Thanks to Robert Downey Jr's amazing performance, Iron Man has become one of the most beloved superheroes on the Earth, entering the rarefied air usually reserved for heroes like Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, and Wolverine. While the MCU version of the character takes a lot of cues from the comics, they aren't close to being the same character.
Iron Man in the comics has been defined by his vices as much as he has his virtues and his time as Iron Man has caused a lot of problems for him. The comic version of Iron Man is definitely a unique character, one with some big differences from the ones fans see on the big screen.
10 His Speciality Armors
Iron Man in the comics has been around for a long time and has changed his armor many times over the years, which makes sense for an engineer like Tony Stark. He's constantly tinkering and adding to his armors, making them better and forging himself into a better hero. However, he also has loads of specialty armors as well, ones that suit all kinds of occasions.
While MCU Iron Man does have some specialty armors—for example, the MCU Hulkbuster, which also works much better than the suit ever worked in the comics—he doesn't have nearly as many as the comic version and his armor designs are all basically the same, while the comic version's suits have been though many design aesthetics.
9 Isn't Always The Smartest Person In The Room
In the MCU, Iron Man is pretty much always the most intelligent where ever he is, using his wide knowledge base for everything from computer hacking to time travel. While comic Iron Man is very smart, there are plenty of heroes and villains who are much smarter than him. He's not even the smartest Avenger.
He's a great engineer and can design weapons and similar tech very well but something like a time machine would definitely be beyond him. He'd also find it impossible to create AI on the level of Jarvis or Friday.
8 He Gets Around
In the movies, Iron Man was a playboy but would settle down with Pepper Potts. In the comics, this isn't something that happened—in fact, Pepper ended up with Happy Hogan, Iron Man's best friend. Comic Iron Man never found any lasting love but he did have a lot relationships, especially with his fellow superheroes.
Iron Man has dated or slept with members of the Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, and the X-Men. He's rarely if ever showed any inclination towards settling down, concentrating more on being a superhero than having a fulfilling love life.
7 He's Not Nearly As Funny
In The MCU, Iron Man is a quip machine, his mile a minute delivery of sarcastic jokes and his pithy comebacks becoming the template that screenwriters used for just about every MCU character that came after him. While Iron Man in the comics isn't averse to humor, he's not nearly as funny as the MCU version.
There are lots of reasons for this—he's lived a very different life and is a much more serious person because of it. The number of threats and battles he's gotten into has changed him, making him into a less jovial man.
6 He Was The Villain Of Civil War
People who watch Captain America: Civil War and then pick up the comic expecting Iron Man to be in any way sympathetic are going to be in for a very rude awakening. In the comic, Iron Man is pretty much the worst person imaginable, working with villains, imprisoning his friends, and building a secret prison in the Negative Zone, a place known for screwing with the minds of humans.
Iron Man in Civil War betrayed his friends, ostensibly to save the day, but relished the power and prestige of his position a bit too much to be considered fully altruistic. It soured legions of readers on the character for a long time.
5 He's Adopted
In the comics, Tony Stark was adopted by the Starks. His parents were actually SHIELD agents, with his father a Hydra double agent. When he revealed this to Tony's mother, she killed him and went to Nick Fury for help. After Tony's birth, he was left in a Bulgarian orphanage and when Fury's friend Howard Stark learned of the whole situation, he adopted the infant.
Tony was meant to be a healthy alternative to the Stark's actual son, Arno, whose gestation was quite problematic and meddled with by the alien robot Rigellian Recorder 451. Tony would be raised never knowing about his brother or that he was adopted.
4 Founded The Illuminati
Iron Man was always worried about threats to the Earth and he knew that as great as the Avengers were at defending the Earth, there would be some threats that needed a different, more proactive approach. So, he brought together the leaders of the superhero community—Mr Fantastic, Professor X, Black Bolt, Doctor Strange, and Namor—and they formed the Illuminati.
The Illuminati would meet and secretly deal with the biggest threats to the Earth, going farther than other heroes would be comfortable with. They made tough decisions and did things they weren't proud of all in the name of protecting the Earth.
3 Had High-Level Government Jobs
In the movies, Iron Man played the rugged industrialist, eschewing the government and their role in his businesses. He worked with SHIELD but tried to subvert them whenever possible. In the comics, Iron Man did act in a similar fashion for a time but would eventually embrace government.
For a time, he was Secretary of Defense, helping the President and the Cabinet make high-level decisions about how to keep the US safe. After Civil War, Iron Man would be made Director of SHIELD, becoming the de facto leader of every registered superhero in the country. However, he was pretty bad at both jobs and lost them.
2 Has Been Replaced More Than Once
Iron Man's death in Avengers: Endgame has opened up a massive hole in the MCU but in the comics, there's precedent for replacing the character. The first time he was replaced was by his friend James Rhodes, who was so good as Iron Man that Stark would build him the War Machine armor so he could continue being a superhero.
In more recent years, he would be replaced by two different people at once—the young genius Riri Williams and a reformed Doctor Doom. When it comes right down to it, Iron Man is just a suit and just about anyone could be in it.
1 Is Nowhere Near As Likable As The MCU Version
When Iron Man dropped, the comic version of the character was probably at his least popular. This was in the aftermath of Civil War, where Iron Man was portrayed as a power-mad fascist who betrayed his friends for a seat at the table. Robert Downey Jr.'s performance redeemed the character in a lot of people's eyes but the comic version still was pretty unlikable.
However, every time the comics have tried to make the character closer to the movie version, it doesn't really ring true to who he is. While he's not as terrible as he has been in the past, Iron Man just isn't a super likable character. That doesn't make him bad but anyone expecting the lovable RDJ version in the comics is in for a rude awakening.