10 Most Important Iron Man Moments That Defined Marvel History

Tony Stark aka Iron Man has experienced a great number of trials and tribulations throughout his Marvel history. Here are the Top 10 most important!

Iron Man wasn’t always the iconic superstar of Marvel that he is today, as the character spent most of his comic book career as a B to C-list hero below the likes of Spider-Man, the X-Men, and the Fantastic Four. However, in the current age of Marvel Comics (thanks in-part to Tony Stark’s outstanding adaptation in the MCU by Robert Downey, Jr.), Iron Man is easily a prime A-lister who’s been the cornerstone of some of the most important events in Marvel Comics history.

So, how did Iron Man go from being a fairly popular comic book character to the international icon he’s become? Well, it all has to do with the character’s arduous journey throughout his publication history. Out of every moment, only a few are notable enough to have played a major factor in Iron Man’s life, and helped shape Tony Stark into the hero fans know and love today. Here are the Top 10 most important Iron Man moments that defined not only his own history, but that of Marvel Comics as a whole.

Tony Stark’s Iron Man origin is one of the most impactful moments of his entire life, as it not only transformed him into the superhero Iron Man, but it also offered him a grim look at exactly what his contribution to the world really was. Tony Stark was a weapons dealer/manufacturer with military contracts, meaning he profited from war. When he was captured behind enemy lines and was made a prisoner of war in Tales of Suspense #39 by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, and Don Heck, Stark saw first-hand the horrors of his weapons in action. So, when he made his first Iron Man suit and escaped, he vowed to use his obscene wealth and unparalleled genius to make the world a better place, and he decided to do so as the superhero Iron Man.

Following his debut, it wasn’t long before Iron Man crossed paths with other like-minded people who also had amazing abilities through tech, mutation, or magic. In Avengers #1 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, Iron Man is forced to join forces with the likes of Ant-Man, the Wasp, Thor, and the Hulk to stop Loki from taking over the world. This moment created one of the most iconic superhero teams in comic book fiction, and would become an extension of Iron Man’s personal legacy.

Everyone is familiar with post-Infinity Gauntlet Thanos, the Mad Titan who is a threat to not only the Avengers, but also some of the strongest cosmic entities in the entire Marvel Universe. However, what many might not know is that Thanos was introduced in an Iron Man comic as a villain-of-the-week who very well could never have been utilized again. The Invincible Iron Man #55 by Jim Starlin and Mike Friedrich was Thanos’ first appearance, after which he’d go on to continue terrorizing Iron Man as well as characters like Silver Surfer and Adam Warlock until finally he would become the Avengers-level threat fans know him as today - though it all started with a single appearance in an Iron Man comic.

This stage in Tony Stark’s life is one that hit many fans close to home, as it told the story not of a superhero gearing up in a high-tech suit to fight aliens, but of a man battling alcoholism. The story was called “Demon in a Bottle”, and it ran in Iron Man #120-128 by David Michelinie, Bob Layton, John Romita, Jr., and Carmine Infantino. This storyline humanized Tony Stark even more than his official origin, giving him a very real and very dangerous obstacle to overcome that he couldn’t just blast with his repulsor cannons. Stark had to face his demons head-on, without his protective suit of armor.

A hero is nothing without their support system, and there is no one who supports Tony Stark more than his best friend in the world, James Rhodes. Rhodey made his first appearance in Iron Man #118 by David Michelinie, Bob Layton, and John Byrne. While this introduction was significant in terms of playing the role of Tony Stark’s best friend, Rhodey wouldn’t truly come into his own until he became War Machine in Iron Man #284 by Len Kaminski and Kevin Hopgood. Both moments were immensely significant for Tony Stark for their own reasons, as one gave Iron Man a superhero partner, and the other gave him a friend for life.

