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<title><hi><hi rend="bold">A Tale of Two Redemptions: A Comparison of Iron Man in the
Marvel Cinematic Universe and the Invincible Iron Man Comic
Books</hi></hi></title>
<author><persName>Brian Michael Bendis</persName></author>
<editor><persName>Alanna Smith</persName></editor>
<editor><persName>Tom Brevoort</persName></editor>
<editor><persName>Katie Kubert</persName></editor>
<respStmt>
<resp>Encoding & Analysis by,</resp>
<persName>Cecelia Takara Kimes</persName>
</respStmt>
<sponsor> University of New Haven's (ENGL 4484) Digital Editing & Literature
Course</sponsor>
</titleStmt>
<editionStmt>
<edition>The <hi rend="italic">Invincible Iron Man Vol. 1: Reboot</hi> contains material
that was originally published in singular comic form as the <hi rend="italic"
>Invincible Iron Man</hi> #1-6, though this edition and compilation only contains
<hi rend="italic">Invincible Iron Man</hi> #1-5. These comics were first printed
and published in 2016 by MARVEL WORLDWIDE, INC. which is a subsidary of MARVEL
ENTERTAINMENT.</edition>
</editionStmt>
<publicationStmt>
<publisher>MARVEL WORLDWIDE, INC. a subsidiary of MARVEL ENTERTAINMENT, LLC. Office of
Publication.</publisher>
<pubPlace>135 West 50th Street, New York, NY 10020</pubPlace>
<date>2016</date>
</publicationStmt>
<sourceDesc>
<p>The <hi rend="italic">Invincible Iron Man Vol. 1: Reboot</hi> is a compilation of
five consecutive Iron Man comic books. These comics were published after the first
Iron Man film. I chose these specific comics because I wanted a set of comics that
started at the beginning, similar to how the first Iron Man film is Tony Stark's
origin story. Tony begins these comics with new armor, as well as new friends and
foes. These new friends and foes are a change from the usual suspects, like Pepper
Potts and James Rhodes (Friends) and Justin Hammer and Whiplash (Foes). These comics
were released as a part of the "All-New, All-Different Marvel" event, which was
essentially a revamping of classic characters and an introduction to brand new ones
as well. (SOURCE: Bendis, Brian Michael, et al. Invincible Iron Man Vol. 1: Reboot.
Marvel Worldwide Inc., a Subsidiary of Marvel Entertainment, LLC., 2016.)</p>
<p>The following films are mentioned at times in my analysis: <hi rend="italic">Iron Man
(2008)</hi> (SOURCE: Feige, Kevin. Iron Man (2008). Performance by Robert Downey,
Paramount, 2008.), <hi rend="italic">Iron Man 2 (2010)</hi> (SOURCE: Favreau, Jon,
director. Iron Man 2 (2010). Performance by Robert Downey, Marvel Entertainment, LLC,
2010.), <hi rend="italic">The Avengers (2012)</hi> (SOURCE: Feige, Kevin. The
Avengers (2012). Performance by Robert Downey, Marvel Entertainment, LLC., 2012.),
<hi rend="italic">Iron Man 3 (2013)</hi> (SOURCE: Feige, Kevin. Iron Man 3 (2013).
Performance by Robert Downey, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, 2013.), <hi
rend="italic">Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)</hi> (SOURCE: Feige, Kevin. Avengers:
Age of Ultron (2015). Performance by Chris Evans and Robert Downey, Marvel Studios,
2015.), <hi rend="italic">Captain America: Civil War (2016)</hi> (SOURCE: Feige,
Kevin. Captain America: Civil War (2016). Performance by Chris Evans and Robert
Downey, Marvel Studios, 2016.), and <hi rend="italic">Spider-Man: Homecoming
(2017)</hi> (Performance by Tom Holland, and Robert Downey, Walt Disney Studios
Home Entertainment, 2017.)</p>
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<editorialDecl>
<p rend="indent">Beginning the editorial process, I knew that I wanted to compare and
contrast the aforementioned comic books and the Marvel Cinematic Universe films that
featured Iron Man, including: <hi rend="italic">Iron Man (2008)</hi>, <hi
rend="italic">Iron Man 2 (2010)</hi>, <hi rend="italic">Avengers (2012)</hi>, <hi
rend="italic">Iron Man 3 (2013)</hi>, <hi rend="italic">Avengers: Age of Ultron
(2015)</hi>, <hi rend="italic">Captain America: Civil War (2016)</hi>, and <hi
rend="italic">Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)</hi>. Keeping this in mind, I decided
to not transcribe all five of the comic books within the <hi rend="italic">Invincible
Iron Man Vol. 1: Reboot</hi> and instead decided to choose certain frames and
pages from the comic books. In order to compare Robert Downey Jr.'s characterization
of Iron Man to that of the canon comic book characterization, I watched the
aforementioned films that feature Iron Man and take certain interactions in order to
draw parallels to interactions seen within the comic books. I chose not to state
specific scenes or exact times wherein the movie interactions occur, due to the fact
that I felt it would be distracting for the reader. Additionally, I chose to encode
this text as a dramatic work in a sense. There is a Comic Book Markup Language, but I
felt that I wanted to make this work truly my own by utilizing the tools I already
had with the normal TEI encoding guidelines. What I encoded that appears exactly as
it does in the comics are just the spoken parts, so anything stated by a character in
my transcription was said by them within the comic frames and represented as best as
I could. For example, I stated whether or not it was a thought of the character or if
it was spoken aloud. If the speech bubble indicated something was completely
capitalized, italicized, or bolded, I represented that within my transcription. What
doesn't actually appear in the text are the setting descriptions, the speaker names
(to indicate who is speaking, i.e. Tony Stark or Mary Jane Watson), and my notes
themselves. I provided scene and setting descriptions in order to give the reader
some background information and to essentially "set the scene". I didn't provide
images of the pages themselves because I didn't wish to infringe upon copyright and
also because I want my analysis to focus on the text itself, not the illustrations.
While all of the films, excluding <hi rend="italic">Iron Man (2008)</hi>, have
screenplays available for purchase, I wish to take my viewpoints and feelings towards
these scenes and interactions and utilize them for my analysis. I feel that this
would give the reader a more personalized view of the transcriptions of the comics,
rather than a more technical and literal comparison and contrast between script and
comic books. I want to preface this analysis and research by saying that I have seen
<hi rend="italic">Avengers: Infinity War (2018)</hi>, but chose not to analyze and
include information regarding this film for two reasons: the first being that I don't
wish to spoil this film (especially since at the time of completion of my research,
the film won't have been out for even a week's time) and secondly because I don't
have a physical or digital copy of the film to refer to when conducting my analysis,
only my memory.</p>
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<particDesc>
<listPerson>
<person xml:id="Tony_Stark">
<note>AKA Iron Man. Anthony Edward Stark is the a self titled "genius,
billionaire, playboy, philanthropist". He is present in both the comics I am
transcribing as well as the films, especially due to the fact that he is the
main character. Iron Man was created by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, Don Heck, and
Jack Kirby in 1963. Iron Man, and his armor, came into being when Tony Stark,
while consulting with the United States military in Afghanistan, was injured
when his convoy was attacked and he was taken hostage. In the original comics
whereing Iron Man first made his debut, Tony Stark served in the Vietnam War
and became Iron Man during that time. Later on, it was adapted to the Gulf War.
In the first Iron Man film, Tony is kidnapped in Afghanistan while after
performing a weapons demonstration. Jon Favreau, director of the film, stated
that this happened because he didn't want the film to be a period piece. He is
present in both the comics that I am transcribing as well as the movie, due to
the fact that he is the main character. The Iron Man armor is piloted by Tony
Stark in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films, thus he is portrayed by Robert
Downey Jr. as well. Tony Stark is portrayed by Robert Downey Jr. in all of the
Marvel Cinematic Universe films wherein Tony Stark is present. SOURCE: “Iron
Man (Anthony Stark) - Marvel Universe Wiki: The Definitive Online Source for
Marvel Superhero Biographies.” Marvel Universe Wiki RSS,
https://marvel.com/universe/Iron_Man_(Anthony_Stark)#axzz57Bq8Bt44.</note>
</person>
<person xml:id="Friday">
<note>(FRIEND) J.A.R.V.I.S.'s predecessor, F.R.I.D.A.Y. is Tony Stark's right hand
woman (his girl Friday, some could say) and A.I. She not only assists with
matters concerning Stark Industries, but also assists Tony in piloting the Iron
Man armor. She is ever-present in the comics that I am transcribing, though she
does come into being later on in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films after
J.A.R.V.I.S.'s demise. (J.A.R.V.I.S. began out as a natural-language user
interface computer system, which then further developed into an artifically
intelligent system. Before the creation of the Iron Man armor, J.A.R.V.I.S.'s
main purpose was to run business for Stark Industries while also taking care of
security for Tony's mansion and Stark Tower. Though once the Mark II armor was
created, with the Mark I armor being the one that Tony created during his
captivity, J.A.R.V.I.S. became uploaded during all of the Iron Man armors.) She
was one of many back-up programs that Tony, always a futurist, had created in
the event that he lost J.A.R.V.I.S., beating out J.O.C.A.S.T.A. and
T.A.D.A.S.H.I. which were two other back-up programs. She is featured in
Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War, and Spider-Man:
Homecoming. In comparison to J.A.R.V.I.S.'s English accent (a derivation from
Edwin Jarvis himself), F.R.I.D.A.Y. has an Irish accent. F.R.I.D.A.Y., in the
Marvel Cinematic Universe, doesn't quite care for the other Avengers and only
takes orders from Tony. Fun fact: While F.R.I.D.A.Y. in the Marvel Cinematic
Universe movies doesn't have a holographic form, in the comic books she is an
A.I. hologram, created by Tony in order to be his secretary. In addition, she
is also the first female A.I. to be featured in the MCU. SOURCE: “F.R.I.D.A.Y.”
