ROXANNE GILBERT
Real Name: Roxanner "Roxie" Gilbert
Identity/Class: Human
Occupation: Storekeeper
Group Membership:
Affiliations: Mr. Arlington, Pepper Hogan, Iron Man (Tony Stark), Eddie March, Marty March, Shara, unidentified taxi driver
Enemies: Crimson Dynamo (Alex Nevsky), Doctor Spectrum (Dr. Kinji Obatu), Firebrand (Gary Gilbert), Michael O'Brien, Power Prism (Krimonn), Rokk, Kuon Set, Sunfire (Shiro Yoshida), unidentified Vietnamese major and soldiers, Willie
Known Relatives: Simon Gilbert (father, deceased), Gary Gilbert (Firebrand, brother, deceased)
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: An apartment in Detroit, Michigan
First Appearance: Iron Man I#59 (June, 1973)
Powers/Abilities: Roxanne Gilbert was an idealistic woman, who strongly opposed violence, war and those profiting off it. She believed in peaceful solutions above all else. Despite her opposition to violence, she was willing and able to defend herself or others if necessary. She packed a good punch and was not above using a sneaky elbow as well during a fight.
Height: Unrevealed (5'8"; by approximation)
Weight: 120 lbs.
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Black
History:
(Iron Man I#59 (fb)) - At some point Roxanne Gilbert left her family's
home in anger and not even her father's threats and money could stop
her.
(Iron Man I#59 (fb) - BTS) - Roxanne became the owner of an organic food store in Detroid, Michigan.
Her father eventually died in an explosion caused by himself at his munitions factory. His will left a sizable amount of Stark Industries stock to Roxanne.
(Iron Man I#59 (fb)) - Roxie headed home after closing her organic food store early. She opened her door and was surprised to find her injured brother Gary, who finally revealed to her that he was the villainous Firebrand. Roxie knew that Firebrand was involved in the munitions plant blow-up that caused their father's death, but Gary blamed Iron Man for it and vowed to avenge their father. Roxie wondered if Gary didn't just want to avenge his defeat at Iron Man's hands because she knew that Gary had hated their father as much as she did.
Even though she was aware that her brother had assumed a life of crime and mugged people to gain the funds to fix his tech, Roxie acted oblivious to the mugger's identity when questioned by the police. She didn't like what he was doing because to her it seemed like Tony Stark and Iron Man where just another thing Gary was fixated on to hate like their father and country before that. Her milksop attitude angered Gary, who continued fixing his Firebrand equipment. They could not agree on anything and while Roxie believed in peaceful ways to change society, Gary believed that he had to stop the men in power like Tony Stark to change society.
(Iron Man I#59 - BTS) - Roxie wanted nothing to do with Stark Industries due to their history in munitions sales and contacted Tony Stark to sell the stock her father had left to her. She demanded to meet Tony personally for the sale, in hopes to use the opportunity to lecture Stark on her beliefs.
(Iron Man I#59) - Firebrand took the opportunity to attack Tony Stark's taxi in front of the house where Roxie wanted to meet with Tony. He kidnapped Tony, Pepper Hogan and the taxi driver, which crossed the line for Roxie, who had enough of Gary's schemes. He had enough of her hippie crap as well and just slapped her across the face. He then sent Tony out to get Iron Man and send him to Simon Gilbert's grave where Firebrand wanted to defeat Iron Man once and for all.
While Firebrand fought Iron Man at their father's grave, Roxie still tried to talk some sense into Gary, who ignored her pacifist ramblings. She stepped in front of Firebrand's blast when he threatened to kill Pepper for no good reason. The shock of hurting his own sister, distracted Firebrand long enough for Iron Man to knock him out. Roxie barely survived the blast and with her last ounce of strength begged Iron Man not to hurt her brother any further. Iron Man obliged and was impressed by her heroic behavior, which made him question his own way of life. He then flew her to the closest emergency ward.
