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A subsidiary company, subsidiary, or daughter company^[1] is a company that is completely or partly owned and wholly controlled by another company that owns more than half of the subsidiary's stock.^[2][3] The subsidiary can be a company, corporation, or limited liability company. In some cases it is a government or state-owned enterprise. The controlling entity is called its parent company, parent, or holding company.^[4]

An operating subsidiary is a business term frequently used within the United States railroad industry. In the case of a railroad, it refers to a company that is a subsidiary but operates with its own identity, locomotives and rolling stock. In contrast, a non-operating subsidiary would exist on paper only (i.e. stocks, bonds, articles of incorporation) and would use the identity and rolling stock of the parent company.

Subsidiaries are a common feature of business life, and all multinational corporations organize their operations in this way^[5]. Examples include holding companies such as Berkshire Hathaway as in this listing of its subsidiaries, Time Warner, or Citigroup; as well as more focused companies such as IBM, or Xerox Corporation. These, and others, organize their businesses into national and functional subsidiaries, oftentimes with multiple levels of subsidiaries.

Details[link]

A parent company does not have to be the larger or "more powerful" entity; it is possible for the parent company to be smaller than a subsidiary,^{[citation needed]} or the parent may be larger than some or all of its subsidiaries (if it has more than one).^{[citation needed]} The parent and the subsidiary do not necessarily have to operate in the same locations, or operate the same businesses, but it is also possible that they could conceivably be competitors in the marketplace. Also, because a parent company and a subsidiary are separate entities, it is entirely possible for one of them to be involved in legal proceedings, bankruptcy, tax delinquency, indictment and/or under investigation, while the other is not.

The most common way that control of a subsidiary is achieved, is through the ownership of shares in the subsidiary by the parent. These shares give the parent the necessary votes to determine the composition of the board of the subsidiary, and so exercise control. This gives rise to the common presumption that 50% plus one share is enough to create a subsidiary. There are, however, other ways that control can come about, and the exact rules both as to what control is needed, and how it is achieved, can be complex (see below). A subsidiary may itself have subsidiaries, and these, in turn, may have subsidiaries of their own. A parent and all its subsidiaries together are called a "group", although this term can also apply to cooperating companies and their subsidiaries with varying degrees of shared ownership.

Subsidiaries are separate, distinct legal entities for the purposes of taxation, regulation, and liability. For this reason, they differ from divisions, which are businesses fully integrated within the main company, and not legally or otherwise distinct from it.^[6]

In other words, a subsidiary can sue and be sued separately from its parent, but its obligations will not normally be the obligations of its parent. However, creditors of an insolvent subsidiary may be able to obtain a judgment against the parent if they can pierce the corporate veil and prove that the parent and subsidiary are mere alter egos of one another.

Control[link]

The word "control" used in the definition of "subsidiary" is generally taken to include both practical and theoretical control. Thus, reference to a body which "controls the composition" of another body's board is a reference to control in principle, while reference to being able to cast more than half of the votes at a general meeting, whether legally enforceable or not, refers to theoretical power. The fact that a company has a holding of less than 50% plus one share which, because the holdings of others are widely dispersed, gives effective control is not enough to give that company 'control' for the purpose of determining whether it is a subsidiary.^{[citation needed]}

In Australia, for instance, the accounting standards defined the circumstances in which one entity controls another.^{[citation needed]} In doing so, they largely abandoned the legal control concepts in favour of a definition that provides that 'control' is "the capacity of an entity to dominate decision-making, directly or indirectly, in relation to the financial and operating policies of another entity so as to enable that other entity to operate with it in pursuing the objectives of the controlling entity." This definition was adapted in the Australian Corporations Act 2001: s 50AA.^[7] And also it can be a very useful part of the company that allows every head of the company to apply new projects and latest rules.

