Tony Stark is no Superman Tony Stark is Iron Man, but he wasn’t always the high flying supersonic hero we all know. Before becoming Iron Man, Tony was a self-centered, alcoholic playboy billionaire. He was also a genius that accomplished more than most children will attain in their lifetime. At the age of four Tony built his first circuit board, when he was seven he assembled his first engine. He also graduated with top honors from MIT at the age of seventeen. It was technology and his brilliant mind that brought us the super-hero we know as Iron Man. Iron Man is a picture of how advanced the world is in the 21st century unlike the Superman of Smallville. Superman was as Gary Engle says in his essay “What Makes Superman So Darned American” an immigrant and an orphan after his parents rocketed him to earth before his home planet of Krypton exploded. Superman, soon to be known as Clark Kent, the name given to him by the farmer who found him, was born with his super powers. Super human strength, the ability to fly and his super senses were all he needed to battle crime and evil in the 20th century. In the 21st century we have all kinds of computerized luxuries that will do just about anything people need them to do. GPS for example, satellites can give us our exact location at any given time, give us directions, and even track packages we are expecting. The advanced technologies haven filtered into our super-heroes. The improved conquers of the world have changed so much that they seem to have forgotten how real American icons should act. In the 20th century, Superman was a real American icon that had two alter-egos. Clark Kent, the first character, who was a very quiet, awkward newspaper reporter would never approve of Starks eccentric behavior. Superman, the second alter-ego was indulgent, he used only the amount of force necessary to combat crime and evil, unlike Ironman who uses his high tech weapons in excess. It was this narcissistic attitude that almost ended Tony Stark’s life. Tony was known as a ‘merchant of death’ as he was called by a woman doing an interview on him for a magazine. He was always making comments about supremacy, “the one with the biggest stick is the strongest, and the best weapon is not the one that never has to be fired, I say it is the one you only have to fire once”, referring to the atom bomb that was dropped on Japan, since it was the only weapon that America used only one time .While in a convoy leaving a weapons demonstration in Afghanistan he also made the statement that “peace would put him out of a job”. It was during that ride that the convoy was attacked by terrorist, who as Stark would soon find out were using weapons he himself had designed and built, and were now using them against him. After almost being killed, it was technology and his genius mind that would save his life. The terrorists captured Tony and took him to a cave where he was saved by Ho Yinsen, who was a prominent physicist that Tony had met once before, but was too drunk to remember. Yinsen who was also a captive, built an electro-magnet hooked to a car battery and inserted it into Tony’s chest to keep the shrapnel from entering into his heart and killing him, after all he is only human. Superman on the other hand had no qualms about being killed or injured by weapons, he was the man of steel, even his alter-ego, Clark Kent couldn’t be harmed by conventional weapons. The only thing that could hurt Superman was kryptonite, a piece of his own planet, although going up against today’s technological weapons may be a different story. The high tech weapons are what the terrorists are after, they wanted to force Tony to build the Jericho Missile for their use. Tony started to realize that the weapons he was making was not a good thing and promises to only do good for mankind. He begins to plan an escape but the only problem is he is attached to a car battery. The genius uses the Jericho Missile Parts and creates an Arc Reactor to power the electromagnet that was keeping the shrapnel out of this heart instead of the battery. He also created a suit of armor to aid him in his escape. The suit that he made is what Iron Man uses for his armor and to fly. During the escape Ho Yinsen was killed holding back the terrorist giving Stark enough time to charge his suit. Tony made it out of the hands of his kidnappers and crashes in the hot desert of Afghanistan, his is destroyed so he begins walking leaving it behind. He is rescued by his best friend Colonel James Rhodes and other Army members and is taken back to the United States. The overwhelming capture took such a toll on Tony that he need a couple of months to recover. After the short recovery Stark immediately built a new and improved Arc Reactor to replace the original with help from J.A.R.V.I.S. his computerized creation that Tony had developed. J.A.R.V.I.S. also helped him develop a new Iron Man suit with even more high-tech devices than before. Superman didn’t have the ability to change in the 20th century, but neither did his enemies. In the 21st century our super-heroes must to keep up with the threats that plague America and the world. We have to be vigilant, not knowing who our enemies and allies are.

Tony Stark worst enemy was the man his father trusted to work alongside him and take over his company until Tony was old enough to take over the company, Obadiah Stane. Obadiah was jealous of Tony he thought he should have been given total control of the company instead of running it and giving it to Tony. Obadiah Stane was the man who set up Tony’s capture. Stane got the original suit from the terrorist that had retrieved it from the desert and brought it back to the U.S. Stane wanted control so bad that he stole Starks new rebuilt Arc Reactor out of his chest and left him to die. J.A.R.V.I.S. saved Tony Stark using his old Arc Reactor that he had given to his assistant Pepper Potts. Obadiah was a villain much different than Superman’s enemies. Superman protected Metropolis from bank robbers, communist, and evil villains who wanted to take over the world. Tony defeats Obadiah in the end. Both super heroes were out to change the world but what would a super hero be without a beautiful woman by their side? Lois Lane was Superman’s lady even though she was in love with him, it was Clark Kent who adored Lois Lane. Clark Kent kept his identity hidden from Lois and she had no clue he was the dashing superhero she was trying to get so close to. Iron Man on the other hand had no problem letting everyone know about who he was. Iron Man’s was Pepper Pots, his ling time assistant. She took care of every aspect of Tony’s life.

Iron Man like Superman faces many encounters with different villain’s, but unlike Superman Iron Man is not an Alien he is human that when too much is put on a humans shoulders eventually something will give or break. Tony has had an affair with a woman which Superman would never do, and seems to let thing get to him instead of working them out. Both men and super heroes did have women that they adored and helped them through anything. Lois Lane was in love with Super Man and Clark Kent who kept his real identity hidden was in love with Lois Lane. Lois Lane worked with Clark Kent and was always trying to get close to Superman. If she only knew that Clark Kent the wimpy newspaper man who always knew everything about the love of her life was Superman. Iron Man revealed that he was Iron Man a couple of months after his return from being captured and eventually falls in love with his assistant Pepper Potts. Pepper has help Tony before and after he became Iron Man. Superman and Iron Man are very different in many ways. Superman is humble and Ironman is very arrogant.