Marvel Cinematic Universe Wiki,
http://marvelcinematicuniverse.wikia.com/wiki/F.R.I.D.A.Y.</note>
</person>
<person xml:id="Giuletta_Nefaria">
<note>AKA Madame Masque (FOE). She is present in the comics that I'm transcribing,
but not in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films, though Whitney Frost takes on
the mantle of Madame Masque in the second season of Marvel's Agent Carter.
Though in Agent Carter the mantle of Madame Masque has been taken on by Whitney
Frost, not Giuletta Nefaria. Whereas within the comics Giuletta Nefaria takes
on the mantle of Madame Masque. SOURCE: “Giuletta Nefaria (Earth-616).” Marvel
Database, http://marvel.wikia.com/wiki/Giuletta_Nefaria_(Earth-616).</note>
</person>
<person xml:id="Victor_von_Doom">
<note>AKA Doctor Doom (FOE). He is present in the comics that I'm transcribing,
but not in any of the Marvel Cinematic Universe films. He does not make an
appearance in any Marvel Cinematic Universe films this is due to an issue of
ownership of the rights of this character, not because he wouldn't be a welcome
addition, though he is present in two Fantastic Four films that were created
and distributed by 20th Century Fox. SOURCE: “Doctor Doom (Victor Von Doom) -
Marvel Universe Wiki: The Definitive Online Source for Marvel Superhero
Biographies.” Marvel Universe Wiki RSS,
https://marvel.com/universe/Doctor_Doom.</note>
</person>
<person xml:id="Mary_Jane_Watson">
<note>(FRIEND) While she is most famously known for being Spider-Man's love
interest in both the comics and the films, Mary Jane Watson is also a
stand-alone character within Marvel Comics. She is present in the comics that I
am transcribing, though not within any of the Marvel Cinematic Universe films.
SOURCE: “Mary Jane Watson - Marvel Universe Wiki: The Definitive Online Source
for Marvel Superhero Biographies.” Marvel Universe Wiki RSS,
https://marvel.com/universe/Watson,_Mary_Jane.</note>
</person>
<person xml:id="Amara_Perera">
<note>(FRIEND) She is present in the comics that I'm transcribing, but not in any
of the Marvel Cinematic Universe films. She serves as Tony's love interest for
these comics, which is a vast difference from that of his love interest of
Pepper Potts within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. SOURCE: “Amara Perera
(Earth-616).” Marvel Database,
http://marvel.wikia.com/wiki/Amara_Perera_(Earth-616).</note>
</person>
</listPerson>
</particDesc>
<settingDesc>
<listPlace>
<place xml:id="Workshop_of_Tony_Stark">
<note>This is where Tony creates the various versions of his armor while also
working on projects for Stark Industries. SOURCE: "Tony Stark's Mansion" Marvel
Cinematic Universe Wiki,
http://marvelcinematicuniverse.wikia.com/wiki/Tony_Stark%27s_Mansion</note>
</place>
<place xml:id="Massachusetts_Institute_of_Technology">
<note>A non-fictional university in a fictional story. MIT or the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology was founded in 1861. This university is known for both
its research and education in the STEM fields. Tony Stark entered MIT at age 15
and went on to study electrical engineering. He then received Master's degrees
in both physics and electrical engineering. In Iron Man (2008) it was
incorrectly stated that Stark graduated from MIT summa cum laude, but MIT does
not actually graduate students with honors. SOURCE: “MIT History.” MIT
Libraries Archives | MIT Facts, Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
www.libraries.mit.edu/mithistory/mit-facts/.</note>
</place>
</listPlace>
</settingDesc>
</profileDesc>
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<body>
<div n="1" type="frame">
<head rend="uppercase"><persName ref="#Tony_Stark"><hi rend="bold">Tony
Stark</hi></persName><hi rend="bold">'s Internal Monologue in </hi><hi
rend="italic"><hi rend="bold">Invincible Iron Man Vol. 1: Reboot</hi></hi></head>
<stage type="setting">Tony Stark is seen sitting alone in his <placeName
ref="#Workshop_of_Tony_Stark">workshop</placeName>, which is referred to sometimes
as his "church" and is often simultaneously both a place of solace and great
distress. In both the films and the comic books, it's canon that Tony goes to his
workshop when he needs an escape from the real world, whether it's issues within the
Avengers or a mission gone wrong. His desk is in disarray, covered with fast food,
various blueprints for the Iron Man armor, and even a tablet displaying a news
article titled "TONY STARK YESTERDAY'S FUTURE: Is the Iron Age over?". Tony's only
company while he solders and adjusts his armor are his numerous versions of the Iron
Man armor, some of the versions of the armor include: Mark XXXIII, Mark XXX, Mark IV,
Mark XXXIX, Mark XVI, Mark XXV, Mark XXXVII, Mark VII, War Machine Mark II, War
Machine Mark III, War Machine Mark VI, and War Machine Armor Mark I. Though even
those aforementioned armors seem to be separated from the space which Tony is
occupying during this excerpt.</stage>
<stage type="action">Throughout this division of the comic, Tony is seen modifying a
version of his Iron Man armor<note>“Heroes aren’t born, they’re built,” was the
tag-line for the first Iron Man film when the trailer was released in
2007.</note>. He is seen soldering as well as adjusting the armor directly onto his
body. At the end of the excerpt the reader's viewpoint is changed and we see Tony
Stark admiring his newly finished armor, seen displayed on a pedestal and removed
from the wall of armors in his <placeName ref="#Workshop_of_Tony_Stark"
>workshop</placeName>, singled out. This armor is a more streamlined version,
though not to the extent of the Bleeding Edge armor. The Bleeding Edge armor is an
armor that is actually stored inside of Tony Stark's body using neurokinetic
user-controlled morphologic nanoparticle bundles until he mentally commands the armor
to form to his body, taking any form he commands. This armor can also dissociate from
Tony's body and transform into the Iron Man armor whenever Tony wishes it to. He
monologues throughout this entire excerpt, only interrupted by F.R.I.D.A.Y. at the
very end, which then leads into the next excerpt which is Tony bantering with his
aforementioned A.I., F.R.I.D.A.Y., in his workshop.</stage>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="false">
<l>I get so busy.</l>
<l>Saving the world<note>Some naysayers believe that since Tony being a part of
the military industrial complex and selling weapons was disgusting and
irredeemable, something which Tony is aware of. He knows that he can
never wash the blood off of his hand, but he does try to consistently
change his ways and is truly sorry.</note>.</l>
<l>Avenging<note>If Tony was as self-serving as many Marvel fans claim he is,
then why wouldn’t he have just gone back into his workshop after being
rescued and improved his weapons so that the U.S. military could fight
those terrorists and blow them off of the face of the planet?</note>.
Guarding<note>Iron Man and his subsequent stories show that sometimes
those men who are on top are the ones who truly fuel terrorism and
terrorist organizations, not just the terrorists themselves.</note>.</l>
<l>Putting out fires<note>Stark stopped making weapons when he finally saw all
the destruction that they caused, yes he was incredibly ignorant to it
beforehand but he learned and grew from it. He was aware of what weapons
do and he took the criticism that he faced and countered it using jokes
and false confidence. He was called the “da Vinci of Death” and took on
that mantle proudly because it was Howard’s legacy and Tony felt that he
had to fill those shoes. But when he experienced his weapons in the wrong
hands, then he knew. He knew that the military wasn’t doing what it
should to protect people (like Americans often say) and he knew that
innocent lives were being lost during the skirmishes between terrorist
groups and the U.S. military, and his weapons were helping, this is when
he truly learned accountability.</note>.</l>
<l>(Metaphorical and real actual fires.)</l>
<l>Reeling from the fact that my parents aren't really my parents<note>Howard
and Maria Stark, who're believed to be Tony's parents both in the films
and in the comics, are revealed to not actually be Tony's biological
parents. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it was revealed that the
Winter Soldier assassinated Howard and Maria Stark on HYDRA's orders in
<hi rend="italic">Captain America: Civil War (2016)</hi>. Zemo's
family was killed in the battle of Sokovia during <hi rend="italic"
>Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)</hi>, which he blamed The Avengers
for. Zemo decided to unleash vengeance on The Avengers by framing The
Winter Soldier for the murder of King T'chaka and find footage of Barnes
assassinating Tony Stark's parents, and use it to force Captain America,
The Winter Soldier, and Iron Man to fight and subsequently kill each
other. With the Avengers divided and fighting each other, and with the
truth of Stark's parents murder exposed. Zemo would had brought down The
Avengers, and had his revenge. Tony's parents' deaths in <hi
rend="italic">Captain America: Civil War (2016)</hi> were originally
staged to look like a car accident, though once their assassinations are
revealed, we can see that they were shot. But in the comics, while Howard
and Maria also perish in a suspicious car crash, who exactly orchestrated
the crash still remains to be seen. Within the Marvel Cinematic Universe,
there's nothing that has implied that Tony's biological parents aren't
actually Howard and Maria Stark, but in the comics it was revealed that
Tony's biological mother is Amanda Armstrong, a former S.H.I.E.L.D.
