Iron Man, aka Tony Stark, is one of the Avengers' oldest and most important members. He helped found the team in 1963, and although he has taken several breaks over the years, he always seems to find his way back to them. Whether as leader, follower or financier, Iron Man has contributed to an untold number of the Avengers' many victories. He has a reputation for having an insufferably large ego, but the number of Avengers he can count as close allies belies that description. He even has more than a few good friends on the team. It's really not all that surprising, when you think about it. The Avengers are their world's greatest heroes, so there's no way they could be as effective as they are if one of their biggest names did nothing but drive everyone bananas.
There are exceptions, of course. No one can be friends with everyone, and there are certainly a few Avengers that Iron Man just can't play nice with, or vice versa and when two Avengers clash, the results are always explosive! This list will look at ten Avengers that Iron Man has probably unfriended on every social media account he has. And then, just for balance, we'll also highlight ten Avengers that he has formed close friendships with. Some of these list items may be arguable, since each relationship has inevitably had its ups and downs. Nevertheless, this list will provide you with a pretty good guide on which Avengers should -- and should not -- be seated next to Iron Man at team dinners.
20 CLOSE TO: CAPTAIN AMERICA
Iron Man and Captain America are, along with Thor, the "big three" of the Avengers. From the moment Earth's Mightiest Heroes found Captain America on ice in Avengers #4, Cap and Iron Man hit it off. Their friendship has been at the core of many an iteration of the Avengers.
Steve and Tony frequently praise each other's skills and ideas, and they often make an effort to spend time together even when they're not busy saving the world. While they've had some disagreements over how to lead the team -- most notably during "Operation Galactic Storm" -- they are always able to talk things out. Well, almost always...
19 CAN'T STAND: DOCTOR STRANGE
Even under the best of circumstances, the technologically minded Iron Man's instinctive dislike of magic would make it difficult for him to work with Doctor Strange, Marvel's master of black magic. But combine that suspicion with their vastly different approaches to protecting the world, and things can only go downhill from there.
Strange and Stark were both members of the Illuminati, a secret organization composed of the most powerful superheroes on Earth. Strange disagreed with many of Iron Man's suggestions, including his support of the Superhuman Registration Act, and was even reluctant to join the group in the first place.
18 CLOSE TO: VISION
Although the Vision was created for the express purpose of destroying the Avengers, he quickly found a home and a family among them. His romantic relationship with the Scarlet Witch is well documented, but he also formed long-lasting friendships with many of his other teammates. Iron Man is, of course, one of them.
When his synthezoid daughter suffers a serious injury, Vision calls on Tony to help him heal her. He even describes Tony as his "oldest friend." Of course, he then threatens to drop Tony if he doesn't do exactly what he says, but hey, what's a little intimidation between friends?
17 CAN'T STAND: CAPTAIN MARVEL
To be fair, Tony Stark and Carol Danvers do sometimes get along. Tony even helped her get sober. But it hasn't all been smooth sailing. In Avengers #200, a brainwashed Carol decides to run away with the man who attacked her. Neither Iron Man nor any of the other Avengers really protest this decision, and when Carol finally returns, she rightfully rips into them.
More recently, the two ended up on opposite sides of "Civil War II". Carol wanted to use Ulysses Cain, a man with precognition, to predict and prevent crimes before they happened. Tony violently disagreed, and the inevitable fight ended with Captain Marvel punching Iron Man into a coma.
16 CLOSE TO: BRUCE BANNER
Many of the fictional world's most famous friendships are between two people with diametrically opposed personalities. Tony Stark and Bruce Banner fit this bill perfectly. Bruce is quiet and, by necessity, prefers spending time by himself or with a few trusted individuals. Tony, meanwhile, loves attention and is very "razzle-dazzle-y," as Bruce himself once put it.
And yet these two get along so well that fans commonly refer to them as "science bros" or even "science boyfriends," depending on one's perspective. The point is, Tony and Bruce get along like a house on fire, and their science shenanigans probably will set a house on fire if someone doesn't watch them.
15 CAN'T STAND: HULK
Tony Stark and Bruce Banner may be good friends, but Iron Man's relationship with the Hulk has been a bit more contentious. They had problems right from the start. In Avengers #2, the Hulk left the team in a huff because the other Avengers, including Iron Man, didn't trust him.
