Famous Assistants: Why Pepper Potts is Our Hero
Virginia "Pepper" Potts might be one of the best known fictional assistants, and possibly the most respected. As the executive assistant to one of the wealthiest men in America, Tony Stark, some would argue that she keeps Stark Industries running.
Check out our list of reasons why Pepper our is favorite hero...we mean famous assistant.
1. She remains poised under any kind of pressure.
Pepper is in charge of handling literally every aspect of Tony Stark's life. This includes managing his calendar, his art collection, and his personal life. The billionaire, philanthropist and womanizer gives Pepper a lot to handle, often times all at once. But she tackles all of it while not even breaking a sweat. Even when the tasks are a little awkward, like the iconic scene from Iron Man when Pepper volleys a rather sassy comment. Christine Everheart: After all these years, Tony still has you picking up the dry cleaning. Pepper: I do anything and everything Mr. Stark requires. Including occasionally taking out the trash. Will that be all?
2. She runs interception for Tony.
As the CEO of a multi-million dollar company, Tony's time is very valuable. And everyone wants a moment of it for their own prerogatives. Pepper does a fantastic job of handling any inquiries first so that Tony doesn't have to. She decides who he needs to meet or speak with, and she handles anyone else herself. That even includes SHIELD's Agent Coulson.
3. She understands that being an assistant is not necessarily a 9-5 gig.
Huge companies like Stark Industries run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Meaning that the CEO needs to be available at all hours. And that, in turn, means that his assistant needs to be available at all hours as well. Pepper's hours are varied, but she understands this and continues to perform to the best of her ability no matter the hour.
4. She is trustworthy.
With every aspect of Tony's life, Pepper is like a bank vault. She knows all, but tells no one. Confidentiality should be her middle name. From his many dalliances to his work on his Iron Man suit, Pepper remains loyal to Tony and keeps all of his secrets. He even makes this statement about her:
Tony Stark: You are the most capable, qualified, trustworthy person I’ve ever met.
Pepper is such a fantastic assistant that in Iron Man 2, when Tony thinks that he is going to die, he appoints Pepper CEO of Stark Industries.
While most assistants don't have to deal with a superhero boss, Ms. Potts is a fantastic model to follow. We keep our poise under pressure to complete all tasks to your satisfaction, we can handle minute items so you don't have to, we are available 7 days a week, and we will handle every task with complete confidentiality.