agent, and his father, Jude, was also a former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who was
a double agent for HYDRA.</note>.</l>
<l>Then completely not dealing with the fact that my parents<note>In the Marvel
Cinematic Universe, Tony's relationship with his parents (but Howard
Stark, his father, specifically) is touched upon in most of the films,
but specifically in <hi rend="italic">Iron Man 2 (2010)</hi>. Tony finds
himself dying of palladium poisoning caused by his arc reactor, and it
causes him to be introspective at times and wonder what he's truly doing
with his life. Nick Fury, Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. at this point in time
in the films, knocks Tony out of that destructive and simultaneously
introspective mindset. He tells Tony that his father theorized the
creation of a new element, but the technology at the time didn't allow
him to actually create it. While watching outtakes of his father when he
was filming promotion for the Stark Expo in 1974. Howard had the
following to say to Tony, even though ironically in an earlier outtake,
he chastised Tony for being in the shot: <hi rend="italic"><hi
rend="bold">Howard Stark:</hi> Tony, you're too young to understand
this right now, so I thought I would put it on film for you. [Howard
gestures to his model city] <hi rend="bold">Howard Stark:</hi> I built
this for you. And some day you'll realize that it represents a whole
lot more than just people's inventions. It represents my life's work.
This is the key to the future. I'm limited by the technology of my
time, but one day you'll figure this out. And when you do, you will
change the world. What is and always will be my greatest creation...
is you.</hi></note> aren't really my parents <hi rend="italic"><hi
rend="bold">on any level</hi></hi>.</l>
<l>I'm out there--giving the people what they want.</l>
<l>(Or what they think they want...)</l>
<l>Saving the world, punching the bad guy<note>In my personal opinion, Tony
Stark and Thor are the two characters with the most character development
in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Tony went from being an ignorant
weapons seller to a superhero who takes his intellect and uses it for the
better and lays his life down on the line countless times. Thor went from
being an unworthy prince to a king worthy of leading his people, no
matter where they may be. Both men have suffered great loss, they’ve lost
their parents, their homes, been betrayed by those they believed to be
their friends, yet they still fight for the greater good. They both
could’ve become disillusioned and dropped of the radar and done their own
thing, but they didn’t, they continued fighting the good fight. In the
end they have become the two greatest heroes in the Marvel Cinematic
Universe.</note>...and before I know it this
once-groundbreaking-piece-of-tech suit that defines me is old hat.</l>
<l>It's cliche.</l>
<l>Some 15-year-old at <placeName ref="#Massachusetts_Institute_of_Technology"
>M.I.T.</placeName><note>This is a reference to Riri Williams, which is
especially fitting due to the fact that Riri's own comic series to
published shortly after these comics that I'm transcribing. Riri is a
certified super genius and was certified as so when she was only
five-years-old. When Riri was eleven-years-old she was given a
scholarship at M.I.T., the university wherein Tony Stark received his
education. She, much like Tony, enjoys challenging herself and decided to
reverse-engineer the Iron Man armor Mark XLI, thus leading into her
creating her own prototype version of the armor. When Riri eventually
returned home, she was approached by Tony Stark himself and endorsed Riri
as a superhero. Though, this endorsement occurs after the events in
Invincible Iron Man Vol. 1: Reboot.</note> reverse engineers it on a dare
and posts it online.</l>
<l>(Dick.)</l>
<l>I'm supposed to be so ahead of the curve no one else can even see the
curve<note>Stark is a known futurist, meaning someone who is concerned
with events and trends of the future or which anticipate the future.
Tony, as a scientist and a mechanic and a businessman, must always keep
the future in mind. In the third Iron Man film, he even states: "Some
people say progress is a bad thing. But try having a magnet in your chest
keeping you alive."</note>.</l>
<l>But it's my fault.</l>
<l>I <hi rend="italic"><hi rend="bold">promised</hi></hi> myself I would spend
some shop time every week<note>During all three solo Iron Man films,
especially Iron Man 3 (2013), Tony is seen pushing his limits and doing
what would be considered unhealthy by most, at times going days without
sleep solely to work on and improve his suits.</note>.</l>
<l>I <hi rend="italic"><hi rend="bold">promised</hi></hi>.</l>
<l>First of all, I'm a better person to be around when I spend a little time in
my church.</l>
<l>This is my meditation.</l>
<l>This is alone time with my favorite person. Me.</l>
<l>(If only that were true<note>Tony, both in the films and in the comic books,
displays "textbook narcissism" while also being self-deprecating and
displaying signs of self-loathing. Robert Downey Jr.'s portrayal of Iron
Man encompasses comic Tony Stark's narcissism, especially within the
first Iron Man film. Though as time progresses alongside the films, you
see Tony begin to hold the weight of the world on his shoulders, leaning
more towards self-loathing than narcissitic. Initially learning about the
shady arms deals done using his company's weapons and seeing them used by
terrorist groups, you can see Downey Jr.'s portrayal go from playboy to
CEO who holds himself responsible for the dealings of his company. Tony
Stark takes it upon himself to track down his illegally sold weapons and
destroy them and the terrorist groups who have them in their
possession.</note>.)</l>
<l>But I need this time for me and I need it for him<note>Referring to the Iron
Man armor and a living being, i.e. "him", is something that's done in
both the films as well as the comics. Tony treating his armor as a
sentient being is something that is in all of the films, but is truly
evident and obvious in the third Iron Man film. He refers to the various
armors he's created as his prodigal son ("I'll be damned. The prodigal
son returns." When referring to the Mark XLII.), During the third film,
we see Tony experiencing an on-going struggle with mental illnesses,
specifically Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and anxiety. Tony tries to
take the anxiety he feels and channel it into his work, thus explaining
the extreme influx of armors he created during the third Iron Man
film.</note>.</l>
<l>My armor<note>In the third Iron Man film, which is by far the most
introspective and gives the viewers the biggest insight into Tony's mind,
Tony narrates the following line: "My armor was never a distraction or a
hobby, it was a cocoon, and now I'm a changed man. You can take away my
house, all my tricks and toys, but one thing you can't take away - I am
Iron Man." This something that many tend to forget when discussing Tony
Stark as Iron Man. Even without the armor (referred to as "the suit" at
times as well, the films usually refer to it as such), Tony is still Iron
Man. He created the armor from nothing, and it's his resilience and
passion for the greater good that makes him Iron Man.</note> needs to
grow and evolve. It needs to surprise everyone and at the same time be that
thing everyone can count on.</l>
<l>It's all my metaphors.</l>
<l>And I've had these new ideas for this guy rolling around in my head for
months and it's well past time I--</l>
<l>Oh...</l>
<l>I--I think I did it.</l>
<l>This--This will work, won't it?</l>
<l>Damn.</l>
<l>I would totally kiss me right now if not for my fear of beard burn.</l>
<l>My new armor.</l>
<l>I finally found a way to merge all my different armor modes into
one<note>Throughout both the original comics and the films, you see
Tony's armor develop from the Mark I armor made in a cave during his time
in captivity, to the Bleeding Edge armor. The Bleeding Edge armor is an
armor that is actually stored inside of Tony Stark's body using
neurokinetic user-controlled morphologic nanoparticle bundles until he
mentally commands the armor to form to his body, taking any form he
commands. This armor can also dissociate from Tony's body and transform
into the Iron Man armor whenever Tony wishes it to. His original Mark I
was clunky and resembled a metal rendition of the Michelin Man, though
that quip isn't meant to belittle the ingenuity and intellect it takes to
make a weaponized armor in a cave with little to no supplies.</note>.</l>
<l>Armor that can change shape and color scheme based on mission stats.</l>
<l>Armor not attached to my biology in that way that freaks just about
everybody out but is completely attached to my brain synapses.</l>
<l>I have to take this out.</l>
</said></p>
<said aloud="true">
<p>
<l>I'm going to take this out.</l>
</p>
</said>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Friday">F.R.I.D.A.Y.</persName><note>It is my personal
belief that if Tony had J.A.R.V.I.S. in the suit when he saw the footage of his
parents being killed by the Winter Soldier instead of F.R.I.D.A.Y. that the no
holds barred fight between Iron Man and Captain America and the Winter Soldier
would’ve ended very differently or not happened at all.</note></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>No you're not.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
</div>
<div n="2" type="frame">
<head rend="uppercase"><hi rend="bold">Banter Between </hi><persName ref="#Friday"><hi
rend="bold">F.R.I.D.A.Y.</hi></persName><hi rend="bold"> & </hi><persName
ref="#Tony_Stark"><hi rend="bold">Tony Stark</hi></persName><hi rend="bold"> in
</hi><hi rend="italic"><hi rend="bold">Invincible Iron Man Vol. 1:
Reboot</hi></hi></head>
<stage type="setting">F.R.I.D.A.Y. is shown sitting (in her holographic form) on a bench
in Tony Stark's <placeName ref="#Workshop_of_Tony_Stark">workshop</placeName>. She is
seen reading through her, also holographic, tablet. Seen hovering throughout the
entire workshop are holograms displaying various data, though what they are exactly
is unknown. Within the Iron Man films, the holograms within the workshop usually
contain blueprints of the armors or any current R&D project<note>In the third
Iron Man film, Tony even places a sticky note on the glass door of his workshop
that states "Stark Industries R&D Dept.".</note> that Tony is working on for
Stark Industries. The reader is given a viewpoint not seen in the first excerpt,
offering a new perspective which displays the vastness of the workshop. Tony Stark
mostly stays near his aforementioned armor during this excerpt, but is seen running
from the workshop after F.R.I.D.A.Y. informs him that he'll be late for his date with
Amara Perera, a biophysicist who shares a similar level of intellect in comparison to
Tony.</stage>
<stage type="action">F.R.I.D.A.Y.'s body language doesn't change throughout the entire
excerpt, she is seen on the bench scrolling through her tablet for the entirety of
the excerpt, looking unaffected even when Tony runs out of the workshop in disarray.
