Ezekiel Stane also known as “Zeke” is a supervillain in Marvel Comics, he is also the son of Obadiah Stane, better known as “Iron Monger” who is one of Tony Stark’s enemies in both comics and Marvel Cinematic Universe. He first appeared in The Order (Vol. 2) #8 in 2008. He was created by Matt Fraction and Barry Kitson.
Compared to his merciless industrialist father, Zeke is a younger, more radical form of opposition. Just like Tony Stark, Zeke is highly intelligent and techno-savvy. Just like Obadiah, Zeke is also an enemy of Tony Stark. Zeke is a modernised threat as he integrates biotechnology and next-generation tech into his armoured suits.
History of Ezekiel Stane in Comic Books
Ezekiel, or Zeke, first appeared in The Order (2007-2008) as the mastermind behind the series of attacks on the superhero team known as The Order. His mission revolved around destroying the system Tony Stark helped create, including the Superhuman Registration Act.
His second appearance was in his most notable storyline in Invincible Iron Man (2008-2009) by Matt Fraction and Salvador Larroca. In this book, he launches attacks on Stark Industries with the help of suicide bombers equipped with advanced tech to destabilise global security as a whole. His main objective was vengeance, not just against Tony Stark for his father’s death, but against the idea of Tony Stark becoming a symbol of heroism and progress.
Ezekiel Stane’s Powers and Abilities
Unlike Obadiah Stane, who used a massive suit of armour to fight Iron Man, Zeke enhances his body with multiple Bio-enhancements. He enhances his body in a way that he can generate repulsor blasts like Iron Man’s armoured suit without the external equipment. He also with the help of enhancements gets superhuman abilities like hyper-reflexes, super strength and improved stamina. Zeke is pretty much a living Iron Man suit.
Marvel Cinematic Universe Appearance
Ezekiel Stane hasn’t officially made an appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe yet. However, many fans speculate that the filmmakers somewhat adapted the character in Iron Man 3 (2013) through Aldrich Killian, played by Guy Pearce. Killian is also a tech genius who has a grudge against Tony Stark and uses bio-enhancement technology, the Extremis, similar to what Zeke has in the comic books.
This connection between the two characters was never confirmed by Marvel Studios. However, recently Ezekiel Stane has made an appearance in episode 3 of the Disney+ series Ironheart (2025). Unlike the comics, in the series, Zeke (played by Alden Ehrenreich) isn’t looking for vengeance over his father’s death but rather believes that he was responsible for his own death and rather than being an inventor, he works in a tech company as an ethicist. Even though the series shows Zeke as the nicest person ever so far, he can be hiding a dark side. For more such articles, make sure you follow Dominade.
