Who Is Iron Man?

If you're a normal person, the only superheroes you've heard of are the staples: Superman, Batman, and Spider-man. Iron Man doesn't show up on your Pop-Culture Radar, except for possibly in reference to a Black Sabbath song. But if early reviews are to be trusted, Iron Man will be a household name after this summer. Here's everything you need to know to stay ahead of the curve:

The comic book world is split into two fictional universes: DC and Marvel, the two publishing powerhouses. After a slew of terrible movies based on their beloved characters (Daredevil, Hulk, and the Fantastic Four, for starters), Marvel decided to finance their own film company, Marvel Studios, and develop franchises in-house. This summer marks the arrival of Marvel Studios' first efforts: this Friday's Iron Man, and June's Edward Norton reboot, The Incredible Hulk.

Writer/Director/Actor Jon Favreau (Swingers, Elf) was chosen to direct Iron Man, and Robert Downey, Jr. was picked to star as Tony Stark. Tony Stark is not your average superhero.
Bio
Born on Long Island, Tony Stark enters MIT at the tender age of 15, where he establishes himself as an engineering genius. When his parents die in a car crash, he inherits the family business, Stark Industries. Tony quickly becomes a billionaire designing advanced weaponry for the American government. On assignment in the Middle East, Stark is injured and captured by the enemy. A piece of shrapnel in his chest threatens to stop his heart. His fellow prisoner, another designer, helps him build a device to keep his heart beating, and later a suit of powerful armor that Stark uses to escape.

Back at home in the U.S., Stark improves upon his armor, eventually becoming Iron Man. As a cover, Stark tells the press that Iron Man is his personal bodyguard and corporate mascot.

Powers
Aside from being an engineering genius, Stark's a normal human being beneath his armor. But then there's the armor. Other than the obvious super-strength, super-endurance, and super-durability that the suit bestows upon him, he can also fly. And shoot "repulsor rays" from his palms, along with a variety of other on-board weapons systems.

Other Characters
Virginia "Pepper" Potts - Stark's secretary and love interest (Gwyneth Paltrow).

Jim Rhodes - Stark's jet pilot best friend, who eventually becomes an armored hero himself, War Machine (Terrence Howard).

Obadiah Stane - Second-in-Command at Stark Enterprises, Stane is ruthless and power hungry. He steals Stark's armor designs and builds a suit of his own, becoming the Iron Monger (Jeff Bridges).

This movie is supposedly one of the greatest popcorn flicks of all time, according to critics, and will likely be the start of a new franchise (sequels). Eventually, Marvel hopes to gather all of their major characters together into an Avengers movie, once their individual movies do well. In addition to Iron Man and the Hulk, Marvel Studios already has Thor, Captain America, Ant-Man, and Nick Fury in the works...

Here's the Iron Man trailer, in case you haven't been assaulted by all the TV ads yet: