Byronic Hero Traits

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Iron Man – A Byronic Hero

The character of Tony Stark aka Iron Man is the prototype of a Byronic Hero. Some of the main Byronic Hero traits fit Iron Man like a glove. A Byronic Hero has an attractive and charismatic personality. On the other hand, he can also be moody, cynical, demanding, and often arrogant. His overly sensitive perception of injustices in his life influences his social behavior and result in the disrespect for rank and authorities. This might also establish some social isolation and incapacity to form relationships and trust issues. A Byronic Hero demonstrates an intense drive and determination to fight for his cause, which often causes conflicts during which the Byronic Hero may endure a tragic end.

Tony Stark is without …show more content…

We get to know, that Tony’s early life was dominated by the absence of his father who he would describe during the movie as “cold and calculating”. Tony was also highly annoyed by his father’s constant talk and admiration for Captain America. Stark claims that because of lacking parental love, he still had a nanny at the age of 14. Not being loved by his father forces Tony into stealing the spotlight from an early age on with his brilliant and unique mind. At age 17 Stark graduates from MIT with summa cum laude. When turning 21 Stark becomes the CEO of Stark Industries and helps create the government agency S.H.I.E.L.D. Tony claims more than once that missing out on having a father figure in his life, is why he has problems with respecting authorities. Perfect examples for his disrespect for rank and authorities are: During the Avengers movie, Iron Man starts a fight with Captain America in not accepting his leadership which leads to the following exchange: Iron Man, “I don’t play well with others.” Captain America: “Yeah. Big man in a suit of armor. Take that off, what are you?” Tony replies, “Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist.” Captain America responds,” I know guys with none of that and worth ten of you. I’ve seen the footage. The only thing that your really fight for is yourself. You’re not the guy to make the sacrifice play. To lay down on the wire and let the other guy crawl over you.” Tony answers, “ I think I would just cut the wire.” Captain America, “Always a way out. You know you may not be a threat but you better stop pretending to be a hero.” This exchange is a perfect reflection of Tony’s personality. He doesn’t respect Captain America’s leadership (maybe because he couldn’t stand his father’s admiration for the legend) and challenges him with arrogant and witty remarks. Another example is in the Avengers movie when Thor is threating Loki,

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