(Iron Man I#60 (fb)) - Upon arriving with her at the emergency ward, Iron Man was told that it didn't look good for her and that doctors would have her in surgery as soon as possible.
Some time later Iron Man learned that she would live and was allowed to visit her. Her torso was heavily bandaged after surgery and she thanked Iron Man, who called her brave. She was thinking about her brother and was sure that Iron Man beating him up only furthered Gary's hatred for him. Iron Man couldn't take her harsh words any longer and returned shortly after as Tony Stark with flowers to use his charm, but Roxie had left specific instructions to the nurses that she didn't wish to see Tony Stark at all because she still detested him for making his fortune with weapons and munitions. Tony took it as a challenge to somehow relate to Roxie.
(Iron Man I#63) - Iron Man returned to Detroit to meet Roxie, who had just been released from the emergency ward. Tornado winds blew down a nearby building site and Iron Man had to save Roxie from being crushed, which drew in the press. Iron Man eventually blew off the reporters to escort Roxie home. She thanked him for saving her life a second time, but wished to walk home alone because she didn't like how much of a glory-hound he was. She was unaware that he just wanted to spend some time with her because he was so fascinated by her. Iron Man quickly took off his armor and called a taxi as Tony Stark. He caught up with Roxie and insisted to get her home with the taxi. Roxie was heading for the bus, but reluctantly agreed though she made it clear that she wanted none of his generosity and would pay half. During the taxi ride they had a heated conversation about Tony's business until Tony made it clear that he actually wanted a date with her. Roxie agreed to it if only he stopped talking about his business. She made it clear that she was put off by capitalist types like him due her experience with her father and that their lifestyles were too different, but Tony just wanted a chance to show to her that he was as positive as she was. He accompanied her to her apartment where they were surprised by a photographer named Willie, who was working for the Herald. Tony quickly got rid of him by reminding Willie that the Herald was actually owned by Tony Stark.
(Iron Man I#64 - BTS) - Rokk telepathically probed Tony Stark to learn how much he cared about Roxanne Gilbert and where to find her.
(Iron Man I#64) - Roxie couldn't stop thinking about Tony Stark while working at her food store. Rokk crashed through the store's wall to go after Roxie. He probed her mind to learn what she cared for and destroyed her wares before Iron Man caught up to him. After a lengthy battle Rokk was eventually revealed as a mere creation of Doctor Spectrum's Power Prism and re-absorbed by it.
(Iron Man I#65) - Roxie watched Iron Man battle Doctor Spectrum in front of her demolished store. She eventually punched Doctor Spectrum in the face when he had Iron Man on the ground. Spectrum created a giant hand to swat her away and continue his attacks on Iron Man. Roxie took the opportunity to run to safety and call the Avengers for help, but she ran into former boxer Eddie March, who had followed Iron Man and wanted to help.
(Iron Man I#66 (fb)) - Eddie put on the memento Iron Man uniform he was carrying in his case and attacked Doctor Spectrum as Roxie watched.
(Iron Man I#66) - Eddie got possessed by the Power Prism and after he was defeated by Thor, who believed him to be the real Iron Man, Roxie rushed to him.
(Iron Man I#67 (fb) - BTS) - Eddie whispered to Roxie that he had come to Detroit to ask Tony Stark for Iron Man's help to find his brother, who had been MIA in Vietnam. (see comments)
(Iron Man I#66) - The real Iron Man arrived while Eddie whispered to Roxie. Iron Man was shocked to learn that one of his best friends, Eddie March, was inside the other armor. Roxie explained to everyone how she had run into Eddie and how he got involved in the situation.
(Iron Man I#67) - Roxie returned to her demolished store and then returned home to her apartment. She was sure that her inheritance money would be enough to rebuild the store. Until then she would head to Southeast Asia to find Marty March and see the war's damaged up close. She left a message for Tony Stark at her apartment.
