genius.  billionaire.  playboy.  philanthropist.
full legal name samuel ethan aust-wildes date of birth (age) may 29, 1979 (41) birthplace albuquerque, new mexico residence sea cliff, san francisco, ca
biography

Margerie Aust wanted children.  Her husband, Jeffrey, did not.  His focus was primarily on celebrating his first million dollar profit through a series of wise business investments.  So, of course, Margerie Aust did what any reasonable wife would do:  Without the knowledge of her husband, she altogether ceased taking her birth control.

And that was how Samuel Ethan Aust came screaming into the world in the early summer of 1979.  It was the first time he existed to disappoint his father, but it would certainly not be the last.

It wasn't that Samuel wanted to be the bane of Jeffrey Aust's existence; he simply was without even trying.  He did his best to pay attention in school and earn high marks on all of his assignments.  The thing was, Samuel couldn't stop getting distracted.  He liked to build things  β€”  out of pencils, glue sticks, Scotch tape, bits of paper, whatever it was that he could find.  When he wasn't crafting the next great technological advance out of school supplies, he was drawing its schematics.  And when he wasn't doing that?  Well, let's just say Samuel served a lot of detentions in his younger years.

Despite holding minimal affection for his son, it was Jeffrey Aust's legacy that he most wanted to pass along to little Samuel.  Unfortunately, Samuel wanted nothing to do with it.  So much so that the ink was barely dry on his high school diploma when he enlisted in the military.

This probably would've all worked out fine if Samuel had ever in his life learned to stay in his own lane.  Unfortunately, with the humility that accompanied his SEALS training came a sense of duty to his team that he couldn't shake, and Samuel suffered the sort of physical injury in the line of combat fire that forced a medical discharge.  It took months for him to fully recover from everything but the PTSD that he totally doesn't have.

So it was that God (or whatever deity you believe in) hit that big old reset button in the sky on Samuel Aust's life.  Instead of taking up his father's mantle and walking the easy road, he leased an apartment in Cambridge and attended coursework at M.I.T. to pursue his interest in engineering.  After receiving dual degreees, he moonwalked over to the West Coast where starter tech companies tend to prosper and founded one of his own, specializing primarily in weapon defense systems for no particular reason at all.

Iron Man
Anthony "Tony" Edward Stark assumes the role of CEO of Stark Industries following the death of his adoptive father, Howard Stark.  A wealthy businessman, savvy scientist, and renowned playboy, he suffers a severe injury to the chest when he is kidnapped during a test run of Stark Industries equipment.  Though his captors attempt to force him to craft a weapon of mass destruction, Tony instead fashions a mechanized suit of armor that both saves his life and enables him to escape captivity.  Upon his return home, Tony begins the process of improving his suit with Stark technology and weaponry.  He utilizes this initial suit, as well as its successive versions, to protect the public as Iron Man.  Despite the insistence of his personal assistant and right hand woman, Pepper Potts, Tony declares to the world that he is in fact Iron Man in the midst of a press conference.  This makes him a target to some and an asset to others.
random facts   He holds a B.S. and an M.S., awarded simultaneously, in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.
  With the assistance of multiple tutors, Samuel is capable of speaking three languages fluently:  English, Mandarin Chinese, and French.
  An active athlete, he played baseball throughout all of his childhood and adolescence.
  He stands at 6'1" tall.
  His father is a renowned business magnate, investor, and philanthropist loosely based on Warren Buffett.
  Samuel continues to play an assortment of recreational league sports throughout the year as they are available.
  At the age of 26, during his time served in the Navy SEALS, he suffered and survived a severe injury to the chest during combat.  He has a visible scar despite multiple surgical attempts to conceal it.
  During the active school year, Samuel mentors a robotics team at the local high school.  It is the one thing to which he is deeply committed.  (Just don't use that word.)