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prakhayth · 4 years ago

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Understanding The Different Types of Cryptocurrency

January 15, 2021 · 8 minute read

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Cryptocurrencies can act like real money—in a sense, they are real money—but they take a digital monetary form and are not managed or governed by any central authority. A true product of the digital age, cryptocurrencies operate without the involvement of banks, governments, or any middleman. However, in most cases you will need to use a digital currency exchange to buy and sell cryptocurrency.

In 2020, there were more than 50 million blockchain wallet users.

What provides security is that cryptocurrencies are encrypted (secured) with specialized computer code called cryptography. They’re designed like a complicated puzzle on purpose so that they’re hard to crack (and hack).

By September 2020, the number of blockchain wallet users rose to more than 50 million, according to research published by Statista —with Bitcoin boasting more than 7 million active users.

Insiders call it “crypto,” so that’s what we’ll be calling it going forward.

How Many Different Types of Crypto Are There?

As of April 2021, there are over 10,000 different types of cryptocurrency.

The different types of crypto generally fall into one of two categories: • Coins, which can include Bitcoin and altcoins (non-Bitcoin cryptocurrencies) • Tokens

Below, we’ll get into the basics of crypto tokens vs coins.

Crypto Tokens vs. Coins

Encrypted coins and tokens can fall under the heading of crypto. And, generally, they can be listed into two sorts of cryptocurrency: alternative cryptocurrency coins (Altcoins) or tokens.

Alternative Cryptocurrency Coins (Altcoins)

Altcoins usually refer to any coins that are not Bitcoins. Bitcoin is a popular digital currency that’s produced by computational solutions to complicated math problems. It works separately from a central bank or state entity (i.e., government-backed Treasury).

Some altcoins include:

• Peercoin • Litecoin • Dogecoin • Auroracoin • Namecoin

In fact, the name “altcoin” actually means “alternative to Bitcoin.” Namecoin is considered the very first altcoin, created in 2011.

Like Bitcoin, most cryptocurrencies listed here have a limited supply of coins—to keep the balance in check and to reinforce its perceived value. There is a fixed number of Bitcoins that can exist—21 million, as decided by the creator/s of Bitcoin, though some remain to be mined. Once all 21 million are tapped (the number changes when new blocks are mined), that’s it. The only way to bring in more is for Bitcoin’s protocol to allow for it.

Though most altcoins are built upon the same basic framework as Bitcoin, many claim to be better versions of Bitcoin. Each system can differ from the next, as they’re created to serve various purposes and applications, and identified in different ways.

Some coins don’t work with the same open-source protocol that Bitcoin does, however. For example, the following list of cryptocurrencies have created their own separate systems and protocols:

• Ethereum • Ripple • Omni • Nxt • Waves • Counterparty

They’re each self-supporting, too.

Tokens

Unlike altcoins, tokens are created and given out through an Initial Coin Offering, or ICO, very much like a stock offering. They can be represented as:

• Value tokens (Bitcoins) • Security tokens (to protect your account) • Utility tokens (designated for specific uses)

They are not so much meant to be used as money as they are used to describe a function. Like American dollars, they represent value but they are not in themselves of value. Tokens are a type of encryption, specifically referring to the long lines of numbers and letters representing the crypto used in a transaction, such as a money transfer or bill payment. In short, tokens cover a number of meanings.

For instance, both Bitcoin and Ether (from Ethereum) are considered crypto tokens.

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The Most Common Types of Cryptocurrency

Here’s a list of popular cryptocurrency types and descriptions:

1. Bitcoin

Bitcoin is a type of digital currency; it is “cash for the internet.” More specifically, it’s considered cryptocurrency since cryptography facilitates Bitcoin creation and transactions.

Possibly the “Kleenex” or “Coca Cola” of all crypto, in that its name is the most recognizable and the most closely associated with the cryptocurrency system.

