The Iron Man trilogy is largely credited with kicking off the Marvel Cinematic Universe as it is known today, featuring a number of iconic characters ripped straight out of the pages of the comic books that have become major players in the larger franchise even over a decade later.
While many fans may be intimately more familiar with the cinematic versions of these characters, their origins in Marvel Comics prove to be supremely interesting, as many of them date back to the ’60s and ’70s, when the comic book world was in its prime.
Aldrich Killian – 2004
Guy Pearce stars as the primary antagonist of Iron Man 3, Aldrich Killian, who may not have had the greatest plan compared to other MCU villains, but still managed to nearly defeat the titular superhero before his plans were eventually foiled.
Despite his prominent role in Iron Man 3, Killian is not a major villain in the comics. The character first appeared as late as 2004, in the first issue of Iron Man (Volume 4), acting as a co-creator of the Extremis project, as seen in the film. This would be the only appearance of the character in comic books, however, as he was killed off at the end of the issue.
JARVIS – 1964
In the MCU, JARVIS is Tony Stark’s AI butler, voiced by Paul Bettany, who would go on to be given new life as the synthezoid Avenger, Vision. However, as revealed in Agent Carter, Edwin Jarvis was also the name of Howard Stark’s butler, who made a cameo appearance in Avengers: Endgame, played by James D’Arcy.
Edwin Jarvis has been a longtime staple of Iron Man comics, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #59 in 1964. In the time thereafter, Jarvis would not only serve as Tony Stark’s butler, but often as the butler to the Avengers as a whole, intimately tied to their superhero affairs.
Ivan Vanko – 2006
Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke) is the son of a former colleague of Howard Stark who vows revenge on the entire Stark family after his father’s betrayal and subsequent exile. Acting as the primary antagonist of Iron Man 2, Vanko takes on traits resembling the comic book supervillain Whiplash.
While the character of Ivan Vanko is original to the MCU, his alter-ego of Whiplash is a moniker held by a member of the Thunderbolts, a team organized of (somewhat) reformed supervillains. The comic book Whiplash makes her first and only appearance in Thunderbolts #104 in 2006, just four years before Vanko would appear in the MCU.
Phil Coulson – 2011
Clark Gregg made his first appearance in the original Iron Man film as SHIELD agent Phil Coulson, who would go on to be a major player in the first phase of the MCU, and subsequent appearances on the spinoff television series Agents of SHIELD. Just two years after the series finale, Coulson remains one of the many characters from Agents of SHIELD that fans desperately want to see return in the MCU.
Phil Coulson was a character uniquely created for the MCU, but he would retroactively be added to Marvel’s prime universe, Earth-616, in 2011. The character made his comic book debut in Battle Scars #1, where his identity was hidden behind the moniker “Cheese,” before he was eventually revealed to be Phillip Coulson five issues later.
Obadiah Stane – 1968
Jeff Bridges portrays the very first Big Bad of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Obadiah Stane, the Iron Monger. This one-shot supervillain was Tony’s mentor and father figure after the death of Howard Stark, who was eventually revealed to be selling Stark Enterprises weaponry to terrorist organizations.
Obadiah Stane made his first appearance in Marvel Comics in Iron Man #163, where he took on the moniker of Iron Monger as a means to defeat his competitor Tony Stark. He would remain a thorn in Tony’s side until his death in Iron Man #200.
Nick Fury – 1963
Fourteen years after his first appearance in the post-credit scene of Iron Man, Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury remains a staple of the MCU. The character has been a fan favorite among film fans from the very beginning, sparking plenty of intrigue around his largely mysterious life, indicating to some that the character has perhaps been a Skrull imposter all along.
Nick Fury has a long and storied history in Marvel Comics, dating all the way back to 1963, where he first appeared in Sgt. Fury #1. However, the version that fans are more familiar with today is actually the son of the original Fury, Nick Fury Jr. Modeled to resemble Samuel L. Jackson, who famously played the character for the MCU, this version of Fury first appeared in 2011’s Battle Scars #1 under the pseudonym of “Marcus Johnson,” not revealed as Nick Fury until issue #6.
James Rhodes – 1979
James “Rhodey” Rhodes is Tony Stark’s best friend and Stark Enterprises’ liaison to the United States Armed Forces. Played by Terrence Howard in Iron Man and Don Cheadle for all subsequent MCU appearances, Rhodey, a.k.a. the War Machine, has become an extremely important character to the franchise.
War Machine is a central character in the MCU, though fans must turn to the comics to truly understand James Rhodes. The character would first appear in Iron Man #118, acting as a close friend of Tony Stark. The character would go on to serve a stint as Iron Man himself in the early ’80s, including in the original “Secret Wars” event. It wouldn’t be until Avengers West Coast #94 in 1993 that Rhodey would take on the mantle of War Machine.
Happy Hogan – 1963
Happy Hogan is Tony Stark’s chauffeur and eventual head of security at Stark Enterprises. Played by Jon Favreau, the director of the first two Iron Man films, the character has since outgrown the standalone franchise, making appearances in each of the MCU’s Spider-Man films so far, long after Favreau exited the franchise as a director.
Harold “Happy” Hogan made his debut in the early ’60s as part of Tony Stark’s classic team of employees in Tales of Suspense #45. The character would serve as one of Stark’s closest confidants for several decades until his death amidst the Superhero Civil War in Iron Man (Volume 4) #14.
Pepper Potts – 1963
Gwyneth Paltrow portrays Pepper Potts, Tony Stark’s personal assistant and future wife. Over the course of the films, Pepper eventually becomes the CEO of Stark Enterprises, a title which she apparently still holds to this day, as indicated in Spider-Man: Far From Home. The character also briefly adopted the superhero role of Rescue in the final battle of Avengers: Endgame.
Like many of Tony Stark’s closest associates, Pepper Potts makes her first comic book appearance in Tales of Suspense #45 in 1963. The character would be a major player in the Iron Man storyline for years, including taking on her own superhero persona, Rescue, in 2009’s Invincible Iron Man (Volume 2) #10.
Tony Stark – 1962
Tony Stark, a.k.a. Iron Man, is the very first superhero the audience meets in the MCU, who acts as a founding member of the Avengers. Played brilliantly by Robert Downey Jr., the character would arguably go on to become the most important character in the entire franchise, appearing in ten films over the course of eleven years.
Anthony “Tony” Stark made his first appearance in the now-iconic 1962 comic book Tales of Suspense #39, featuring an origin not too different from that seen in the MCU. The character would appear in several more issues of this ongoing series before receiving his own self-titled series in 1968.
