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Quote1 Son, your school tests may prove you're a genius, but you act like an idiot! Quote2
Howard Stark[src]

Howard Stark[1] was an American inventor, scientist, engineer and industrialist. The founder and CEO of Stark Industries.[4] Howard worked on various government projects during World War II, including the Manhattan Project.[5] Howard married Maria Carbonell and had a son, Tony Stark. Howard helped found S.H.I.E.L.D. inspired by the ancient Brotherhood of the Shield.[6] Howard had a tough relationship with his son, having high hopes that Tony would change the world.[7] Howard and Maria were killed in a car accident and left everything to their son.[8]

History

Early Life[]

Howard Stark was born and raised in Richford, New York the son of Howard Stark, Sr. He grew there with his brother Edward. He was a brilliant engineer and industrialist. He and his own father worked on various projects, and later founded Stark Industries.[9]

WWII[]

During World War II, the Red Skull abducted Howard and his then-wife, and tortured him to gain information about the Manhattan Project. They were later rescued by Captain America and the Howling Commandos.[5]

S.H.I.E.L.D

An agent of the Brotherhood of the Shield with Nathaniel Richards

Brotherhood of the Shield[]

In 1951, Howard Stark became an agent for a mysterious organization called the Brotherhood of the Shield, an ancient secret society of intellectuals led by Sir Isaac Newton.[10] The group had protected the human race from threats for centuries.[11] His first mission, with scientist Dr. Nathaniel Richards, was to track down the recently resurfaced Nikola Tesla and retrieve his forever machines, as well as Newton's superhuman son, Leonid. Richards killed Tesla, although it was by accident; the two agents found Leonid in 1953 and they took the young man to the Immortal City under Rome.[11][12]

Howard Stark (Earth-616) and Nathaniel Richards (Earth-616) from S.H.I.E.L.D

Picking up Leonid with Nathaniel Richards

Three years later, Tesla returned as a cyborg and infiltrated the Immortal City to reunite with Leonid, his adoptive son, and take down Newton. Agents Richards and Stark battled him in a rematch but they damaged his core, thus causing it to self-destruct. Richards touched the core in an attempt to avert this but exposure to the core's quantum energy accidentally gave him the ability to move through time.[13] Coupled with the explosion, Richards, Stark, Tesla, and Tesla's pigeon were all flung roughly 600,000 years into the future.[14] Spending days in a seemingly abandoned Earth, they eventually encountered Tesla's pigeon as a shapeshifting woman, Mina, and she led them to Tesla's dying body.[10] Setting aside their enmity, they worked together to restore Tesla and use Richards' new abilities go back to Immortal City in the past.[15]

Nikola Tesla (Earth-616), Nathaniel Richards (Earth-616), Howard Stark (Earth-616) and Mina (Earth-616) from S.H.I.E.L.D

Return to the Immortal City with Nikola Tesla, Mina, and Nathaniel Richards

However, when they returned to the Immortal City, four years had passed and they found it to be in a state of warfare. The Brotherhood of the Shield had been divided between Isaac Newton, the current master who believed in fate, and Leonardo da Vinci, a returning former Patriarch of the Shield from the past who believed in free will. Newton also had the belief that the world will end in 2060 and that it must be served. Having gone far beyond 2060, the returning time travellers disagreed which led to a trial where Leonid sided with Leonardo. Newton escaped to 2060 to witness the world's end and his Quiet Math led the Star Child to do the same.[16] The Brotherhood used the Human Machine to follow them into three timelines of 2060 simultaneously and fought against Newton in all three. The Human Machine ascended Newton's son, Leonid, who resolved the conflict and returned everyone home.[17]

Woodrow McCord Jr. (Earth-616) meets Howard Stark (Earth-616) and Margaret Carter (Earth-616) from Operation S.I.N

Original Sin[]

During the investigation of the Watcher's murder, it was revealed that Howard worked with Woody McCord and helped in the job of protecting the Earth.[18]

An alien ship landed in Siberia in 1952.[19] This brought the attention of Earth's defenders McCord and Stark. Believing that this strange presence to be a threat, McCord sought to eliminate it as he did all other invaders of his world.[20] Ebon Seeker had already discovered her location thanks to Howard Stark who had activated Shareen's spaceship. He used the portal to reach Earth once more, but as the portal was damaged, he became stuck in it.[21] Working with Peggy Carter, they stopped Hydra from stealing the ship by working with the inhabitant to defeat them. The alien stayed with Vanko in Russia as Carter, Howard and McCord returned to the United States of America.[22]

However following the death of McCord during the fight against the Tribellians, Howard decided to bring in CIA agent Nick Fury. Together over the next few years, they secretly fought various threats, from Subterranean Monsters to extra-dimensional beings.[23]

1950s Avengers[]

In 1959, as Nick Fury and the Blonde Phantom traveled to Wakanda, the pair are given information that should lead them to General Skul, borrowing Howard Stark's hydrofoil to get there as quickly as possible.[24]

Hellfire Club (Earth-616) from X-Men Hellfire Club Vol 1 4

Hellfire Club

Hellfire Club[]

He was a contemporary of many other powerful businessmen such as Warren Worthington II, John Braddock, and Sebastian Shaw. Membership to the exclusive Hellfire Club was offered, but it seems Howard was uninterested in anything other than the lavish parties the club threw.[25]

Meeting Maria[]

While visiting one of his casinos in Monaco, Howard noticed Maria Carbonell being forcefully escorted by her bodyguards. He tried to intervene, but she was forced to leave in a limousine together with Obadiah Stane.

