Howard Stark
Howard Anthony Walter Stark
Physical Description
Special abilities
- Genius-Level Intellect
- Master Engineer
- Master Businessman
- Master Scientist
- Master Pilot
- Multilingualism
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Howard Anthony Stark was an inventor, scientist, engineer, businessman and movie director. The founder of Stark Industries, Stark worked on various government projects during World War II, including the Manhattan Project and Project Rebirth, the latter of which resulted in using the Super Soldier Serum to create Captain America. Presenting Rogers with his vibranium shield, Stark aided him, as well as the U.S. Army and the Strategic Scientific Reserve, in the fight against HYDRA.
Following the end of World War II, Stark was framed for distributing weapons to enemies of the United States. He put his friend Peggy Carter in charge of the effort of finding proof of his innocence. Eventually, his name was cleared when it was proved that Johann Fennhoff was framing Stark in an attempt to gain revenge for the Battle of Finow. He later founded Stark Pictures while assisting Carter research Zero Matter, and following the dissolution of the Strategic Scientific Reserve, co-founded S.H.I.E.L.D. along with Carter to be its successor.
Later in life, Stark married a woman named Maria and had a son, Tony. He co-developed the Arc Reactor with Anton Vanko and worked alongside Hank Pym during the Cold War. Stark neglected Tony, choosing to focus on his work, although he did care for him and had hopes that he would change the world. After managing to recreate the Super Soldier Serum, Stark and his wife were targeted by HYDRA and assassinated by a brainwashed Winter Soldier.
Employment
Howard was the CEO of Stark Industries and Stark Pictures, both of which he founded. Howard directed Kid Colt. He was also one of the three founders of SHIELD.
Morality & Philosophy
During his early life, Howard was considered to be quite charismatic and comical. He was well known for having flings with different women, sometimes attending the Academy Awards to be around actresses. He had a jeweler create the "Stark Special", a bracelet created of the highest quality of gold and diamonds, to be given to each lover after he had Edwin Jarvis dismiss them. This trait eventually landed him in deep trouble when one of his dates ended up stealing weapons he developed. However, he eventually settled with a woman named Maria and had a son, whom they named Tony. In addition, even beforehand, he also made clear to Captain America after an incident where the latter accused Peggy Carter of "fondueing" with Howard during a fight between the two that, while he had his proclivities, he made sure to avoid indulging in them during the events of the war and focus on his work.
Howard was a playboy who had many flings throughout his years. He often tried to make a move on Peggy Carter despite thinking of her as a woman he respects. He was believed by many to put his own wealth and income over the good of people. He even got into an argument with Carter about creating cures out of Rogers' blood. He insisted it was for good and not for money.
When Maria was pregnant, Howard became more humble, believing his selfishness often outweighed any good he has done for his country. He hoped his child would not be like him.
Sometime after his son's birth, his personality drastically changed. Howard's relationship with Tony was a strained one and Tony, for most of his life, saw Howard as a cold, calculating man who wanted to be rid of Tony, so much that he believed Howard's happiest day was when he sent Tony off to boarding school.
Howard was shown to be very cautious as he left a film message for Tony in the event he died before Tony was old enough to understand the contents of the message. The contents of the film stated Howard left something very important behind for Tony, which ended up saving his life. Howard called Tony his "greatest creation" and trusted that he would carry on his legacy.
According to Tony, Howard had a habit of talking about Captain America non-stop. He felt that, before the birth of Tony, that Captain America was his greatest creation largely due to the perception that all he created were weapons of mass destruction. Howard also saw Captain America as a good friend and was deeply loyal to him, having made several attempts to find him after he disappeared in the Ocean. Even though he tried everything in his power, Stark kept underlying guilt about not finding Steve Rogers when he sought him after his disappearance.
Howard is also shown to be quite sarcastic, a trait he carried with him until his death. Mere hours before his death, he sarcastically insulted Tony who just got home from studying abroad by asking who the "homeless person on the couch" was. He also believed sarcasm is correlated to a person's intellectual potential, possibly stemming from his own intellect and sarcasm. As such, he believed Tony would amount to great things with his life, has told his son that during their last conversation.
Social
Family Ties
- Isaac Stark, Sr. (great-grandfather, deceased)
- Howard Stark, Sr. (father, deceased)
- Edward Stark (brother, deceased)
- Maria Stark (wife, deceased)
- Tony Stark (son)
Species
Ethnicity
Honorary & Occupational Titles
- CEO of Stark Industries
- CEO of Stark Pictures
- Founder of Stark Pictures
- Director of Kid Colt
- Founder of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Date of Birth
August 15, 1917
Date of Death
December 16, 1991
Life
1917 AD
1990 AD
73 years old
Birthplace
Richford, New York
Place of Death
Long Island, New York
Family
Children
Pronouns
He/Him
Sex
Male
Gender
Man
Presentation
Masculine
Eyes
Blue
Hair
Black
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Fair
Height
6'
Weight
170 lbs.
Quotes & Catchphrases
"Peace means having a bigger stick than the other guy."
"I grew up on the Lower East Side. My father sold fruit. My mother sewed shirtwaists for a factory. Let me tell you, you don't get to climb the American ladder without picking up some bad habits on the way."