Things only got worse from there. After the Hulk destroyed Las Vegas, Iron Man decided the best thing to do would be to shoot him into space. But what goes up must come down, and when the Hulk came back down, he forced Iron Man and the other Illuminati to fight each other, gladiator style.
14 CLOSE TO: ANT-MAN
After Scott Lang got out of prison, he struggled to find a job that would support himself and his young daughter, Cassie. Enter Stark Industries, which gave the reformed thief a good job and a new lease on life. As a result, Scott and Tony are more than just employee and employer -- they are good friends as well.
They are such good friends, in fact, that when Tony finds himself in trouble during the "Demon in a Bottle" storyline, Scott takes it upon himself to help, no questions asked and with no expectation of a reward beyond a heartfelt "thank you" -- and he certainly does get that.
13 CAN'T STAND: STINGRAY
During the "Armor Wars" storyline, Iron Man is desperate to retrieve stolen Stark Industries technology. Maybe a little too desperate. He ends up hurting people who could have helped him in his quest. Case in point: Stingray, a scientist-turned-superhero who uses a suit he designed himself to fight underwater threats.
Iron Man, falsely believing Stingray's suit contains his own stolen tech, demands the suit back. When Stingray refuses, Iron Man attacks. He takes Stingray's armor from him by force, only to realize that the suit wasn't stolen after all. Iron Man tries to apologize, but Stingray doesn't want to hear it.
12 CLOSE TO: WASP
As a founding member of the Avengers, the Wasp, aka Janet van Dyne, has been with the team just as long as Iron Man has -- she even gave them their name. Although she and Iron Man, along with Ant-Man, left the Avengers fairly early on, they have both remained devoted to the team and to maintaining their friendship.
Tony and Jan started a relationship after she divorced Hank Pym. It didn't last long, but they remained good friends. Some time later, when Wasp was leading the Avengers, she was one of just two Avengers concerned enough to confront Iron Man about his drinking problem.
11 CAN'T STAND: MACHINE MAN
Machine Man is a robot who, as of Iron Man #168, isn't quite sure where a guy like him fits in. Believing that Iron Man is also a robot, Machine Man pays a visit to Stark Industries to ask the Armored Avenger for advice on how to be a mechanical person in a world of a flesh-and-blood humans.
Their first meeting might have gone better if Iron Man hadn't been wildly drunk at the time. Believing Machine Man to be a threat, Iron Man recklessly attacks. Machine Man sticks around long enough to save some civilians that Iron Man would have otherwise hurt and then skedaddles, thinking to himself that Iron Man is one messed up dude.
10 CLOSE TO: MS. MARVEL
As one of the Marvel Universe's youngest crime-fighters, Ms. Marvel often needs a helping hand from the more experienced heroes. Iron Man fills this role admirably. If Ms. Marvel ever finds herself in over her head, she knows that Tony is just a quick phone call away.
Iron Man's willingness to safely guide Ms. Marvel to adulthood extends beyond superheroics. Sure, he'll show up in a hurry if she needs backup in a fistfight, but he is just as willing to help her straighten out personal problems, like figuring out a good work/life/school balance. Iron Man has happily doled out both sage wisdom and hugs as required.
9 CAN'T STAND: SHE-HULK
Jennifer Walters became the She-Hulk after receiving a blood transfusion from her cousin, Bruce Banner. Unlike her cousin, Jen is usually much better at controlling her temper. But one thing Hulk and She-Hulk do have in common is an often contentious relationship with the Golden Avenger.
She-Hulk and Iron Man used to be on good terms. She took his side during Civil War, and they even dated briefly. But then the Illuminati made the questionable decision to shoot the Hulk -- who is, again, her cousin -- into space. She-Hulk was, understandably, a mite irritated. She expressed this irritation by throwing Iron Man around an airfield.
8 CLOSE TO: THOR
Iron Man and Thor are usually two of the strongest Avengers on any version of the team. Over the years, they have worked together seamlessly, helping to defeat everyone from Loki and Morgan Le Fay to Kang the Conqueror and Kronos.
Thor was the first Avenger to learn Iron Man's secret identity, and Iron Man was the first to learn Thor's. As it turned out, each had figured out the other's identity years ago; they just kept up the pretense out of politeness. What better act of friendship than keeping your friend's secret, even when he doesn't know you know it?
