Iron Man first appeared in 13- to 18-page stories in Tales of Suspense, which featured anthology science fiction and supernatural stories. The character's original costume was a bulky gray armored suit, replaced by a golden version in the second story.
Iron Man possesses powered armor that gives him superhuman strength and durability, flight, and an array of weapons. The armor is invented and worn by Stark.
Tony Stark is an inventive genius whose expertise in the fields of mathematics, physics, chemistry, computers, and engineering rival that of Reed Richards, Hank Pym, and Bruce Banner. He is regarded as one of the most intelligent characters in the Marvel Universe.
After being critically injured during a battle with the Extremis-enhanced Mallen, Stark injects his nervous system with a modified techno-organic virus-like body restructuring machines. By rewriting his own biology, Stark is able to save his life, gain an enhanced healing factor and partially merge with the Iron Man armor, superseding the need for bulky, AI-controlled armors in favor of lighter designs, technopathically controlled by his own brain.