While it seems hard to imagine that any A-list Marvel Comics character could be universally hated, a widely unpopular version of Tony Stark’. Marvel has tried to make a younger version of Iron Man work in a number of different storylines (including one particularly infamous one from the ‘90s), and time and again, Marvel’s efforts have failed. At least, until now, as Marvel spent the last year making a universally-hated version of Tony Stark genuinely popular.

Masterminded by renowned comic creator Jonathan Hickman, the rise of the Ultimates - beginning with a Teenage Tony Stark.

In The Ultimates #1 by Deniz Camp and Juan Frigeri, readers get a greater insight into who Tony Stark is as a person in this new universe. At the end of the comic, fans get a letter Tony writes to his father, Howard (who is also trapped in the Maker’s temporal prison), where Tony reveals the true nature of his character. Tony sees the damage the Maker has done to the world, and he sees the hand his father had in the Maker’s insidious success.

By doing nothing to change the world for the better when he had the power to, Howard Stark is a failure in his son’s eyes, and Tony seeks to redeem the sins of his father as a founding member of the Ultimates. This letter - and his actions as a legitimate superhero - prove that Tony is an optimistic kid, if not a bit naive. Teen Tony is a major force for good in the Ultimate Universe, and is someone fans want to see more of. Plus, unlike past ‘Teen Tonys’ in Marvel Comics, this one is totally his own character.

Marvel Comics’ First ‘Teen Tony Stark’ is a Loathed Artifact of a Hated Avengers Story

Avengers: The Crossing by Terry Kavanagh, Bob Harras, Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning, Ben Raab, and Mike Deodato Jr.

The Ultimate Universe has successfully revitalized Tony Stark as a teenager by crafting a continuity where that makes sense, and by making Teen Tony a likable character and a genuine hero. However, Ultimate Tony Stark isn’t the first time Marvel has tried to breathe new life into the character by making him a teenager, as that honor (or, in this case, dishonor) goes to one of the most infamous Avengers crossover events in history: Avengers: The Crossing.

In Avengers: The Crossing, the original Tony Stark is revealed to have been corrupted by Kang the Conqueror, making him the villain of this storyline. In an effort to combat this evil Iron Man, the Avengers travel back in time and bring Tony Stark as a teenager to the present. After the original Tony dies at the end of The Crossing, his teenage counterpart remains in the present and acts as the new main-universe Tony Stark for a short period.

Everything about this process felt disingenuous, which explains why it was rejected by Iron Man fans

Making Tony Stark a teenager in this fashion didn’t work for a number of reasons. It made Teen Tony an echo of the original, whose character was effectively sabotaged to make room for this revitalization. Plus, this story just unceremoniously replaced a version of the character fans have been invested in for decades with a younger version, who was literally just plucked from the past and dropped in as the ‘new Iron Man’. Everything about this process felt disingenuous, which explains why it was rejected by Iron Man fans and quickly retconned back to the original status quo.

Even the Original Ultimate Universe Tried (& Failed) to do a ‘Teen Tony Stark’

Ultimate Iron Man by Orson Scott Card and Andy Kubert

In the original Ultimate Universe, fans got an updated origin for Tony Stark, one that saw him infected with a man-made technological virus in utero, which had a major impact on his biology.

“Undifferentiated neural tissue will grow all through his body. As if his whole body is a brain. Greater mental capacity. Quicker. Like no human in history”.

Tony a healing factor, and it was accompanied by a blue armor that covered every inch of his skin, which is why Tony developed his Iron Man armor as a teenager, as an extension of his condition.

Ultimate Tony Stark was effectively mutated at birth, making him superhuman before he even created his armor. Then, the Ultimate Universe followed Teen Tony for some time during this Ultimate Iron Man run, though the events of this comic were not recognized by the wider Ultimate Universe, and were eventually retconned out of existence.

It’s clear that Marvel Comics has tried and failed to make a Teen Tony Stark work for many years, both in the main universe of Earth-616, and the alternate reality of Earth-1610. However, in the new Ultimate Universe of Earth-6160, Marvel struck gold, as it succeeded in making a universally-hated version of Iron Man genuinely popular, finally giving fans a good Teenage Tony Stark.