The first era of the Marvel Cinematc Universe ended with Iron Man's pivotal role in the fight against Thanos. The Armored Avenger famously wielded the Infinity Gauntlet, sacrificing himself to end the Mad Titan's reign of terror. But in 1991's Infinity Gauntlet, however, Iron Man was given a far less prominent and meaningful death.

The Infinity Gauntlet, by Jim Starlin, George Perez, and Ron Lim, featured the iconic snap, where Thanos used the Infinity Gems to wipe out half of all life in the universe, including many Marvel Heroes. Fortunately, Iron Man was among those who survived. Even so, the Golden Avenger was faced with the fallout of Thanos' snap.

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Working on a satellite out in space, Tony Stark was shocked when this device exploded, alerting Iron Man to the catastrophe the universe was facing. Plummeting to Earth, Stark saw the entire west coast of the United States sink into the ocean. Although helpless to stop any of this, Iron Man teamed with his fellow West Coast Avengers to provide whatever aid they could. Later on, Stark was called to action, joining the remaining heroes under Adam Warlock's leadership. Despite joining Warlock's quest to stop Thanos, Iron Man could not abide the presence of Doctor Doom. Indeed, Stark angrily lashed out at Doom for his selfishness and malevolence, before being restrained by his fellow Avengers.

Warlock sent the heroes after Thanos, and Iron Man was on the frontlines. Alongside Thor, Namor and Firelord, Stark was shown as one of the heavy-hitters of the Marvel Universe. Still, Thanos was able to use the Time Stone to freeze everyone around him. The Mad Titan's display showed just how meaningless the heroes' power was compared to his. This says a lot, considering Iron Man and the other heroes' power levels. Nevertheless, Thanos engaged the heroes in combat, humoring them.

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During the fight, Cyclops managed to get Thanos off-balance, allowing Iron Man to go in for the kill. The Armored Avenger fired his repulsors at full blast, demonstrating impressive levels of raw power. Yet this triumphant barrage was interrupted by Terraxia, the female counterpart to Thanos whom he created through the Gauntlet.

Terraxia was just as strong as Thanos, a fact she proved in a ruthless attack on Iron Man. Stark was tackled to the ground before Terraxia viciously ripped the Avenger's head from his body. Later on, Thanos' counterpart casually brought the head before the Mad Titan, boasting it as a trophy.

All hope seemed lost, especially since all of the other heroes suffered a fate similar to Iron Man's. After becoming nearly omnipotent, however, Thanos later lost possession of the Gauntlet to his granddaughter, Nebula. In one last ditch effort, Warlock and Doctor Strange  gathered the few remaining heroes to fight for control of the Gauntlet.

Teaming with Thanos, the heroes regained the Infinity Gauntlet and all of its power. Warlock used the Infinity Gems to turn back time by 24 hours, reviving everyone, including Iron Man. Of course, some heroes retained full memory of the previous events, while others could only feel the nagging sense that something occurred. In addition, many didn't remember what happened at all.

It's unclear how much Iron Man remembers from The Infinity Gauntlet, but, knowing Stark, it likely lingers as a haunting feeling which wakes him up at night. Iron Man may have played a vital part in the MCU's "Infinity Saga," but his role was significantly smaller in the original comics.

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