100 Things: 1/100 Pairings/Couples/Threesomes/Moresomes/Character Dynamics I Enjoy
Tony Stark and Obadiah Stane
Iron Man (Marvel Cinematic Universe)
Well, expect to see Tony on here a lot more, because I really just adore that man and his fucked-uppery. For today, I'm focusing on one of my very favorite relationships involving Tony: his relationship with Obadiah Stane.
The thing about this relationship that I love is just how insidiously predatory it is. Obie was there right when Tony was vulnerable, right when he needed him most, and clearly Tony formed a deep emotional attachment and found a surrogate father figure sort of a situation, and then I mean. Not only did Obie betray Tony, he paralyzed him and ripped out the thing that was keeping him alive.
Headcanon is full of just wonderful things. Tony's absurdly vulnerable, and I imagine Obie gently twisted that from the beginning. It isn't even that I think Obie had nefarious plans all along. I just feel like he never had Tony's best interests at heart. Examples that I've put into fics include telling Tony that only little boys cry, right after the Starks die, and refusing to comfort Tony after horrible nightmares. I just imagine that sort of neglect that made Tony even more desperate for Obie's approval, especially with a transfer of his need for Howard's approval, twisted until Tony didn't even know how dependent he was on Obie for some kind of validation-- and then bam, not only is Obie telling him he's been going behind his back, but he's involved in what must be the single most traumatic experience of Tony's life. Paralyzed, probably feeling dizzy and needing to breathe properly, unable to move, and all you can hear is Obie's voice, that voice that you've been clinging to since you were orphaned, telling you what he's doing, as he painfully sentences you to death... God. They just have such a deliciously fucked up dynamic!
I'm also kind of entertaining the notion that yes, Howard was a fairly bad father, but a lot of what Tony thinks Howard thought about him, in terms of being disappointed, etc., is actually from hints Obie dropped.
fics in which I've explored this relationship:
Heart Rate
Jarvis monitors Tony's heart rate as Obie steals the arc reactor
Stamina
Loki uses cloning and shapeshifting in bed, taking advantage of a lot of Tony's issues, including his relationship with Obie
WARNING: consent shifts to dubcon and then noncon
Bad Dreams
Tony has nightmares, reference to Obie not being very supportive
future plans:
I really have all sorts of feelings about Tony's PTSD-type memories of the arc reactor incident, and how it might affect his ability to trust in the future. There are also thoughts about Obie thinking how easy it would be to destroy a young, vulnerable Tony/possibly taking advantage. There definitely might be fics further exploring this nonsense, especially as The Avengers draws close.
tags (conveniently on this entry) to watch:
fandom: iron man, fandom: avengers, fandom: marvel