The Marvel Cinematic Universe has many characters but at this point, but the most iconic is obviously Iron Man. The character built the MCU and is a great example of everything the films do so well. Robert Downey Jr.’s performance elevated the material and took what could have been an entertaining yet forgettable superhero movie without him into a film that is still considered one of the MCU’s best.
While Iron Man is often considered the most beloved character in the MCU, his arc throughout the films often showed a deeply unlikable hero making all the wrong decisions. In fact, it’s kind of surprising that people love the character so much with how many times he trounced his own likability.
10 He Has To Be The Center of Attention Everywhere He Went
It’s hard to argue with the supposition that Iron Man was the MCU’s central character but the weird thing about it was it seemed like he even knew that. Every time Iron Man was in a room, he made sure he was the one everyone was paying attention to. He was like the obnoxious child trying to make everyone like him.
His entire schtick was sucking all of the oxygen out of the room and reminding everyone that he was the most important person around. It was just a terrible look and it’s one thing about him that never changed throughout the movies.
9 His Cartoonish Arrogance Throughout The Series Was Deeply Unlikable
Seeing how Tony comported himself makes one question just how good his role models were. For all the praise his parents and Jarvis get, they raised an arrogant man child who never realized that selling weapons killed people. Tony’s arrogance was one of his worst traits and led to just about every foolish mistake he made.
Tony Stark is a man who most people would not actually like at all, even if he was some kind of superhero genius billionaire. He was so full of himself all the time and while fans would learn that was mostly a defense mechanism, it doesn’t make it any easier for the people around him to deal with.
8 His Tough Love Approach With Spider-Man Almost Got The Young Hero Killed
Iron Man is definitely a role model in the MCU and nowhere was this more apparent than with Spider-Man. He took the young man under his wing, gave him a fancy new costume, and put him on the front lines. Of course, when Spider-Man didn’t do things exactly the way he wanted, Stark took it all away from Peter, forcing him to earn it again.
While this tough-love approach worked, it was also highly irresponsible. Peter already showed that he was going to do whatever he wanted and forcing him to rely on himself alone put him in a load of danger. Iron Man didn’t really care about Peter or his life, he only cared about being listened to.
7 He Created Ultron
Tony Stark was a tinkerer, so when he got his hands on the Mind Stone, he decided the best thing to do was tinkering with it. He was already looking for a way to protect the world using his Iron Legion and the problem was the AI. So, working with Bruce Banner, he created a new AI based on the Mind Stone. This would end up becoming a disaster, as it created Ultron.
Ultron endangered the entire world and killed a lot of people but Iron Man mostly got a pass from everyone. No one really held it against him that he had just created one of the most dangerous beings on the planet even though they should have.
6 He Treated Pepper Terribly For A Long Time
One gets the impression from the first Iron Man film that Pepper was the kind of long-suffering cliche love interest that loved Tony so much, she would take all of his abuse. She had to put up with his womanizing and drinking, cleaning up his messes, and making it seem like he was this effortless genius. Every great man has a greater woman behind him and Pepper held him up.
Looking back, it’s easy to see that Tony had taken advantage of Pepper’s love for a long time. While he’d eventually start to treat her right, the fact that he took her for granted and treated her badly for so long is kind of terrible.
5 He Created All Of His Villains Through Arrogance Or Negligence
Watching all three Iron Man movies reveals something about Tony Stark: all of his problems are his own fault. Every single one of Iron Man’s villains were created by Tony himself in one or another. With Obadiah Stane, if Tony was more concerned with running his company and paying attention to things instead of drinking, womanizing, and self-aggrandizement, Stane never would have been able to do what he did.
Justin Hammer and Aldrich Killian both were affected adversely by his arrogance and disdain and that put them on the road to their villainy. Tony might have gotten better over time but the number of horrible ways he treated people always came back to bite him.
4 His Sarcastic Style Of Speaking And Quipping Became An MCU Hallmark That Still Ruins The Tone Of The Movies And Individual Characterization
This one is kind of meta but it’s no less valid. Tony Stark in Iron Man was an entertaining character because of his biting wit and quipping. It worked for the character but it set a bad precedent for MCU characters, especially after Phase One when Disney took over. Tony Stark’s popularity made the screenwriters start having every character speak exactly like him.
Soon, even characters who shouldn’t be sarcastic quip machines like Black Widow and Captain America were doing it and it ruined the tone of just about every MCU film. It also worked to make every character basically the same as people, ruining their individual characterization.
3 He Showed Little Remorse Over War Machine’s Terrible Injury
One of the best parts about Iron Man’s character throughout the movies is the way he does grow. He starts to regret his actions and tries to make the world a better place. He gets PTSD from the Chitauri invasion and that influences many of his actions. One place where he barely shows any remorse, though, is when his friend James Rhodes is terribly injured in Captain America: Civil War.
Tony got really good about regretting his actions and yet fans never get to see him feel bad about what happened to Rhodes, one of his best friends. The entire thing is totally his fault and yet he doesn’t agonize over it as he did over things that weren’t his fault.
2 He Gave Up After The Snap
Avengers: Endgame is a beloved film but that doesn’t mean that fans love everything about it. One thing about it that needs some more spotlight is the fact that Iron Man gave up after the Snap and left his friends holding the bag. Helping rebuild the Earth was an all-hands-on-deck moment but Tony didn’t care.
Tony Stark is supposedly the greatest hero on the planet, a man who has made a lot of tough decisions, including betraying and imprisoning some of his friends. When everyone needs him the most, he just gives up and runs away, hiding with Pepper. This isn’t a heroic action or one to be respected.
1 He Tries To Kill Captain America And Bucky
Captain America: Civil War seemingly exists to make Iron Man look good and Captain America look bad. Captain America decides to protect an unwitting mass murderer and keep things from Iron Man, who was fighting to help keep the heroic community in check and to bring a mass murderer to justice.
The end of the movie sees Cap, Iron Man, and Bucky teaming up to get Zemo but when Zemo drops the Winter Soldier bombshell, Iron Man tries to kill them both, almost letting Zemo get away. This is a terrible look for the character, as he puts his desire for revenge before getting the bad guy.
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