Whereas Tony is seen pacing around the pedestal wherein his armor is displayed.
Tony's body language has an air of being chastised after F.R.I.D.A.Y. reminds him of
his date with Amara Perera. In the last frame of the excerpt, Tony is seen running
out of the workshop looking visibly distressed due to the fact that he's not close to
being ready for his date and is already running behind schedule.</stage>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Friday, how long have you been not really sitting there?<note>While Tony
seems to treat F.R.I.D.A.Y. as purely an A.I. with this flippant quip, he
actually treats F.R.I.D.A.Y., J.A.R.V.I.S., and his bots (Butterfingers,
U, and DUM-E) as members of his family; maybe even more so than Howard
and Maria Stark were. It is canon in the Marvel Cinematic Universe that
Tony has had his bots since he was at M.I.T., and hasn’t upgraded them or
try to rid them of any imperfections. Tony, both in the movies and the
comics, isn't the greatest at displaying affection. This could be
credited to growing up in a household wherein his butler, Edwin Jarvis,
was his biggest parental figure or due to the fact that he had to grow up
too quickly due to the death of his parents and having to take up the
company mantle. When it comes to both giving and receiving affection,
specifically platonic affection, Stark either shrugs it off or uses
sarcasm as a defense mechanism. Tony's banter with F.R.I.D.A.Y. and
J.A.R.V.I.S. and the bots in the Marvel Cinematic Universe seems like an
offhanded thing to focus on, but these nuanced interactions are as
crucial to the characterization of Tony Stark as his iconic facial hair
is.</note></l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Friday">F.R.I.D.A.Y.</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>The entire time.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>I didn't create your holo-A.I. to creep me out<note>In sharp contrast of the
films, in the comics there is a somewhat physical form of Tony's A.I.s,
whereas in the films there are no physical forms of either of the A.I.s,
the only somewhat physical form either of them have is when some of
J.A.R.V.I.S.'s coding is used to create Vision, though that's not
actually a physical form of the A.I., just a way to preserve some of the
code.</note>.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Friday">F.R.I.D.A.Y.</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>No, you created me to be a little pal who helps you keep your head screwed
on straight<note>This use of an A.I. differs from the use of both
J.A.R.V.I.S. and F.R.I.D.A.Y. in the films. F.R.I.D.A.Y., in this
iteration of the comics, encompasses the role of what both J.A.R.V.I.S.
and Pepper Potts do in the films. While F.R.I.D.A.Y. serves as a system
and second set of eyes to assist with calibration and calculations for
the armor (just like film-J.A.R.V.I.S. and film-F.R.I.D.A.Y.) while also
helping Stark with his commitments to Stark Industries (like Pepper Potts
does in the films). While Tony may be the CEO of Stark Industries and it
is his family's business, he's not a business man at heart. He's a
mechanic.</note>.</l>
<l>You can't go out now.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>I can.</l>
<l>I have free will and everything.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Friday">F.R.I.D.A.Y.</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>You have to charge the armor from scratch<note>Both F.R.I.D.A.Y. and
J.A.R.V.I.S. try and keep Tony grounded (though Stark's stubborness
sometimes wins out). In the first Iron Man film when Tony tries out the
Mark II armor for the first time, he and J.A.R.V.I.S. have the following
conversation: <hi rend="bold"><hi rend="italic"
>J.A.R.V.I.S.:</hi></hi><hi rend="italic"> [while Tony is wearing the
Mark II Armor] Test complete. Preparing to power down and begin
diagnostics... </hi><hi rend="bold"><hi rend="italic">Tony
Stark:</hi></hi><hi rend="italic"> Uh, yeah, tell you what. Do a
weather and ATC check, start listening in on ground control. </hi><hi
rend="bold"><hi rend="italic">J.A.R.V.I.S.:</hi></hi><hi rend="italic"
> Sir, there are still terabytes of calculations required before an
actual flight is... </hi><hi rend="bold"><hi rend="italic">Tony
Stark:</hi></hi><hi rend="italic"> Jarvis... sometimes you gotta
run before you can walk.</hi></note>.</l>
<l>That will take at least three hours.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l><hi rend="bold"><hi rend="italic">Ugh!</hi></hi></l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Friday">F.R.I.D.A.Y.</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>And <hi rend="bold"><hi rend="italic">you</hi></hi> have a date in an
hour.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>A date?</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Friday">F.R.I.D.A.Y.</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Dr. Amara Perera.</l>
<l>The lovely Sri Lankan biophysicist that you met at the Dubai Conference
for--</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Amara Perera.</l>
<l>Oh, I liked her.<note>Stark has a reputation in both the comics and the
movies as being a playboy. Though his title of playboy, at least in the
Marvel Cinematic Universe, seems a lot less deserved after the first Iron
Man film installment. Some fans even say that after Tony became Iron Man,
he had something of a reversed mid-life crisis, wherein he went on a
straight and narrow path instead of going off the rails like some other
middle-aged men do. Though Tony does refer to himself as a playboy in the
Avengers (2012) film when Steve Rogers AKA Captain America asks what
Stark would be without the Iron Man armor ("Take the suit away and what
are you?") and Tony responds with the iconic line of "genius,
billionaire, playboy, philanthropist". At this point in the comics, Tony
and Pepper are no longer together, something alluded to in Captain
America: Civil War, but then reconciled in Spider-Man:
Homecoming.</note></l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Friday">F.R.I.D.A.Y.</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Yes.</l>
<l>You'll be late soon.</l>
<l>Don't be late. Women do not find it cute.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Oh, like you know.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Friday">F.R.I.D.A.Y.</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>No woman on the planet Earth<note>It is actually canon in the comics that
Tony slept with non-human women, specifically Gamora, a member of the
Guardians of the Galaxy.</note> has <hi rend="bold"><hi rend="italic"
>ever </hi></hi>found it charming.</l>
<l>They call it strike one.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
</div>
<div n="3" type="frame">
<head rend="uppercase"><hi rend="bold">Conversation Between </hi><persName
ref="#Amara_Perera"><hi rend="bold">Amara Perera</hi></persName><hi rend="bold">
& </hi><persName ref="#Tony_Stark"><hi rend="bold">Tony
Stark</hi></persName><hi rend="bold"> in </hi><hi rend="italic"><hi rend="bold"
>Invincible Iron Man Vol. 1: Reboot</hi></hi></head>
<stage type="setting">This scene takes place in Amara Perera's office at the <placeName
ref="#Massachusetts_Institute_of_Technology">Massachusetts Institute of
Technology</placeName>, where she works. Tony Stark is an alumnus of the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which could bring up the point that we go back
to somewhere familiar from our past in times of turmoil. The biophysicist's office is
quite tidy and Tony Stark was easily able to find a space on her office floor to sit
himself down on, not taking the available chair at her desk.</stage>
<stage type="action">Before the excerpt begins, Dr. Perera is finishing up her work in
one of the MIT labratories and then begins her trek back to her office. She is seen
using fingerprint recognition software in order to unlock her office door, hence her
surprise when she stumbles across Tony Stark is dejectedly sitting on her floor.
Tony's body language is closed off, while Amara stands with her arms crossed somewhat
defensively, possibly due to the failed date that occurred earlier in this
compilation of comics. During their entire exchange, Tony stays on the floor and
Amara remains standing, essentially towering above him.</stage>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Don't scream, Amara...</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Amara_Perera">AMARA PERERA</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l><hi rend="bold"><hi rend="italic">Jesus!</hi></hi></l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Sorry.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Amara_Perera">AMARA PERERA</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Tony!</l>
<l>What are you doing in here?!</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>I wanted to talk to you.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Amara_Perera">AMARA PERERA</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>You could call or you could--Wait, how did you even get in here? There's a
security pad.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Oh, uh, sorry.</l>
<l>I let myself in.</l>
<l>But...cute security pad<note>Tony's mentality about the greatness of his
creations and their superiority over other technology is something that's
well deserved. He's not merely being cocky, he knows that his creations
are great, especially in comparison to some of his competition. Justin
Hammer, one of the villains in the second Iron Man film, produces
HammerTech (a supposed competitor of Stark Industries, but there's
honestly no competition) and here's some snarky dialogue between Rhodey
and Tony from that film: <hi rend="italic"><hi rend="bold">Tony
Stark:</hi> [Rhodey has just launched the "ex wife" weapon, which
bounces off Vanko with no effect] Hammer Tech? <hi rend="bold">Col.
