Movie Iron Man Vs. Iron Man Comics ?

So how does the movie Iron Man stack up again Iron Man comics?

Short answer: Pretty well actually.

Robert Downey Jr. is Tony Stark, often channeling most of his own well-publicized inner demons into the character. Beyond the origins story, most of Tony's life is fairly accurate to the comic books, ranging from the shadow of his wealthy industrialist father Howard Stark (the movie even places Howard at the Manhattan Project) to the tragic death of his parents.

Most will complain the origin story has been revised to suit today's post-9/11 mindset, but here's the blunt truth: even the comics aren't true to the comics. In 1963, Tony was kidnapped in Vietnam. In the partial revamp "Heroes Reborn", Tony was kidnapped in Desert Storm, and in the short-lived cartoon he was abducted by the Mandarin himself. The movie stands somewhere in between the final two, as Stark is captured in Afghanistan by agents of the Mandarin.

Let's get to the armor itself. By now, the Iron Man comics have showcased several different versions of the armor, and not even a two hour movie can cover them all, but Jon Favreau's film does a good job covering the high points. The armor Tony first builds in Afghanistan is a rickety version of the streamlined version first seen during Shellhead's first appearance in Tales of Suspense #39. Tony would be next seen in a bulky gold armor similar in design during subsequent appearances, including The Avengers #1.

The silver armor Tony Stark builds upon returning home is closer to the sleeker models seen in later decades of the Iron Man comics, and also hinted at being the one Jim Rhodes will eventually wear as Iron Man. Finally, the armor Tony Stark dons in the film's end is generally closer to the modern look of Iron Man in the comics, although like desktops and laptops today, Iron Man's look is constantly changing. Recently, Iron Man's armor was turned against him by alien invaders in "Secret Invasion", and he's begun building his armor from scratch a second time - what it will look like next is anyone's guess.

Lastly, watch what happens when several enemies try to give Iron Man multiple targets and also see the spontaneous Stark at work at the film's final press conference as these are lifted from various parts of the Iron Man comic.