No matter how sophisticated his gadgets get or how impressive his feats become, Tony Stark is still a mortal man by the day’s end. Just like any of us reading or writing today, Tony’s prone to making questionable decisions from time to time. Most of the time, Tony’s the primary victim of his recklessness, paranoia, and alcoholism. But on a few occasions, Tony’s both directly and indirectly caused some of his closest friends to suffer.
The following 10 entries each reflect a moment when Iron Man hurt his fellow Avengers in some fashion. As you’ll soon discover, the Iron Avenger’s most savage moments don’t involve violence at all.
10 Chucking Luke Cage Like A Football
The Marvel Universe's first Civil War event brought out the worst in everyone involved; long-time friends and family members turned against one another in the aftermath of the tragic "Stamford Incident." Wracked with guilt and anxious to prevent future mass meta-human related murders, Iron Man joins with the United States Congress to announce the Superhuman Registration Act - a move that Captain America and numerous other heroes feels infringes upon their natural rights.
Luke Cage was one such hero that stood by Captain America's side - pitting him against Iron Man and an army of Pro-Registration heroes. We always imagined that a battle between Luke and Tony would be somewhat competitive - both combatants ae super strong and durable after all. But Tony reminded everyone just how far he outclasses Cage when he picked up the Hero for Hire and knocked him out with a halfhearted throw! If Luke ever had to fight Tony again, Cage would need a much more refined gameplan to stand a chance against the Iron Avenger.
9 Beating Up Spider-Man
Not only did Tony battle Luke Cage, but he also came to blows with his own "ward" as Doctor Strange so eloquently put it. Initially, Spider-Man fought by Iron Man's side - genuinely believing that registration could prevent future carnage. But Peter changed his perspective during the war, discarded the "Iron Spider" armor, and joined Captain America's Anti-Registration Movement.
Sadly, Peter had to fight his mentor shortly after Iron Man decommissioned Luke Cage. The Wall-Crawler put up one Hell of a fight, but Tony's superior tech and strategic genius proved too great a match for poor Peter Parker. The only reason he survived the ordeal was that Tony wasn't out for blood. Had Stark checked his morals at the door, the neighborhoods of New York would be short one Spider-Man.
8 Cloning The Norse God Of Thunder
Ever since Tony convinced Thor to join the original Avengers team, the two have grown close.
The MCU did a great job depicting Iron Man and the Norse God of Thunder as good friends, but the two are fire-forged brothers in the comics! They've battled gods, monsters, and madmen together for decades - serving as two of the Avengers smartest and strongest warriors.
Unbeknownst to Thor, however, Tony had kept a strand of the Thunderer's hair under lock and key in the event of an emergency. When the Civil War broke out, Tony decided to put Thor's DNA - creating a soulless clone that possessed strength similar to Thor but lacked his morals and compassion. Dubbed Ragnarok (kind of a jerk move naming your clone after the event that's supposed to destroy one of your best friend's world,) Thor's clone acted as a major threat to the Anti-Registration Movement - killing powerhouses like Goliath without batting an eye! Suffice it to say that not many fans enjoy Civil War's depiction of Iron Man in hindsight.
7 Attempting To Bust Thor
We're not sure what's worse' cloning one of your best friends against their will or creating a superweapon specifically designed to kill them! During Marvel's Standoff 3-part event, Tony and Thor stood opposite of one another on the battlefield. During Marvel's Standoff 3-part event, Tony and Thor stood opposite of one another on the battlefield. Never one to show up to a scrap unprepared, Tony fashioned a suit of armor specifically made to neutralize Thor.
Tony even dubbed the suit the "Thorbuster," in the same vein as his Hulkbuster and Fin Fang Foombuster armors. Worse still, the Thorbuster suit heavily resembles The Destroyer - that nigh-unstoppable Asgardian superweapon that terrorized Thor earlier in his career! We're not sure if Iron Man needed to make things so personal, but that's what makes this battle all the more savage.
