The Kidnapping of Tony Stark was the abduction of Tony Stark by the Ten Rings organization at the behest of Obadiah Stane. The Ten Rings were supposed to kill Stark once kidnapped but instead forced Stark and Ho Yinsen to build the terrorist ring a Jericho Missile. Instead, the duo built the MARK I from scrapped Stark Industries missiles leading to the death of Yinsen and the escape of Tony Stark. This event prompted Tony Stark to unexpectedly shut down the weapons manufacturing division of Stark Industries and begin the construction of the MARK II upon his return home.
Background
Obadiah Stane had been selling Stark Industries weapons to the Ten Rings under the table. Stane wanted to takeover Stark Industries and struck a deal for the Ten Rings to kidnap and kill Tony Stark after a weapons demo in Afghanistan. After a successful demo, Stark and company are returning to the Bagram Air Force Base in a convoy of Humvees.
Kidnapping
Attack
While returning to the Bagram Air Force Base, Stark’s Humvee convoy is attacked by the Ten Rings. The soldiers escorting Stark are killed and while Stark attempts to flee, he caught in the blast of one of his company’s own missiles resulting in shrapnel being embedded in Stark’s chest, only centimeters from his heart. Members of the Ten Rings then kidnap Stark and transport him to a cave deep with in the Afghanistan mountains.
Imprisonment
Stark awoke hooked to an electromagnet powered by a car battery and was informed by Yinsen that it was keeping the remaining shrapnel from traveling to his heart. The Ten Rings attempt to force Stark and Yinsen to build the organization a Jericho missile but instead, Stark first constructs a miniature arc reactor (RT) to power the electromagnet in his chest then the pair secretly begin construction on the MARK I. Once Stark and Yinsen complete the armor, they begin their escape.
Escape
Yinsen attempts to cause a distraction so Stark can finish powering the armor but ends up encountering a large group of Ten Rings members. The armor finishes powering and begins to exit the cave where he comes upon a severely injured Yinsen. Yinsen implores Stark to not waste his life with his dying breath. Stark exits the cave and destroys all of the Stark Industries weapons in the Ten Rings possession and flies away. Due to the limited flight capabilities of the MARK I, Stark soon crashes but the short flight was enough to register on S.H.I.E.L.D’s radar.
Aftermath
After crashing, Stark wander the desert in search of civilization. He was eventually found by James Rhodes and other members of the United States Air Force who had received a tip on Stark’s location from S.H.I.E.L.D. Upon returning home, Stark held a press conference and abruptly shut down the manufacturing division of the Stark Industries and immediately upgraded the RT and began the construction of the MARK II.
Thank you for reading. If you enjoyed this post, you can find more of my thoughts on twitter, @lord_anarchy. Additionally, @bloodybaroness and myself host The History of the MCU Podcast, a weekly podcast that reviews and analyzes not only the Infinity Saga but the new Marvel Studios Disney+ shows beginning with WandaVision. We would love if you gave us a listen and are currently available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podbean, Google Podcasts, iHeartRadio and Amazon Music.
History Of The MCU 