At some point I became an Iron Man guy. This wasn’t a gradual awakening; a gentle transition into a new identity. No, this felt like a seismic shift. I woke up and suddenly I was an Iron Man Guy.
I discovered Iron Man during the Civil War comic series. I knew of him before, but I never bothered reading about him and his actions. During CW he took a stance on American freedom that made sense in the corporate-commercial idea of freedom, but doesn’t jibe with my own feelings. I started to despise the man then–enough to read more of the crap he’d done. I learned about World War Hulk and his role in that. I learned about his alcoholism. As with all good heroes, the man has more weaknesses and vices than strengths. He also has a wicked God complex that those who know me personally will recognize in me, albeit to a far lesser extent (i hope).
But none of that is how I became an Iron Man guy. The truth is that I found this really cool macbook decal from a vendor in Japan. Once folks noticed the graphic they presumed I had a predilection for all things Iron Man. After a while I actually did.
Things are what we allow them to be, and I allow myself to be a Iron Man guy. I found some things there that I can relate to, and recognized ways to feel good about the association. What I like about Mr. Stark is that he takes control of his situation. He leverages his wealth and influence in order to put the people around him in the best possible situation. I try to find ways to be like that in my regular life, but often fall short. Tony falls short sometimes too, but the thing that makes him a hero is that he keeps trying.