Stark Industries (Earth-616)

Stark Industries (NYSE: SIA, NASDAQ: STRK) is an American global aerospace, defense, security and advanced technologies corporation with worldwide interests. Currently headquartered in its Manhattan offices,^[3] the company's current President and Chief Executive Officer is Tony Stark,^[9] direct descendant of the founder Isaac Stark Sr.^[14]

History

19th Century[]

The company's origins date back to the 19th Century, when Dr. Isaac Stark Sr. turned his manufacturing and engineering concern into a global industrial superpower, developing new technologies that helped to redefine innovative security measures for the industrial age.^[14] After Isaac Stark's death, the company passed through several hands, including his son Isaac Stark, Jr. and grandson Howard Stark, Sr.^[15]^[16]

20th Century[]

Stark Industries gained growing prosperity under the leadership of Howard Stark Senior's son, Howard Stark, Jr.,^[14] who had obtained full control of the company after his brother, Edward, had sold his shares.^[16] Appointed President of Stark Industries,^[20] Howard Stark successfully turned the company into the world leader in munitions development, while also branching out into several other scientific fields, including aeronautics, robotics, micro-technology and fringe science; since that, Stark Industries had its corporate offices in the portion of New York City's Queens borough located on Long Island.^[14]

Hercules was an initial investors in Stark Industries. The original investment was $100,000, but now when the size of the investment was calculated, a second line of zeroes was required.^[21]

In 1965,^[22] Howard Stark helped founding a global espionage agency named S.H.I.E.L.D., with Stark Industries providing weapons, munitions, technology and vehicles, including the agency's mobile headquarters, known as the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier.^[23]

Howard relied upon the genius of his adopted son, Anthony, for many of the company's advancements, even appointing him Vice President of Development. Tony, however, demonstrated little interest in Stark Industries' day-to-day management, and industrial rival Republic Oil & Gas Company, in order to have Tony selling them his shares, arranged for the death of Howard and Maria Stark in a car accident. Tony, sole heir to his father's assets, was promoted to President, taking full control of Stark Industries and refusing Republic Oil's selling offer.^[24]

Modern Age[]

Stark Industries (Earth-616) from Tales of Suspense Vol 1 48 001

Tony Stark then continued to aggressively develop new technologies and innovations, leading Stark Industries to become a major contractor for both corporate and government concerns. While personally overseeing the using of his manufactured munitions and weapons by the U.S. Army in the Middle East,^[25] Tony Stark was nearly killed by an exploding land mine; captured by some revolutionary terrorists, he was saved by scientist Ho Yinsen, a fellow prisoner. Stark then developed a suit of sturdy body armor that not only saved his injured heart, but also enabled him to escape imprisonment. Upon returning to the United States, Tony modified the crude battlesuit, ultimately building what would soon become the recognizable armor of Iron Man.^[26]^[25]

Back in the United States, Tony proudly kept Stark Industries running, employing Virginia 'Pepper' Potts as his personal Executive Assistant and ex-boxer Harold 'Happy' Hogan as chauffeur. Requiring the Iron Man Armor's chest plate (actually an Arc Reactor) to being kept alive, Stark introduced Iron Man as its bodyguard, starting to fund and finance the Avengers' activities (a superheroes group which he, as Iron Man, had founded), even setting his family's Manhattan manor as the Avengers' headquarters, known as the Avengers Mansion.^[24] Stark also maintained his father's contract with S.H.I.E.L.D., producing equipment, weapons and vehicles for the organization, eventually becoming part of its Supreme International Council as Head of Special Weapons Division.^[27]^[28]

Under Tony Stark's leadership, Stark Industries had several lucrative contracts with many financial institutions, but, despite his skill as an inventor and businessman, Stark's playboy image didn't sit well with many military and political figures, including senator Harrington Byrd, who frequently clashed with Tony over how he ran Stark Industries and performed under government contracts.^[29]

Stark International[]

After driving the company to new heights year after year, Tony Stark eventually suffered a crisis of conscience and declared that Stark would no longer produce weapons for S.H.I.E.L.D., the Government, or any other parties.^[30] As Stark Industries continued to change its public persona and strengthened the corporation's foreign interests, it became known as Stark International.^[31]

Stane International[]

As part of his ongoing efforts to destroy Tony Stark, Stark International Executive Obadiah Stane brought Stark to the edge of financial ruin. On top of the physical and psychological torments heaped upon him, Tony was eventually bought out by Stane, and Stark International was renamed in favor of its new owner.^[7]

Even after Obadiah Stane's downfall and death, Stane International remained a separate institution from Stark's companies. Justin Hammer covertly acquired control of Stane International for his own dealings until Iron Man forced him to turn the company and its assets back over to Stark.^[32]^[33]

Stark Enterprises[]