James 'Rhodey' Rhodes:</hi> [Looks dejected] Yeah.</hi></note>.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Amara_Perera">AMARA PERERA</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>I was right next door in my lab.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>I would <hi rend="bold"><hi rend="italic">never</hi></hi> interrupt a
scientist in their church. Never.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Amara_Perera">AMARA PERERA</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>What happened to you?</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>I almost died tonight<note>Tony does have a lack of self-preservation at
times, especially illustrated when he was being held at gunpoint in the
third Iron Man film and was focused on Harley’s sister’s watch that he
was borrowing. Stark was told it was a limited edition Dora the Explorer
watch and it was his first priority that that watch made it out of this
in one piece so that he could return it to Harley Keener.</note>.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Amara_Perera">AMARA PERERA</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>I'm sorry.</l>
<l>Wait, don't you almost die a <hi rend="bold"><hi rend="italic"
>lot?</hi></hi><note>She's not wrong...</note></l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Yeah, but I don't much care for it.<note>Tony may seem flippant with this
statement, but both readers of the comics and viewers of the films can
tell the toll that being a superhero has taken on Tony. Robert Downey
Jr.'s portrayal in the first Iron Man film has a stark contrast to that
of the Tony Stark we see in later films. The portrayal of Stark that we
see in the first Iron Man film is that of a man who has been betrayed by
his "uncle" and essentially his last living relative, but throughout the
overall film you see his passion for creating the armor and his fierce
desire to help those in need, specifically people hurt by the illegal
trading of his company's weapons. As time progresses in the Marvel
Cinematic Universe, we see Tony become more and more disillusioned with
being a hero. That's not to say that Tony no longer wishes to help those
in need, its just that the real world begins to play a huge role. After
Tony Stark reveals he's Iron Man at the end of the 2008 film, he seems to
be "in the clear" more or less. But, once we see him again in the Iron
Man sequel, we see Tony struggling with palladium poisoning caused by his
arc reactor and exacerbated by using the Iron Man armor. J.A.R.V.I.S.
even points out the irony that the thing supposed to save his life is in
actuality killing him. In addition to palladium poisoning, Stark faces
pressure from the U.S. government and the United Nations in later films,
specifically when it comes to Captain America: Civil and the Sokovia
Accords. These accords are created in order to make superheroes and
vigilantes more accountable for the damage they cause when they try and
do good. These accords cause tension within the Avengers, and Tony, who
has inevitably been doing this superhero business the longest, is well
aware of the need for accountability. Stark himself experienced being
held accountable for his actions on a large scale, even before he was
officially Iron Man and saw that his weapons business was illegally
trading with terrorist organizations. Being accountable is a huge aspect
of being a superhero, though since it doesn't have the sexiness that many
other aspects have, it is often pushed to the side until it can no longer
be ignored.</note></l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Amara_Perera">AMARA PERERA</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>You came here to tell me you almost died running around in your suit of
armor that you put on specifically to get into fights with bad guys and
monsters?</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Well, when you put it that way, I sound insane.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Amara_Perera">AMARA PERERA</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>I'm sorry if I sound flip.</l>
<l>You've rattled me, coming in here like this.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>No, <hi rend="bold"><hi rend="italic">I'm</hi></hi> sorry.</l>
<l>I've been thinking about you all day, and...when the adrenaline subsided
from today's near-death experience...</l>
<l>(Which in itself is never easy...)</l>
<l>...I just wanted to see you.</l>
<l>I wanted to tell you I didn't run out on our date because you wouldn't kiss
me.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Amara_Perera">AMARA PERERA</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>I didn't think that.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Not even a little?</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Amara_Perera">AMARA PERERA</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Only a little.</l>
<l>Can I get you some tea?</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>I absolutely hate tea<note>Tony's love for coffee is canon in all forms of
his characterization. From the films, to the comics, and even in
fanfiction, Stark's science binges are always accompanied by a mug (or
even an entire pot) of coffee. Even DUM-E, one of Tony's bots, tries to
make coffee for his "father", but often adds in inedible ingredients he
finds within the workshop, such as motor oil.</note>.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Amara_Perera">AMARA PERERA</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Would you like some anyhow?</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Sure.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Amara_Perera">AMARA PERERA</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Don't you have other super hero friends<note>This could be referring to any
number of heroes within the Marvel Comics: Wasp, Captain America,
Princess Shuri, Bruce Banner, Hawkeye, Black Widow, and many more.</note>
that you can commiserate with when things like this happen?</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>In my line of work...there's always somebody with a much worse
story<note>Throughout both the films and the comics, Tony tries to use
his own struggle with grief and trauma in order to find solutions that
would benefit others as well. In the films, he even explicitly stated
that he wanted to stop the cycle of abuse and neglect that Howard
started.</note>.</l>
<l><hi rend="italic">"Oh man, I almost died tonight."</hi><note>This could be
literally referring to any superhero or anti-hero within the Marvel
universe.</note></l>
<l><hi rend="italic">"Yeah? I was almost eaten by Galactus."</hi>
<hi rend="italic">"Oh yeah? I died and was resurrected as my own
child."</hi></l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Amara_Perera">AMARA PERERA</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>And you found yourself thinking about me?</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>I might not actually have a lot of friends<note>While many believe that Tony
is constantly surrounded by friends, this didn’t really seem to be the
case in the second Iron Man film. Stark was dying of palladium poisoning
while simultaneously displaying signs of suicide (i.e. acting restless,
getting rid of his possessions, increasing the use of alcohol,
withdrawing, showing rage, etc.) but no one seemed to realize. Everyone
around him considered this to be normal and just saw these signs as Tony
acting out. In this second film, essentially the whole shtick is that
Tony’s too unstable and self-destructive to wear the suit, but then
people still go to his birthday party and drunkenly cheers him on as he
destroys his own home with the armor. People treat this as a amusement
park attraction and run close and try to snap photos, and his closest
friends just see this as him being difficult and just belligerent, but
aren't actually all that concerned for him.</note>.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Amara_Perera">AMARA PERERA</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>You do.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>I know a lot of people, but...</l>
<l>...People don't want to hear me talk about any of my problems
because--Well...</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Amara_Perera">AMARA PERERA</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>You're rich<note>While Tony is often thought of as the richest superhero,
often saddled with Bruce Wayne AKA Batman, he is actually not the
wealthiest comic book character in either the Marvel Universe or even DC
Comics. T'Challa AKA Black Panther is actually said to be worth about $90
trillion, which is vastly more than Tony's $12 billion net
worth.</note>.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>I can see their eyes glaze over.</l>
<l>I can hear the <hi rend="italic">"aw, poor baby."</hi></l>
<l>Like my problems aren't problems.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Amara_Perera">AMARA PERERA</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Money can't buy happiness? That is disappointing to hear.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Sorry to be the one to break it to you.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Amara_Perera">AMARA PERERA</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Maybe you don't know a lot of people that challenge you intellectually.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>A few. But they are very, I want to say--</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Amara_Perera">AMARA PERERA</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Cocky?</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Insane<note>This is referring to Doctor Doom, specifically for this
iteration of the comic, but could also be referring to Magneto, Madame
Hydra, and even the Trickster God Loki.</note>.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
</div>
<div n="4" type="frame">
<head rend="uppercase"><persName ref="#Tony_Stark"><hi rend="bold">Tony
Stark</hi></persName><hi rend="bold">'s Internal Monologue/Conversation Between
</hi><persName ref="#Friday"><hi rend="bold">F.R.I.D.A.Y.</hi></persName><hi
rend="bold"> & </hi><persName ref="#Tony_Stark"><hi rend="bold">Tony
Stark</hi></persName><hi rend="bold"> in </hi><hi rend="italic"><hi rend="bold"
>Invincible Iron Man Vol. 1: Reboot</hi></hi></head>
<stage type="setting">Tony Stark and the holographic version of F.R.I.D.A.Y. are seen
back in Tony's <placeName ref="#Workshop_of_Tony_Stark">workshop</placeName>. Again,
we see an additional view of the workshop, not seen in the first two excerpts. Tony
and F.R.I.D.A.Y. are surrounded with holograms and seem to be deep in discussion.
They seem to be standing on some sort of platform and are surrounded by cases
containing various versions of the Iron Man armor. The way that the armor is
displayed is reminiscent of a doll or bobblehead collector, a stark contrast to how
all the armors were bunch together and put against the wall in an earlier portion of
the comic.</stage>
<stage type="action">Tony's body language displays his frustration caused by not
understanding the two separate situations regarding Madame Masque and Doctor Doom.
