In Tales of Suspense #74 (February 1966), a desperately ill Happy is mutated into a giant, savage, nearly mindless, superhumanly strong humanoid known as the Freak when doctors try to cure him using a cobalt ray machine powered by Stark's experimental "Enervator" device. Freak breaks loose and goes on a rampage, escaping before Iron Man can arrive to stop him.[3]
Iron Man leads the Freak back to his laboratory, but runs out of power and collapses. The Freak encounters Pepper Potts, who faints at the sight of him, and he carries her away. The police fire on him, causing him to drop Pepper. Iron Man saves Pepper, and leads the Freak to his lab again. He is restored to his normal self in Tales of Suspense #76 (April 1966) when Iron Man exposes him to the Enervator once again, though he is afflicted with temporary amnesia that lasts until Tales of Suspense #83 (November 1966).[4]
Later, while helping Iron Man rebuild his armor, Happy is again exposed to cobalt rays and is again transformed into the Freak. The Freak smashes Iron Man through a wall, and takes Pepper with him. Iron Man is able to again return Happy to normal.[5]
The Collector later kidnaps Happy and Pepper, hoping to add the Freak to his collection. This draws Iron Man's attention, who intervenes and rescues his friends.[6]
Later, after Happy is injured while wearing the Iron Man armor, Stark uses the Enervator to save him, thinking that he has corrected the problems with the device. But again it transforms Happy into the Freak, who goes on another rampage. He exposes himself to cobalt radiation, causing him to glow with energy that will eventually reach critical mass and cause him to explode. The two battle, until Stark is able to use the Enervator to again revert Happy to normal.[7]
With the events of the 2006 "Civil War" storyline causing Tony Stark considerable moral, political and emotional problems, Happy Hogan continues to give Tony much needed advice. In an important moment of crisis, he says to Tony: "You, my friend, are the only cape in the bunch [of superheroes] that's both one of us [that is, human] and one of them. Who else can see both sides the way you do?" On the night of his anniversary with Pepper, Hogan is attacked by the Spymaster, who is seeking to use Hogan as bait to draw out Iron Man. Spymaster threatens to kill Hogan first, then Pepper. Angered, Hogan grabs him by the neck and they fall several stories,[8] leaving Hogan in a vegetative coma.[9]
While he is in the coma, Pepper tells Tony of Cobra McCoyle, a former boxing friend who took too many hits to the head. Cobra is unable to even feed himself and must be taken care of. Pepper tells Tony that Hogan has declared he never wants to end up like McCoyle. At the end of Iron Man vol. 4 #14, Hogan apparently dies. The issue leaves it ambiguous whether Hogan dies naturally or whether it is because Tony Stark digitally interfaced with and shut down Hogan's life support.[9]
Following this, Tony experiences occasional hallucinations of Happy, which Doc Samson attributes to the Extremis process; as a result of Tony's mind being accelerated by the Extremis process to allow him to interface with his armor directly, his subconscious mind often processes information that he was not consciously aware of, with this information being 'filtered' by the part of Tony's mind that stored his guilt to stop him facing it, resulting in illusions of Happy or Steve Rogers appearing to prompt Tony to acknowledge key information that he had not registered himself.[10]
Later, when Tony (slowly losing his mind to prevent Norman Osborn from getting the Superhero Registration Act information) and Pepper are in hiding, Pepper reminds him of all his friends and allies with Happy being one of them. Tony then replies, "Who's Happy?"
After experiencing a moral inversion, Tony is confronted by a new, teenage version ofAbomination when he relocates to San Francisco. While talking with Teen Abomination, Tony learns that he is Jamie Carlson, the son of former Stark Industries employee Katrina Carlson who was exposed to gamma radiation during an accident at the company when Tony was busy fighting a wizard from another dimension during an earlier time. Initially planning to analyze and use Teen Abomination's powers for himself, Tony changes his mind when the analysis of the boy's DNA reveals that Happy Hogan was his father, leaving Tony resolving to heal the boy as Happy was one of the few people he ever respected.[11]
Other versions
Amalgam Comics
In the Amalgam Comics Universe, DC Comics's Green Lantern and Marvel's Iron Man are combined to create Iron Lantern.[citation needed] Iron Lantern is secretly Hal Stark, owner of Stark Aircraft, a developer of experimental aircraft.[volume&issueneeded] Stark's chief mechanic is Happy Kalmaku (an amalgamation of Marvel's Happy Hogan and DC's Thomas Kalmaku[citation needed]). Happy is in love with test pilot Pepper Ferris (an amalgamation of Marvel's Pepper Potts and DC's Carol Ferris). Unfortunately for Happy, Pepper is not only in love with Stark, she is also secretly the supervillain Madame Sapphire (a combination of Marvel's Madame Masque and DC's Star Sapphire). Happy Kalmaku first appeared in Iron Lantern #1 (April 1997), published jointly by Marvel and DC. He was created by Kurt Busiek (script) and Paul Smith (art).
