Musk’s superhero inspiration
If Elon Musk sounds like a real-life Tony Stark—the comic-book industrialist also known as Iron Man—that is no coincidence.
Elon Musk likes to think big, said Andrew Smith in The Daily Telegraph (U.K.). The South African–born entrepreneur and inventor sold his company, PayPal, for $180 million 10 years ago. Instead of retiring, he set up two risky new ventures: SpaceX, a commercial space exploration company, and Tesla, an electric car manufacturer. Today, both are billion-dollar corporations. If Musk sounds like a real-life Tony Stark—the comic-book industrialist also known as Iron Man—that is no coincidence. “I read a lot of comics growing up, and I think that influenced me,” says Musk, 42. “I mean, [superheroes] are always trying to save the world.’’ So is Musk. He believes humans could, and should, colonize Mars within 20 years. “There are two reasons to go to Mars. One is defensive, as a form of life insurance [against] catastrophic events such as comet strikes. And the other is that it will be the greatest adventure ever!” He’s keen to go himself, if he can invent a rocket capable of delivering him back to Earth. “In the best of circumstances I go, come back, and then when I’m, say, 75 years old, go again. I’ve got to die somewhere, and where better than Mars? Be pretty cool!”
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Trump's actions cut a wide swath across Hawaii's economy
In Depth The state's tourism and farming sectors are two of the largest hit industries
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
5 immersive books to read this April for a brief escape
The Week Recommends A dystopian tale takes us to the library, a journalist's ode to her refugee parents and more
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
'The winners and losers of AI may not be where we expect'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published