F.R.I.D.A.Y. tries to keep him calm and focused while also simultaneously reminding
him of his other responsibilities aside from being a superhero. Tony looks
disgruntled throughout the entire excerpt and makes this more than known to
F.R.I.D.A.Y. both with what he says and with how he acts.</stage>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="false">
<l><persName ref="#Giuletta_Nefaria">Madame Masque</persName> is on a mad tear
power quest.</l>
<l>Biohack ninjas with no connections to anything and anyone are after her.</l>
<l>And now, if there are any more, and there's always more, they'll be after
me.</l>
<l><persName ref="#Doctor_Doom">Doctor Doom</persName> is up to completely
Un-Doom-like shenanigans and thinks we're best friends now.</l>
</said></p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Hey, <persName ref="#Friday">Friday</persName>, any <persName
ref="#Doctor_Doom">Doctor Doom</persName> sightings?</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Friday">F.R.I.D.A.Y.</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>I would have told you.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>I like asking.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Friday">F.R.I.D.A.Y.</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>We are getting reports that someone broke into the Tokyo Stark Tower.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>I see it.</l>
<l>And they completely scrambled all my fancy security systems to do so.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Friday">F.R.I.D.A.Y.</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>This happened a couple of days ago and the Tokyo Stark Tower Security Chief
is just filing the report now.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>A couple of <hi rend="bold"><hi rend="italic">days</hi></hi> ago? He can
file the report on his way out the door.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Friday">F.R.I.D.A.Y.</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Yes, sir.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Not for the break-in. For the ass-covering.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Friday">F.R.I.D.A.Y.</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>I got that.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Make sure everyone over there gets it, too.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Friday">F.R.I.D.A.Y.</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Oh, they will.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>And I want his accounts and house searched. And I want the entire building
inventoried.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Friday">F.R.I.D.A.Y.</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Already on it.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>I can't figure this out, Friday. Where is <persName ref="#Giuletta_Nefaria"
>Madame Masque</persName><note>It is canon in the comics that Tony slept
with Madame Masque: <hi rend="italic"><hi rend="bold">Charles
Xavier:</hi> Please tell me that this is not why we called this
meeting. <hi rend="bold">Tony Stark:</hi> No, actually— <hi
rend="bold">Stephen Strange:</hi> But she is. <hi rend="bold">Tony
Stark:</hi> Hey, I can top all of you. I slept with Madame Masque,
so… <hi rend="bold">Stephen Strange:</hi> I don’t know who that is.
<hi rend="bold">Namor:</hi> Who? <hi rend="bold">Tony Stark:</hi>
Metal face, kind of looks like Doctor Doom. <hi rend="bold"
>Namor:</hi> Why would you sleep with a woman who looks like Doctor
Doom? <hi rend="bold">Tony Stark:</hi> Okay, moving
on.</hi></note>?</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Friday">F.R.I.D.A.Y.</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Sometimes the simplest answer is the right answer.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>What is the simplest answer?</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Friday">F.R.I.D.A.Y.</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Oh, I have no idea.</l>
<l>You programed me to say that.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Well, take that phrase out of the program. That is entirely annoying of
me.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Friday">F.R.I.D.A.Y.</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>The good news is you get to put this away and come back to it.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Absolutely not.</l>
<l>This is everything until further notice.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Friday">F.R.I.D.A.Y.</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>No.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>No?</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Friday">F.R.I.D.A.Y.</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>You have St. Jude's in 45 minutes.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>I have a doctor's appointment?</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Friday">F.R.I.D.A.Y.</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>The children.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>I'm visiting sick kids?</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Friday">F.R.I.D.A.Y.</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>In 45 minutes.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>You'll have to bump it.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Friday">F.R.I.D.A.Y.</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>No.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>There's that <hi rend="italic">"no"</hi> again.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Friday">F.R.I.D.A.Y.</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>You told me no canceling this no matter what.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Well, now I'm telling you--</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker>PAST <persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName> HOLOGRAM</speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Listen, Tony, this is Tony from three days ago.</l>
<l>We're not canceling on the sick kids. You already bumped them three times
for the Avengers/Saving-The-World-Related emergencies, but...</l>
<l>I don't care if <persName ref="#Whiplash">Whiplash</persName>, <persName
ref="#Blackout">Blackout</persName> and <persName ref="#Paladin"
>Paladin</persName> magically fuse into one decent criminal
adversary...</l>
<l>...You are not canceling on these kids.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Okay.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker>PAST <persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName> HOLOGRAM</speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>I don't care if Thanos is marrying Pepper in Times Square and Justin Hammer
is giving the bride away. You do not cancel.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Okay.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker>PAST <persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName> HOLOGRAM</speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>I don't care if Scarlet Witch says "No More Tonys" and--</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l><hi rend="bold"><hi rend="italic">OKAY!!</hi></hi></l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
</div>
<div n="5" type="frame">
<head rend="uppercase"><hi rend="bold">Conversation Between St. Jude's Patients &
</hi><persName ref="#Tony_Stark"><hi rend="bold">Tony Stark</hi></persName><hi
rend="bold"> in </hi><hi rend="italic"><hi rend="bold">Invincible Iron Man Vol. 1:
Reboot</hi></hi><hi rend="bold"> & Tony Stark's Interactions with
</hi><persName ref="#Victor_von_Doom"><hi rend="bold">Victor von
Doom</hi></persName><hi rend="bold"> in </hi><hi rend="italic"><hi rend="bold"
>Invincible Iron Man Vol. 1: Reboot </hi></hi></head>
<stage type="setting">Tony is seen walking into St. Jude's Childrens Hospital in New
York. He walks into a treatment room of sorts and is greeted by a gaggle of sick
children and their parents. The majority of this excerpt takes place within that
treatment room, until Doctor Doom confronts Tony and they make their way onto the
rooftop of the hospital.</stage>
<stage type="action">Despite Tony's earlier reluctance to come to this event due to the
fact that he wanted to continue his investigations into Madame Masque and Doctor
Doom, he seems genuinely enthusiastic to be there with the kids. He banters and
smiles with the kids and acts like a proud father when some of his suits make an
appearance for the kids. His easy-going attitude and openness don't last long due to
the fact that Doctor Doom interrupts this session. Children are seen standing with
their parents, sitting on beds, and when the armors come out, investigating those and
standing closely.</stage>
<sp>
<speaker>ST. JUDE'S DOCTOR</speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>And here he is...</l>
<l>The Invincible Iron Man...<hi rend="bold"><hi rend="italic">Tony
Stark</hi></hi>.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Hey, kids!</l>
<l>Hi!</l>
<l>Hi!</l>
<l>Hi, guys...</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker>UNIDENTIFIED ST. JUDE'S PATIENT</speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Yay!</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker>MAX: ST. JUDE'S PATIENT</speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Wait! Where is it?</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Where is what?</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker>MAX: ST. JUDE'S PATIENT</speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>You know...</l>
<l>Cough it up.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l><hi rend="italic">"Cough it up?"</hi></l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker>UNIDENTIFIED PARENTAL FIGURE</speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Max...</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Cough <hi rend="bold"><hi rend="italic">what</hi></hi> up?</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker>MAX: ST. JUDE'S PATIENT</speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>The <hi rend="bold"><hi rend="italic">armor</hi></hi>, duh<note>The
interactions between Tony and Max are eerily reminiscent of the
conversations during <hi rend="italic">Iron Man 3 (2013)</hi> between
Tony and Harley Keener. Tony happens upon Harley when he breaks into his
family's garage with the Iron Man armor needing to repair it. Harley has
a great interest in the armor, even more so than Tony himself. Harley's
so interested in the armor that he even suggests changes to make: <hi
rend="italic"><hi rend="bold">Harley Keener:</hi> Anyways, I would
have added in, um, the retro... <hi rend="bold">Tony Stark:</hi>
Retro-reflective panels? <hi rend="bold">Harley Keener:</hi> To make
him stealth mode. <hi rend="bold">Tony Stark:</hi> You want a stealth
mode. <hi rend="bold">Harley Keener:</hi> Cool, right? <hi rend="bold"
>Tony Stark:</hi> That's actually a good idea. Maybe I'll build
one.</hi> In addition to this interaction with Harley, there's also a
moment wherein Harley accidentally breaks a finger off of the armor while
fiddling with it. He chastises Harley and you can almost see his thought
process and see that he realizes that he sounds like Howard. Realizing
this, he composes himself and tells Harley that it's okay and he'll fix
it. This chastisement is an almost parallel to scene in the second Iron
Man film wherein Tony watches old film footage of his father and sees his
father berating the younger version of himself for messing with a display
model.</note>.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Oh, the <hi rend="bold"><hi rend="italic">armor</hi></hi>.</l>
<l>You guys wanted to see the <hi rend="bold"><hi rend="italic"
>armor</hi></hi>.</l>
<l>Oh man, it's not here.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker>UNIDENTIFIED ST. JUDE'S PATIENT</speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>What?</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>It's being cleaned.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker>MAX: ST. JUDE'S PATIENT</speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>You didn't bring the <hi rend="bold"><hi rend="italic">armor</hi></hi>?</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker>UNIDENTIFIED ST. JUDE'S PATIENT</speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Who cleans it?</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>The car wash.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker>MAX: ST. JUDE'S PATIENT</speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>You're so lying.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker>UNIDENTIFIED PARENTAL FIGURE</speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Max.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>I like this kid.</l>
<l>Reminds me of a young Hulk<note>It is comically canon, though not stated in
the comics I’m transcribing, that Tony has seven doctorates. He and the
Hulk had the following conversation: <hi rend="italic"><hi rend="bold"
>Tony Stark:</hi> I’m getting weird readings. <hi rend="bold"
>Hulk:</hi> We’re not alone. <hi rend="italic">Tony Stark:</hi> I
want to say “no duh” but I have seven doctorates and that might be
beneath me and you’re a Hulk and you might squeeze me.</hi>
Ironically, Bruce Banner stated in <hi rend="italic">Thor: Ragnarok
