Opinion: Why Iron Man is the Greatest Avenger of all Time

The vinyl soundtrack of Iron Man scored by Game of Thrones composer, Ramin Djawadi

When asked the question of who the “best” member of the Avengers is, the conversation arguably must start and end with Iron Man. Genius, billionaire, playboy and philanthropist, that describes Tony Stark best.

As the first Avenger fans were introduced to, Tony Stark is most known to be at the forefront of restoring balance. He’s all that and more, but why is this? Is it because he’s the most powerful fighter or because he’s got the coolest equipment and latest designs? Long story short, the answer is no.

1-      He’s got no superpowers, yet he saved the world.

Besides his iconic suit, which possess durability, flight and an array of weapons, Iron Man has zero superpowers. This creates a very humanised image, unlike Bucky Barnes (aka Winter Soldier) and even Steve Rogers (Captain America) who were handed their powers using the Super Soldier Serum, a chemical solutional formulated to enhance the human body and mind for the purposes of bolstering the US Armed Forces.

While Bucky, Steve and Tony Stark are on totally opposite sides—of villain and superheroes--this shows that people find him incredibly unique since he’s got the most pressure on his shoulders to save lives while having absolutely no superpowers.

May I remind you that Tony Stark is nothing more than a mere human, and not an immortal figure like Bucky, or an all-powerful magic-wielder like Dr Strange or Scarlett Witch.

Not only did Tony build his own suits (around 61 in comics and 85 in the cinematic world), but also created them for other marvel characters, such as Pepper Potts, Ultron, Mary Jane Watson and Peter Parker (Spiderman).

It shows us his great sense of ingenuity and development; always working on finishing touches for each suit so they become stronger every time.

2-      His personality

Tony is strongly wilful and doesn’t work well with authorities. Anyone who challenges him will be torn down. Complicated, self-absorbed, moody, sarcastic, and arrogant; these traits are what makes his character so entertaining to watch while he (constantly) bickers with the rest of his team. He perfectly embodies the idea of the classic “bad boy genius” persona and these qualities are so endearing that he became extremely loved by the ladies.

It helps that Robert Downey Jr.’s personality aligns with Tony Stark’s perfectly. This is the truth, and the truth only. Downey Jr.’s charisma is so present and unique that there is no one in this world that could ever replace him as Stark. He essentially portraits Stark effectively as himself. In this respect, how can he be anything other than perfect for the role?

3-      He is rich, successful, and relatable

Despite being a superhero, he is human—but not only per the limits of physical ability. During his own saga we can see his everyday struggles from panic attacks to lack of self-confidence and trust. Even relationship issues. Some of the most, perhaps, humanising scenes is probably when Stark actually shows moments of anxiety.

Stark’s anxiety is mostly manifested as a need to be in complete control of everything, including his body, mind and events. Being an engineer, you could adhere this role to his need to break down all his problems (even the most practical ones) into smaller ones. That way they can be solved piece by piece. Overthinking and anxiety, though rarely spoken of out loud, are such prominent, universal struggles.

4-      He is the most loyal and caring Avenger

He might be stubborn but he isn’t selfish. His most daunting sacrifice was when he chooses to wield the unlimited power of the infinity gauntlet in order to stop Thanos. Though knowing it could cost him his life, he didn’t hesitate.

Always protecting his teammates, Stark puts their safety and wellbeing before his own. Especially Peter Parker’s, evidently. Their relationship was a favourite amongst MCU fans since they both share major ‘father-son’ vibes, which easily became the beating heart of the whole cinematic universe.

This character, who was genuinely and beautifully brought to life by the endlessly talented Robert Downey Jr., will forever be the father of Marvel. No one in the MCU universe holds a candle to Stark.

 “You can take away my suits, you can take away my home, but there is one thing you can never take away from me…I am Iron Man.” – Tony Stark