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The Arc Reactor is a unique form of power source that was designed by Howard Stark and Anton Vanko.

It was immense, Howard saw it as the stepping stone to create a new, stable element that would render nuclear power obsolete. But Anton saw it as a way to get rich and when Howard found out, he had Anton deported. Howard's son, Tony Stark miniaturized the design and uses it to power the Iron Man armor.

History[]

Iron Man[]

After being critically wounded in an ambush by the Ten Rings billionaire industrialist and inventor Tony Stark was imprisoned in a cave and ordered to build a missile for them, To save his life, fellow captive Dr. Yinsen put a electromagnet in his chest to keeps the shrapnel in Stark's chest from reaching his heart and killing him. The Ten Rings offers Tony his freedom in exchange for building a Jericho missile for the group, but Tony and Yinsen knew they will not keep their word. So Tony and Yinsen secretly build a device that provides a clean source of energy called an "Arc Reactor", to power Stark's electromagnet. A massive arc reactor provided power for the sprawling complex of Stark Industries. The arc reactor was allegedly capable of powering the electromagnet protecting Tony's heart for fifty lifetimes on its own and power a suit of armor to escape.

The Ten Rings attack the workshop when they discover what Tony is doing. Yinsen sacrifices himself to divert them while Stark's suit powers up. The armored Stark battles his way out of the cave to find the dying Yinsen, then an enraged Stark burns the terrorists munitions and flies away, only to crash in the desert, destroying the suit. After being rescued by Rhodes, Stark returns home and announces that his company will no longer manufacture weapons. After returning home Tony developed a more efficient arc reactor that he used to power the improves Mark II and Mark III suits as well. Although Tony reverted to the original arc reactor after the new model was stolen by Obadiah Stane to power his Iron Monger suit.

The reactor had great difficulty providing enough power to the Mark III suit, being depleted to around a fifth of its power supply simply by flying Stark from his home to Stark Industries, with the last 20% being exhausted during his fight with Stane in the Iron Monger armor. Tony lures Stane atop the Stark Industries building and instructs Potts to overload the large arc reactor there. This unleashes a massive electrical surge that knocks Stane unconscious, causing him and his armor to fall into the exploding reactor, killing him.The next day, the press has dubbed the armored hero "Iron Man".

Iron Man 2[]

Six months after revealing his identity to the world, Stark has used his Iron Man armor to help maintain world peace. He re-institutes the Stark Expo to continue his father Howard's legacy. The government demands that Stark turn over the Iron Man technology to them. Tony refuses claiming that foreign nations and business competitors are decades away from successfully recreating his achievements and that the armor is in fact his own property. But Ivan Vanko begins building a similar weapon in Russia. Tony's arc reactors palladium core that powers the electromagnet device that keeps him alive is slowly poisoning him and has failed to find a substitute. He grows increasingly despondent and reckless due to his impending death and choosing not to tell anyone about his condition.

Tony appoints his personal assistant Pepper Potts CEO of Stark Industries and replaces her with Stark employee Natalie Rushman. Vanko attacks him while racing at the Circuit de Monaco, using an arc reactor of his own powering whip-like energy weapons. He defeats Vanko with the aid of his portable briefcase armor and learns that Vanko is the son of his father's old partner. Anton Vanko, who had collaborated with Howard on the first arc reactor. Howard Stark and Anton Vanko first build the arc reactor. Nick Fury director of S.H.I.E.L.D. approaches Stark, revealing Rushman as undercover agent Natasha Romanoff and that Howard Stark was a S.H.I.E.L.D. founder whom Fury knew personally. Fury gives him some of his father's old material; a hidden message in the diorama of the 1974 Stark Expo that proves to be a diagram of the structure of a new element arc reactor power source.

Tony successfully develops a new element using a small particle accelerator and cures himself. Soon after, Vanko attacks the Expo with armored drones. But Rhodes in a heavily weaponized version of the Mark II armor arrives to help his friend battle with the drones. Tony, in his new Mark VI armor, and Rhodes battle many of the advanced machines. Together they defeat the drones. Afterwards Vanko himself shows up, now in a new, very powerful suit of armor. Neither can match Vanko, but Vanko is ultimately defeated when they fire repulsor rays at each other causing a large explosion. With his suit too damaged to continue the fight Vanko activates his suit's self-destruct mechanism, along with that of his drones apparently killing himself in the process. Stark saves Potts from the exploding drones remains. Potts quits as CEO, and she and Stark kiss. For their heroic deeds, Stark and Rhodes are awarded with medals of bravery by Senator Stern.

