Tony Stark chooses to become a superhero after he experiences torture and imprisonment. He survives an explosion, experiences what it’s like to be alive only by the grace of a car battery keeping shrapnel from his heart, and sees people he cares about, shot and killed.
He escapes.
He survives.
He doesn’t let the trauma of that experience claim his mind. He instead becomes strong. He becomes the indestructible Iron Man.
And maybe the thing I love most about him is that he doesn’t do it to be noble, or to avenge someone, or even to save the world (though he manages to do all those things). He does it because he decides he will never, ever be a victim again.
He may sacrifice himself for others, and he may be self-defeating, but that’s always his choice. He won’t allow anyone else to defeat him.