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Off My Mind: Will Iron Man Have a Baby This Year?

Tony Stark isn't father material, but he may not have a choice (because Matt Fraction is setting this into motion).

Every now and then we get comic book stories that take place in the future. They give a chance to possibly see where our favorite characters might end up. In this week's Invincible Iron Man #500, we get a look at Tony Stark's possible future. At first I was sucked into the action of the story but then I started thinking about the implications of some of the events, in particular, is Tony Stark going to become a father this year? 
Without getting completely into the specifics of the story, we find out that Tony Stark is supposed to be 35 years old today. That in itself could be open for debate and brings up the question of how old are other characters such as Peter Parker (who also appears in the issue)? The story then flashes forward to the year 2052. We see a couple characters that we have to assume are Stark's descendants. There is a Howard Anthony Stark II who is 41 years old. 
Do the math. What does it tell you? 
 
If this Howard Anthony Stark II is 41 years old in the year 2052, that means he was born in the year...2011! Is Matt Fraction trying to tell us something? Is Tony Stark going to become a father this year?  
 
Tony Stark is clearly not father material. Part of it is his father wasn't really there for him. That doesn't mean he couldn't be a father himself. With his current status in trying to get Stark Resilient running and being an active member of the Avengers, I can't see him willing to take time to change diapers. He might be able to lead a team or business but becoming a father has a completely different set of responsibilities. If Tony Stark becomes a father, it will completely change who he is and let's not forget he barely remembers who he was since he had to have his memories deleted. 
 
Future stories don't always have affects on the current status of characters. We know that characters are pretty much frozen in time as we read their adventures. The fact that Fraction wrote it so a Stark offspring would have to be born in this year, that is a little more immediate. This also happened in the 500th issue. 500 is a big deal and it was a special over-sized issue. I'm sure writers are thinking how their stories will hold up later and if there isn't a Stark baby this year, the story here almost will become obsolete. Fraction has been killing it with this series and I can't see him taking something like this lightly. 
It could be said that this future story could be compared to the X-Men's Days of Future Past. That future story has had big effects on the X-Men but it's a future that they will never reach (simply because it will pretty much put an end to the series). The same could be said here. The chances are we will not see Iron Man at age 76 (if he even lives that long). But having a baby born this year is more immediate. 
 
We have just under a year to wait (actually less since the baby would have to be born this year so the time of conception is fast approaching, ask your parents if you're confused). Could Tony be a father? Does he have what it takes? Who would the mother be? (There is another descendant in issue #500 that might give some clues). Would this be a planned event or more of an accident? Tony Stark as a father would drastically change his character and I don't see this as something that Marvel would want with Iron Man, especially at this moment.
G-Man staff is online on Jan. 21, 2011 at 5:10 a.m.
And if you're wondering about those Iron Baby images and haven't seen it already, check it out here.
JonesDeinion Jan. 21, 2011 at 5:20 a.m.
@G-Man:  
One will forever love that video,  
2, doubt Stark will have a kid this year. Not that I'm against it so to speak, always down for character advancement, but doubt the editors will allow the pieces to fall into place for that great future story to happen. 
Chaos Burnon Jan. 21, 2011 at 5:20 a.m.
interesting theory, Reed and Sue Richards have had kids, so has Luke Cage. As far as plots go, I hope Stark doesn't abandon the child only for it to reappear in a few years wanting to kill his father - that plot is old....
daikarion Jan. 21, 2011 at 5:32 a.m.
Truthfully I'm surprised it has taken this long for that possibility to happen. After all stark has been known in pretty much all realities as a genius billionaire alcoholic playboy.
Sir Dukeon Jan. 21, 2011 at 6:04 a.m.
I always worry when writers give comic characters definitive ages.  If Tony Stark is 35 then that means the character, who was created in 1963, wasn't born until 1976.  I figure writers should steer clear of giving definite dates and ages in comics.  At least we know who the mother of Howard Stark II is.  Looking at the tombstones on the last page, you can clearly see 'Virginia Potts Stark.'  Given everything that Pepper said at the end of the last issue's back-up story, some very interesting times lie ahead for Tony and Pepper.
Misterwizzon Jan. 21, 2011 at 6:17 a.m.
@Sir Duke: 
Um in comics characters age must slower than in real life.
Dr. Detfinkon Jan. 21, 2011 at 6:23 a.m.
Eventually but not this year...
Icemizeron Jan. 21, 2011 at 6:41 a.m.

Kids in comics tend to create more problems than they are worth for any storyline. Franklin Richards being an obvious one. Now saying Tony will have a kid in the future and showing us that future is all fine and dandy. We can always use the handy comic time slider to keep moving that future forward as our characters stay relatively the same age. But if we actually have the child born and exist, continuity quickly becomes a problem. He can never really get very old because then we have to age Tony Stark as well.  Sure we can rapid age him(destroying the possible future we already saw) or send him off to another dimension or my favorite have him go live with a relative for a few years and just come back older, but all of these ideas are just lame.  
It is far better never to have the child in the first place. Tony Stark the Father really sets up nothing interesting for the character.
mrmisanthropeon Jan. 21, 2011 at 6:41 a.m.
He's setting  up a plot string for a future writer to pick up maybe? It can be 2010 for a long time in the comic book, and any shifting in dates can be explained by it being a different alternate future.
 
Either way, I think it's a bad idea. I get the impression there's a certain lifestyle which perhaps the writers are going through that they seem to want to... oppress onto every damn character in the Marvel universe.
 
Why can't anyone have a happy marriage? Why do all children being born have to either happen outside of marriage, or in an alternate future? The most recent annoyance for me was Hope, because I knew she wouldn't stay a baby long, I knew either through magic of "enhanced mutation" or time travel, very soon she'd be a teenager or adult, and sure enough that's what they did. It's what they always do. Sometimes it's intentional, sometimes someone's just having to clean up someone else's mistake.
 