After dragging himself out of the bottle, Tony Stark briefly worked with James Rhodes and the Erwin siblings at a small California firm called Circuits Maximus. After Obadiah Stane killed Morley Erwin, and his sister Cly left to join AIM, Stark and Rhodes got to work rebuilding the Stark legacy. Tony soon reopened his business with a new corporation called Stark Enterprises, now based on the West Coast.^[18]

During the Stark Enterprises days, Tony learned that Stane International had been bought out by Justin Hammer, and forced the billionaire to sign the company back over to him. Unfortunately, Tony then became liable for countless shady business dealings Stane had been involved in.^[33]

Stark-Fujikawa[]

Upon Tony Stark's death, Stark Enterprises was bought out by Japanese firm Fujikawa Industries, and was renamed Stark-Fujikawa.^[34]

Stark Solutions[]

After he returned from the Heroes Reborn universe and reestablished his identity, Tony Stark considered trying to reacquire his old assets from Stark-Fujikawa. Ultimately, however, he chose to proceed with his own separate company called Stark Solutions, with a focus on troubleshooting-for-hire to other firms.^[6]

Stark suffered numerous setbacks after his Iron Man armor became sentient, giving him a case of "techno-phobia" where he relied upon older armor versions instead of creating a new one. He also suffered considerably in the public eye thanks to a media smear campaign initiated by his former friend, Tiberius Stone. After fighting with Stone in the virtual reality DreamVision, Stark retired from the public eye. He dismantled Stark Solutions and gave away his assets to the Avengers or the Maria Stark Foundation.^[35]

Stark Returns[]

Tony Stark eventually returned to work with the assistance of Trevor Donahue. Another industrialist and target of Tiberius Stone, Donahue passed away and left his company and personal fortune to Tony Stark. Stark used these assets and Donahue Development factories to restart Stark Enterprises.^[36] It was also alleged that Stark's previous actions giving away his fortune were the result of a subliminal message implanted in his brain by Stone's DreamVision, although never conclusively proven.^[37]

When Rumiko finally learned the truth about Tony Stark's relationship with Iron Man, she came to understand the behavior that led to their separation. As reparation, she convinced her grandfather to sell Tony 49% interest in Stark Industries while Fujikawa retained 49% as well. The remaining 2% was in Rumiko's hands, but she willingly gave it back over to Tony without any strings.

As a result, Tony Stark once again possessed both the names and assets of all his previous companies: Stark Industries, Stark International, and Stark Enterprises.^[38]

Dark Reign and Downfall[]

After numerous terrorist attacks perpetuated by Ezekiel Stane, Stark was forced to use an EMP which incapacitated Stane's tech and Stark's own.^[39] The company suffered heavy losses,^[40] including the research, development, design, and manufacturing hubs.^[11]

In the wake of Norman Osborn's "Dark Reign," Tony made Pepper Potts the CEO and COO of the company, who sold off everything she could, so Stark Industries existed "as a corporate entity on paper only."^[11] When Tony Stark returned into the action, he founded a new company: Stark Resilient.^[41] He later passed the reins of the organization to Pepper Potts when he was being targeted by the Mandarin for the sake of the safety of the company's staff.^[42]

Return of Stark Industries[]

After Tony's moral axis became inverted by a magic spell gone wrong in the end of the conflict known as World War Hate,^[43] he targeted the city of San Francisco for the release of a commercialized version of the Extremis virus. The product's launch became the cornerstone of a new Stark Industries.^[44] Months later, and following the return of normalcy for Tony's morality, the company crashed meteorically as a result of mismanagment due to Tony's superheroic endeavors.^[45] The stocks of the company struggled for months afterwards,^[4] falling to a nearly 15-month low.^[46] The assets of the company were under siege by the Board of Directors following Stark's disappearance for an undercover mission, which harmed the company even further.^[47] Despite Tony's evenutal return, the Board of Directors remain extremely dissatisfied.^[48]

Not long afterwards, Tony Stark fell into a coma due to injuries sustained in battle.^[49] The reins of the company fell in the hands of Tony's biological mother Amanda Armstrong, but she delegated the duties of management to Tony's A.I. assistant Friday. Around this time, the shares of the company rose from the all-time low.^[50] The chairman of the Board of Directors, Eric Lynch, rallied the other members to remove Amanda from the position of President.^[51] Following the disappearance of Tony Stark's comatose body, Lynch led the take-over of the company and nominated himself to become the new director of the company.^[3] However, Lynch was approached by rising crime boss The Hood, who believed there was a connection between Tony Stark's disappearance and the heroic endeavours of Victor von Doom, who had taken up the mantle of Iron Man.^[10] Before The Hood could coerce Lynch into handing him over his share of the company, Robbins and his criminal army were attacked by an army of Doombots commanded by Doom, as well as the recently-resurfaced Tony Stark and War Machine.^[9] In the aftermath of Lynch's attempted takeover, Tony set up a new company called Stark Unlimited,^[52] which absorbed Stark International, Stark Solutions, Stark Resilient and several other Stark companies as corporate subsidiaries.^[1]

Executives and Staff[]