The Marvel Comics History of Ezekiel ‘Zeke’ Stane Eric Diaz | usagoldmines.com

In recent years, the MCU has introduced the next generation of some of its iconic heroes, like Kate Bishop, Hawkeye, Ms. Marvel, and Ant-Man’s daughter, Cassie Lang. But now, in the new series Ironheart, they may be introducing legacy villains too. Wait, is this character even a villain? Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne) makes a new friend in Joe McGillicuddy, a suburban tech genius who is a bit of a weird loner. He’s played with awkward charm by Solo star Alden Ehrenreich. At the end of Ironheart episode 3, we learn who Joe really is, as he reveals he’s Ezekiel “Zeke” Stane, the son of Iron Man villain Obidiah Stane (Jeff Bridges), the former friend of Tony Stark. Could Zeke Stane’s Marvel Comics history clue us into his MCU fate?

Zeke Stane, a Second Generation Iron Man Villain

Obidah Stane, also known as Iron Monger, fought Iron Man in one of his most seminal early ’80s storylines. He first appeared in 1982’s Iron Man #163, causing problems for Tony Stark until the seminal Iron Man #200 in 1985, the issue where he took his own life. Decades later, writer Matt Fraction introduced the character of Obidiah’s son, Ezekiel Stane, in 2008’s The Order. Fraction described Zeke as a child prodigy, who was building bioweaponry and advanced tech from age nine.

Much like Tony Stark, Zeke Stane was a futurist. But he believed in upgrading the actual human body, versus simply creating suits and armor like Stark. Much like his MCU counterpart, Zeke Stane lived off the grid for years, avoiding detection. He eventually becomes the CEO of Stane International. He uses the company’s resources to strike at Stark as revenge for the death of his father.

In the years that followed, Zeke Stane worked with and against many of Iron Man’s villains, like the Mandarin and the daughter of Justin Hammer. He even joined the ranks of the elite group of wealthy X-Men villains the Hellfire Club. In one instance, he funded a rebellion within the kingdom of Wakanda. He sometimes uses the name Iron Monger like his father, but prefers his birth name. As a behind-the-scenes manipulator, he seems to have his fingers in many pies in the Marvel Universe. And he’s ultimately proven to be a big thorn in Iron Man’s side for much longer than his father Obidiah ever was.

Zeke Stane’s Powers, and How They Differ from Stark’s Iron Suits

Zeke Stane’s most important power is his genius intellect and his vast fortune, inherited from his villainous father. He used all this to reverse-engineer advanced Stark Tech to augment his own biology, and he was able to create repulsor bolts that came out of his own hands. All of these upgrades come at a price, however. Because of the excessive use of his own body’s energy, Zeke Stane must constantly keep his body’s blood sugar level high to make up for its rapid consumption. Stane does this by eating a high 20,000 calorie paste. This is very similar to how DC Comics’ Flash has to eat massive amounts to overcompensate for his energy output.

The MCU Ezekiel Stane in Ironheart

The MCU version of Zeke Stane doesn’t seem to be much of a bad guy at all. Yes, he experiments with a lot of contraband tech, and is a genius. But he seems like a genuinely nice guy, who wants to live in anonymity without anyone knowing his true parentage.

He lives in the suburbs of Chicago, using the name Joe. He keeps his dad’s ashes in his cupboard, but wants nothing to do with his father’s villainous past. It seems his greatest fear is becoming another version of Obidiah Stane. But sometimes, you just can’t fight your destiny. We’ll see if Zeke Stane will finish out Ironheart without a turn to the dark side.