Tony Stark’s True Villainous Side

Tony Stark measured up against Infinity Saga’s villain Thanos but the man wasn’t free of his vices regardless

Marvel has been known to have a weak point in its antagonists. However, one of the most compelling villains of all time resides in the scientist, genius, billionaire, philanthropist Tony Stark aka Iron Man.

Hard to believe? Well, the villain in Tony Stark was as arrogant as they get. His reckless and egotistical demeanour often superseded his kind motives. It is no secret that the superhero meant well. However, it cannot be ignored either that he had been the primary reason for many Marvel Cinematic Universe’s supervillain issues.

S.H.I.E.L.D’s Diagnostic

It doesn’t come as a surprise that the S.H.I.E.L.D was initially not ready to even include him in the Avengers initiative. The psychological profile of Tony Stark read, “he displays compulsive behaviour, is prone to self-destructive tendencies, and textbook narcissism”.

Back in the Beginning

If you go a little back in time, you’ll see how his actions led to massive villainous disruptions in the MCU. In ‘Iron Man 1’, the villain in Tony Stark puts the lives of many at risk when he left his entire weapon manufacturing business in the hands of the deceitful Obadiah Stain.

The greedy rascal built himself another Iron suit with the company’s resources and even went so far as to sell weapons to terrorists. If only the rich boy Stark had a sense of responsibility. Well, it was just the beginning. Let’s give him the benefit of doubt, shall we?

Cut to Captain America

The Winter Soldier, Tony Stark redesigned S.H.I.E.L.D’s helicarriers into more lethal ones. However, he did not know that S.H.I.E.L.D had been compromised and taken over by HYDRA. So, he unintentionally helped Hydra in its plan to kill millions, which, thanks to Captain America, didn’t come to fruition.

But you see what our boy did there?

The Destruction Continues

It doesn’t even end there. Anthony Edward Stark created Ultron, an advanced artificial intelligence system, despite Bruce Banner’s constant warning.

Ultron ultimately headed out to wipe out half of humanity. His reckless decisions continued to wreak havoc and started a civil war in ‘Captain America: Civil War’. Guess what happened later? Instead of realizing that he created a mess, the villain in Tony Stark blamed the Avengers for the chaos and ultimately signed the Sokovia Accords which sent Captain America in exile, and half of the Avengers in an underground prison.

Nope, not forgivable.

Stark’s recklessness has continued to drive the antagonists to super villainy, jeopardising the lives of many. However, Robert Downey Jr’s charisma stole the show and made you root for the villain-the one who saved the day.

Up Next

Many Faces Of Thor: From The Dark World To Love And Thunder