Okay, here's an alternate idea to the father/son thing, that would at least make things more interesting.
Howard Stark is not a VILLIAN, per se. He's, at this time, the head of Stark Industries, while his son, Tony, is, while brilliant, wasting away in the balchlor life. After Tony finds out that he has a brain tumor (yes, I'd take from both 616 and Ultimate), Tony shapes up and decides to start working under his father in the company, so that Tony will be ready to take over Stark Industries when his father is gone.
Tony finds out that his father is working on a top-secret military battlesuit, which at that time, has seemed to hit a dead end. Tony, while kind-of iffy on not knowing who exactly they're building it for and for what purpose, still goes through with it, and builds the prototype of what will become the Iron Man costume.
Afterwards, Starks Industries makes a big demonstration about it, to get the press hungry for more. Tony is confused by this, since while Starks was always a big name, Howard has never made such a spectacle about it.
But, dieaster strikes when the demonstration is hijacked by heavily and advancely armed terrorists. Tony, knowing all the processes of the suit, takes control of it and stops them.
Eventually, we find out that the Iron Man suit was originally going to go to a militant North Korean group, headed by the enigmatic Mandarin. He has spies within the US government, who has been pulling the strings of Starks Industries. Mandarin's agents feed Howard a bulls**t story that Tony is actually working for the Mandarin, and sends Howard off the deep-end.
Enraged by the fact that his son is a traitor, him and Mandarin's agents go after "Iron Man," now a wanted man because of the story. Howard uses the schmatics under Stark's name to try and malfunction the suit, and finally, at the brink of his misdirected madness, creates his own version of the Iron Man suit--"The War Machine." Howard uses the suit, dispite the fact that, while he's pretty good shape for a guy his age, it still affects his heart.
Tony does his best to defend himself from his father. Tony doesn't want to hurt him, so he only defends. Eventually, Howard realizes that he's been played like a string, Howard uses the suit as a distraction while Tony goes after Mandarin.
Anyway, villian destroyed, Iron Man triumphs...but for Howard, it's a suicide run. Howard, stupid with rage and stubborness, damn near takes out the entire fleed of Mandarin agents before his heart gives away completely. Tony is there for Howard's last moments, when he apologizes for what has happened, and passes away.
Tony takes over the company, we find out that he sent the War Machine to storage (where it could be taken for future use in a sequel).
It's a rough story, but I think with some kickass action sequences, good writing, and great actors, that would make a awesome f**kin' movie.
Exactly.
