Tony Stark (film)/History/Iron Man 3

Recalling the Past
Tony narrates about his story and explains how his personal life was destroyed. In the background the Mark VII, Mark VI and Mark V slowly explode one by one and Tony starts by recalling an event that happened way back in Berlin, Switzerland 1999.

In a flashback in the New Year's Eve of 1999, Tony attends a Science Conference in Berlin Switzerland and spends his New Year there. He books himself with his bodyguard Happy Hogan, in a hotel and later on meets a scientist paramour named Maya Hansen during the conference, whom he quickly develops a relationship with.

After the conference, he goes with Maya through the crowd together with his bodyguard, Happy Hogan as the people celebrate the incoming New Year. Happy tells him that it was only half an hour before New Year as Tony talks with Maya regarding the conference and her research. While passing by to go the hotel, he meets up with Physicist Ho Yinsen and Cardiologist Dr. Wu.

The two are honored to meet him, and Tony introduces himself to them while joking around. Yinsen tries to ask Tony if he could spend some time helping them with their research, but Tony holds the offer and ignores it after. When he leaves with Maya, Yinsen asks Tony if they could do it another time but Tony doesn't reply, and continues to go through the crowd into the hotel.

Upon arriving in the hotel lobby, he meets crippled scientist Aldrich Killian, who works for a privately funded think-tank called Advanced Idea Mechanics or A.I.M. for short, and is it's CEO and founder. Aldrich introduces himself to them as Tony and Maya enter the elevator. Aldrich is able to make the cut to the elevator despite it being nearly full, and Happy asks him where he would like to go. Aldrich replies to him with the "Ground Floor".

After, he tries to offer Tony a job in his think-tank and gives both Tony and Maya his contact cards. When Tony reaches his floor, he tells the others to go and then tells Aldrich that he's heard of his think-tank and is interested. He tells Aldrcih to meet him up on the roof later on, and Aldrich agrees.

Tony leaves the elevator and goes to his room. When there, he spends time with Maya and looks at her research. Happy then touches a sample plant injected with Extremis and breaks off some off the plants leaves. Maya immediately tells him to stop touching it and Tony tells Happy not to touch it as well. Happy questions why, and Maya just answers that she doesn't like it, and Tony agrees.

When they go into the bedroom, Maya tells Tony about her research. Tony is amazed at what she's created, - "A biological virus called Extremis, which hacks the brain's DNA center and is able to recode it. Allowing regrowth of limbs, increased strength and instant healing of any living organism."

Tony, who is amazed by Maya's Research, tells her that she's "The best woman he's ever met. In Switzerland." Maya is surprised, and then agrees to Tony when he said that she was the best woman in Switzerland. Maya then takes off Tony's glasses and wears it herself. Tony laughs and looks at her, and the two share a kiss.

With Happy closing the room door, Maya's sample plant suddenly explodes and after, Maya explains to Tony that, the resulting explosion was a glitch in her work. Tony is surprised with the effect and asks here of she's tried using an incentive to her Extremis, to which Maya questions what Tony just said.

Happy, unbeknownst to him that it was simply a glitch, runs to Tony and jumps on him. Protecting Tony, as he thought that there was bomb or an attack from the explosion. Tony reassures Happy that it was nothing and tells Happy to get off of him. Happy asks what just happened, and Maya tells him that it was just a glitch from her work. Happy helps Tony up and then the fireworks start exploding, with everybody celebrating New Year outside. The three then greet each other Happy New Year and Happy leaves the room saying Goodnight to Tony.

Tony and Maya then spend the rest of their time in the room, and later have sex over night. In the morning, Tony writes down the formula for an incentive on a piece of card taken from the conference, and leaves it on his table. He then leaves Maya in the room without saying any goodbye.

The Present and Iron Man
Thirteen years later Tony has long forgotten the events in Switzerland, and now lives with his girlfriend Pepper Potts, who has moved in into his house in Malibu, California.

In the present Tony works in his workshop as he plants 47 Microchips into his arm, that will attach to his nervous system. He is about to test the newly built Mark 42 and it's new prehensile technology. Tony asks Dummy how he got a hat with "Dunce" written on it, on him, in which Tony was the one who placed it there. He later karate chops a wooden stand then tells Dummy to clean up the blood on his floor mat and handle it.

He builds many more suits to fit the various situations that he feels might arise, with his latest suit being the Mark 42. He experiences panic attacks stemming from what he has learned is out there. This and his obsession with being Iron Man strain his relationship with Pepper.

A Severe Anxiety Attack
He is contacted by Happy who is taking his job as the new Head of Security for Stark Industries too seriously. Tony is jealous when he learns that Pepper is meeting with Aldrich Killian. He meets with Rhodey, who he has built a new suit, the Iron Patriot, for. Tony panics and flees in the Mark VII after New York is brought up.

After Happy is badly injured in an apparent attack by "The Mandarin," Tony issues a threat to "the Mandarin" and gives him his address to try to draw him out.