(Iron Man I#67 - BTS) - Tony wanted to visit Roxie at her apartment, but the switchboard lady gave him her key and told him that Roxie was gone and had left a message for Tony at her apartment. Tony read the message.
(Iron Man I#68 - BTS) - Roxie flew to Vietnam by herself, but Iron Man tracked her down following an Avengers mission in the area.
(Iron Man I#73 (fb) - BTS) - Iron Man gave Roxie a miniature tracer signal when he found her.
(Iron Man I#68) - Iron Man joined Roxie in her search for Marty March alongside Mr. Arlington and truce observers. They were following a lead that at first had led them nowhere. They found a burning village, which shocked Roxie because it meant the conflict was still ongoing and innocents were still suffering. They checked if any of the survivors in the village of An Thoc knew about a black-skinned soldier still in the area and a woman pointed them to the village of her relatives. Roxie urged them to hurry, but the Vietnamese major leading the search wouldn't allow it. Roxie ran off and the major ordered to have her shot, but Iron Man saved her once again. He promised the major to go after her by himself and return her, which didn't sit well with the major either though he could do nothing about it.
Iron Man soon caught up with Roxie in the jungle and saved her from a prowling tiger. Moments later they were attacked by the Japanese hero Sunfire, who had made a deal with the major to eliminate Iron Man. Roxie fled to a nearby deserted village beyond some overgrowth while Sunfire and Iron Man fought. Sunfire found her and attacked her to put Iron Man on the defensive, but Iron Man saved her once again and told her to stay put.
(Iron Man I#69) - Roxie returned to the deserted village when Iron Man and Sunfire both took off. While looking for Marty March she was nearly hit by Vietnamese bombers. While hiding out in the overgrowth she was pulled into a cave by a man. After a short struggle she recognized him as the man she was looking for -- Marty March.
(Iron Man I#70) - Though Marty appreciated Roxie coming over to Vietnam to look for him, he told her that he had no intention to return to the United States. He took her down a tunnel in the cave system and showed her the hidden city of Shangri-La he had helped build with the locals.
(Iron Man I#71) - Roxie was impressed by what Marty had helped building. They were confronted by Chief Kuon Set, who turned on Marty after all he had done and ordered his execution because he knew too much.
(Iron Man I#72 - BTS) - Tony Stark returned to America, unaware whether Roxie was still alive or dead.
(Iron Man I#73 - BTS) - Tony Stark returned to Vietnam a week later to pick up Roxie's trail as Iron Man.
(Iron Man I#73) - In Shangri-La, the hidden city inside a cavern in the Vietnamese central highlands, Marty March and Roxie were taken into custody by Chief Kuon Set's men. His niece Shara tried to reason with Kuon, but he wouldn't listen. Roxie couldn't believe that Kuon would turn on Marty after he ha helped them build this city, but Kuon made it clear that they had just used Marty and that they could never trust him and were ultimately ordered by their leaders to get rid of him. He would demand the same fate for Roxie.
(Iron Man I#73 - BTS) - Crimson Dynamo (Alex Nevsky) was informed of the Roxie's capture in their experimental city Shangri-La. Alex recognized her name and knew that she was connected to Tony Stark and Iron Man. He still sought revenge on Iron Man for Janice Cord's death and came up with a plan that would involved Roxie.
(Iron Man I#73) - Crimson Dynamo sought out the imprisoned Roxanne Gilbert in Shangri-La and offered to spare her life if she led him to Tony Stark, but she didn't want to make a deal with Crimson Dynamo because she knew he meant to harm Tony or Iron Man. Despite her unwillingness to help, Crimson Dynamo ordered Kuon Set to let her go because he counted on her bringing Iron Man to them and he was sure they could destroy him with the weapons in Shangri-La. A guard was ordered to let her escape after a fake struggle. The guard took Roxie into the woods where he claimed he would execute her, but she elbowed him in the chest and then knocked him out. She took his weapon, but dropped it after deciding to show mercy to the guard. She didn't run off as expected, but returned to Shangri-La to save Marty March though she hoped that Iron Man would track her down due to the miniature tracer signal he had given to her when they first arrived in Vietnam.