There are currently more than 18.5 million Bitcoin tokens in circulation, against a present capped limit of 21 million.

2. Bitcoin Cash

Introduced in 2017, Bitcoin Cash is one of the most popular types of cryptocurrency on the market. Its main difference with the original Bitcoin is its block size: 8MB. Compare that to the original Bitcoin’s block size of just 1MB. What that means for users—faster processing speeds.

3. Litecoin

Litecoin is increasingly used in the same breath as Bitcoin, and it functions practically the same way. It was created in 2011 by Charlie Lee, a former employee of Google. He designed it to improve on Bitcoin technology, with shorter transaction times, lower fees, more concentrated miners.

4. Ethereum

Unlike Bitcoin, Ethereum focuses not as much on digital currency as it does on decentralized applications (phone apps). You could think of Ethereum as an app store.

The platform is looking to return control of apps to its original creators, and take away that control from middlemen (like Apple, for instance). The only person who can make changes to the app would be the original creator. The token used here is called Ether, which is used as currency by app developers and users.

5. Ripple

Ripple is one type of cryptocurrency on the list, but it’s not Blockchain-based . It’s not meant so much for individual users as it is for larger companies and corporations, moving larger amounts of money (its coinage is known as XRP) across the globe.

It’s more well-known for its digital payment protocol more than for its XRP crypto. That’s because the system allows for transfer of monies in any form, be it dollars or even Bitcoin (or others). It claims to be able to handle 1,500 transactions per second (tps). Compare this with Bitcoin, which can handle 3-6 tps (not including scaling layers). Ethereum can handle 15 tps.

6. Stellar

Stellar focuses on money transfers, and its network is designed to make them faster and more efficient, even across national borders. It was designed by Ripple co-founder Jed McCaleb in 2014 and is operated by a non-profit organization called Stellar.org .

Its goal is to assist developing economies that may not have access to traditional banks and investment opportunities. It doesn’t charge users or institutions for using its Stellar network, and covers operating costs by accepting tax-deductible public donations.

7. NEO

Formerly called Antshares and developed in China, NEO is very aggressively looking to become a major global crypto player. Its focus is smart contracts (digital contracts) that allow users to create and execute agreements without the use of an intermediary.

It’s going after its main competition, Ethereum, but NEO lead developer Erik Zhang mentioned on a Reddit AMA that NEO has three distinct advantages—better architecture, more developer-friendly smart contracts, and digital identity and digital assets for easier integration into the real world.

Ethereum, on the other hand, uses its own programming languages that developers must first learn before creating smart contracts on its platform.

8. Cardano

Cardano aka ADA is used to send and receive digital funds. It claims to be a more balanced and sustainable ecosystem for cryptocurrencies, and the only coin with a “scientific philosophy and research-driven approach.”

That means that it undergoes especially rigorous reviews by scientists and programmers. It was founded by Charles Hoskinson, who is also the co-founder of Ethereum.

9. IOTA

Launched in 2016, IOTA stands for Internet of Things Application. Unlike most other Blockchain technologies, it doesn’t actually work with a block and chain; it works with smart devices on the Internet of Things (IoT).

All you need to do to use it is to verify two other previous transactions on the IOTA ledger, which is called the Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG), but IOTA creators call it The Tangle.

According to Coin Central , this means the devices need to be able to purchase more electricity, bandwidth, storage, or data when they need them, and sell those resources when they don’t need them.

The Role of Miners In Cryptocurrency

How exactly do you get your virtual hands on different types of cryptocurrency? You can buy it the old-fashioned way. Or, you can trade it on an exchange using other crypto (for example, using Bitcoin to buy NEO). Some blogs and media platforms pay its content providers in crypto.

Then, there are the miners . Miners usually don’t pay directly for their crypto; they earn it with their smarts. These tech savvy investors can be compared to the prospectors of the Old West, panning for gold in 1848.

