Appearing in "What It Was Like, What Happened, and What It's Like Now"
Featured Characters:
- Iron Man (Tony Stark) (Main story and flashback)
Supporting Characters:
Villains:
Other Characters:
- Howard Stark (Only in flashback)
- Maria Stark (Only in flashback)
- Tony Stark's classmates (Only in flashback)
- Wong-Chu (Only in flashback)
- Mandarin (Only in flashback)
- Ho Yinsen (Only in flashback)
- The Avengers (Only in flashback)
- Wasp (Janet van Dyne) (Only in flashback)
- Thor (Only in flashback)
- Giant-Man (Hank Pym) (Only in flashback)
- Rescue (Pepper Potts) (Only in flashback)
- Happy Hogan (Only in flashback)
- Bambi Arbogast (Only in flashback)
- Iron Man/War Machine (Rhodey Rhodes) (Only in flashback)
- Hammer Industries (Only in flashback)
- Justin Hammer (Only in flashback)
- Sasha Hammer (Only in flashback)
- Iron Monger (Obadiah Stane) (Only in flashback)
- Black Knight (Dane Whitman) (Only in flashback)
- Firepower (Jack Taggert) (Only in flashback)
- Fin Fang Foom (Only in flashback)
- Madame Masque (Whitney Frost) (Only in flashback)
- Iron Man (Tony Stark) (Earth-96020) (Only in flashback)
- Temujin (Only in flashback)
- S.H.I.E.L.D. (Only in flashback)
- Captain America (Steve Rogers) (Only in flashback)
- Ezekiel Stane (Only in flashback)
- Maria Hill (Only in flashback)
Locations:
- Afghanistan
- New York City (Only in flashback)
- Long Island (Only in flashback)
- Stark International/Stane International/Stark Solutions (Only in flashback)
- Long Island (Only in flashback)
- Washington (Only in flashback)
- Seattle (Only in flashback)
- Stark Resilient HQ (Only in flashback)
- Seattle (Only in flashback)
Items:
- Iron Man Armor MK I (Only in flashback)
- Iron Man Armor MK II (Only in flashback)
- Iron Man Armor MK III (Only in flashback)
- Iron Man Armor MK V (Only in flashback)
- Mjolnir (Only in flashback)
- Mandroids (Only in flashback)
- Iron Man Armor MK II (Only in flashback)
- Iron Man Stealth Armor MK I (Only in flashback)
- Iron Man Armor MK VI (Only in flashback)
- Iron Man Armor MK VII (Only in flashback)
- War Machine Armor (Only in flashback)
- Renaissance Armor (Only in flashback)
- Iron Man Armor Model 30 (Only in flashback)
- Captain America's Shield (Only in flashback)
- Arc Reactor (Only in flashback)
Vehicles:
Synopsis for "What It Was Like, What Happened, and What It's Like Now"
The issue opens with Tony Stark going to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting in the side of a church. As the meeting leader asks if anybody is celebrating a sobriety anniversary, Tony Stands up, and tells his story. He tells the tale of his childhood all alone, his parties with friends, and how one day when his friends abandoned him, he found alcohol. The drinking helped him find women, the women helped him feel more confident, and the combination of drinking and women led him to the attack that caused the birth of Iron Man. As Tony tells the story of his rebirth as Iron Man, we learn of how he built up a shell using his drinking, women, and "work". And in this shell he disappeared. He disappointed everybody, made promises he couldn't keep, and subconsciously just wanted to die. But instead, he lost it all, hit rock bottom, and worked his way up to where he is today, finally happy without the bottle in his hand, and kept moving forward with his life.
Solicit Synopsis
Notes
- This issue is reprinted in Invincible Iron Man: My Monsters.