6 Knocking Out She-Hulk (With One Punch!)
This savage beating from Avengers Disassembled is one of the rare entries on this list in which Iron Man was justified. Long story short, Jennifer Walters, aka She-Hulk, gets hexed by the Scarlet Witch and turned into a mindless monster. Contrary to her typically witty, level-headed, fourth-wall-breaking self, She-Hulk rampaged through the streets with reckless abandon!
A small team of Avengers helmed by Iron Man and Captain America are all that stand between the blood-crazed She-Hulk and thousands of civilians. Initially taken aback by She-Hulk's raw strength, Tony eventually regain his footing and shut Jen down with a rocket-powered haymaker!
5 Waging War With Captain America
As brutal as Cap and Tony's feud was in Captain America: Civil War, it doesn't even come close to the savagery readers witnessed in the comics that inspired that film. After a villain named Nitro kills a mass of 600 people, a schism divides heroes all across the board - namely Captain America and Iron Man.
Tony refuses to let heroes operate on their own accord anymore, perpetuating a brutal campaign for the sake of accountability. Tony and Cap battle numerous times throughout the Civil War event - with both heroes giving each other Hell on the battlefield! One of the most savage battles involved Tony assailing Cap with sonic weapons systems - a move that would've killed an average person.
4 Waging Another War With Captain Marvel
Years after the Registration Act tore Earth's Mightiest Heroes apart, another cataclysmic incident prompted countless brothers and sisters-in-arms to turn on each other. This time around, Tony squared off against Carol Danvers - aka Captain Marvel! Ulysses, an Inhuman who can see the future, prompted a debate between the Avengers - with some heroes feeling that crimes should be prevented before they happen, and others vehemently detesting that Orwellian approach to crimefighting.
In stark contrast to his demeanor during the first Civil War, Tony didn't want to take the extreme route - Carol did. Granted, Tony ended up kidnapping Ulysses and holding him hostage, so we suppose history repeated itself in the long run.
3 Sending The Hulk Into Outer Space
The World War Hulk storyline lends credence to the notion that "the road to Hell is paved in good intentions." As much as we love the Hulk, we have to admit that he's likely the biggest liability on the Avengers team. For goodness sake, the guy gets stronger by getting angrier and has the mental faculties of a 5-year-old! The Hulk's also the least concerned with collateral damage, making him just as much a threat to civilians as most major villains.
Still, Iron Man took things too far when he exiled the Hulk from Earth - intent on sending him to an uninhibited to live out the rest of his days alone. Hulk ended landing on Sakaar, embarking on the Planet Hulk storyline, and finding a new home in the end! Then the rocket Iron Man and the Illuminati sent him in blew up - indirectly causing Worldbreaker Hulk to surface!
2 Gaining A Massive Superiority Complex
It seems that the writers at Marvel Comics won't rest until every hero has turned evil at least once in their careers. Superior Iron Man represents a dark age in Tony's life - even more than his alcoholism and war with Captain America. That's because Tony's Endo-Sym Armor also doubles as a Symbiote like Venom's or Carnage's.
During his time as the Superior Iron Man, Tony acted much more aggressively to his friends and foes alike. Notable instances of savagery include choking out Daredevil, trashing a legion of his old suits, and casually battering Nomad! Considering all the damage Tony caused with this suit, it's probably best if we never see it taint his memory in the MCU.
1 Creating Prison 42
Reed Richards, Hanky Pym, and Tony Stark get along so well because both men are mad geniuses who never approach their projects with conventional mindsets. That's both their best and worst qualities, as their ingenuity's caused serious problems over the years. Case in point, Iron Man, Yellowjacket, and Mister Fantastic created a concentration camp in the Negative Zone to hold their POWS during the first Civil War.
Discovering this harrowing secret prompted Spider-Man to reconsider his stance in the first place. In Peter's mind, his mentor officially went overboard - developing an "ends justify the means" mindset. Like we said, not the best depiction of Iron Man in hindsight.