The value is built in because the supply is limited—it’s just up to the complex computers to dig it up by cracking codes and solving complicated puzzles. A lot of it is guesswork, but once the “block” (of the blockchain) is solved, the other miners drop what they’re doing and go on to the next block. No parting gifts—the contestants just turn their attention to the next game round.

If the puzzle is solved, the reward is a certain amount of crypto, and sometimes even voting power on the platform. As of October 2020, the value of one bitcoin had well exceeded $13,000 .

Sounds sweet, but mining isn’t cheap. It requires powerful, expensive hardware and lots of electricity. Also, the number of awarded crypto will be going down, usually by halves every four years or so. Unfortunately, that might not do your utility bill any favors.

Forks, Hard Forks, and Soft Forks

Sometimes, a cryptocurrency—whether Bitcoin or an altcoin—forks. This typically happens when systems need an upgrade or update, or occasional steering (ie a large enough group of miners decide to make new rules for the network.

You could think of a fork like an actual fork, the kind you eat with. Each prong represents a different open-source code modification, but the prongs are designed to work together to assist in the main function.

Sometimes, forks happen by accident when nodes start making copies or if they do not recognize conflicting or unfamiliar information or characteristics. This is what leads to the difference between hard forks and soft forks.

Hard Forks

If a protocol is changed so that the old protocol version is no longer valid, call that a hard fork. This could be problematic, because if the older, now-invalid protocol is still running, it could lead you to scratch your head and say, “what the fork?” It could cause confusion and even possibly a loss of funds, because the old and new protocols running together are butting heads and making mysteries.

An example of a hard-fork problem—with Bitcoin, for instance, a hard fork is a must when making changes and protocol updates to the Blockchain. The new protocol is cool with the changes, but the old protocol becomes a hot mess, not understanding the new activity going on.

Since the old protocol rejects the new changes because it doesn’t recognize them, that causes a traffic jam or worse. The old protocol will claim that the changes and updates are not valid, even if they are. What you then get are two blockchains, one old and one new. As these chains grow, so can your problems.

The hard-fork challenge, then, is to get all the nodes on the old protocol to switch to the new protocol all at once, and at the same time. This sounds easy, but technically it’s easier said than done.

Soft Forks

Unlike a hard fork, a soft fork is totally cool with the new changes and keeps working. The old version accepts the newer version. Harmony! The newer, updated blocks become longer, and it becomes obvious that the older (shorter) blocks are obsolete and unusable. This recognition eliminates confusion over which protocol is now the real deal (it’s the newer, valid one.)

When a soft fork is implemented, there has to be a “majority vote” on whether to accept it into the established fold. If not, the new soft fork fails, and the rest of the chain simply goes on it with its life with no interruption. Hard-and-soft forking can cause all kinds of unintended consequences. When members of the Ethereum community rejected a hard-fork change and decided to keep going with the non-forked version of Ethereum, that old-school system was renamed Ethereum Classic.

When Bitcoin hard-forked in order to add more functionality, a portion of the Bitcoin Cash community was left behind and was cut off from the rest of the network.

The Current View of Crypto

Bitcoin and other crypto have recently come under fire for their ability to be involved in illegal transactions.

Three words—wait and see. And add two words to that—be careful. An October 2020 Bloomberg report stated that Bitcoin approached its highest valuation since 2017.

Dead Coins lists 1,050 digital currencies and initial coin offerings (ICO) as either “deceased.” Coinopsy catalogues cryptocurrency lists of more than 1,700 coins as nearly worthless.

It’s possible that a good number of those failed cryptos were scams, and the authentic, true-quality systems remain in place.

Furthermore, from a perception perspective, Bitcoin and other crypto have recently come under fire for their ability to be involved in illegal transactions, thefts, and scams. That’s just one of the reasons that investing in the list of cryptocurrencies out there still carries significant risk. Crypto has also been suspected as being a part of an economic bubble that may still pop.