Business models which feature elements similar to subsidiaries[link]

• Conglomerate (company)
• Chaebol
• Zaibatsu
• Keiretsu

See also[link]

• Associate company
• Consolidation (business)
• Control premium
• Controlling interest
• Division (business)
• Enterprise value
• Equity method
• Goodwill (accounting)
• Mergers and acquisitions
• Minority interest
• Good standing
• Shell corporation

References[link]

Look up subsidiary in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

In the fictional world of Iron Man, Stark Industries, later also known as Stark International, Stark Innovations, Stark/Fujikawa, Stark Enterprises and currently Stark Resilient, is a fictional multi-billion dollar corporation owned and run by businessman Anthony Edward "Tony" Stark, also known as Iron Man. The company appears in stories published by Marvel Comics. It first appeared in Tales of Suspense #40 and was founded by Howard Stark, Tony's father. According to Forbes 25 largest fictional companies it had an estimated sales of $20.3 billion. In the film version of Iron Man, Stark Industries has a logo similar to that of defense contractors Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman ^[1] and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange as SIA. During the press conference scene, Stark is seen entering a building that resembles the entrance to Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works facility. An airplane extremely similar to the Northrop YF-23 stood as a statue in front of the Stark Industries facility, exactly like the prototype on display at one of Northrop Grumman's facilities at the time of the movie's filming. In Iron Man Armored Adventures, it is shown that Tony Stark finally has decided to create his own company along with Pepper Potts and James (Rhodey) Rhodes, the name of the company is called Stark Solutions.

Biography[link]

Stark Industries was founded by Isaac Stark Sr in the 19th century and later taken over by Howard Stark and then by his son Tony, after his death. Over the years, through bankruptcy, Tony's "death", Tony's return and hostile takeovers, the company has gone through many name changes including Stark International^[2] (later Stane International^[3]), Stark Enterprises,^[4][5] Stark/Fujikawa^[6] and Stark Solutions.^[7]

Stark Industries[link]

Functions[link]

The company is a technology company that develops and manufactures advanced weapon and defense technologies. The company manufactures the armor worn by Iron Man and War Machine. It builds the helicarriers used by S.H.I.E.L.D. It produces the Quinjets used by the Avengers.

Staff[link]

• Tony Stark - CEO/President
• Obadiah Stane - Executive Officer
• Happy Hogan^[8] - Chauffeur to CEO
• Pepper Potts^[8] - Secretary to CEO
• Dr. Gray Armond^[9] - Head Designer.
• Harmon Furmintz - Member of Stark Industries' biochemical division.^[10] He worked for Genetech and was born around 1918. He was a child prodigy and recruited as candidate for Super Soldier Project, but was rejected due to having hemophilia. He attempted to gain the power of Terrax, but his body and mind were destroyed by Terrax and reformed into duplicate of his own.^[11]
• Jacob Fury (Scorpio)^[12] - Former research scientist.
• Sally McIntyre^[13]
• Eddie March^[14] - Former part of the Iron Legion.
• Kevin O’Bryan^{[volume & issue needed]}
• Ralph Roberts^{[volume & issue needed]}
• Anton Vanko (Crimson Dynamo)^[15] — Former Head Scientist and Chief Developer
• Arwyn Zurrow^[16] - Head of the Miami facilities.

Subsidiaries[link]

• Project: Caribbean (staff unknown)^[17] - Stark Industries made an effort to start a plant in Haiti, however it was destroyed by Night Phantom.

Stark International[link]

Originally Stark Industries, the name was changed when the company ceased manufacturing munitions, with Tony handing over the CEO position to James Rhodes. Eventually the company was taken over by Obadiah Stane after a hostile takeover and he renamed it Stane International.

