The following is an editorial contributed by Afton Jagels. All views, thoughts and opinions belong solely to the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Drury Mirror.

“Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist.” That’s the line Iron Man uses to describe himself in the first Avengers movie. It’s iconic. We all know it. And through that, we think we know him. But there’s more to Tony Stark than just his money and his brain. It’s the evolution of his character throughout the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) that make him such an impactful hero in our minds today.

Earth’s best defender

Iron Man took what some might consider an ironic stance in “Captain America: Civil War” when you take into light his attitudes towards government in Iron Man 2 and 3. A large part of those movies dealt with Stark not wanting to sell his Iron Man suit designs to the American (or any other) government and other’s trying to replicate them.

So why has he seemingly changed his tune?

Well, his house in Malibu got blown up. He’s dealing with PTSD, trauma and anxiety. He’s currently split up with the one constant throughout his life, Pepper Potts. There’s a lot going on beneath the surface.

But ultimately, Iron Man’s goals haven’t changed.

Stark agrees with the Accords because he doesn’t want the consequences of the Avengers actions to rest solely upon his shoulders. He’s the face of the team. Yes, Captain America leads them, but Iron Man is the only one we’ve seen who sticks around long enough to help with the relief effort, even if it’s only by fundraising and donating.

To Iron Man, the Accords aren’t a perfect system, and if he felt he absolutely had to, I bet he breaks them. What he really wants for himself and the Avengers is a sounding board. Something that’s going to make them stop and think through their plans and their consequences before just jumping into action.

To read the opposing side in this war, check out our article In defense of Captain America in “Civil War.”

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Written by Afton Jagels.