The Takeaway

While Bitcoin launched a new asset class little more than a decade ago, today there are many different cryptocurrencies for investors to learn about and invest in.

If your curiosity about cryptocurrency is fueled by a desire to start investing, SoFi Invest® can be a great place to start. SoFi members can manage crypto investments in the SoFi app, with the peace of mind of knowing their crypto is in a secure platform.

Find out how SoFi Invest can help you with your investment goals.

Learn More

SoFi Invest® The information provided is not meant to provide investment or financial advice. Investment decisions should be based on an individual’s specific financial needs, goals and risk profile. SoFi can’t guarantee future financial performance. Advisory services offered through SoFi Wealth, LLC. SoFi Securities, LLC, member FINRA / SIPC . SoFi Invest refers to the three investment and trading platforms operated by Social Finance, Inc. and its affiliates (described below). Individual customer accounts may be subject to the terms applicable to one or more of the platforms below. 1) Automated Investing—The Automated Investing platform is owned by SoFi Wealth LLC, an SEC Registered Investment Advisor (“Sofi Wealth“). Brokerage services are provided to SoFi Wealth LLC by SoFi Securities LLC, an affiliated SEC registered broker dealer and member FINRA/SIPC, (“Sofi Securities). 2) Active Investing—The Active Investing platform is owned by SoFi Securities LLC. Clearing and custody of all securities are provided by APEX Clearing Corporation. 3) Cryptocurrency is offered by SoFi Digital Assets, LLC, a FinCEN registered Money Service Business. For additional disclosures related to the SoFi Invest platforms described above, including state licensure of Sofi Digital Assets, LLC, please visit www.sofi.com/legal. Neither the Investment Advisor Representatives of SoFi Wealth, nor the Registered Representatives of SoFi Securities are compensated for the sale of any product or service sold through any SoFi Invest platform. Information related to lending products contained herein should not be construed as an offer or pre-qualification for any loan product offered by SoFi Lending Corp and/or its affiliates. Crypto: Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies aren’t endorsed or guaranteed by any government, are volatile, and involve a high degree of risk. Consumer protection and securities laws don’t regulate cryptocurrencies to the same degree as traditional brokerage and investment products. Research and knowledge are

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prakhayth · 4 years ago

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6DURABILITY6ENERGY4FIGHTING SKILLS6INTELLIGENCE5SPEED6STRENGTHBIOGRAPHYCOOL EXEC, HEART OF STEEL

Tony Stark is the wealthy son of industrialist and weapons manufacturer Howard Stark and his wife, Maria. Tony grew up a genius with a brilliant mind for technology and inventions and, naturally, followed in his father’s footsteps, inheriting Stark Industries upon his parents’ untimely death. Tony designed many weapons of war for Stark Industries, far beyond what any other company was creating, while living the lifestyle of a bon vivant.

Fate would take a dark turn for Tony Stark once he decided to consult on a weapons contract overseas in enemy terrain. An improvised explosive device exploded underneath Tony’s transport, and he was brought to the brink of death.

Awakening as a prisoner of the warlord Wong-Chu, Tony made a gruesome discovery: the explosion had sent a piece of shrapnel mere inches from his heart. It was only the timely intervention of fellow captive and engineer Yinsen that kept the shrapnel at bay.While held captive, and forced to work on weapons, Tony turned his near-death experience into inspiration. What if he could power an iron suit that would not only keep the shrapnel from killing Tony, but also help him to escape?

Combining their genius, Tony and Yinsen built a mighty suit of iron armor that would be dubbed Iron Man. This first suit left a lot of room for improvement, but it still did what Tony couldn’t do alone. Yinsen sacrificed his life so the final preparations could be made, and Tony, wearing the Iron Man suit for the first time, escaped and returned to the United States a changed man.With full access to his equipment, Tony built a new, more streamlined suit of armor—the first of many updated versions he would create—and dedicated his life to fighting threats to the world.

