Iron Man is one of the most beloved Marvel heroes, but the late Stan Lee admitted he originally created Tony Stark as a challenge to make one of the most unlikable characters a likable figure in the comics. In an interview promoting the first Iron Man film, Lee said he dared himself in the 1960s to create a character that readers were supposed to hate, and Iron Man was the result.
Iron Man debuted in Tales of Suspense #39, introduced as a billionaire weapons dealer who turned into a hero after forging his own armor that led to his freedom from capture. At face value, Tony Stark doesn't seem like someone readers would grow an immediate attachment to, as he was a self-absorbed industrialist who sold extremely dangerous weapons to the highest bidders. Initially, Stark was a selfish egotist who rarely thought about the consequences of his actions. However, over time, Stark evolved into a beloved character for Marvel Comics - made even more beloved after being brought to life by Robert Downey Jr. in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
In an interview from 2013, Lee admitted he intentionally created Tony Stark to be unlikable as a dare to make readers love someone who wasn't a good guy. He said that readers weren't exactly fans of war and the military when Iron Man was created during the midst of the Cold War. In response, he made a hero who represented all of the bad things about war. Lee said he shoved Stark down readers' throats to make them like him - and it worked.
“I think I gave myself a dare. It was the height of the Cold War. The readers, the young readers, if there was one thing they hated, it was war, it was the military. So I got a hero who represented that to the hundredth degree. He was a weapons manufacturer, he was providing weapons for the Army, he was rich, he was an industrialist. I thought it would be fun to take the kind of character that nobody would like, none of our readers would like, and shove him down their throats and make them like him ... And he became very popular.”
Now, part of what makes Iron Man great was his redemption. While he's had his struggles and made plenty of questionable decisions throughout his time in the comics, Stark is far removed from the original industrialist who was more a villain than a hero. While he's still a billionaire and fond of developing risky technology, Tony's actions are now focused on what's best for humanity instead of just himself. In both the comics and the MCU, he's tried to make his past actions right in the present.
It was bold of Lee to create a character designed for readers to dislike and hate initially. But, the late Marvel icon knew Tony Stark's arc would see the hero get redeemed, eventually making him a beloved Avenger and hero. Currently, Iron Man is probably the most popular and recognizable hero in the Marvel Universe, and it's all because Stan Lee dared himself in a big way.
Source: SyFy