The Avengers[]

Tony uses new Arc reactor technology to develop a large scale version of the reactor to power his Stark Tower in New York City, which is said to have the ability keep the building running for over a year with clean energy. Loki commandeers Stark Tower to be used as the location to open the wormhole for the Chitauri to invade as it has a clean supply of energy thanks to the Arc Reactor powering it. Tony's personal arc reactor prevents Loki from taking control of his mind, as the reactor blocks this effect of Loki's staff, which normally allows Loki to control the minds of others. The Avengers, hold off the invasion well but are outnumbered by the aliens. A nuclear missile is sent by the World Security Council to destroy the city. Iron Man intercepts the missile and throws it through the portal, destroying the Chitauri fleet. The invaders die immediately. Hulk catches an unconscious Iron Man, who is revived. The Avengers arrest Loki. After the battle, the Avengers head to a Shawarma restaurant for something to eat.

Iron Man 3[]

Tony is haunted from his near death experience from The Avengers. Fearing he couldn't protect people he cared for. To this end, he made repeated upgrades of his armors, not only inserting various remote control devices into his forearm that would allow him to summon the new Mark XLII armor with his thoughts alone, but also created the "Iron Legion" of multiple remote-controlled armors keyed in to his physiology. Meanwhile, a string of bombings by terrorist the Mandarin has left intelligence agencies bewildered by lack of forensic evidence. When Happy is badly injured in one such attack, Tony overcomes his stupor and issues a televised threat to the Mandarin, who responds by destroying his home with helicopter gunships. Tony survive the attack and ends up crash landing in Tennessee to investigates explosion bearing the trademarks of a Mandarin attack.

Stark's experimental armor lacks sufficient power to return to home, and the world believes him dead. A 10 year old boy named Harley helps Tony investigate and discovers the "bombings" were triggered by soldiers subjected to Extremis. This was discovered by Tony hacking into A.I.M.'s systems with the help of Rhodey, whose armor was upgraded by A.I.M. and thus being an user of the company's systems. Tony managed to hack into A.I.M.'s secrets, finding out they developed a experimental called Extremis, which gave its user enhanced strength and regeneration among other powers, but if unstable, it would be used as a bomb, realizing the "bombs" used by the Mandarin were actually failed Extremis test subjects A.I.M. gave him.

They trace Killian to an impounded oil-drilling platform where Killian intends to kill President Ellis on live television. Stark summons the "Iron Legion" against Aldrich's Extremis solders. After Killian and the Extremis solders was defeated, Tony finally undergoes surgery to remove the shrapnel embedded near his heart by Dr. Wu with an arc reactor powering the magnet collecting the removed shrapnel. After the surgery, Tony throws his no longer needed arc reactor into the sea because he finally understood that Iron Man is the man who "built" the armor not the armor that wears the man.

Avengers: Age of Ultron[]

To be added

Captain America: Civil War[]

To be added

Spider-Man: Homecoming[]

To be added

Avengers: Infinity War[]

Tony created an detachable arc reactor that house nanoparticles, the nanoparticles could form the new Mark L Iron Man armor and materialize weapons. In New York after jogging, Pepper Potts questioned Tony's need to be Iron Man, which Tony tells Pepper its to keep them safe if there a "monster in the closet" just than they were interrupted by the arrival of Dr. Strange who told Tony that the fate of the universe was at stake followed by Bruce Banner having returned to earth greeted Potts and hug Tony. He were brought up to speed about the Infinity Stones at the New York Sanctum. Bruce knows that's Vision, who had the Mind Stone embedded in his head and would be targeted by Thanos.

When Ebony Maw and Cull Obsidian attack New York for the Time Stone in Strange care Tony taps the arc reactor that summons the Mark L armor to fight Cull Obsidian, Tony first uses a shield to deflect Obsidian attack, then materialize repulsor cannon and four levitating cannons which send the Cull Obsidian flying. Later, Tony is almost overwhelmed by Obsidan but is saved by Peter Parker.

Later, Tony chased Ebony Maw's Q ship by boosting his armor speed by using the nanoparticles to form megathrusters by combining both his feet. He then used the armor laser to cut into the ship thick wall. Tony killed Maw with Peter help by distracting him, Tony fires missile at wall and that sucks Maw into space as Peter saved Strange.

Tony then encounters the Guardians of the Galaxy, He was trapped by an Electromagnet fired by Peter Quill on the armor chest. He broke frees from the trap and threatens Drax with a repulsor cannon pointed at his face. However, they form an alliance when realize they both want to kill Thanos.

On Titan, Tony push a massice building on Thanos, that only enraging him. Thanos, using the Reality Stone, turn the the massive rock into bats that went after Tony. Later, Tony and Peter attemped to remove the Infinity Gauntlet from Thanos's hand but failed as Quill attacked him while Mantis was putting him to sleep after learning of Gamora's death. Thanos then overpowered all of them Thanos than used the Space and Power Stone destroyed Titan's moon and throw it's meteors at Tony and the others. Tony recovered after Thanos overpowered Strange and fought Thanos. Unfortunately, despite Tony's best efforts, Thanos proved to be far too powerful for him and quickly defeated Tony and stabbed him with his own blade. Tony later used the nanoparticles to create medical suture spray to seal his wound. After the battle, Thanos used the complete Infinity Gauntlet, wiping out half the universe.

