Warning: contains spoilers for Avengers #50
In a new issue of Avengers, readers were introduced to a new version of Iron Man's dad, Howard Stark who hails from Earth-4111. This version of the character is much darker than his mainstream counterpart, which is exactly what makes him so much more interesting than his son.
In Marvel's main universe (Earth-616), Howard died with his wife Maria in a car accident when his adoptive son Tony, who would later become Iron Man, was 21. Tony's relationship with his father has been a defining trait of his character, but not always in positive terms. Howard had high hopes for his son but was also tough and demanding, to the point that Tony grew up with an inferiority complex, thinking that his father was never proud of him. For these reasons, Howard's character in the comics has always been defined by his relationship with Tony, until now.
In Avengers #50 by Jason Aaron, Aaron Kuder, Ed Mcguinness, Javier Garròn, Rafael Fonteriz, Alex Sinclair, David Curiel, Matt Hollingsworth, and Rachelle Rosenberg, readers are introduced to a powerful new threat named the Iron Inquisitor. It's eventually revealed that the Iron Inquisitor is actually an alternate universe Howard Stark who made a deal with Mephisto. In exchange for Howard murdering his family, Mephisto would not only give him immortality but also power. While this dark bargain is certainly despicable, it also offers a fascinating window into Howard's character and shows just why the elder Stark is far more interesting than his son.
Compared to Tony's cliche father issues, Howard's bitterness for being born "just a bit too early" before the age of immortals and superhumans, his fear of growing old (something that "main" comic characters like Tony never have to worry about) can easily resonate with any superhero fan. His motivations make him actually more relatable than his son. In only a few pages, the creative team behind Avengers #50 introduced a character that is deep, interesting, and menacing at the same time. Howard is clearly presented as a villain but that doesn't mean readers cannot feel for him. "The problem with envisioning the future...is that you never live to see it all." This great line that Howard delivers in the comic encapsulates in a few words the sadness of a man with a genius brain, trapped inside an aging, frail body: "I created S.H.I.E.L.D and even saved the world a few times. But Howard Stark was still just a man."
His following actions speak of a man who grew bitter for envisioning a world that would never be his, and became jealous of his own children. His first action after striking a deal with Mephisto is to shoot his son Tony in cold blood. Of course, making a deal with the devil has its consequences. Howard's decisions condemned him to lose everything he had on Earth and to a life of servitude as a soul-bond slave to Mephisto. He rose through the ranks to become the Iron Inquisitor, chief security officer for the Council of Red. In this role, he is sure to cross the path of the Avengers again.
Howard Stark's reasons for trading Iron Man's life to Mephisto is a great example of a creative team taking the time to investigate a character's deep motivations and how a new approach can turn decades-old stories around.
