Iron Man is a hero that has had many ups and downs in his life. While he’s always come out on top, there’s one villain he shouldn’t ever fully beat.
WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Iron Man # 18, now on sale from Marvel Comics. This article also contains mentions of addiction and substance use disorder.
Part of what has made superheroes such an endearing and relatable aspect of the world doesn’t come from their abilities or the colorful villains they’ve fought. Instead, it’s from the flaws they’ve had and how some of these characters overcame them. Some examples can be seen in characters like Spider-Man or Daredevil, who have constantly been put in positions that should’ve beaten them down but have instead made them stronger. But perhaps the most relatable in the past few decades has been Tony Stark, whose greatest enemy for years has been himself. Even though he has faltered, it’s imperative that he has continued to fight.
For decades, Tony has dealt with the consequences of his addictive personality. As explored in Iron Man #18 (by Christopher Cantwell, Lan Medina, Frank D’Armata, and VC’s Joe Caramagna), Tony’s addictive qualities were born from a need to consistently make his father proud. He wanted to be remembered for all the good he’d done and to finally expel the demon that took the form of his father’s lingering shadow. But as he hid behind the armor, his vices only grew as he found it harder to escape the shade of expectations.
This eventually led to Tony’s first bout with addiction, alcoholism. Exacerbated by a villainous plan to discredit him, Tony quickly succumbed to his constant drinking habits, which eventually made him unfit to pilot the armor and be Iron Man. But even though his addiction nearly beat him down, he got back up and rose above his vices. This served as a transformative experience for his soul and guided him through more decades of heroism. While he still made mistakes in the future, his constant desire to get back up proved an even more defining quality.
Since then, Tony has continued to endure victories and defeats, but his latest bout with Michael Korvac had nearly broken him again as he was formed to remain in the armor with a broken neck. Dosing himself with morphine to counteract the pain, he eventually developed a dependency on the painkiller. When he achieved Godhood via the Power Cosmic, he found himself on two extremes of heroism and temptation. When he was brought back from the edge, thanks to Patsy Walker, Tony was left to his own devices and forced himself to face his consequences. However, once the morphine withdrawals hit, even he couldn’t have expected what came next.
Tony’s personal battles have left him in positions where he’s barely survived, but he’s always found a way to get back up. He recognized that it was a vicious cycle on his part, but he never once felt he could succumb to the vices he leaned on. It’s important for him to keep fighting as his mind and his pureness as an individual are the reason so many look up to him. But his flaws and humanity have also kept him grounded and able to see that things are, more often than not, bigger than him. Because of this, he’s shown consistently that he has to fight because people need him, and deep down, he needs them.
Tony Stark is a flawed hero who knows that he has demons he may never completely shake. But for decades, he’s kept them at bay and was always there when it counted most to stop the threats that could potentially lead to the end of everything. Inadvertently, he’s become something of an inspiration to others dealing with their own personal demons, and every time he’s fought them off, he’s added fuel to the larger fire for others to do the same. While Iron Man has shared space with icons, Gods, and the personification of reality, his personal battles and perseverance have made him the most human of them all.
For more information about substance use disorder, visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website at samhsa.gov. If you or someone you know is struggling with substance use disorder, you can find treatment options by visiting FindTreatment.gov or by calling 1-800-662-HELP.
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