Tony Stark

Tony Stark is, perhaps, the greatest mechanical engineer in the world. He is also the superhero known as Iron Man.

Anthony 'Tony' Edward Stark was born May 29, 1970. His parents were the Southhampton philanthropist Maria Stark nee Carbonell and her husband, billionaire industrialist Howard Stark.

From a young age Tony was a remarkable prodigy. He attended MIT at age 15 and graduated with dual degrees in mechanical engineering and physics in three years. A stint at Cambridge followed where Tony finished his terminal degrees in Mechanical and Electrical engineering, and picked up an MS in physics.

Following Cambridge Tony became a social dilettante, engaging in thrill-seeking activity and creating a reputation as a alcohol-besotted playboy. Reality crashed into him in 1995 when his parents were killed in a vehicle accident. Tony became the CEO of Stark Enterprises and ushered it into the 20th century.

In 2005, Tony was kidnapped by armed insurgents while touring the Middle East as part of a military arms promotion circuit. During the kidnapping he was wounded by shrapnel. It penetrated his atrial sac and severed several nerves, partially paralyzing his heart. Another prisoner, a surgeon named Yensen, helped install a portable arc reactor-powered pacemaker to keep the radiation contained and prevent the fragments from slipping into his heart.

While in captivity Tony constructed a suit of mechanized armor using scrap metal parts. He used this to escape, though Yinsen died during the attempt. Once back in the United States he refined the Iron Man armor into the Mk II design, which became the basis for dozens of suits over the following years.