Staff[link]

• Tony Stark - Original Head
• James Rupert Rhodes (War Machine) - Acting CEO
• Bambi Arbogast - An executive assistant.^[18]
• Yvette Avril^[19] - Worked for the French branch of Stark International and was brought to the USA to become vice president of the Long Island facility. She unsuccessfully attempted to save the company when Tony Stark went on a major drinking binge and quit after takeover by Obadiah Stane.
• Bethany Cabe^[3]
• Dianne Carruthers^[4]
• Morley Erwin^[20] - Owned Circuits Maximus as well as working Stark International. He is the brother of Clytemnestra Erwin. He also assisted Jim Rhodes in learning to use the Iron Man armor, helped form Circuits Maximus, killed when Obadiah Stane had the Circuits Maximus building bombed^[21]
• Abe Klein - Director of Engineering.^[22] - Tony Stark's old electrical engineering professor; killed by Mordecai Midas^[23]
• Scott Lang (Ant-Man)^[24]
• Kristine "Krissy" Longfellow - Secretary.^[25] She Posed as Tony Stark's secretary to be close to him without involving him with a criminal.
• Harold Marks (Techno-Killer) - A research technician.^[26] He left to work for author James Spencer; built an armor in order to gain respect and vengeance from perceived lack of appreciation
• Vincent "Vic" Martinelli - A security guard.^[27] He was a former soldier and architect. Worked for Williams Innovations before working at Stark International. He remained with Obidiah Stane after his hostile takeover due to difficulty in finding a new job.
• Artemus "Artie" Pithins - Director of Public Relations.^[28]. He is currently a White House Press Secretary. Quit Stark International after Obadiah Stane took over.
• Erica Sondheim - Medical Director.^[29]
• Carl Walker -^{[volume & issue needed]}
• Cherry Wood - A scientist.^[27]. She studied Doctor Octopus' Adamantium arms and dated Stark. She was taken hostage by Doctor Octopus.

Stane International[link]

A subsidiary of Stark Enterprises and formed by Obadiah Stane, Stane wrestled control of Stark International from James Rhodes after a hostile takeover. Stane renewed the munitions manufacturing. However after Stane was killed, the company was run by a mysterious cartel which was eventually bought out and reabsorbed by Stark Enterprises.

Staff[link]

• Obadiah Stane^[3] - CEO of Stane International.
• Joel Arons^[30] - He was involved in a project that kidnapped Myron MacLain. He stole Captain America’s proto-adamantium shield
• Joseph "Joe" Faulkner - General Manager.^[31]
• Dr. Edward "Edwin" Earl Hawkins^[32] - Designed the Mass Acquisition Unit. He aided Giant Man (Bill Foster) in battling Doctor Nemesis.
• Karaguchi Inoyawa^[33] - Sought to rebuild the Red Ronin for peaceful purposes.
• Joseph "Joe" Kilman^[33] - After being fired for unknown reasons, he sought revenge by trying to take control of Red Ronin
• Vic Martinelli^[2]
• Michael Craig Stockton (Dr. Nemesis)^[34] - Sought to coerce Dr. Hawkins into creating a mass acquisition warhead.

Stark Enterprises[link]

After buying out and reabsorbing Stane International, Tony based Stark Enterprises in Los Angeles.

Staff[link]

• Tony Stark^[4] - CEO and Founder/Emeritus President
• James Rhodes - Former CEO (when Stark was in suspended animation following his first "death"; quit upon Stark's revival); former pilot
• Felix Ricardo Alvarez^[35] - Former lawyer, vice-president and CEO. Alvarez defended Tony Stark in the trial of Kathy Dare.
• Bambi Arbogast^[4]
• Veronica Benning/Victoria Michelle^[36] - Tony Stark's physiotherapist
• Bethany Cabe^[37] - Security Chief and former bodyguard of Tony Stark
• Diane Carruthers^[4]
• Lee Clayton^[38]
• Ed Deal^[39] - Worked on the VLS-2980 Project
• Phillip Grant^[40] - Computer hacker.
• Chester "Chet" Harrigan^[38] - Former chauffeur to Tony Stark.
• Bert Hindel^[41] - Former lawyer of Stark Enterprises. He was fired after he failed to clear up the Government civil suits brought on during the Armor Wars. He also unsuccessfully defended Kathy Dare.
• Happy Hogan^[4]
• Heuristically Operative-Matrix-Emulation Rostrum (HOMER)^[42] - Nearly intelligent computer of Tony Stark.
• Sarah Jennings^[43] - Accounts & Marketing
• Kylie Normandy^[38]
• Dr. Cal Oakley^[44] - Former employee of Cordco. Oakley assisted in rebuilding Tony Stark's nervous system following his being shot by Kathy Dare.
• Marcia Jessica "Marcy" Pearson^[4] - Former Director of Public Relations and later Vice-President. Rhodes fired her when she resented his being named Stark's successor as CEO.
• Garrison Quint^[45] - Chief of security
• James Simpson^[46] - Security guard. He allowed Edgar Elliot to sabotage Tony Stark's experimental rocket.
• Dr. Erica Fredrika Sondheim^[44] - Medical Director; former surgeon
• Wayne Unnier^[38]
• Nick Walcek^[38]
• Atha Williams^[41] - Secretary
• Roderick Withers^[47] - Director of Public Relations
• Abraham Paul "Abe" Zimmer^[41] - Research director and former member of the board of directors at Accutech. He was killed by Calico.^[48]

