In Marvel's phenomenally successful (and constantly tardy) Civil War mega-event, Iron Man is the defacto leader of the sinister forces supporting a government registration of superhumans (seen here palling around with the evil Baron Zemo). Despite Marvel's initial claims of a balanced presentation of the two sides, Iron Man is clearly being set up for a switch to the Dark Side as Civil War lurches into its final act.
However, is Iron Man's villainous turn a wildly uncharacteristic demolition of an otherwise sterling hero...or actually the fruition of seeds of evil planted years ago by creators Stan Lee and Jack Kirby?
Well, I initially thought it was the first option, assuming that Iron Man was being thrown under the bus to play the part of "Scary Right-Wing Caricature" in writer Mark Millar's pseudo-political puppet show. Now, after coming across these shocking panels from Avengers #7 (1964), I realize that Tony Stark (in addition to being an icky millionaire) is a cigarette smoker!
Don't believe me? Check out the panels in question,
both completely original and unaltered:
Yup. There he is. Tony Stark......supporter of Big Tobacco, casual generator of second-hand smoke, and completely oblivious to the staggering irony of smoking while he "recharges his life-giving chest device"!
Now that I know this shocking secret from Marvel's Silver Age past, it's no wonder Tony Stark became the goose-stepping government stooge he is today!
![](http://<a href="http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit?url=<$BlogItemPermalinkUrl$>&title=<$BlogItemTitle$>"> <img border=0 src="https://comiccoverage.typepad.com/stumbleupon.gif" alt="StumbleUpon Toolbar"> Stumble It!</a>){kind=link}
Captain America smoked too. Captain America #110, page 2 (Steranko art):
http://www.littlestuffedbull.com/temp/capsmokes.jpg
Posted by: Bully | January 10, 2007 at 07:42 PM
Ahh...but that's just a pipe, which many superheroes of that time smoked occasionally. But Tony Stark smoked cigarettes....an utter abomination to our health-conscious overlords!
In other words....PURE EVIL!
Posted by: Mark Engblom | January 10, 2007 at 10:27 PM
Reed Richards smokes a pipe.
The Red Skull smokes cigarettes.
Therefore: Pipe smoking is rad while cigarette smokers are Nazis.
Science doesn't lie, folks.
Posted by: Jeff Rients | January 11, 2007 at 10:16 AM
I wasn't going to play the science card just yet, but I thank Jeff for stepping to the plate and telling it like it is.
Posted by: Mark Engblom | January 11, 2007 at 12:32 PM
I don't think we wanna be currently using Reed Richards as a paragon a virtue and right.
Generally, though, I'd support this scientific generalization:
Cigarettes=evil agenda
Pipe=down-home sensibility
Cigar=takes no guff
Give me stogie-munchin' Ben Grimm, Nick Fury, or Logan anyday.
Posted by: Bully | January 11, 2007 at 06:55 PM
So where does that leave the snuff-chewers like the Rhino and Baron Mordo?
Posted by: Mark Engblom | January 11, 2007 at 09:15 PM
So where does that leave the snuff-chewers like the Rhino and Baron Mordo?
Excellent dancers.
Posted by: Bully | January 12, 2007 at 08:37 PM
Stan and Jack weren't old Shell Head's lone creators. Don't sell short Stan's brother Larry and Don Heck.
Posted by: Mat | March 12, 2007 at 02:10 AM
ehh iron man is still a hero no matter what
Posted by: nick | June 06, 2007 at 10:59 PM
eh iron man still a hero no matter what he does
Posted by: nick | June 06, 2007 at 11:02 PM