More kibbitzing about Iron Man

[thebitterguy]

One big thing that does strike me as strange from IM:

Okay, Tony Stark is, as we all know, a drunk suffering from alcoholism. He has a portable bar that he takes to weapons demonstrations in Afghanistan (and the US should really consider investing in some weapons testing ranges on its own territory. I'm just saying).

(And it was sunnyd_lite who brought this up to me at the Nerd dinner on Friday)

So, Tony gets captured by the Not Taliban, and spends three months in their gentle care. I'm pretty sure he didn't get a daily cocktail hour. So, why were we not treated to the sight of Tony Stark undergoing the DTs?

Admittedly, it's not hard to fanwank away. Maybe he was under more than just the day or so it appeared, and dried out in that time (note: I have no idea how the DTs work in real life!). My other suggestion was that he just built a still in the workroom/cell (hey, he built a suit of armour without them noticing!) and was downing martinis during his break.

There's also the possibilty that they didn't want to spend valuable screentime on that and will focus on it later, but that's just crazy talk!

Comments

[cargoweasel.livejournal.com]

I think he is just a heavy drinker but not an alcoholic per se.

[thebitterguy]

That's a possibility, but it would be a pretty disappointing change to the character.

[cargoweasel.livejournal.com]

not YET an alcoholic. Just at extreme risk. I still think the sequel will involve Rhodey wearing the suit while Tony is on a bender.

[athelind.livejournal.com]

Yeah, these things come in stages.

[anidada.livejournal.com]

This is why we have fanfic.

[tenzil.livejournal.com]

The DTs only occur in 5% of alcohol withdrawal cases, according to wikipedia.

[elizalavelle.livejournal.com]

I'm going to buy into the theory that he somehow built a still in the cave/cell place and it was drunken inspiration that led to the idea of an iron man suit ;) It sounds like one of those ideas one comes up with when drunk or otherwise under the influence of something ;)

[deven-science.livejournal.com]

I think it's more that he just hasn't hit rock bottom with his drinking yet. He loves the booze, but he doesn't need it yet. That comes later, with the superhero pressures.

Or maybe he was just too focused due to pain and worry to feel the withdrawals.

[sharrukin.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'm aware that book-Tony-Stark has a problem with alcohol.

Movie-Tony-Stark was clearly being portrayed as the standard male-fantasy Billionaire Playboy. Extreme latitude to indulge all his vices, and no sign that any of them are really causing him anguish. Hence the booze, the gambling, and the hot and cold running women all seem pretty consequence-free.

[the-tall-man.livejournal.com]

I think they wanted to put him on the edge of real alchoholism... So they can nudge him over in later films.

[kinra.livejournal.com]

Aye, Levi. This is actually what's suggested in the comic as well as director's interviews. Tony drinks heavily but not in an addictive way yet - this evolves as he loses control of his company, his life etc. in subsequent story arcs.

[shara.livejournal.com]

Lots of DT symptoms are sortof subtle to the non-medic. They include raised blood pressure and heartbeat, dilated pupils and headaches (like Landsman in Yiddish Policeman's Union!) So maybe Tony did DT, but amidst all the other crap he was going through, we/he just didn't notice?

[goloban.livejournal.com]

There's also the point that this is the first film in a planned trilogy and the "book" Tony didn't initially have a serious drinking problem; that developed later in the continuity. We see the warning signs in this flick, but I think they're trying to portray him before the drinking becomes a problem. Given Robert Downey Jr's history, I'd be surprised if they didn't bring out the alcoholism as a problem in future installments, and if so I imagine he'll bring considerable verisimilitude to the role.

[ghostwes.livejournal.com]

Do you know at what point Stark become an alcoholic in the comics?

[goloban.livejournal.com]

I think it was around issues 120-128, with the story arc "Demon in a Bottle." Checking it out on Amazon reveals that the story arc kind of sucked but was notable for introducing Tony's alcoholism.