The MCU brought many fan-favorite Marvel Comics characters to life on the big screen, and in 2008, the MCU truly started to take shape with the first Iron Man movie, starring Robert Downey Jr. Since then, Iron Man has been a core part of the MCU, with many other Avengers assembling around him. Iron Man can do it all, it seems.
RELATED: MCU: 10 Times Iron Man Met His Match (But Won Anyways)
Tony Stark, the genius billionaire, has many advanced Iron Man suits packed with tough armor, high-tech sensors, devastating weapons, and more. In battle, he could easily defeat or at least achieve a stalemate against nearly any MCU fighter. Now the question is: which MCU characters could really challenge Iron Man, and which ones fall way short?
10 CAN CHALLENGE HIM: Captain America, The First Avenger
Steve Rogers, or Captain America, was a skinny kid from Brooklyn with the heart of a true hero and leader. He was given the Super Soldier serum, and ever since, he's been a tireless defender of freedom and justice, with his indestructible shield by his side.
Captain America can't fly or shoot missiles like Iron Man can, but his shield will do a lot of work both on offense and defense against Iron Man. And as Civil War showed, Cap has the strength to pummel Iron Man's armor to scrap if he gets a chance.
9 CAN'T CHALLENGE HIM: Hawkeye, The Archer Avenger
Clint Barton, or Hawkeye, is here to prove that bows and arrows are not antiquated weapons. Bows don't jam or make loud noises, making them stealthy and reliable weapons from a distance. And Hawkeye has learned to use arrows with specialized tips, such as explosives.
However, Hawkeye will need more than a bow and arrow to take on Iron Man and win. In fact, Hawkeye wouldn't be a real challenge at all, since Iron Man could blast him away with a ranged attack before Hawkeye could select, draw, aim and fire an arrow.
8 CAN CHALLENGE HIM: Black Panther, King Of Wakanda
Depending on which Vibranium suit he uses, and whether he can get close to Iron Man, the heroic Black Panther might actually be able to defeat Iron Man for real. And even if he cannot, the Wakandan king will give Iron Man a serious challenge in a duel.
RELATED: MCU: 10 Heroes Who Use Villainous Powers
Like a big cat, Black Panther boasts formidable strength, agility, and sharp claws, and his suit can endure some serious blows and stay operational. His main weakness against Iron Man is that he cannot easily fly or launch ranged attacks.
7 CAN'T CHALLENGE HIM: Black Widow, The Assassin
Natasha Romanoff, or the Black Widow, is among the best at what she does. Ever since her girlhood, Black Widow was trained in the ways of stealth, infiltration, assassination, small arms, and more. She can take out key enemy leaders, vanish into a crowd, gather vital intel, and more. Not all missions call for explosions or spaceships.
That said, Black Widow would struggle to even slow Iron Man down in a fight. Her pistols, melee skills, and other tools would do practically nothing to Iron Man's armored plating, and she would have few meaningful defenses against Iron Man's return fire.
6 CAN CHALLENGE HIM: The Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man
Although Peter Parker is a teenaged boy, he could give Iron Man quite a challenge in a duel. How? He has the Spidey-Sense, which allows him to detect incoming danger, and he can move with astonishing agility and speed, with or without his trademark webs.
RELATED:
It also helps that Spider-Man is young and therefore not yet set in his ways when it comes to hero work. He's open to any creative or resourceful idea, making him unpredictable and slippery in battle. That makes up for his limited experience.
5 CAN'T CHALLENGE HIM: Gamora, Daughter Of Thanos
Ordinarily, Gamora the assassin would not pick a fight with Iron Man, because that armored hero has a number of key advantages on her. For one thing, Gamora cannot fly, and she has few ranged options, either, aside from some space pistols.
Gamora is a mighty foe against most conventional opponents, boasting remarkable speed, agility, technique, and swordplay. None of that will help her against Iron Man, though, who could chase her around and blow her away with his ranged attack at leisure.
4 CAN CHALLENGE HIM: Thor, God Of Thunder
The mighty Thor, prince of Asgard, isan MCU character who is at least as powerful as Iron Man, if not more so. At the very least, Thor could seriously challenge Iron Man in a fight, with his superhuman strength, endurance, and lightning powers giving him an edge.
RELATED: 10 Ways Iron Man Made the MCU More Dangerous
As 2012's The Avengers showed, Thor and Iron Man strike even when they're not quite fully serious in a fight, and when they bring out the big guns, Iron Man will need every trick and weapon at his disposal to keep up.
3 CAN'T CHALLENGE HIM: Bucky Barnes, The Winter Soldier
Bucky Barnes was Steve Rogers' Army friend back in the 1940s, and after he seemingly died, he ended up in Soviet hands, and he became the fearsome Winter Soldier, complete with elite skills and (according to Spider-Man) an awesome metal left arm.
The Winter Soldier is a terrifying foe for most enemy soldiers or agents, but Iron Man could easily handle the likes of him. A metal left arm? How about an all-metal suit from head to toe, complete with sensors, jet thrusters, and explosive firepower? The Winter Soldier can't handle that.
2 CAN CHALLENGE HIM: The Angry Incredible Hulk
Given the chance, the Incredible Hulk would bash Iron Man's armor to bits, if he built up enough anger in their fight. However, even if Iron Man's suit doesn't match the Hulk's full strength, Iron Man can handle him in other ways.
Iron Man's power of flight will keep him safe from the Hulk, and Iron Man's various missiles, nets, and traps will slow the Hulk way down. If Iron Man chooses to abort the fight and leave, he'll have the power to do so.
1 CAN'T CHALLENGE HIM: Phil Coulson, S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent
Phil Coulson is a dryly humorous agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., acting like a miniature James Bond with his gentlemanly aura, tailored suits, high-tech car, and elite skills. He can handle many ground missions that don't call for overwhelming superhero firepower, and he has leadership qualities, too.
In a stand-up fight, though, Phil Coulson would stand zero chance against Iron Man, even if he came prepared. It would be easy for Iron Man to dispatch Phil by a number of means.
NEXT: Iron Man: 10 Times Tony Stark Was His Own Worst Enemy