(2017)</hi> that he also has seven doctorates.</note>.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker>MAX: ST. JUDE'S PATIENT</speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Dude, come on, where is it?</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>I didn't bring my armor.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker>UNIDENTIFIED ST. JUDE'S PATIENT</speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Awww...</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>I brought a <hi rend="bold"><hi rend="italic">bunch</hi></hi> of
them<note>This vast array of armors that Tony brings for the children
isn't something that we really see in the films until the third
installment of the Iron Man films. He dubs it the "Iron Legion", and
these armors are a product of Tony's tinkering. The creation of these
armors stems from Tony struggling with the attack on Manhattan in <hi
rend="italic">Avengers (2012)</hi> and dealing with the PTSD and
anxiety that he struggles with post-attack. He channels this anxiety he
feels into creating armor and tinkering, and if these work binges prevent
him from sleeping which means no nightmares, then Tony sees little issue
with it.</note>.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker>UNIDENTIFIED ST. JUDE'S PATIENT</speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l><hi rend="bold"><hi rend="italic">Yeah!</hi></hi></l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker>MAX: ST. JUDE'S PATIENT</speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l><hi rend="bold"><hi rend="italic">Yes!</hi></hi></l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker>UNIDENTIFIED ST. JUDE'S PATIENT</speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l><hi rend="bold"><hi rend="italic">Dude!</hi></hi></l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker>MAX: ST. JUDE'S PATIENT</speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l><hi rend="bold"><hi rend="italic">All right!</hi></hi></l>
<l>You're, like, my <hi rend="bold"><hi rend="italic">favorite</hi></hi>
Avenger.</l>
<l>I'm not just saying that because Spider-Man isn't here.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>You want to try one on?</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker>MAX: ST. JUDE'S PATIENT</speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>One what?</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>The armor.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker>MAX: ST. JUDE'S PATIENT</speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>I'm too small for that.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Hmm, you're right.</l>
<l>I'm just noticing how <hi rend="bold"><hi rend="italic">insanely</hi></hi>
short you are.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker>MAX: ST. JUDE'S PATIENT</speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>I'm eight<note/>.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Don't tell me your problems<note>This banter between the two, especially
Tony essentially speaking to Max like an adult and treating him as a
peer, again is just like the interactions between Harley and Stark in the
third film. <hi rend="italic"><hi rend="bold">Harley Keener:</hi> Admit
it, you need me. We're connected. <hi rend="bold">Tony Stark:</hi>
What I need is for you to go home, be with your mom, keep your trap
shut, guard the suit, and stay connected to the telephone, 'cause if I
call you, you better pick up. <hi rend="bold">Tony Stark:</hi> [about
to get in car] Can you feel that? We're done here. Move out of the way
or I'm gonna run you over. Bye, kid. [Tony gets in car, but Harley
continues to stand next to it. Tony rolls down window] <hi rend="bold"
>Tony Stark:</hi> I'm sorry, kid, you did good. <hi rend="bold"
>Harley Keener:</hi> So you're just gonna leave me here? Like my
dad? [Tony pauses] <hi rend="bold">Tony Stark:</hi> [Casually] Yeah.
[Tony pauses again] <hi rend="bold">Tony Stark:</hi> Wait, you're
guilt tripping me aren't you? [Harley buries head in coat] <hi
rend="bold">Harley Keener:</hi> [Innocently] I'm cold. <hi
rend="bold">Tony Stark:</hi> [Mimicking Harley] I can tell. You
know how I can tell? <hi rend="bold">Tony Stark:</hi> [Sarcastically]
Cause' we're connected! [Tony drives away] <hi rend="bold">Harley
Keener:</hi> [Normal voice] It was worth a shot.</hi> These
interactions could be like this for a few reasons. With the way that Tony
was raised and because of his genius intellect, he most likely wasn't
spoken to as the child he was and if he was, it wasn't for long. Or these
interactions, both in the comics and the film, could happen this way
because Tony recognizes kindred spirits in both boys and sees that
interest in the armor as something amazing, and he treats them as peers
for this reason.</note>.</l>
<l><hi rend="bold"><hi rend="italic">Armor!<note>While the armor does
transition Tony from businessman to superhero, there's something to
keep in mind. The hero is the man, the fragile thing of flesh and
blood and genius and courage, inside of the armor. The armor
doesn't fight all these battles on its own with Tony piloting it
from his workshop, he is inside the suit. A regular man trying his
best.</note> Reconfigure!</hi></hi></l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker>MAX: ST. JUDE'S PATIENT</speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Whoa...</l>
<l>Oh.</l>
<l>Man.</l>
<l>Can I<note>This cautiousness that Max exhibits after badgering Tony and that
awe-inspired look that he displays in the comics is just like Harley
Keener in the third film. Both boys are brash at times, but they still
feel awe-inspired by the armor and what it can do. Plus they both take
Tony down a few pegs by focusing on the Iron Man armor, and not so much
the genius billionaire. The following passage of text highlights the
feeling of disbelief that both boys feel when seeing the armor up close
for the first time. <hi rend="italic"><hi rend="bold">Tony Stark:</hi>
It's a... electromagnet. You should know. You've got a box of them
right here. [points at box on table] <hi rend="bold">Harley
Keener:</hi> What does it power? [Stark points the table lamp
toward the Mark 42 armor sitting on the couch] <hi rend="bold">Harley
Keener:</hi> Oh my God! [Harley approaches suit] <hi rend="bold"
>Harley Keener:</hi> That's... is that... Iron Man? <hi rend="bold"
>Tony Stark:</hi> Technically, I am Iron Man.</hi></note>?</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Hop in.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker>UNIDENTIFIED PARENTAL FIGURE</speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Is it safe?</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Sure.</l>
<l>It's safer <hi rend="bold"><hi rend="italic">in there</hi></hi> than it is
out here.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Speaking of which...</l>
<l>Friday?</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Friday">F.R.I.D.A.Y.</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Clear skies.</l>
<l>No sign of <persName ref="#Giuletta_Nefaria">Madame Masque</persName>...</l>
<l>No sign of ninjas...</l>
<l>No sign of Doctor--</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Oh, come on...</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Friday">F.R.I.D.A.Y.</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>--<persName ref="#Victor_von_Doom">Doom</persName>.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Victor_von_Doom">Doctor Doom</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>You can finish whatever this is you're doing...</l>
<l>I'll wait.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Are you <hi rend="bold"><hi rend="italic">kidding</hi></hi> me?</l>
<l><hi rend="bold"><hi rend="italic">Really?</hi></hi></l>
<l>In front of sick kids?</l>
<l>What <hi rend="bold"><hi rend="italic">are</hi></hi> you?</l>
<l>Oh, yeah, you're Doctor Doom. You're a <hi rend="bold"><hi rend="italic"
>complete tool</hi></hi>.</l>
<l>Friday?</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Friday">F.R.I.D.A.Y.</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Doom clearly has a hybrid of mystic power and tech that makes him <hi
rend="bold"><hi rend="italic">untraceable</hi></hi> to our system.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l><hi rend="bold"><hi rend="italic">Really?!</hi></hi></l>
<l>I swear to God, I liked you better when you were a masked<note>Fans of the
Fantastic Four films and comics know that Doctor Doom is often seen
donning a metal mask, a somewhat terrifying covering for his face
considering that there's only two slits for his eyes and one for his
mouth.</note>, maniacal maniac.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker>Doctor Doom</speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Maniacal maniac is redund--</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Rooftop<note>Tony needing to have the villain leave the vicinity of the
innocents, specifically children, and bring the attention to only himself
is something that is done within both the films and the comics. When
Harley Keener is taken by one of Aldrich Killian's armed goons, Stark
quickly tries to free Harley and turns the attention onto himself. This
self-sacrificing mentality is something that directly offsets his
apparent narcissim. If he was so narcisstic, would he even both being a
superhero?</note>. Now.</l>
<l>Why are you <hi rend="bold"><hi rend="italic">here?</hi></hi></l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker>Doctor Doom</speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Why are <hi rend="bold"><hi rend="italic">you?</hi></hi></l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Sick kids, you sick #$&#%!</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker>Doctor Doom</speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>If you want to help them, cure them.</l>
<l>You're not a clown, you're a scientist.</l>
<l>A robotic systems scientist, but still, technically, a scientist.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Why are you here?</l>
<l>What do you want from me?</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
</div>
<div n="6" type="frame">
<head rend="uppercase"><hi rend="bold">Conversation Between </hi><persName
ref="#Mary_Jane_Watson"><hi rend="bold">Mary Jane Watson</hi></persName><hi
rend="bold"> & </hi><persName ref="#Tony_Stark"><hi rend="bold">Tony
Stark</hi></persName><hi rend="bold"> in </hi><hi rend="italic"><hi rend="bold"
>Invincible Iron Man Vol. 1: Reboot</hi></hi></head>
<stage type="setting">Mary Jane Watson is seen sitting on a park bench in Central Park
in New York City. The entirety of this excerpt takes place within the park. Tony only
leaves the park after their conversation comes to a close, though that does end on
his terms.</stage>
<stage type="action">Mary Jane Watson is seen looking dejected and unsure of herself
while on the park bench. Her look of dejection continues throughout the beginning of
her conversation with Tony Stark and her mood doesn't seem to lift until Tony offers
her a job at Stark Industries. At that point she merely looks concerned and confused,
until she becomes accepting of Stark's antics and essentially rolls with it for the
time being. Tony keeps a respectable distance between himself and Mary Jane while
they're both seated on the park bench, a clear confirmation of his statements
regarding his lack of attraction to Watson.</stage>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Mary_Jane_Watson">MARY JANE WATSON</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="false">
<l>Super heroes.<note>Mary Jane Watson was present within the original
Spider-Man trilogy starring Tobey MacGuire. Spider-Man's love interest in
the reboot starring Andrew Garfield was actually Gwen Stacy. Finally the
reboot of the reboot, <hi rend="italic">Spider-Man: Homecoming
(2017)</hi> we saw a possible new love interest, Michelle Jones, who
says to call her "MJ" which is an homage to Mary Jane Watson. </note></l>
<l>Again.</l>
<l>Super--</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Hi.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Mary_Jane_Watson">MARY JANE WATSON</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="false">
<l>Oh, no.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Mary_Jane_Watson">MARY JANE WATSON</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>No.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>No what?</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Mary_Jane_Watson">MARY JANE WATSON</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Whatever this is. No.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>I'm Tony Stark<note>In the third Iron Man film, there is a flashback to 1999
and we Tony at a science conference in Bern. He wears a name-tag that
merely states "You Know Who I Am", funnily enough, this was also Robert
Downey Jr.'s biography on Twitter for a time.</note>.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Mary_Jane_Watson">MARY JANE WATSON</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>I know.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>I came by to say I'm sorry I messed up your club<note>In both the films and
the comics, Tony finds himself taking in "strays" so to speak. He takes
Peter Parker under his wing in <hi rend="italic">Captain America: Civil
War (2016)</hi> and subsequently taking Mary Jane Watson under his
wing in these comics as well. After taking these "kids" under his wing,
he immediately feels responsibility for them, just like a father would.
