Howard Stark is the brilliant engineer working with the SSR, self-described as the buttons guy who would rather run the machines than fight. He is at the controls during Erskine's experiment when the sabotage leaves the serum's window closing. It is Peggy who steps into the chamber while Howard throws the switches that complete her transformation. He takes obvious delight in the success, and from there he becomes her steadfast ally.
His genius reshapes the war effort. Rather than a costume for war bonds, he builds a Tesseract-powered suit of armor for the unenhanced Steve Rogers, the Hydra Stomper. He slips Peggy an upgraded version of the USO costume that becomes her true field uniform. When Captain Carter mounts the assault on Red Skull's castle, Howard does not stay behind. He joins the mission in the field. At the critical moment he works the controls to reverse the portal's polarity, dragging the summoned creature back through the rift and helping save the day.