Heroes Reborn
In the 1996-97 Heroes Reborn series, Happy Hogan is Stark's public relations chief. He has a brief romantic relationship with Pepper. He is also attacked by the villain Rebel and is seen later in a hospital bed.[12]
Marvel Zombies Return
In the Marvel Zombies universe, Happy appears in Marvel Zombies Return. He is working for Stark International; at this point Tony Stark is a useless drunk and S.I. headquarters is literally falling apart. Happy goes off to investigate a disturbance in the basement and falls prey to the zombie Giant Man who had teleported in from another dimension. The former hero bites and turns Hogan into a zombie. Happy then leads a zombie outbreak among the staff. James Rhodes kills him by destroying his head.[13]
In the spin-off novel Tomorrow Men by Michael Jan Friedman, it is revealed that he has a supervisory position at the Triskelion; the Ultimates' headquarters. Furthermore, although Hogan has worked with Stark for a long time, he never officially achieved his MIT degree.
In Ultimate Human, although he is never seen on page, Tony Stark is seen talking to him on a cell phone, and then continuing the conversation after he is in an Iron Man suit.[15]
Happy Hogan appears in the Iron Man segment of The Marvel Super Heroes, voiced by Tom Harvey.[16] He also appears as The Freak (called the Monster in the Black Knight episode).
Happy Hogan appears in the animated series Iron Man: Armored Adventures, voiced by Alistair Abell.[17] In this version, Happy is a tall and muscular, but overexcitable and gentle-hearted basketball jock.
In Iron Man, he is shown to be Tony Stark's bodyguard, chauffeur and close friend.
In Iron Man 2, Happy is first seen welcoming Tony at the Stark Expo. When Tony receives a subpoena to appear before Congress by a U.S. Marshal, Happy Hogan takes the subpoena stating that Tony doesn't like to be handed things. Happy later assists Black Widow into raiding Hammer Industries. He struggles in his fight with one of the security personnel while Black Widow takes out the rest. Favreau's son Max had a minor appearance in the film as an Expo attendee wearing an Iron Man mask later confirmed to have been retconned as a young Peter Parker.
In Iron Man 3, Happy is the head of security for Stark Industries, having been promoted as he complained about feeling ridiculous announcing himself as Iron Man's bodyguard. At the beginning of the film, he witnesses the side-effects of an Extremis enhanced Jack Taggart and gets into conflict with Eric Savin. He is rendered comatose when Taggart explodes, prompting Stark to go after the Mandarin. He regains consciousness near the end of the film.
In Spider-Man: Homecoming,[18] he is assigned by Tony Stark as head of Asset Management for the Avengers, overseeing the transition of the Avengers moving to their new facility in upstate New York. Happy is also assigned as a point of contact for Peter Parker, but is shown to abhor the job. Peter continuously calls Happy, much to the latter's annoyance. Happy later shuts off Peter's friend Ned when he tries to call him for help during Vulture's mid-air heist of the Avengers' items. During the attempted heist, Happy witnesses it from a distance as he's in the Avengers Tower. In the end when Peter defeats Vulture and leaves him for Happy and the authorities, Happy gives him his thanks and admits to Tony that "he's a good kid."
Favreau reprised his role in Avengers: Infinity War in a scene that was cut for time but is available as a deleted scene on the Blu-Ray release.
In Avengers: Endgame, Happy was revealed to have been among the survivors of the Snap and later appears at the end of the film as one of the attendees at Tony Stark's funeral. He is later seen comforting Tony and Pepper's daughter, Morgan, after the loss of her father while being heartbroken himself over losing his closest friend.
Favreau reprised his role in Spider-Man: Far From Home.[19] He continues to look after Peter and help him deal with Stark's loss which brings both of them closer. He aids Peter in London by helping his friends who are targeted by Mysterio to safety. He is also shown to be friends with Peter's aunt May, who it is implied he is attracted to which he eventually but spontaneously confirms to Peter's friends. Peter eventually confronts both him and May the latter of whom does not acknowledge them as dating.
