Stark Industries


Stark Industries, later also known as Stark International, Stark Innovations, Stark Enterprises and Stark Resilient, is a fictional multi-national conglomerate appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Frans Robert Bernstein, Stan Lee, and Jack Kirby, the company first appeared in Tales of Suspense #39. Stark Industries is depicted as being owned and run by businessman and namesake Tony Stark, who is also known as Iron Man, and was founded by Tony's father, Howard Stark, from whom he inherited the company.
In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Stark Industries has a logo modeled after the defense contractor Lockheed Martin and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange as SIA. During the press conference scene, Stark is seen entering a building that resembles the entrance to Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works facility. An airplane similar to the Lockheed YF-22 stood as a statue in front of the Stark Industries facility, much like the prototypes on display at the Skunk Works facility in Palmdale, California.

Publication history

Stark Industries first appeared in Tales of Suspense #40, created by Robert Bernstein, Stan Lee, and Jack Kirby. The company was first identified by name in issue #48.

History

Stark Industries was founded in 1939 by Howard Stark, and then headed by his son Tony after Howard's death. Over the years, through bankruptcy, Tony's "death", Tony's return and hostile takeovers, the company has gone through many name changes including Stark International, Stark Enterprises, Stark/Fujikawa and Stark Solutions.

Stark Industries

Functions

Stark Industries is primarily a technology and defense company. It manufactures the armor worn by Iron Man and War Machine, builds the helicarriers used by S.H.I.E.L.D, and produces the Quinjets used by the Avengers.

Staff

  • Tony Stark – Chairman of Stark Industries
  • Obadiah Stane – Executive Officer
  • Happy Hogan – Former head of Security
  • Pepper Potts – CEO
  • Dr. Gray Armond – Head Designer.
  • Harmon Furmintz – Member of Stark Industries' biochemical division. He worked for Genetech and was born around 1918. He was a child prodigy and was recruited as candidate for Super Soldier Project, but was rejected due to having hemophilia. He attempted to gain the power of Terrax, but his body and mind were destroyed by Shafear and reformed into duplicate of his own.
  • Jacob Fury – Former research scientist.
  • Sally McIntyre
  • Eddie March – Former part of the Iron Legion.
  • Kevin O'Bryan
  • Ralph Roberts
  • Anton Vanko — Former Head Scientist and Chief Developer
  • Arwyn Zurrow – Head of the Miami facilities.

    Subsidiaries

  • Project: Caribbean – Stark Industries made an effort to start a plant in Haiti, however it was destroyed by Night Phantom.

    Stark International

Originally Stark Industries, the name was changed when the company ceased manufacturing munitions, with Tony handing over the CEO position to Pepper Potts. Eventually, the company was taken over by Obadiah Stane after a hostile takeover and he renamed it Stane International.

Staff

  • Tony Stark – Original Head
  • James Rupert Rhodes – Pilot, later Acting CEO
  • Bambi Arbogast – An executive assistant.
  • Yvette Avril – Worked for the French branch of Stark International and was brought to the US to become vice president of the Long Island facility. She unsuccessfully attempted to save the company when Tony Stark went on a major drinking binge and quit after takeover by Obadiah Stane.
  • Bethany Cabe –
  • Dianne Carruthers –
  • Morley Erwin – Owned Circuits Maximus as well as working Stark International. He is the brother of Clytemnestra Erwin. He also assisted Jim Rhodes in learning to use the Iron Man armor, helped form Circuits Maximus, killed when Obadiah Stane had the Circuits Maximus building bombed
  • Abe Klein – Director of Engineering. – Tony Stark's old electrical engineering professor. Killed by Mordecai Midas.
  • Scott Lang
  • Kristine "Krissy" Longfellow – Secretary. She posed as Tony Stark's secretary to be close to him without involving him with a criminal.
  • Harold Marks – A research technician. He left to work for author James Spencer; built an armor to gain respect and vengeance from perceived lack of appreciation
  • Vincent "Vic" Martinelli – A security guard. He was a former soldier and architect who worked for Williams Innovations before working at Stark International. He remained with Obadiah Stane after his hostile takeover due to difficulty in finding a new job.
  • Artemus "Artie" Pithins – Director of Public Relations. He is currently a White House Press Secretary. Quit Stark International after Obadiah Stane took over.
  • Erica Sondheim – Medical Director.
  • Carl Walker –
  • Cherry Wood – A scientist. She studied Doctor Octopus' Adamantium arms and dated Stark. She was taken hostage by Doctor Octopus.

    Stane International

After driving Tony Stark back to alcoholism, Obadiah Stane wrested control of Stark International from James Rhodes after a hostile takeover and renamed the company after himself. Stane renewed the munitions manufacturing. However, after Stane was killed, the company was run by a mysterious cartel which was eventually bought out and reabsorbed by Stark Enterprises.