7 CAN'T STAND: MOONDRAGON
Iron Man first met Moondragon when she came to Earth disguised as the villainous Madame MacEvil in Iron Man #54. From the safety of her submarine, she forced him to fight Namor the Sub-Mariner. Iron Man regained control before anyone was permanently harmed, but it was hardly an auspicious beginning for these future teammates.
Although Moondragon agreed to be a reserve Avenger, her extraordinary powers gave her an inflated view of her own importance. She attempted to take over the team, an act which did not go down well with anyone, least of all Iron Man. She later declared herself ruler of a war-ravaged planet, and the Avengers had to overthrow her.
6 CLOSE TO: WAR MACHINE
James Rhodes has been Tony Stark's friend since long before Rhodey ever became a superhero, never mind an Avenger. Rhodey worked as Tony's private pilot for years, and was then forced to take up the mantle of Iron Man when Tony's drinking got the better of him.
Later, when a broke and homeless but sober Tony asked Rhodey for a job, Rhodey agreed immediately. Tony soon recovered enough to be Iron Man again, but Rhodey's heroing days were far from over. Tony built Rhodey his own set of armor, which allowed him to become a new hero called War Machine.
5 CAN'T STAND: SWORDSMAN
For most of his career, the Swordsman was a criminal of one sort or another. He started out as a common swindler before upgrading to supervillain, facing off against the Avengers multiple times throughout the '60s. But then, after hitting a rut, the Swordsman decided to reinvent himself as a hero and asked to join the Avengers.
The Avengers were distrustful but agreed to give him a second chance. However, it wasn't until Swordsman sacrificed himself to save his fellow Avenger, Mantis, that his status as a hero was truly cemented. That didn't help his attitude any. When the Swordsman was resurrected, he remained surly and liked to pick fights with his teammates.
4 CLOSE TO: DEADPOOL
Deadpool joined the Avengers Unity Division in 2015. But before that, as related in Deadpool #7, he and Iron Man actually became friends... sort of. A demon named Vetis hires Deadpool to make a newly sober Iron Man drink again. But when Deadpool finds Tony alone and despondent, he has a change of heart and helps him pour dozens of bottles of booze down the sink.
Tony finds this act very therapeutic and thanks Deadpool for his help, only for Deadpool to knock him unconscious. It's for a good cause, though. Deadpool steals Tony's armor and drinks, thus fulfilling his contract with Vetis without re-destroying Tony's life.
3 CAN'T STAND: NAMOR
Namor has always had a contentious relationship with the land-based heroes, and Iron Man is no exception. He came to blows with the Avengers numerous times, and he swooped in to fight for the anti-registration side -- i.e. against Iron Man -- during Civil War's final battle.
Despite their mutual distrust, Iron Man and Namor both served with the Illuminati for years. Even then, they often ended up arguing about how best to keep the world safe. In particular, Namor believed it was a bad idea to try to end their Hulk problem by sending the Hulk into orbit. As mentioned elsewhere on this list, Namor was right about that.
2 CLOSE TO: HAWKEYE
Iron Man and Hawkeye's relationship got off to a rocky start in Tales of Suspense #57. Hawkeye had fallen in with Iron Man's nemesis, the Black Widow. They fought multiple times, but Hawkeye, driven by his admiration of Iron Man's exploits, had always longed to be a hero. He applied to join the Avengers, and Iron Man was the first to agree to give him a chance.
Hawkeye's abrasive personality often led to clashes with his teammates, but he and Iron Man remained on reasonably good terms. Iron Man even asked Hawkeye to wield Captain America's shield after Cap's apparent demise. Hawkeye turned him down, but it's the thought that counts.
1 CAN'T STAND: CAPTAIN AMERICA
In spite of their long, successful track record as friends and colleagues, Winghead and Shellhead are at least as famous for going at each other's throats. Specifically, they led opposing factions of the superhero Civil War. The trouble began with the passage of the Superhuman Registration Act, which would require all superheroes to register with the government.
Iron Man supported the Act; Captain America most definitely did not. The resulting conflict engulfed the entire Marvel universe and killed the hero Goliath. Even after the event was over, the tension between those who had fought on opposite sides was not easily healed.