IRON MAN

Since that first suit built in a cave, Tony has created dozens of new suits and upgrades over the years. However, throughout the 50-plus Iron Man models, there are common offensive and defense capabilities found in most iterations.

The primary weapon contained within every suit, the repulsor rays use energy pulses to repel and disrupt enemies and are generated through the suit’s gauntlets. The suit’s booster jets enable Stark to fly fast enough to break the sound barrier, and maneuver more quickly than any fighter jet.

Iron Man’s helmet provides Tony with a heads-up display that gives him 360-degree vision, access to information about his surroundings and enemies, and the ability to transmit and block transmissions along any frequency. The helmet also gives Tony a degree of resistance to EMP and psychic-based attacks.

A weapon centered in Iron Man’s chest, the unibeam is capable of projecting dazzling light, and can also be used as a powerful force beam that is even more powerful than the repulsor ray.

Each of Tony’s suits provides a full range of telecommunications, including the ability to jam and transmit on any frequency, and sophisticated artificial intelligence capable of piloting Tony to safety should he be rendered unconscious.

Beyond his all-purpose suits, Tony has created specialized armor for specific scenarios. Some notable examples include the Hulkbuster armor (so-named as its size and strength allow Tony to stand toe-to-toe with the Hulk, when needed), along with deep-space, underwater and stealth suits.

One thing common to most of Iron Man’s recent suits is the integration of Extremis, an attempt to re-create the super-soldier serum with many modifications. When using Extremis, Tony can interface with his brain’s repair center, which allows him to rebuild his body from scratch. Essentially, Tony is able to merge his mind, body, and armor in unprecedented ways. He can “armor up” in mere seconds—with armor stored within himself—gains split-second reaction times, and can even generate new internal organs to replace the old. Unfortunately, Extremis is also vulnerable to being hacked, and the Skrulls and other organizations have done just that.

REPULSING THE REPULSIVE

Numerous villains have made up Iron Man’s gallery of enemies, with many of them similarly armor-based in order to counter Iron Man’s abilities. The Russians have created both the Crimson Dynamo and Titanium Man to try and stop the threat posed by Iron Man, and have fought Stark through numerous iterations.

The Mandarin is one of Iron Man’s fiercest archvillains. A tactical, mystical and technological genius, the Mandarin sought ultimate power, and often Iron Man is the only one smart and strong enough to stand in his way. In fact, the Mandarin, working with warlord Wong-Chu, captured Tony Stark and indirectly brought about the creation of Iron Man. The Mandarin has returned again and again to pit his magic and intellect against Stark technology.

A competing industrialist, Obadiah Stane, never lost his taste for weapons and was a great fan of psychological warfare. He took hostile control of Tony Stark’s company for a time, and though he perished in battle, his descendants are perhaps even more ruthless than he was.

Another rival industrialist on par with Stane, Justin Hammer is interested in the accumulation of wealth and power and sees Tony’s altruism as a big stumbling block toward that goal.Other foes of note for Tony through the years have included the Ghost, Radioactive Man, and nefarious organizations like Advanced Idea Mechanics (AIM).

FIGHTING AND SMITING

Iron Man can’t always fight alone and has many notable allies and teammates. Stark is one of the founding members of the Avengers and is considered one of the “Big Three” core members, along with Thor and Captain America. While he has left the team at various points for personal reasons, he has always returned to fight alongside them again and again. He is one Avenger that can always be counted on.

Originally, Tony’s secretary Pepper Potts and limousine driver Happy Hogan grew to be Tony’s two best friends in the world. A romance between Pepper and Tony fizzled out, but she and Happy found happiness together for a time, until his tragic death. More recently, Pepper has taken up occasional super heroics herself, with an armored suit Tony has created for her called Rescue.

Former military man James “Rhodey” Rhodes became Tony’s bodyguard and trusted confidant. When Tony’s alcoholism got the better of him, Rhodey became the new Iron Man. Later, Rhodey donned a weapons-laden variation on the Iron Man suit and dubbed himself War Machine, fighting alongside Tony many times.