Iron Man is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby. The character made his first appearance in Tales of Suspense #39, and received his own title in Iron Man #1.
War Machine is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Jim Rhodes first appeared in Iron Man #118 by David Michelinie and John Byrne. The War Machine armor, which became his signature armored battlesuit, was created by Len Kaminski and Kevin Hopgood.
The Mandarin is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is the archenemy of Iron Man. The character was created by Stan Lee and designed by Don Heck, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #50. The character is described as being born in China before the Communist revolution to a wealthy Chinese father and an English aristocratic mother, both of whom died when he was very young. He is characterized as a megalomaniac, attempting to conquer the world on several occasions, yet also possessing a strong sense of honor.
A.I.M. is a fictional organization of villains and supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, first appearing in Strange Tales #146. The organization was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. It is characterized as a network of terrorist arms dealers and scientists specializing in highly advanced and technological weaponry whose ultimate goal is the overthrow of all world governments for their own gains.
Edwin Jarvis is a supporting character in the Marvel Comics titles Iron Man and The Avengers. He is the loyal household butler of the Stark family. Since the 1990s, the character has appeared heavily in media adaptations of Iron Man and Avengers stories.
Crimson Dynamo is the name of several fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics who have all been powered armor–wearing Russian or Soviet agents who have clashed with the superhero Iron Man over the course of his heroic career.
The Awesome Android is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Fantastic Four #15 and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist and co-plotter Jack Kirby.
Stark Industries, later also known as Stark International, Stark Innovations, Stark Enterprises and Stark Resilient, is a fictional company appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The company is depicted as being owned and run by businessman Tony Stark, who is also known as Iron Man. It first appeared in Tales of Suspense No. 40 and was founded by Tony's father, Howard Stark. According to Forbes 25 largest fictional companies it had an estimated sales of $20.3 billion, ranking it at number 16.
Virginia "Pepper" Potts is a fictional supporting character appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, particularly those featuring Iron Man, in which she serves as a supporting character, sometimes as a romantic love interest of Tony Stark. Created by writers Stan Lee and Robert Bernstein and designed by artist Don Heck, she first appeared in Tales of Suspense #45. In 2007, she joined the Fifty State Initiative under the code name Hera. In 2009, she assumed the identity of Rescue after being given her own variation of a suit of Iron Man's armor by Tony Stark.
Controller is a fictional character, a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is usually depicted as an enemy of Iron Man.
Iron Man is a 2008 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Paramount Pictures, it is the first film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It was directed by Jon Favreau from a screenplay by the writing teams of Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby, and Art Marcum and Matt Holloway, and stars Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark / Iron Man alongside Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges, Shaun Toub, and Gwyneth Paltrow. In the film, following his escape from captivity by a terrorist group, world famous industrialist and master engineer Tony Stark builds a mechanized suit of armor and becomes the superhero Iron Man.
In addition to his mainstream incarnation, Iron Man has been depicted in other fictional universes.
Morgan Stark is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics and a relative of Tony Stark.
James Rhodes is a Marvel Comics character that has appeared in comics featuring or related to Iron Man since 1979. The character has appeared in other media adaptations of Iron Man both as a non-costumed character and as War Machine.
J.A.R.V.I.S. is a fictional artificial intelligence that first appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe where he was voiced by Paul Bettany in Iron Man, Iron Man 2, The Avengers, Iron Man 3, and Avengers: Age of Ultron. After the first Iron Man film the character was introduced into the American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
The armor worn by the Marvel Comics character Iron Man has also appeared in many types of media since it debuted along with Tony Stark in Tales of Suspense #39. It is most famously been featured in the series of live-action films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with actor Robert Downey Jr. portraying Tony Stark.
Teen Abomination is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is a teenage counterpart of the Abomination and the son of Happy Hogan.
Anthony Edward Stark is a fictional character portrayed by Robert Downey Jr. in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film franchise—based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name—commonly known by his alter ego, Iron Man. In the films, Stark is an industrialist, genius inventor, hero and former playboy who is CEO of Stark Industries. At the beginning of the series, he is a chief weapons manufacturer for the U.S. military, until he has a change of heart and redirects his technical knowledge into the creation of mechanized suits of armor which he uses to defend against those that would threaten peace around the world.
The Freak is a fictional character associated with Iron Man appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He was introduced as a boxer who looked up to Tony Stark, and called himself "Iron Man" in the ring.
References
↑ Wells, John (2015). American Comic Book Chronicles: 1960-64. TwoMorrows Publishing. p.135. ISBN978-1605490458.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
