Iron Man is An Addict, And Marvel Can't Keep Ignoring It
Warning! Spoilers for Iron Man #19 ahead!
Marvel Comics' representation of Iron Man keeps going back to one of the original traits of the character, Tony Stark's struggle with addictions. However, the poor handling of the issue shown in recent comics proves that Marvel either does not have a good understanding of addictions or simply will not commit to the notion that Tony Stark is an addict.
Iron Man was originally conceived to be as unlikable as possible. Stan Lee, who created the character together with Larry Lieber, Don Heck, and Jack Kirby in Tales of Suspense #39, once stated that he thought it would be fun to make a character that no one would like, and "shove him down their throat and make them like him." This idea shaped the character's outlook: for example, Tony was originally an arms dealer to tap into people's Cold War paranoia. However, Stan «The Man» also made Tony Stark an alcoholic. While the prospect of global nuclear war luckily faded away with the passing of the decades, issues like addictions are still alive, and Marvel has struggled with its depiction in Iron Man stories.
Related: Marvel Confirms Iron Man is a Total Failure, And Always Will Be
The most recent Iron Man series is a perfect example. Tony's drinking addiction was overcome (mostly) at the end of the 1970s, in the quintessential «Demon in a Bottle,» one of the best and most influential Iron Man stories ever (even if he would briefly relapse later). In Iron Man #6, written by Christopher Cantwell with art by Cafu and Frank D'Armata, Tony has to be injected with opioids to save his life. As a result, he becomes addicted to morphine. Iron Man #19 by the same creative team reveals that Tony kept using the drugs "to keep going, stay strong, not
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