During a mind-clearing vacation from Earth, Tony joined the Guardians of the Galaxy, making fast friends with Rocket Raccoon especially. While Tony would eventually return to Earth, Rocket’s technology has made its way into many successive iterations of the Iron Man armor.

HEIGHT

6'1'', In Armor: 6'6''

WEIGHT

225 lbs., In Armor: 425 lbs.

GENDER

Male

EYES

Blue

HAIR

Black

UNIVERSE

Marvel Universe

OTHER ALIASES

Anthony Edward "Tony" Stark, Shellhead, Golden Avenger, Tetsujin, Formerly Crimson Dynamo, Formerly Iron Knight, Formerly Hogan Potts, Formerly Randall Pierce, Formerly Spare Parts Man, Impersonated Cobalt Man (Ralph Roberts)

EDUCATION

Ph.Ds in physics and electrical engineering

PLACE OF ORIGIN

Long Island, New York

IDENTITY

Publicly known

KNOWN RELATIVES

Maria Collins Carbonell Stark (mother, deceased), Howard Anthony Walter Stark (father, deceased), Morgan Stark (cousin), Edward Stark (uncle, deceased)

POWERS

Heightened Senses

Superhuman Strength

Regeneration

Genius Intelligence

GROUP AFFILIATION

Avengers

Avengers West Coast

Illuminati

S.H.I.E.L.D.

AMAZING ARMOR, BLAZING POWER

Since creating that first suit, Iron Man has gone through numerous events significant to his life.Originally, to cover for Tony Stark’s escapades as Iron Man, he convinced the world that Iron Man was his bodyguard. This helped explain the perceived close ties between Stark and Iron Man to both the outside world and even those who fought alongside Iron Man.

It was a brawl with the trickster god Loki that convinced Iron Man, the Wasp, Ant-Man, Thor and the Hulk to band together as a team. The Mighty Avengers stood tall, battling foes that no single one of them could face alone. Though the temperamental Hulk would leave straight away, Iron Man would become one of the Avengers’ core members, along with Thor and a newly revived Captain America.

Tony, working alongside Nick Fury, was also a key player in the buildup of S.H.I.E.L.D. from a tiny, secretive government branch to the well-equipped, global peacekeeping force it became. Though Tony and his chauffeur and best friend Happy Hogan both fell in love with secretary Pepper Potts, Tony, out of respect for his friend, agreed to step aside. Pepper and Happy were soon married, though their relationship would be a roller coaster.

Having faced near death more than once thanks to his injury, Tony underwent a heart transplant, and finally no longer relied on the Iron Man suit to live.

Tony’s dependence on alcohol was brought to a head when Iron Man failed in battle while under the influence. It was only the timely intervention of friends Bethany Cabe and Edwin Jarvis that Tony was able to keep his alcoholism at bay for a time. Alcoholism being what it is, though, is something Tony will have to manage for life. In fact, it wasn’t long after this that Tony relapsed, this time passing along his armor to Rhodey to become the new Iron Man until he was able to recover. This relapse also cost him his company, which he lost to his fiercest rival, the manipulative businessman Obadiah Stane.

On the road to recovery, but looking for a change in scenery, Tony moved to California. Back in the armor, he joined the newly formed West Coast Avengers. This newfound resolve led him to create a new company in Silicon Valley, called Stark Enterprises.

Sick of finding Stark technology among his enemies, Iron Man went about neutralizing all his technology among his armored foes. Unfortunately, many of these designs were used by S.H.I.E.L.D., who weren’t at all happy about their Mandroids and Guardsmen being shut down. Ultimately, Iron Man squared off against government operatives and temporarily faked his own death, something he would do more than once in his career.