Subsidiaries[link]

• Accutech^[41] - Research and Development company, based in California, that was bought out as a subsidiary.^[41] The company produced and designed a Beta Particle Generator which was sabotaged by the Ghost. Known staff members include Gilbert O’Connor and Abe Zimmer.
• Barstow Electronics^[49]> - Subsidiary of Stark Enterprises based in California. It employed Carl Walker after Force's faked death.
• Cordco^[44] - Bought out by Stark Enterprises to force Dr. Cal Oakley to implant a biochip in Tony Stark’s spine after he was shot by Kathy Dare. Known staff members include Addison Drexel, Edwin Cord. Dr. Cal Oakley, and Basil Sandhurst.
• Stane International^[50] - It was reacquired by Stark from Justin Hammer, who owned SI following Obidiah Stane's death. The company reproduced Stark's original Guardsman armor for use at the Vault.

Stark/Fujikawa[link]

Created by a merger of Stark Enterprises and Fujikawa Industries following apparent death of Iron Man/Anthony Stark.

Staff[link]

• Kenjiro Fujikawa - CEO^[51] - founder of Fujikawa Industries, father of Rumiko
• Yu Kurin^{[volume & issue needed]}
• Tobi Kanigawa^{[volume & issue needed]}
• Rumiko Fujikawa^[51] - Daughter of Kenjiro. She was a skilled businesswoman. Played the role of party-girl to annoy her parents. She was slain by an Iron Man impostor named Clarence Ward.^[52]
• Morgan Stark^[7] - Cousin of Tony Stark. Became General Manager of Stark-Fujikawa after Tony's "death".

Subsidiaries[link]

• Fujikawa Industries^[53] - The previous version of this company helped form Stark-Fujikawa. A Japanese firm which took over Stark Enterprises following seeming death of Tony Stark. Known employees include Tso Fwon, Yu Kurin, Tobi Kanigawa and Wilson Fisk.
• Oracle Incorporated^[54] - Formed by Namor, the company was sold to Stark-Fujikawa. Formerly served as the headquarters of Heroes for Hire. After Tony's "death", Bambi Arbogast seconded here. Known employees include Caleb Alexander (who was killed), Carrie Alexander, Allison Grain, Jim Hammond (Human Torch), Robert Losey, Kent Maitland, Phoebe Marrs, Leon McKenzie, Namor McKenzie (former CEO), Rihanna O'Connor, Dr. Anita Savvy, Dr. Richard Savvy, Bambi Arbogast, Josef Went and James "Jimbob" Roberts.
• Parallel Conglomerate^[55] - Subsidiary of Oracle Inc. (which would make it a subsidiary of Stark-Fujikawa). Known employees are Captain Holten Gamble (who was killed on board an oil tanker owned by Parallel Conglomerate)^[56] and Oliver Russell.
• Rand-Meachum - A company formed by Harold Meachum and Wendell Rand,^[57] became a subsidiary of Stark-Fujikawa. Known employees include Daniel Rand (Iron Fist), Wendell Rand-K'ai, Leon McKenzie, Harold Meachum, Ward Meachum, Joy Meachum, Jason Quartermaster, Peregrin Took, Martina Tereshkova and Dr. Ilya Faro

Stark Solutions[link]

The fifth company run/owned by Tony Stark and was founded after his return from another dimension. It was shut down by Tony after he was defamed by Tiberius Stone who was subliminally influencing him.

