Stark Industries is a multinational corporation which is the leading producer of advanced electronics and structural materials in the world. Founded in 1936 by industrialist Howard Stark, Sr., SI grew to be one of the top military contractors in the United States during World War II, producing munitions, motorcycles, halftracks, and tanks for Allied troops. Following World War II, the company expanded to where today it is considered one of the largest multinational corporations in the world, with operations in every industrialized nation.
In the 1970s, control of SI passed to Howard Stark, Jr., who while maintaining the military contracts attempted to diversify SI's nature, entering the energy and consumer electronics industries. It was under the younger Howard Stark's leadership that SI invented the ARC reactor, a nearly self-perpetuating renewable energy generator, though some leaders inside SI saw it as nothing more than a cost-ineffective science project and shelved it after building the prototype, which still powers the SI Los Angeles industrial complex.
Stark Industries suffered a loss recently with Howard's death, and for a time it looked like control of the company would pass to Howard's ambitious and amoral niece Morgan after his son, Tony, was severely injured while serving in Afghanistan with the US Army. Tony, however, has proven to have the famed Stark family genius intellect, surpassing his father and grandfather, and has cheated death several times while secretly creating his dual identity as Iron Man. Tony has created a separate non-profit foundation named after his mother – the Maria Stark Foundation – to help fund the Avengers, of which he as Iron Man is a member, independent of his own fortune or standing with the company.
Under Tony's leadership, SI has nearly eliminated its weapons manufacturing division, which has led some members of SI's board of directors to question his intentions and leadership, especially as Tony has refused to move a lot of the manufacturing overseas to nations with cheaper labor. However, as long as SI continues to show a profit, all they can legally do is complain. This has, however, created a bit of a power vacuum among arms manufacturers for military contracts, which has led to increased competition from Hammer Industries and Advanced Idea Mechanics.
Tony has increased SI's presence in the energy business, reducing the size and cost while increasing the output of the ARC reactor design. ARC reactors have been built to power the Long Island, New York, and Dallas, Texas, manufacturing plants, as well as the Baxter Building, headquarters of the Fantastic Four. This has put them in direct conflict with Roxxon Energy Company, one of the oldest and most successful oil companies in the world. Stark has recently fought off a hostile takeover from Roxxon.
It has recently been revealed that Howard's death and the incident in Afghanistan in which Tony was nearly killed was masterminded as a plot between Morgan Stark and Obadiah Stane, who sits on SI's board of directors. Tony, however, remains unaware of this link.
Stark Industries maintains cordial relations with companies such as General Motors, Lockheed-Martin, and Worthington Enterprises, often collaborating with these companies by providing advanced electronics and materials. Among the projects that have resulted from this collaboration are the Avengers Quinjet, the X-Men's Van and Jet, and the Fantastic Four's starship, the Fantastic.
First Post-Reboot Appearance: INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #1.