Fantastic Four is the only exception I can think of, but generally a character lugging a baby around doesn't really mesh well with action comic books, either the character has to be taken out of commission to take care of the baby, or much worse, they carry it into battle with them. That can't last long, so eventually the baby is sucked through a time vortex, or kidnapped by a villain, and comes back much older.
 
Perhaps it's as simple as many writers being left by their wives only to get some girl he barely met pregnant, and then never see it until it's grown up.
DEGRAAFon Jan. 21, 2011 at 6:50 a.m.
@Sir Duke: 
after reading your comments it sounds like you read up on this, so please correct me where im wrong. Also who was the other Stark in the comic, wasnt it a female?
 
@G-Man:


Its funny that this is brought up now bc this thought just randomly popped in my head last night (thinking everyone else is slowed in age or immortal or have kids, its about time for Tony to have some offspring). 
 
My first thought was he would go the was of Jengo Fett. Cloning himself and raising it as his own. 
 
My next thought was while he was on the run in his Dismantled arc, he had intercourse with atleast Maria hill, and Pepper Potts. I cant remember if he did it with anyone else or how long its been since that has happened but those are two potentials. 
 
My final thought is that if it didnt happen due to thought #2, then maybe he will actually end up in a relationship with Pepper. I havent been able to pick up all of the recent issues but i know that Tony undeniably loves Pepper and wants to be with her it seems while Pepper on the other hand has shown (while talking to Happy in a dream or something) that she loves Tony just isnt in love with Tony and doesnt seem to actually want to be with him.
War Killer is online on Jan. 21, 2011 at 7 a.m.

I'll never understand what's wrong with characterst ohave kids? This is like the issue with Spider-Man being married. Marvel says that it would  hurt the character, I think the totally opposite, I personally think this would be a very interesting idea to bring into the story. Tony Stark with a kid, it's new, it's fresh, and it's bold. The thing that's funny is that everyone's like "time moves slow in the comics" and maybe that's the thing, we're so USE to everything being slow and being the same status quo, but what happens if the status que is changed? What if Fraction is actually trying to do something different, something new with the character? I mean we've seen him battle his personal demons already, weapons, drinking, women, addicted to the armor itself. So why not something different? I mean like it has been stated, Tony has daddy issues, so maybe that's what Fraction wants Stark to deal with next: What if Tony Stark become a father?

Sir Dukeon Jan. 21, 2011 at 7:01 a.m.
@Misterwizz: no $%#@.  It's something that implicit to all characters that they stay roughly the same age even as time passes.  It's something you have to accept as part of the illusion.  When a writer outright states the age of a character and gives concrete dates and info, it breaks that illusion.
.Mistress Redhead. is online on Jan. 21, 2011 at 7:03 a.m.
@G-Man said:
" And if you're wondering about those Iron Baby images and haven't seen it already, check it out here. "
Most... awesome....thing....ever...
DEGRAAFon Jan. 21, 2011 at 7:06 a.m.
@mrmisanthrope:
Luke Cage and his wife have a child who isnt' sent through time or magically aged (yet). 
 
Also in DC the flash has kids that while they have gone through time and be aged and deaged, actually seem to be growing at a pretty normal rate (for most comic characters)
Sir Dukeon Jan. 21, 2011 at 7:07 a.m.
@DEGRAAF: Yeah, you're right about all that.  Pepper is definitely not in love with Tony, so the fact that #500 suggests they'll be married makes me think we'll be seeing a lot of unique and great character interactions between the two.  I don't think Pepper will fall in love with Tony, so how and why they get married will be interesting to watch.  By the other Stark do you mean Ginny?  I honestly don't know if she's Tony's daughter or granddaughter.  If you mean the third stark gravestone, it's debatable what the name is, but it clearly reads 'Virginia Potts Stark' to me.
Billy Batsonon Jan. 21, 2011 at 7:09 a.m.
@G-Man said:
"And if you're wondering about those Iron Baby images and haven't seen it already, check it out here. "

seen it.
antiterraon Jan. 21, 2011 at 7:17 a.m.
@mrmisanthrope said:

" The most recent annoyance for me was Hope, because I knew she wouldn't stay a baby long, I knew either through magic of "enhanced mutation" or time travel, very soon she'd be a teenager or adult, and sure enough that's what they did. "


I agree with your general point, but I have to disagree with this particular example. Hope is more of a counter-example here, because she was handled remarkably well and was given much more time to grow than most comic book babies.

I understand the disconnect if you left her as a newborn at the end of Messiah Complex only to meet up with her again at the beginning of Second Coming, but the entire 25-issue run of Cable (as well as the Messiah War crossover) was dedicated to chronicling her 17-year journey through the time stream.

Again, you have a point when it comes to children generally being plucked out of some future and/or parallel Earth, retconned into past storylines, cloned directly into adulthood and other clichéd plot devices, but Hope is one of the very few who were actually given ample time and space to grow up.

rum1929on Jan. 21, 2011 at 7:23 a.m.
He should have at least one child out there considering all the women he has hooked up with over the years.
 
Imagine if he had a child with Natasha Romanova...that child would become a hero/villain dubbed Iron Widow.
spiderguylllon Jan. 21, 2011 at 7:29 a.m.
At Tony's kid...EWWWW
cbishopon Jan. 21, 2011 at 7:39 a.m.

Skipped a lot of comments here, but since both universes have continuity, it would be sound planning for Marvel and DC both to start having their characters have kids.  Otherwise, we can only assume their will be more Crisis/ Heroes Reborn reboots.  Whether that's what is actually happening here is up for debate.

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