Tony Stark got his start back in 1963 when co-creator Stan Lee hatched an idea for yet another different type of hero.

"I think I gave myself a dare. It was the height of the Cold War. The readers, the young readers, if there was one thing they hated, it was war, it was the military.

“So I got a hero who represented that to the hundredth degree. He was a weapons manufacturer, he was providing weapons for the Army, he was rich, he was an industrialist.

“I thought it would be fun to take the kind of character that nobody would like, none of our readers would like, and shove him down their throats and make them like him... And he became very popular."

That he did. Roughly based on loon tycoon Howard Hughes and arriving in Tales Of Suspense issue 39, Iron Man was a product of Lee, writer Larry Lieber, story artist Don Heck, and cover-artist/character-designer Jack Kirby.

While he debuted in his clanking metal suit, his costume quickly changed to the Mark III that is most usually associated with his character.

Despite his status as a “second-tier” Marvel character (not as well known as the likes of Spider-Man or The Fantastic Four), Iron Man nevertheless was a hot property for a long time in Hollywood. Here’s his journey to the screen…