Roxie used the distraction caused by Crimson Dynamo fighting Iron Man inside Shangri-La to return to the guard house and free Marty March, but to Roxie's surprise he had already been freed by Shara and encountered him on the way there. Roxie watched Marty trying to stop Kuon Set from fleeing the city after his alliance with Crimson Dynamo had nearly caused the city's destruction, but they couldn't prevent Kuon from falling into a spike pit. Roxie was shocked by his brutal demise. In the end Marty stayed in Shangri-La with Shara while Roxie quietly left with Iron Man. On the plane back to the United States Roxie couldn't stop thinking about Iron Man, who had become quite interesting to her.
(Iron Man I#74) - Roxie wasn't thrilled when Gary returned to retrieve his Firebrand uniform from her place where she had kept it safe. They got into a heated argument over Roxie's relationship with Tony Stark and he threatened to kill him. Roxie called Tony to warn him about Firebrand, but Tony suddenly hung up the phone when the Mad Thinker took control over his Iron Man armor.
(Iron Man I#82 - BTS) - Tony told Roxie that he had news about her brother and sent a private jet to pick her up in Detroit to join him at a charity party in his penthouse.
(Iron Man I#82) - Roxie was reunited with Tony at the charity party and wanted to know the news about her brother, but he could only tell her that he was still on the loose and alive according to Iron Man. She was glad to hear that and even drew comparisons between her brother and Tony, who, unlike Gary, was improving. She specifically liked Tony's new Iron Man Foundation. Tony corrected Roxie that he had started the Iron Man Foundation for underprivileged children years ago. Tony left to mingle with the other guests and told Roxie to enjoy herself. Roxie later witnessed Tony getting kidnapped by Red Ghost's Super-Apes from the party.
(Iron Man I#85 (fb) - BTS) - Roxie learned from the news that Iron Man had saved Tony Stark.
(Iron Man I#85) - Some time later Roxie barged into Tony Stark's office and confronted him about not even calling her after getting saved by Iron Man. Tony told her that he had been tied up with so many things, including Happy turning into a radioactive monster, but Roxie had no sympathy for him and left after threatening him that the next time he called, she may not pick up the phone. Outside the building Roxie was offered a ride by Michael O'Brien, who blamed Tony for his brother's death and wanted to discuss a few things with her. Roxie recognized him as the man that had punched Tony Stark at the charity party and took him up on the offer.
(Iron Man I#88 - BTS) - Tony realized how much he had neglected Roxanne. Abraham Klein suggested to him to drop the work and find Roxie.
(Iron Man I#88) - Roxie was having dinner with Michael O'Brien at the Supper Club. He didn't like the fancy restaurant, but he wanted Tony Stark to see him with Roxie. Roxie took his comment in stride because she didn't like being used. She admitted that the date was a mistake because she had only agreed to it because she had been mad at Tony Stark and was not willing to go along with Michael's sick revenge plot.
(Iron Man I#88 - BTS) - Tony was looking for Roxie at the Lincoln Center Apartment Building where she was staying at a guest apartment, but the doorman Willard told him that she had earlier went out to a restaurant with Michael O'Brien. Tony didn't know what to make of Roxie's behavior.
(Iron Man I#89) - Roxie left with her packed bags the Lincoln Center Apartment Building where Willard tried to give her a message from Tony Stark, but she was too preoccupied to hear him. He didn't try to catch up with her because she wasn't enough of a tipper and was pretty sure she was running out on Tony Stark.
(Iron Man I#95 - BTS) - Roxie was one of the women Tony fought of when he considered he needed a new woman in his life.
