SUPERIOR IRON MAN: Super-Businessman or Super-Jerk?
Tony Stark isn't the same man he was before. Sure, Iron Man's been a bit of a jerk from time to time. Tony Stark is known for being a little arrogant. But after the events of Axis, we've seen Tony go down a slightly darker path. At first it seemed like he was doing some really great things for the people of San Francisco but now there's the question of what are his ethical beliefs and is he now crossing a serious line?
SUPERIOR IRON MAN #4 was released last week. There will be some spoilers so be sure to check that out first.
The idea behind Tony Stark's new Extremis 3.0 app is people can download it and make themselves better. Their bodies will appear younger, healthier, and...superior than before. The problem is, there is a cost. To maintain this near-perfection, the user has to pay a daily fee. This has become a large portion of San Francisco to head into a state of panic after getting a taste of a better life. The rich have no problem keeping up with the payments but others have resorted to crime and other activities in order to make the payments.
This is what caused a conflict between Iron Man and Daredevil. Having witnessed this new wave of crime and violence, he's tried convincing Tony that he's created a serious problem and needs to shut it all down.
Tony did address the concern about the act and desperation of some individuals. His solution is a new Stark Security System -- Iron Sight.
Basically, Tony's solution was to use information gathered when users downloaded the Extremis 3.0 app. The drones can access the data from the phone including the phone's cameras to create facial recognition. With the drones flying around the city, any crime committed could be witnessed and if it was an Extremis 3.0 user, their identity would immediately be known.
When asked about the privacy of users and citizens, Tony felt that would be a small price to pay. With Iron Sight, the lives of the children and innocent would be protected. His goal is to make the city a crime-free zone. As for those that still can't afford the app, Tony feels the knowledge or taste of it will be incentive for them to try to achieve more within their lives. They'll try to work harder in order to be able to afford it.
The question is, is violating the privacy of individuals in order to guarantee the safety of a city justifiable? Tony may sound like he has good intentions in ending crime but a lot of the new incidents were because of his app. He also didn't give full disclosure in what his intentions were. He claims it was all in the terms of the app (which no one really reads these days). Do those terms mention data could be collected from their phones without their consent?
I think we can all agree that what Tony's done is still wrong. He first presented the the app as a gift to the city. There wasn't any mention of a price coming later. Yes, he was telling the truth about the app being free once it was automatically sent to their phones (without their permission). He didn't force anyone to keep the app or use it. He made it sound as if he was giving the city a gift with no strings attached. Placing a high daily cost clearly shows Tony's intentions of making money. He is a business man after all. Even building and employing his drone cameras would cost money. But no one asked him to turn San Francisco into a crime-free zone.
There's also one other matter.
Daredevil has discovered another one of Tony's secrets. The app isn't all it appears to be. Tony was caught in a pretty big lie. Do all businessmen never lie? One could debate it's a matter of lying versus simply not disclosing all the facts or truths. Clearly Tony has crossed a line by introducing a virus upon the city.
This doesn't mean Tony is a completely evil businessman. Daredevil's life is put in danger and he does save him. Although, what he does next is pretty jaw-dropping.
Iron Man may still be a hero but with each action he performs, it's becoming more and more questionable. Our consensus is, Tony is being a super-jerk. He's making some very questionable business plans and it's only a matter of time until people find out the truth.
Why don't you take our poll and tell us what you think. You can go more in depth in the comments.
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Is SUPERIOR Iron Man a Super-Businessman or a Super-Jerk? Click here to vote!
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