Howard tracked them down to one of his hotels, and visited Maria in order to give her back an earring she had dropped. Stark charmed her and, together, they beat up her bodyguards, driving off and formally introducing themselves to each other.[26]

Stark Seven (Earth-616) from Iron Man Vol 5 10 001

"Stark Seven"

The Birth of Arno Stark and the Adoption of Tony Stark[]

Howard and Maria eventually married, but they'd face problems when trying to conceive a child. After being informed that the survival of their unborn child was in jeopardy, Howard searched around the world for a way to ensure a healthy birth. After running out of options, Howard learned from an alien called Rollo about the existence of a Rigellian Recorder captured by fellow operatives of his alien race, the Greys, working at the Area 52 Casino. Rollo revealed that the Recorder had even suggested Howard as one of the people that could retrieve it.

Howard assembled the Stark Seven and successfully carried out the heist that freed the Recorder 451 from its captors.[27] When the Starks and 451 talked about repaying the favor, the Recorder revealed that he intended to accelerate humanity's technological growth to ensure they could survive confronting intergalactic empires in the future and become a force of universal peace. The unborn Stark child was the perfect candidate to be genetically modified and turned into the person that could uplift humanity. The Starks reluctantly agreed, as long as it ensured their baby's survival.[28]

Howard Stark (Earth-616) from Iron Man Vol 5 9 001

Recording left for Tony

However, as 451 genetically modified the baby in womb over the following six months, Howard discovered the robot had hidden a sort of kill switch that could compromise the life of his son in the future. Stark developed a "biococktail" to interfere with it behind 451's back.[29] Once the baby, named Arno, was born, 451 left the Earth.[30]

In a turn of events, Howard's interference with 451's machinations caused the newborn to become fatally ill. The Starks decided to keep Arno hidden in the Maria Stark Foundation Hospice and adopt a healthy son, as they couldn't conceive a new baby, to prevent 451 from discovering Howard's meddling if it ever returned to Earth.[29]

Howard Stark (Earth-616), Maria Stark (Earth-616) and Anthony Stark (Earth-616) from International Iron Man Vol 1 7 001

The baby Howard adopted was conceived by a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent named Amanda Armstrong, who had decided to give the baby away after killing her boyfriend, a fellow agent named Jude who had revealed himself as a Hydra double-agent to Amanda.[31]

Tony Stark's Childhood and Adolescence[]

Tony grew up completely unaware of Arno's existence or that he was adopted.[29] While loved unconditionally by Maria, Tony suffered from a strained relationship with his father, both due to the contrast of Tony's sensitive and reclusive nature with Howard's glorification of physical prowess[32] and Howard's ever-increasing drinking habits, which caused him to verbally abuse Tony[7] and suffer from mood swings.[33]

Howard Stark (Earth-616) from Iron Man Vol 1 28 001

In order to toughen his son, Howard sent Tony to boarding school at the age of seven, much to Maria's dismay.[32] During Tony's teenage years, Howard even interfered with Tony's romantic life, stopping him from dating the daughters of competitors, such as Meredith McCall,[34] and Cassandra Gillespie.[35]

Tony reached adulthood believing that his father wasn't proud of him[36] and didn't love him,[37] even though associates of Howard like Nick Fury believed Howard's actions to control Tony's life to be herculean acts of fatherly kindness and self-sacrifice.[37]

Control[]

Dr. Reed Richards wrote paper showing the need to defend the country and the planet so the US government and General Edward Harrison followed his advice and formed Control. He recruited Howard, General "Thunderbolt" Ross, General Lewis Haywerth, General Cecil B. Slinkard, and scientist, Dr. Bolivar Trask. He hoped they could monitor all future scientific progress with hopes of ending threats before they began.[38]

Ides of March[]

On the Ides of March, Howard and Maria died in a car accident after their car's brakes malfunctioned and they crashed into a tree, orphaning their son Tony.[8]

Attributes

Power Grid[42]
:Category:Power Grid/Fighting Skills/Some Training:Category:Power Grid/Energy Projection/None:Category:Power Grid/Durability/Normal:Category:Power Grid/Speed/Normal:Category:Power Grid/Strength/Normal:Category:Power Grid/Intelligence/Genius

Abilities

Genius Intelligence: Howard Stark, like his son is an inventive mechanical engineering prodigy, constantly creating new technology and looking for ways to improve it. His intelligence is classed as above genius and he has been recruited into various groups and organizations due to his contributions in the fields of technology and weapons development.[4]

Expert Engineer: He is an excellent engineer and mechanic capable designing and building weaponry and devices that have revolutionized the industrial world. He has helped develop various technologies used by S.H.I.E.L.D. and its allies.[4]

Expert Businessman: Howard Stark is extremely well-respected in the business world, able to command people's attentions when he speaks on economic matters by virtue of the fact that he is savvy enough to have, over the years, built up several multimillion dollar companies from virtually nothing. He is known for the loyalty he commands from and returns to those who work for him, as well as his impeccable business ethics. He has various government contracts stemming from his companies creation of weapons, which have helped defend the US.[4]

Skilled Pilot: One of the best civilian pilots in the world. He is skilled in the use of multiple types of aircraft and has flown many aircraft of his own design.[24]

Paraphernalia

Transportation

Notes

  • Regarding Howard's death, he told Nathaniel Richards when they joined the Brotherhood of the Shield that he planned to fake an automobile accident.[10] Roxxon has claimed to have assassinated Howard.[39] These were both dismissed in A.X.E.: Avengers #1 where the virtually omniscient Progenitor shows Tony the exact moment of Howard's death and the issue directly addresses that it is neither a faked death or an assassination.
    • It is possible for him to have gotten into a real accident before his planned fake accident. If his death was truly faked, it would beg the question of what happened to Maria Stark, as Tony had lost both of his parents.

Trivia

See Also

Links and References

References

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