The Mandarin Strikes
After a fight with Pepper about leaving and having Maya Hansen shows up, Tony's house comes under attack by three helicopters sent by "the Mandarin." Tony helps Pepper escape then dons the Mark 42 to try to save his house.

Though Tony manages to take out two helicopters, the Mark 42's status as a prototype that was just being brought online limits his abilities and his house and first seven armors are destroyed as he is sent to the bottom of the ocean and believed dead. Tony survives and flies to Rose Hill, Tennessee which he had earlier determined was the location of an explosion similar to the one that nearly killed Happy. The Mark 42 runs out of power. After leaving a message for Pepper, Tony makes his way to a workshop to recharge the suit and befriends Harley Keener.

Finding the Mandarin
With Harley's help, Tony starts repairing the suit and investigates the explosion, coming under attack by Ellen Brandt and Eric Savin, who are enhanced by Extremis. Tony manages to kill Brandt and disable Savin even without his armor and heads off to locate "the Mandarin" with the help of a file given to him by the mother of the man who exploded. Realizing that A.I.M. is behind this, Tony calls Rhodey to get his log-in to the military and hacks into the organization to learn about Extremis. Harley and J.A.R.V.I.S. locate "the Mandarin" in Miami, but Tony panics when he learns that the armor might not be ready for him in the time limit he set.

Following advice by Harley, Tony builds makeshift weapons and makes his way into "the Mandarin's" home. The weapons are Ornament Bombs, Nail Gun, Electric glove, Tazor, and a Grappling Hook. Where he learns that "the Mandarin" is actually an actor named Trevor Slattery hired by Killian to create a cover for the explosions that his Extremis Soldiers create when their bodies reject Extremis. Tony is captured by Savin and taken to Killian who reveals he has captured Pepper and injected her with Extremis to force Tony to help him perfect it.

Tony is able to convince Maya to turn on Killian, but he simply kills her rather than release Tony. While being guarded, Tony's borrowed watch goes off and he tries to summon the Mark 42 and gets frustrated when it doesn't come. Finally, the right arm and left leg arrive and Tony is able to use its repulsors and guns from the guards to fight his way free before the rest of the armor arrives. Discovering Savin heading off in Iron Patriot, Tony tries to follow but discovers that the armor isn't charged enough. Meeting up with Rhodey, he helps take out two guards and confronts Slattery about where Pepper is.

Rescuing Air Force One
Slattery reveals what he knows including that the Vice President is involved somehow and where Killian's base is. As they have no way to get there, Tony and Rhodey take Slattery's speedboat and Tony calls the Vice President to warn him he may be in danger. Realizing from the Vice President's comment that Iron Patriot is with the President that the President is in danger, Tony charges the Mark 42 to 92% and then dispatches it, controlled by remote, to try to save the President.

Savin manages to destroy Air Force One and send the President to Killian in the Iron Patriot armor, but Tony kills Savin and saves thirteen people from falling to their deaths before the Mark 42 is broken into its component pieces by getting hit by a truck. Arriving at the location Slattery gave them, Tony orders J.A.R.V.I.S. to activate the "House Party Protocol"' and infiltrates the base with a nervous Rhodey who doesn't like the idea of Tony with a gun without armor.

The Battle At The Oil Rig
The two end up pinned down, but the rest of Tony's Iron Man armors, now the Iron Legion arrive to help, taking on the Extremis Soldiers. Donning an armor, Tony goes to rescue Pepper while Rhodey heads off to rescue the President. Tony battles Killian in several armors, but each is destroyed and Pepper apparently falls to her death. Finally, the repaired Mark 42 arrives and Tony tries to put it on, but fails as it falls to pieces after hitting a pole.

Desperate, Tony puts the armor on Killian and orders J.A.R.V.I.S. to cause it to self-destruct, apparently killing Killian while Tony escapes to the ground. Killian survives the blast and attacks, but Tony is saved by Pepper who survived due to her Extremis powers. The Mark VIII arrives and attacks Pepper due to her Extremis powers and Tony fails to stop the attack as he lost his earpiece, however, Pepper destroys the suit's Arc reactor, disabling it to Tony's shock.

New Beginnings
As Tony watches, Pepper kills Killian with a missile and a repulsor from the suit. Tony promises to help deal with Pepper's Extremis and orders J.A.R.V.I.S. to self-destruct the surviving Iron Man suits as a sign of his devotion to Pepper. Tony is able to stabilize Pepper's Extremis and as part of the new life he is building, undergoes surgery to have the shrapnel removed from his chest and as thanks to Harley, upgrades his workshop to match his own. Afterwards, Tony pitches his now-obsolete arc reactor into the ocean, but muses that he will always be Iron Man even without the suits.

Ending the Story
Later, it was revealed that Tony was telling the story to Bruce Banner, who fell asleep at the beginning of the story. Bruce wakes up and apologizes, Tony understands, but starts to tell a new story instead to Bruce.