The seven-part “Armor Wars” event by David Michelinie, Bob Layton, Mark D. Bright, and Barry Windsor-Smith reintroduced the idea that the technology created by Tony Stark could be used for the detriment of humankind. This is something Tony hadn’t had to wrestle with since his debut, and this event made it a much more pressing matter given the extent of the technology at play. In “Armor Wars”, the Iron Man designs are being used by rival companies to create new suits that have the potential to cause death and destruction. The event ended with Tony Stark renouncing Iron Man just as he renounced his weapons-dealing ways in Tales of Suspense, a narrative parallel that showed Tony that sometimes putting down the proverbial sword is sometimes the best way to use it for good.

“Extremis” is a six-part storyline in Iron Man Vol. 4 by Warren Ellis and Adi Granov that not only introduces a new threat to Iron Man canon, but also gives Iron Man himself the upgrade of his life. The Extremis was a super soldier project developed under a Stark Industries subsidiary called FuturePharm. Using nanite technology, the Extremis drug offered those who took it superhuman healing as well as a slew of other powers including strength, speed, and even (in extreme cases) fire breath. After he was injured in battle, Tony Stark took a modified dose of the Extremis drug. Aside from saving his life, this gave Tony Stark actual superpowers for the first time in his career, fusing Tony’s nanotech armor with his body and granting him direct cybernetic interface, while also granting him superhuman reflexes, enhanced endurance, and enhanced brain function. “Extremis” gave Tony Stark a new beginning as Iron Man in a fresh and exciting way, making it more than just an iconic story, but an integral moment in Tony’s history.

Civil War by Mark Millar and Steve McNiven was one of the most impactful moments in all of Marvel Comics history, and Iron Man was responsible for one half of the conflict. When Tony Stark agreed with the federal government that superheroes needed to be registered, he was met with extreme opposition from Captain America. The two Avengers leaders then amassed their own respective followings until an all-out war broke out between them. Neither side was willing to concede, and the result was a permanent crack in the foundation upon which the Avengers were built (as well as some more direct fallout).

The immediate result of Civil War (which Iron Man technically won) was Tony Stark becoming the new director of SHIELD. However, after the Skrull invasion of Earth during Secret Invasion, along with Tony Stark’s refusal to release the names of registered heroes only he had access to (after he downloaded the only copy of it directly into his brain), Stark was removed from his position. This chain of events was the starting point of Dark Reign, during which time Tony Stark was the most wanted criminal alive, as he held the classified information of registered heroes in his mind illegally. So, Tony began deleting information from his own mind to keep it out of the hands of Norman Osborn, who had risen to power during Dark Reign. This process threw Tony into a coma, and his brain stopped working, meaning he was technically dead for a time. While a backup of Tony’s brain was saved in his computer and just needed to be ‘uploaded’ into his body to bring him back, this entire storyline was essentially just Tony suffering the consequences of his own actions, as he divided the Avengers for the information he was now literally dying to keep out of the hands of the public.

In Iron Man Vol. 5 #17 by Kieron Gillen and Carlo Pagulayan, Tony Stark learns a shocking truth of his past: he’s adopted. Not only that, but he also finds out that he has a secret brother named Arno Stark (who fans may be more familiar with as Iron Man 2020). Tony has had to deal with the fallout of massive events like Civil War, Secret Invasion, and Dark Reign, he’s had to come to terms with developing superpowers, and even had to face the grim truth that his technology has the potential to do more harm than good in the world. However, aside from “Demon in a Bottle”, this is perhaps the most powerful moment of personal impact Tony has ever had to deal with, as it made him question everything he thought he knew about his own history, not as Iron Man, but as Tony Stark.

These moments in Iron Man’s life throughout his comic history chronicle Tony Stark’s metamorphosis from a selfish, warmongering businessman to a world-class superhero, and then finally, a fully-realized good person. That is why these are the Top 10 most important Iron Man moments that defined his history, and the history of Marvel Comics.

Spencer Connolly is a Staff Writer for Screen Rant. With years of writing and journalism experience under his belt, Spencer joined Screen Rant in 2020. Prior to writing for Screen Rant, Spencer was a Photojournalist and News Producer. Throughout his career as a journalist and even his entire life, Spencer always had a deep love for comics and is now applying everything he has learned throughout his career to the fun and informative articles he writes for Screen Rant. You can follow Spencer on Twitter: @TheSpencerVerse.