Avengers: Endgame[]

After being rescued from space by Carol Danvers, Tony refused to help go after Thanos and gave Steve Rogers the Arc Reactor containing the Mark L armor, suggesting that Steve use it instead. Five years later, Tony built a new Arc Reactor that stored the Mark LXXXV armor when the Avengers reassemble to undo the Decimation.

While in 2012, Tony had Scott Lang cause a distraction by pulling a wire in the 2012 Tony's Arc Reactor so that they could steal the Tesseract. The distraction nearly worked, but a mishap with the 2012 Hulk allowed the 2012 Loki to escape with the Tesseract instead while the 2012 Thor used a shock from Mjölnir to fix the Arc Reactor.

The Avengers was able to collect all of the Infinity Stones from the past. Tony, Bruce Banner, and Rocket, built the Nano Gauntlet that reverse the Decimation. Shortly after, the past version of Thanos and his forces attacked the New Avengers Facility, which separated the different members of the Avengers and knocked out Tony, Steve, and Thor. F.R.I.D.A.Y. told Tony to wake up. They managed to spot Thanos waiting for the Stones to be brought to him by the past version Nebula, The three heroes fought him to stop him once and for all. Tony used the Mark LXXXV armor' blades to attack Thanos as well as having Thor channel a powerful lightning blast to him to supercharge his repulsors. He was however, knocked out when Thanos used him as a shield to block Mjölnir being thrown at him.

When Tony recovered, he witnessed the arrival of the all the fallen heroes. He fought Thanos' forces alongside Pepper Potts with her Rescue armor. He eventually faced the past version of Cull Obsidian, almost being overwhelmed had it not for Peter Parker and Scott. Tony gave Peter a hug, which Peter returned. Tony then meet up with Stephen Strange to find out if this battle was the future in which they win, only for Strange to reply that the possible future might not happen if he told him what happens. He eventually continued to fight. Tony, Steve, Thor, and Carol all attempted to stop Thanos, but he was able to get the Nano Gauntlet. However, Tony, having now found out that the battle is the future where they won, charged at Thanos. In a last ditch effort, he was able to take the Infinity Stones into his armor as a horrified Thanos looked on. Looking at Thanos, Tony, used the nanoparticles from his armor to create a gauntlet that housed the stones. Tony snapped his fingers, that turned Thanos and his army to dust. Tony then dies with Pepper and Rhodey and Peter at his side.

At Tony's funeral, Pepper floated a wreath containing Tony's first Arc Reactor in the lake near their home. Around the Arc Reactor, Pepper left an inscription reading Proof That Tony Stark Has a Heart, the very same thing Pepper had put on the case she left the Arc Reactor in after helping Tony remove it years earlier.

Spider-Man: No Way Home[]

"I've never seen him this powerful!"
"It's the Arc Reactor!
"
Peter-Three and Peter-One[src]

Peter Parker used a Fabricator in Happy Hogan's condo powered by an Arc Reactor, which drew the interest of Max Dillon. When Dillon made his escape, he stole the Arc Reactor for himself.

During the final battle, Dillon powered himself with the Arc Reactor, making him too powerful for the three variants of Spider-Man, one of whom is his own Peter, to beat. Otto Octavius, having been given a new inhibitor chip by Peter-One earlier, intervened, removing the Arc Reactor with his mechanical arms and replacing it with the Electricity Siphon that had been created for Dillon's condition by Peter-One. Examining the Arc Reactor, Octavius mused to himself that it was "the power of the sun" with his own Peter finishing "in the palm of your hand," in effect what Octavius had been trying to accomplish with his fusion experiment that had gone so horribly wrong.

What If...?[]

"What If... Iron Man Crashed into the Grandmaster?"[]

After crashing on Sakaar, Tony used an energy surge from his arc reactor to fry the control chip that had been placed on Tony by the Grandmaster and later used the arc reactor to power a new suit of armor. During his race with the Grandmaster, Tony gave his armor, now in the form of a race car, a power boost from the arc reactor which resulted in the race car becoming surrounded by glowing energy as it sped up and beat the Grandmaster.

Gallery[]

Iron Man[]

Promotion, Filming and Concept Art[]

Iron Man 2[]

Promotion, Filming and Concept Art[]

The Avengers[]

Iron Man 3[]

To be added

Avengers: Age of Ultron[]

To be added

Captain America: Civil War[]

To be added

Spider-Man: Homecoming[]

To be added

Avengers: Infinity War[]

Avengers: Endgame[]

To be added

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