Staff

  • Obadiah Stane – CEO of Stane International.
  • Joel Arons – He was involved in a project that kidnapped Myron MacLain. He stole Captain America's proto-adamantium shield
  • Joseph "Joe" Faulkner – general manager.
  • Dr. Edward "Edwin" Earl Hawkins – Designed the Mass Acquisition Unit. He aided Giant Man in battling Doctor Nemesis.
  • Karaguchi Inoyawa – Sought to rebuild the Red Ronin for peaceful purposes.
  • Joseph "Joe" Kilman – After being fired for unknown reasons, he sought revenge by trying to take control of Red Ronin
  • Vic Martinelli
  • Michael Craig Stockton – Sought to coerce Dr. Hawkins into creating a mass acquisition warhead.

    Stark Enterprises

After regaining his personal fortune following Obadiah Stane's death, Tony established a new company, Stark Enterprises, in Los Angeles.

Staff

  • Tony Stark – CEO and founder
  • James Rhodes – Former CEO ; former pilot
  • Rothvichet Poch – Former lawyer, vice-president and CEO. Alvarez defended Tony Stark in the trial of Kathy Dare.
  • Bambi Arbogast - receptionist and former member of the US Department of Defense. "Tony stark was able to build this in a cave, with a box of scraps!"
  • Veronica Benning/'Victoria Michelle – Tony Stark's physiotherapist.
  • Bethany Cabe – Security Chief and former bodyguard of Tony Stark.
  • Diane Carruthers –
  • Lee Clayton
  • Ed Deal – Worked on the VLS-2980 Project.
  • Phillip Grant – Computer hacker.
  • Chester "Chet" Harrigan – Former chauffeur to Tony Stark.
  • Bert Hindel – Former lawyer of Stark Enterprises. He was fired after he failed to clear up the Government civil suits brought on during the Armor Wars storyline. He also unsuccessfully defended Kathy Dare.
  • Happy Hogan –
  • Heuristically Operative-Matrix-Emulation Rostrum – Nearly intelligent computer of Tony Stark.
  • Sarah Jennings – Accounts & Marketing
  • Kylie Normandy –
  • Dr. Cal Oakley – Former employee of Cordco. Oakley assisted in rebuilding Tony Stark's nervous system following his being shot by Kathy Dare.
  • Marcia Jessica "Marcy" Pearson – Former Director of Public Relations and later vice-president. Rhodes fired her when she resented his being named Stark's successor as CEO.
  • Garrison Quint – Chief of security.
  • James Simpson – Security guard. He allowed Edgar Elliot to sabotage Tony Stark's experimental rocket.
  • Dr. Erica Fredrika Sondheim – Medical Director and former surgeon.
  • Wayne Unnier
  • Nick Walcek
  • Atha Williams – Secretary
  • Roderick Withers – Director of Public Relations
  • Abraham Paul "Abe" Zimmer' – Research director and former member of the board of directors at Accutech. He was killed by Calico.

    Subsidiaries

  • Accutech – Research and Development company, based in California, that was bought out as a subsidiary. The company produced and designed a Beta Particle Generator which was sabotaged by the Ghost. Known staff members include Gilbert O’Connor and Abe Zimmer.
  • Barstow Electronics> – Subsidiary of Stark Enterprises based in California. It employed Carl Walker after Force's faked death.
  • Cordco – Bought out by Stark Enterprises to force Dr. Cal Oakley to implant a biochip in Tony Stark's spine after he was shot by Kathy Dare. Known staff members include Addison Drexel, Edwin Cord, Dr. Cal Oakley, and Basil Sandhurst.
  • Stane International – It was reacquired by Stark from Justin Hammer, who owned SI following Obidiah Stane's death. The company reproduced Stark's original Guardsman armor for use at the Vault. Much of Stane's operations involved disreputable business practices, leading Stark to initiate a major clean-up effort after reacquiring the company.
  • Hot Cup Coffee – Created by Stark using the pseudonym "The Boss".

    Stark/Fujikawa

Created by a merger of Stark Enterprises and Fujikawa Industries following the apparent death of Iron Man/Anthony Stark.

Staff

  • Kenjiro Fujikawa – CEO, founder of Fujikawa Industries, father of Rumiko
  • Yu Kurin
  • Tobi Kanigawa
  • Rumiko Fujikawa – Daughter of Kenjiro. She was a skilled businesswoman. Played the role of party-girl to annoy her parents. She was slain by an Iron Man impostor named Clarence Ward.
  • Morgan Stark – Cousin of Tony Stark. Became general manager of Stark-Fujikawa after Tony's "death".