(Iron Man I#297) - Roxie attended a big surprise birthday party held for Tony Stark at Stark Enterprises.
Comments: Created by Mike Friedrich, George Tuska & Mike Esposito.
Her weight was revealed in Iron Man I#85.
The Vietnam War is a topical reference to a real event that was replaced, after years of discussion about how Marvel's sliding timescale made it impossible to have involved so many of today's heroes, by a conflict in Sin-Cong. See History of the Marvel Universe#2 (October, 2019).
A note in Iron Man I#89 mentioned that we would learn in the future where Roxie was going and why, but we never did.
This profile was completed on 08/16/2025, but its publication was delayed as it was intended for the Appendix 25th anniversary event.
Profile by Markus Raymond.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Roxanne Gilbert has no known connections to:
images: (without ads)
Iron Man I#82, p, pan (main)
Iron Man I#59, p8, pan8 (head shot)
Iron Man I#59, p20, pan2 (Iron Man holds injured Roxie)
Iron Man I#65, p4, pan2 (punching Doctor Spectrum)
Iron Man I#69, p11, pan1 (nearly hit by bomb)
Iron Man I#82, p8, pan1 (having a drink at a charity party)
Iron Man I#88, p8, pan1 (mad at date)
Iron Man I#89, p8, pan2 (leaving in the rain)
Appearances:
Iron Man I#59-60 (June-July, 1973) - Mike Friedrich (writer), George
Tuska (pencils), Mike Esposito (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Iron Man I#63-65 (October-December, 1973) - Mike Friedrich (writer),
George Tuska (pencils), Mike Esposito (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Iron Man I#66 (February, 1974) - Mike Friedrich (writer), George Tuska
(pencils), Mike Esposito (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Iron Man I#67 (April, 1974) - Mike Friedrich (writer), George Tuska
(pencils), Mike Esposito (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Iron Man I#68 (June, 1974) - Mike Friedrich (writer), George Tuska
(pencils), Mike Esposito (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Iron Man I#69 (August, 1974) - Mike Friedrich (writer), George Tuska
(pencils), Mike Esposito (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Iron Man I#70 (September, 1974) - Mike Friedrich (writer), George Tuska
(pencils), Mike Esposito (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Iron Man I#71 (November, 1974) - Mike Friedrich (writer), George Tuska
(pencils), Mike Esposito (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Iron Man I#72 (January, 1975) - Mike Friedrich (writer), George Tuska
(pencils), Vince Colletta (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Iron Man I#73 (March, 1975) - Mike Friedrich (writer), Tom Orzechowski
(idea), Arvell Jones & Keith Pollard (pencils), Jim Mooney (inks),
Len Wein (editor)
Iron Man I#74 (May, 1975) - Mike Friedrich (writer), Arvell Jones &
Keith Pollard (pencils), Dick Ayers (inks), Len Wein (editor)
Iron Man I#82 (January, 1976) - Len Wein (writer/editor), Herb Trimpe
(pencils), Marie Severin & Jack Abel (inks)
Iron Man I#85 (April, 1976) - Len Wein (plot/editor), Roger Slifer
(script), Herb Trimpe (pencils), Marie Severin (inks)
Iron Man I#88 (July, 1976) - Archie Goodwin (writer), George Tuska
(pencils), Vince Colletta (inks), Marv Wolfman (editor)
Iron Man I#89 (August, 1976) - Archie Goodwin (writer/editor), George
Tuska (pencils), Vince Colletta (inks)
Iron Man I#95 (February, 1977) - Gerry Conway (plot), Bill Mantlo
(script), George Tuska (pencils), Don Perlin (inks), Archie Goodwin
(editor)
Iron Man I#297 (October, 1993) - Len Kaminski (writer), Kevin Hopgood
(pencils), Steve Mitchell (inks), Nel Yomtov (editor)
First Posted: 09/02/2026
Last updated: 08/16/2026
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel
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