(09/17/09 First draft written by Janet Paige for the Los Angeles Times)
At just before 10.30 pm September 16th, paramedics were sighted outside of the Malibu mansion of billionaire playboy Tony Stark. At 10.42pm it was reported that Stark had been rushed into UCLA medical centre and his state was reported as critical.
His long time assistant, Miss Virginia "Pepper", Potts was present at the scene but refused to comment. Witnesses described Miss Potts as "distraught but holding it together".
At this time, no details have been released regarding Stark's current condition, when or if he will make a full recovery and under what circumstances he was admitted to hospital.
Presently, claims that Stark's admittance to hospital is due to an attempted suicide are merely speculation but there is much more to these claims than seems immediately obvious.
"A break down of this sort has been long overdue," says celebrity psychologist Dr. Marianne Leone. "Tony comes across as a cool, calm, collected guy but we have to remember he's had so much more than just the pressure of growing up in the public eye to deal with."
Dr. Leone is referring not only to the tragic death of the billionaires parents and pressure of taking on the roles of both CEO and chief technologist of one of the US's most successful companies at the tender age of twenty one, but also to his recent three months in captivity in Afghanistan.
"No one knows what happened to him over there," Dr. Leone reminds us. "Any number of things could have happened. We have no idea what they put him through or how far they pushed him."
But on his return to the US, the billionaire seemed as confident and healthy as ever. The only notable difference to his mental state seemed to be that he'd grown up considerably.
"It's often these cases that are the most dangerous," Dr. Leone tells us. "Tony seemed fine on the surface but this just means any underlying problems are being ignored and are having a chance to grow. Although his mental state seemed stable, his sudden decision to shut down the weapons division of Stark Industries without discussing anything of the sort with the board of directors, or even long time friend and mentor Obadiah Stane, suggests otherwise."
Perhaps something else to add to the mix, is the pressure of Stark's new "Ironman" superhero status. It has been suggested that undercover government agencies have been putting pressure on Stark to hand over the armor or use it under their command. There have even been suggestions that Stark has been pressured into becoming a member and ambassador of a new team of US "superheroes".
"It's likely to be down to a whole host of problems," Dr. Leone tells us. "It wouldn't have been unusual for something of this sort to have happened earlier, even before him [Stark] being held captive. His alcoholism and promiscuity suggest problems stemming from childhood, and with the pressure of having to run a multi-million dollar business from such a young age, it seemed unlikely these problems would ever be resolved before some sort of break down."
(Perhaps something about the lack of comment, almost as if some kind of conspiracy? Alternate theories. Must look at material from Stark's last conference. Arrange an interview with Lt. James Rhodes?)
For circulation around L1 management only. This MUST NOT under any circumstances be allowed to go to print.