Ivan Vanko

Ivan Vanko was a Russian scientist and villain in Earth-199999, and son of arc-reactor co-inventor Anton Vanko. He died in 2010 attempting to kill Iron Man.

Biography

Ivan Vanko, a physicist like his father, was convicted of selling weapons-grade plutonium to Pakistan in 1993, and served 15 years in prison. In late 2009, on the same day that American weapons mogul Tony Stark revealed himself to be the hero Iron Man, Ivan Vanko's father Anton died, sick and impoverished in the Russian cold. In the Vankos' eyes, Anton had never received sufficient credit for his coinvention with Tony's father Howard Stark, and they bitterly held this fact against the Stark family. Tony had since used the arc reactor as the core power source for his Iron Man suit. Seeking revenge, Ivan sought to use Stark's own technology against him, and developed an arc reactor in private using his father's plans. For his weapon, he constructed a pair of electrified whips that could cut through virtually anything.

Vanko's moment to strike came when Stark attended a stock-car race in Monaco and spontaneously decided to drive the car sponsored by Stark Industries. Vanko disguised himself as a member of the pit crew and walked onto the track during the race, slicing through cars as they passed. He eventually got to Stark's car, cutting it in two and forcing Stark to flee the vehicle. Stark's chauffeur/assistant Happy Hogan tossed him a suitcase containing the Iron Man suit, and Stark and Vanko did battle. Vanko's whips did major damage to the suit, but Iron Man got in close and removed Vanko's reactor, allowing security to drag him away. As he was taken into custody, Vanko cryptically yelled to Stark, "You lose!"

Vanko's time in Monégasque jail was brief, as his escape was orchestrated by, of all people, Justin Hammer; Vanko's death had also been faked in the escape. Hammer was a rival of Stark's, and had recently suffered a string of public humiliations at Stark's hands. Hellbent on publicly defeating Stark, Hammer enlisted Vanko to create a weapon superior to Iron Man at Hammer Industries. Hammer had in mind pilotable suits like Iron Man, but Vanko was apparently more interested in constructing drones. In fact, Vanko was using Hammer's supplies to construct his own weapons, making a custom Iron Man suit and a new pair of whips. Vanko didn't give Hammer what he wanted in time for Hammer's presentation at Stark Expo; Hammer was angry, but was able to fall back on the fact that the military had commandeered one of Stark's Iron Man suits and asked him to arm it. Left with an armed guard watching him, Vanko easily killed the guards and placed a call to Stark's home. Vanko left him an ominous message, threatening his final revenge, and successfully baiting Stark to the Expo.

Hammer displayed both Vanko's drones and an Iron Man suit piloted by James Rhodes at the Expo. As expected, Iron Man showed up to stop whatever Vanko was planning. Vanko, still at Hammer Industries and using their company software, remotely controlled Rhodes' suit and engaged it and the drones into attacking Iron Man. Vanko took his new suit and piloted it to the Expo, battling Stark and Rhodes. The two friends proved too much for him, coordinating their attack to critically damage his suit. As his last resort, Vanko began a self-destruct sequence on his suit and the drones, muttering, "You lose," moments before he exploded. Stark and Rhodes were able to evacuate in time, leaving Vanko to die in failure.