Eventually, Tony discovered that the Iron Man suit was causing his nervous system to deteriorate. After briefly experimenting with a telepresence suit, Tony created the War Machine suit to protect himself. He again faked his death and put himself into suspended animation, passing the War Machine suit along to Rhodey, who continued in his stead.

After Tony recovered, he seemingly went rogue, murdering several people and forcing the Avengers to recruit a teenage Tony Stark from the past to combat him. These events were later revealed to be manipulation by the time traveler known as Immortus, but in the interim, the adult Tony was killed.

During a battle with Onslaught, the younger Iron Man was one of the many heroes, including his fellow Avengers, who were shunted into an alternate universe and believed dead. Eventually returning to his own reality, this younger Tony merged with a resurrected adult Tony thanks to Franklin Richards, who was in turn exonerated for previous charges. Stark then set up a new company called Stark Solutions and rejoined the Avengers.

The Iron Man armor technology became so sophisticated that it gained sentience and malevolence. While attempting to shut down this sentient armor, Tony Stark had a heart attack. The armor replaced Tony’s heart with an artificial one to save his life, and Tony began steering himself away from such high technology out of fears of this incident happening again.

After Tony revealed his identity as Iron Man to the world at a press conference, the U.S. military determined it now had the ability to use Stark technology wherever it wanted. Tony managed to become Secretary of Defense, hoping to keep an eye on said technology.

Tony was forced to resign as Secretary of Defense due to manipulation by an insane Scarlet Witch, who brought about the destruction of Avengers Mansion and the temporary break-up of the Avengers. Soon after, Stark would join a gathering of heroes to stop a Super Villain prison breakout, leading to the formation of a new Avengers team who would use Stark Tower as their headquarters.

During this period, Tony began using the Extremis serum to merge his mind, body and armor together in unprecedented ways.

The Avengers—and the Super Hero community at large—would face tremendous conflict when Tony faced off with longtime ally Captain America regarding the Superhuman Registration Act, siding with the government’s decision to regulate superheroes. The two ended up leading their own large factions of heroes, fighting for what they believed in, though Tony’s side eventually won the hard-fought conflict. In the wake of this Civil War, Stark would help convince Bucky Barnes to become the new Captain America after Steve Rogers was assassinated, while Tony himself became director of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Tony was unable to stop the Earth from being taken over by Skrulls, as the aliens bypassed Stark defense technology used around the world. He was forced to resign as S.H.I.E.L.D. director and the Avengers again temporarily disbanded, replaced for a time by a government-sanctioned team run by Norman Osborn.

As the Extremis serum began to fail in Tony’s body, causing his mind to deteriorate, he decided to erase all the information about Earth’s heroes gathered by the Superhuman Registration Act from the world’s computers, to stop it from falling into Norman Osborn’s hands. To restore Tony to his previous intelligence, his friends “rebooted” his mind, though doing so wiped out his memories of the Super Hero Civil War and the events that followed.

Tony created yet another new company, Stark Resilient, to provide free energy to the world. This enraged traditional industrialists like Justin Hammer. After Tony overcame mind control by a resurgent Mandarin, he decided to leave Earth for a time and join the Guardians of the Galaxy.Thanks to machinations by the Red Skull, many of Earth’s heroes and villains had their morality inverted. The now idealistically evil Tony Stark decided to sell the Extremis technology to the world, creating a utopia but leaving everyone dependent on him both physically and monetarily. It was only through a reboot of the universe during a second “Secret Wars” event that this malevolent Tony Stark was undone.

Once again, the world’s heroes came into great conflict with each other, this time over an Inhuman named Ulysses that could see crimes and other events before they happened. When the Avengers used this precognition to ambush Thanos, Rhodey was killed in the process, and Tony decided to make sure nobody used Ulysses’ abilities ever again.

This culminated in a battle between Iron Man and Captain Marvel. Tony lost and went into a coma. In his absence, an A.I. version of Tony assisted young genius Riri Williams in creating a new suit of armor, allowing her to fight as Ironheart in Tony’s absence.

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