Staff[link]

• Tony Stark - CEO^[7]
• Happy Hogan^[7]
• Pepper Potts^[7]

Trivia[link]

• A billboard in Spider-Man, on the level 'Race to the Bugle' features a Stark Solutions logo and the slogan 'Consulting in the Future', on the building just before the Bugle building.
• In Iron Man Armored Adventures, Tony Stark (the young teenager), along with his two friends, James (Rhodey) Rhodes and Pepper Potts, decided to create a new company called Stark Solutions, after Stark International was sold to Justin Hammer, owner of Hammer Multinational.

Stark Industries/International[link]

The sixth company owned/run by/founded by Tony Stark and was set up after the closure of Stark Solutions and is currently still in business. It is also known as Stark International, both names formerly used in previous incarnations of the company. It's logo is the same as the S.I. Logo in the Iron Man Film Series

Staff[link]

• Tony Stark - CEO
• Joseph Jeremy "Joe" Arnold^[58] - One of the Security Department heads.
• David Beaumont^[58] - One of the Security Department heads.
• Arturos Benning^[59] - One of the Security Department heads
• Friday^[60]
• Happy Hogan^[5] - Tony Stark's bodyguard. Killed saving Stark from an assassination attempt^[61]
• Michael "Mike" Jochum^[58] - One of the Security Department heads.
• Kurt Kennison^[58] - One of the Security Department heads.
• Takeshis Kobayashi^[62] - Head of Research & Development.
• Archie Merchant^[59] - One of the Security Department heads.
• Pepper Potts^[5]
• Katherine Rennie^[63] - Tony Stark's personal secretary
• James Rupert Rhodes (War Machine)^[5]
• Jack Rutledge^[64] - He was involved in the development of a Gamma Radiation Neutralizing Armor. He was later killed by Richard Cummings for covering up the death of Lisa Cummings.^[64]
• Ryan Zimm^[59] - One of the Security Department heads.
• Gallileo "Leo" Braithwaite^[62]
• Jan Kolins^[62]
• Martha Johns^[65]
• Geoff Douglat^[66]
• Tessa Springfield^{[volume & issue needed]}
• Anna Wei^{[volume & issue needed]}

Stark Resilient[link]

After the events of "The Five Nightmares" and "World Most Wanted" story arcs, Stark Industries went bankrupt and has closed down. After "Stark Disassembled," Tony begins to rebuild his company as an alternative energy manufacturer under the name of Stark Resilient. It is currently based in Aberdeen, Washington and Broxton, Oklahoma.

Staff[link]

• Anthony E. "Tony" Stark/Iron Man - Founder, CEO, President and Main Shareholder
• Carson Wyche - Vice President
• Virginia "Pepper" Potts/Rescue - COO
• Bethany Cabe - Head of Security.
• Bambi Arbogast - General Manager and Executive Assistant to CEO
• James Rhodes/War Machine - Security Liaison to USAF
• Timothy Cababa - Head of Computer Terminal Division
• Walter Macken - Main Developer and Chief Engineer
• Leonard "Pim" Pimacher - Head of Electronics Division

Other versions[link]

2099[link]

In the alternate future set in the year 2099, Stark Fujikawa is a major corporate power, alongside Roxxon. The only known staff members are Hikaru-Sama and Shudo^[67]

Ultimate Marvel[link]

Stark Industries also appears in the Ultimate universe.^[68] As well as Stark International in the Ultimates Comics.

Stark Solutions also appears as a separate company owned by Dr. Gregory Stark, Tony Stark's older brother.

