Is Tony Stark a Hero? ... A guest post by Jamie

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Here is another great guest post by Jamie at Through Two Blue Eyes.

Tony Stark. 

Wow. 

There is so much in that name; so much I could talk about. But when I first started thinking, “okay, what is this post going to be about?” my first thought was to look at the reason why Tony is a legitimate hero. Not sure why, that’s just what came to mind. But I think it’s a good thing to talk about, because while there are a ton of Iron Man/Tony Stark fans, there are also a lot of people who are not keen on him at all. A reason could be because he is a very worldly character, a very self-focused man in many respects. He’s a man who’s life is full of sin. But a sinful man can still be a hero. I’m here to briefly defend (not pardon, but defend) the guy inside the Iron Man suit.

 

So, what’s a hero? A hero is someone who goes out of his way, puts himself in danger or selflessly gives something to help someone else with no thought of self-gain. There are all sorts of heroes, of course. I do want to acknowledge that anyone can be a hero, but today I am talking with my mind in the superhero category. Steve Rogers and Thor easily claim the title 'hero' from me, simply because I can see their selfless lives. 

So. Does Tony Stark qualify to be a hero too?

First problem about Tony being considered a hero is that he’s very flawed. His problems stick out more than other heroes because their so obvious. He does things when he wants to, inconveniencing everyone around him. In his own words, he is self-obsessed; he does just about anything that satisfies himself---he gets anything he wants, he does whatever he wants and he sleeps with any woman he wants. 

He can afford to act like this because he’s Tony Stark. He’s rich, he’s got a big name. People try to work with him but that certainly doesn’t excuse his behavior. The short of it is that he, in many regards of his life, is a very selfish man.

Okay, so we admit he’s got problems; plenty of ‘em. How does he still make it onto my heroes list? 

Who went out of his way to fly to a little town to save many people whom he would never see again from war lords? Who put his life on the line to save a car holding a mother and children in the middle of busy traffic while battling a huge machine twice his size? Who faced a man with two laser whips to save his friends and many innocent citizens—without his suit? Who privatized world peace, for crying out loud?!

 

Tony Stark has shown great moments heroism in which he put his life in danger to save others. Scripture says that there is no greater love than that a man should lay down his life for his friends. And he has done this without second thought on many different occasions. This, I believe, qualifies him to be a hero. A flawed one to be sure, but a hero none the less.

It will be very interesting to see Tony's story continue throughout The Avengers.  I'm sure we will see his problems just like always. But I'm also sure we'll see many moments when Tony will forget himself and think of someone else instead. Just wait and see. 

He is, after all, a hero. Flawed, but a hero just the same.

~Jamie, a monstrous Avengers and Captain America fan whom you can find nearly everyday at her blue and bright blog, Through Two Blue Eyes.

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