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1st appearance of Iron Man (Tony Stark) w/ origin; Jack Kirby cover; Steve Ditko art; COMIC BOOK IMPACT rating of 10 (CBI)


Tales of Suspense #39 became an instant classic collectible with the first appearance of Iron Man in 1963. "Iron Man is Born!" has playboy munitions tycoon Tony Stark jaunting off to Vietnam, only to be wounded and taken captive by the enemy — before escaping by constructing an armored battle suit. (The suit's magnetized arc reactor also slows the approach of some shrapnel inching toward Stark's heart.) This same story would become a major part of the Iron Man film that launched Marvel Studios in 2008.

At the time, there was a lot of doubt about how Iron Man would play in theaters. The character was really one of the few options left to Marvel after they'd licensed Spider-Man, the X-Men, and more heroes to other studios. (Marvel even had to buy the rights to Iron Man back from New Line Cinema.) Robert Downey Jr.'s popular portrayal would ground the massive success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Now collectors are seeing renewed interest in both Iron Man and Tony Stark after the announcement that Robert Downey Jr. was returning to the MCU as Dr. Doom — in both the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.
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