MC2[link]

In the alternate future of MC2, the company is known as Stark Global Industries and is owned and run by Tony Stark.^[69]

Earth Ultra-Vision[link]

In a What If story, the company is known as Stark Interplanetary and was the creators of the Irondroids^[70]

Amalgam[link]

In the world of Amalgam, the company is known as Stark Aircrafts. The only known employees are Janice Doremus, Pepper Ferris, Happy Kalmaku, Stewart Rhodes, Hal Stark.^[71]

Real life[link]

There is a real life company by this name in Houston, TX that manufactures breathing air compressors for self-contained underwater breathing apparatus.

In other media[link]

Television[link]

• Stark Industries was featured in the 1990s Iron Man TV series. In this show, Julia Carpenter (the second Spider-Woman) is also depicted as the head of Stark Industries' Research and Development.
• A Stark Enterprises building can be seen in the X-Men: Evolution episode "On Angels' Wings".
• Stark International is featured in Iron Man: Armored Adventures. After Howard Stark was abducted by the Mandrarin in a plane crash, Obadiah Stane becomes CEO of Stark Industries. In "Cold War," it is revealed that Blizzard used to work for Stark Industries until an accident caused by Obadiah Stane left him "deformed and destroyed." In "Designed Only for Chaos," Roberta Rhodes revealed to Tony that Stark Industries used to make weapons until Howard Stark stopped their production when Tony was born. In "Hostile Takeover," Justin Hammer ends up buying Stark International and not having Tony Stark inherit the company when he reaches 18. After the fight with Titanium Man, Whiplash, Killer Shrike, and Unicorn, Tony Stark along with Rhodey and Pepper create a company called Stark Solutions.
• Stark Industries is featured in The Super Hero Squad Show.
• Stark Industries appears in The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes.
• Stark Industries' Japanese branch appears in Marvel Anime: Iron Man.
• A Stark Industries lab appears in Ultimate Spider-Man (TV series) episode Flight of the Iron Spider.

Film[link]

• The 2008 film Iron Man features the company, with a logo similar to those of Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin, and touted as developing many of the same weapons systems that Lockheed Martin is/was responsible for developing, such as the F-22 Raptor and F-16 Fighting Falcon. After Tony's father Howard died, Obadiah Stane became the CEO and later abdicated when Tony was old enough to run it. After Stark comes back from Afghanistan, he announces that he is closing the weapons division of the company.

• In The Incredible Hulk movie, Stark Industries logo flashes on the screen during the opening credit sequence when General Ross request to the company the Sonic Cannon that the army use against the Hulk later in the movie and it is also on the Cyrosync container containing the Super Soldier Serum.

• In 2010, Stark Industries appeared again in the film Iron Man 2.^[72] In the absence of Obadiah Stane, Virginia "Pepper" Potts became the CEO of the Stark Industries.^[73] As a promotion for the film, at the 2009 San Diego Comic Con, Stark Industries recruiters handed out business cards with an invitation to apply for a job at Stark Industries by visiting StarkIndustriesNow.com.^[74][75] Furthermore, on May 7, 2010, in Flushing Meadows, Stark Industries, for the first time since 1974, hosted the renowned Stark Expo ^[76]

• In 2011, Stark Industries appeared in the film Captain America: The First Avenger,^[77] during World War II. A young Howard Stark assists the Strategic Scientific Reserve in their Super Soldier program, and provides key assistance to Captain America and Agent Peggy Carter. The Stark Industries logo is modified to fit in with the 1940s time period.

• In 2012. Stark Industries appeared in The Avengers, with Tony Stark opening the Stark Tower in New York, the company had a new logo.

Video games[link]

• Stark Industries appears in The Punisher video game. The Eternal Sun group raid the company to steal the Iron Man armors.

• In The Incredible Hulk video game, it was mentioned that Stark Industries built the Hulkbuster armors.

• A Stark Industries sign is visible in the opening cutscene for Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds when Iron Man is battling Morrigan Aensland.

References[link]