In the films, he tries to assist Peter Parker with his Spider-Man antics
and keep him safe by equipping him with a suit prepared for the worst
case scenario. When Mary Jane's club falls victim to Tony's battle with
Madame Masque, he feels responsible for this and tries to help in any way
that he can. Though he never makes it seem like he's giving out charity
or anything of that nature. Tony feeling responsible for one of his
"strays" is further shown in this dialogue from the Spider-Man film
starring Tom Holland: <hi rend="italic"><hi rend="bold">Tony Stark:</hi>
What if somebody had died? That's on you. What if you had died? That's
on me. I don't need that guilt on my conscience. I'm gonna need the
suit back. <hi rend="bold">Peter Parker:</hi> For how long? <hi
rend="bold">Tony Stark:</hi> For ever! <hi rend="bold">Peter
Parker:</hi> I'm nothing without the suit! Tony Stark: If you're
nothing without the suit, then you shouldn't have it.</hi> When Tony
takes away Peter's suit and he states "if you're nothing without the
suit, then you shouldn't have it!" This is an allusion to what Tony
learned in <hi rend="italic">Iron Man 3 (2013)</hi> when he was forced to
take on The Mandarin without the use of his armor. This is a further
illustration of how he wants Peter to be a better hero than Tony and he
wants Peter to learn from his mistakes.</note>.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Mary_Jane_Watson">MARY JANE WATSON</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Please tell me you didn't come here to hit on me at my lowest point.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>What? No.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Mary_Jane_Watson">MARY JANE WATSON</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Yes, you did.</l>
<l>That's what guys do.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Well, they do.</l>
<l>But that's not what this is.</l>
<l>First of all, I am seeing someone.</l>
<l>And, frankly, I'm not sure this is your lowest point.</l>
<l>If it is, congrats, it's not The-End-Of-The-World-Low.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Mary_Jane_Watson">MARY JANE WATSON</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Well, tell that to my soul.</l>
<l>Even if you offer to rebuild my club because you're a fancy billionaire, my
club-owning days are kablooey.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>I'm sorry.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Mary_Jane_Watson">MARY JANE WATSON</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>I can't--I can't recover from a P.R. nightmare like this<note>Tony, in both
the comics and the films, knows all about P.R. nightmares and he's
recovered (eventually), though he has definitely gained a reputation
because of those nightmares.</note>.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Either way, my insurance will cover the club. Damage control is already on
the case.</l>
<l>But I was wondering if you'd like a career change<note>In one iteration of
the Iron Man comics, Pepper Potts was a part of the secretarial pool of
Stark Industries, and gained Tony's attention by pointing out a grave
accounting error that would've cost the company millions. Stark felt that
something with an eye like hers should be his right hand (wo)man. In the
films, Pepper goes from being Stark's P.A. to eventually becoming CEO of
Stark Industries. Tony goes from wasting his life away to saving lives,
so it's safe to say he knows something about career changes.</note>.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Mary_Jane_Watson">MARY JANE WATSON</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Uh...</l>
<l>...I don't want to be Iron Man<note>In the first Iron Man film, Tony stated
that him being a superhero would be “outlandish and fantastic”, but he
doesn’t truly believe that he’s the type to actually be a hero and up
through <hi rend="italic">Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)</hi> he was vocal
about believing that he wasn’t worthy of being a superhero and he wants
Peter Parker to be a better superhero than he ever was. I personally
disagree with Tony on this point. Tony Stark is a hero. He took a nuclear
missile to space in <hi rend="italic">Avengers (2012)</hi> and believe
that he would die alone and in space. He suffered endlessly about the
consequences of what happened in Sokovia in <hi rend="italic">Avengers:
Age of Ultron (2015)</hi>. He lost Pepper Potts in <hi rend="italic"
>Captain America: Civil War (2016)</hi> because she couldn’t deal with
Tony being a hero and losing his life because of it. He found out that
Captain America knew the Winter Solider killed his parents and hid it
from him for years, only for it to be revealed and send Tony into a rage
because he watched his mother and her unborn child be murdered by Captain
America’s best friend.</note>.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Would you like to work for him?</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Mary_Jane_Watson">MARY JANE WATSON</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>In what capacity?</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>I know you can't tell by looking at me, but my life is, well, out of
control.</l>
<l>I need someone to organize it.</l>
<l>The important stuff that keeps slipping through the chaos cracks.</l>
<l>My charity stuff, my philanthropic stuff, my life goal stuff...</l>
<l>...Someone who is used to the crazy of the super hero world, someone who
could put a club like that together, and would whack a demon-possessed
master super villain in the back of the head with a microphone stand.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Mary_Jane_Watson">MARY JANE WATSON</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Is that what she was?</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>I have a super-awesome A.I.<note>In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Tony
coded an A.I. for Peter Parker that was deeply invested in the kid’s
well-being.</note> to handle all my genius/business stuff.</l>
<l>But my life, my brand, is in shambles.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Mary_Jane_Watson">MARY JANE WATSON</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Why me?</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>I felt bad about the club<note>While Tony began out in both the comics and
the films as someone who wasn't responsible and someone who didn't hold
themselves accountable for their actions, you can see the drastic change,
specifically with interactions such as these. Tony taking responsibility
for a fight he didn't start and the damage caused, while additionally
looking out for this young girl he doesn't even know and trying to give
her a second chance is quintessential Tony Stark. With Peter Parker in
the films and Mary Jane Watson in the comics, you can see that the poor
parenting on Howard Stark's behalf has resonated with Tony throughout his
entire life. This may seem like a reach to some, but I believe that
Howard's absent-at-best and abusive-at-worst parenting is always at the
back of Tony's mind and changes the way that he interacts with people,
specifically those he takes under his wings and is a father-figure to.
Whether it's Peter Parker or Mary Jane or even his A.I.s and the bots, he
acts in a way that will benefit his "kids" and shows that he cares, even
if it isn't in the conventional way.</note>.</l>
<l>I asked around about you and I hear you are the real deal.</l>
<l>I don't have to know exactly what your superhero connections<note>This is an
allusion to Mary Jane's past with Peter Parker AKA Spider-Man.</note>
are, but--</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Mary_Jane_Watson">MARY JANE WATSON</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>You're really not hitting on me?</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Does, like, everyone hit on you?</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Mary_Jane_Watson">MARY JANE WATSON</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Yes!</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Well, you used to be a model. I suppose it happens.</l>
<l>Think about it.</l>
<l>Offer is in your e-mail.</l>
<l>It's flattering.</l>
<l>Give it a try.</l>
<l>If you don't like the job or me, you can bail.</l>
<l>But you'll like me.</l>
<l>What's not to like?</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Friday">F.R.I.D.A.Y.</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Oh, I have a prepared list.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Tony_Stark">TONY STARK</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>Friday!</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Friday">F.R.I.D.A.Y.</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="true">
<l>You asked the question.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
<sp>
<speaker><persName ref="#Mary_Jane_Watson">MARY JANE WATSON</persName></speaker>
<p><said aloud="false">
<l>Super heroes<note>Many non-superhero characters within both the comics and
the films share this mentality. While initially knowing a superhero can
seem amazing, it quickly loses its allure. Mary Jane Watson, Gwen Stacy,
Happy Hogan, Pepper Potts, Agent Phil Coulson, Betty Ross, Agent Peggy
Carter, and even James Rhodes (at times).</note>.</l>
<l>Again.</l>
<l>I remain so completely and entirely screwed.</l>
</said>
</p>
</sp>
</div>
</body>
</text>
</TEI>
