wanted Tony out of the way so he could take control of Stark Industries. And he would stop at nothing to achieve that goal. Obadiah flew back to Afghanistan to retrieve Tony’s original armor, improve on it, and create an armor bigger, more powerful, and fitted with an unimaginable array of weapons.
Obadiah soon had his suit. It was the very thing he needed to finish off Tony. It was three times as large as the Iron Man suit. Obadiah attacked Tony at Stark Industries. After a long battle, where Obadiah often had the upper hand, Tony, with the help of Pepper, overloaded the building’s tremendous Arc Reactor and blasted Obadiah off the roof.
The power surge caused blackouts all over the city and sent a stream of light into the sky over LA so bright that it lit up the night like a noontime sun. This one was not going to go unnoticed.
Tony had won his battle, but he sure had some explaining to do.