The Comic Book As Symbolic Environment: The Man Of Metal

Chris Nguyen
English 2-2B
Mrs.Thompson
4/28/15
The Man of Metal
Everyday our society is evolving to be more and more dependent on technology. Electronics have become a key necessity in peoples lives, our generation thrives off of cell phones, computers, and television. It’s like the technology is becoming a part of who we are. Iron Man is a comic embodiment of the idea of technology allowing people to flourish and become a contributing factor in the world. Iron Man was created by writers Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, Don Heck, and artist Jack Kirby under the company Marvel Comics. This man of metal is a symbolic figure of, “The relation between humanity and technology,” who showed the world that technology is helping our community strive toward a better future (Hogan, The Comic Book as Symbolic Environment: The Case of Iron Man). Iron Man displays the message of power brings us life and without it our world would be full of terrorism and communism.
Iron Man was an iconic hero, from fighting terrorist to creating a Stark Reactor, the man under the metal suit did it all.
He was, “determined to protect Americans and defend the world from the threat of the communist menace,” by using his indestructible suit he cleans up the world (Fellman, Iron Man: America’s Cold War Champion and Charm Against The Communist Menace). Through his comic books, Iron Man inspired millions to believe that knowledge is power,
Iron Man flew into the spotlight around the 1960’s. At the time when Iron Man was created, “the threat of communism from the USSR was huge. Not only did Iron Man fight communists… he sent a message that great things could be achieved through thrift, risk, and hard work” (Iron Man, ComicVine). He was such a big symbol of justice and patriotism. When Iron Man made his first debut in the 1960’s, he actively fought real world terrorist and comic book bad guys. He became an iconic hero that everyone strived to be, but thats not all he has
done.
Iron Man was a huge contributing factor in the fight against communism because he introduced the idea of using new technologies to help fight against terrorist. As he became more popular, leaders wanted to, “begin new programs of economic and military cooperation with friendly nations in the region,” so they could strive towards a better military with more advanced technologies (Eisenhower Proposes New Middle East Policy). Iron Man did it all, from fighting terrorist to creating a sustainable clean energy source.
The man of steel quickly became a huge symbol when it came to fighting bad guys and fighting evil doers. He started his, “superhero crusade as a self-assured champion of communist containment,” and is now one of the biggest superhero’s of the century (Bradford, Wright 243). Iron Man was an idol for the world because he was a playboy, billionaire and genius. He has impacted society in by bringing a new light on technology and how it can benefit humanity.
Iron man did a variety of things like create new suits of armor, weapons, and energy sources. When he wasn’t busy with his hobbies he, “turned his attention towards social problems like racism, poverty, and pollution,” and strived to make the world better (Bradford, Wright 241). Tony Stark implemented the idea of power comes in all shapes and sizes with his small suit of armor. He even created an clean energy source that could supply the entire city for many years.
With this new and improved Iron Man, his popularity began to flourish. Around 1985 is when Iron Man was at the pinnacle of popularity, during this time there were about 201,092 Iron Man comic book sales (Iron Man Annual Sales Figure). He became an international superstar with his with his witty charm and tenacity. People everywhere around the world wanted to see this metal head fight off the bad guys of the world. With time Iron Man became a huge success in the comic book world and soon after his popularity increased he had starred in television shows.
It didn’t take so long for Iron Man to become a worldwide sensation. His comics still sell even 30 years after his debut and inspires millions to embrace technology. He soon starred in 3 movies that are still popular even today. People from all around the world continue to love Iron Man because he is one of the more modern heros and can relate to us as a generation of technology.
Iron Man began to evolve as the comic book industry became inclined, but those things we all know and love about him were present in the newer versions of Iron Man. Tony Stark still fights social issues like terrorism and political conflicts between nations. With his new and improved suits he dominates the superhero world. He has become one of top superheros in the Avengers franchise today and still reigns as one of the best.
As of today Iron Man is one of the biggest heroic icons in the superhero industry. Even though it’s been at least a decade he still entertain us with his awesome prowess and fighting ability, but his super suit is not the only reason we love him. It’s the man under the suit, and his unbelievable intelligence that makes people feel like they can achieve greatness. People adore this metal man because he was a normal person who changed the way people look at technology and brought good things to this corrupted world.