There are a lot of great superheroes throughout the Marvel Cinematic Universe. One of the most beloved heroes in the franchise is Iron Man. He was the first superhero introduced in the Marvel Cinematic Universe back when its first movie, also called Iron Man, released back in 2008.
Little did fans know back then how many heroic things Iron Man would do throughout his trilogy of films, as well as the other movies that he appeared in. Time and time again, he proved how great of a hero he was by saving countless people and arguably being the character that accomplished the most when it came to defending the universe.
10 He Stopped Making Weapons
When Tony escaped from the Ten Rings and returned home in Iron Man, he held a press conference in which he announced that he would shut down Stark Industries' weapons manufacturing division, understanding all of the harm that he and his company had caused over the years. Seeing as how this not only gave him so much success but was also the legacy that his father left behind, the world was shocked to hear that he was willing to sacrifice it all. Though he may have cared more about himself than the safety of the world when he was younger, this was the first of many noble acts that would make Iron Man an amazing hero.
9 He Saved The People In Gulmira
As the Ten Rings were about to execute the men in Gulmira and take their wives and children away in Iron Man, the titular protagonist saved them. He killed some of the Ten Rings' soldiers and left their leader, Abu Bakaar, who was hiding like a coward, to the people of Gulmira, allowing them to do whatever they wanted to him. Because of Tony, the innocent people that the Ten Rings had attacked were able to keep their freedom and get their revenge on the man that caused them so much pain.
8 He Defeated Obadiah
In the middle of Iron Man, Tony was shocked to learn that his longtime business partner and supposed friend, Obadiah, had actually wanted him killed and was working with the people that tortured him. Obadiah also planned to kill Pepper but Tony saved her just in time, leading the two CEOs of Stark Industries to fight each other. With Pepper's help, Iron Man was able to defeat Obadiah, saving the world from one of the people he once cared about.
7 He Fought Vanko
Vanko was the main antagonist in Iron Man 2. At the end of the movie, he used his drones to attack Tony at the Stark Expo. In order to save the people there, Iron Man led the drones to an area where nobody would get hurt and fought them with War Machine by his side.
After defeating the drones, Vanko fought Iron Man and War Machine as well. Iron Man and War Machine defeated Vanko by blasting him at the same time and escaped from the drones as they detonated.
6 He Saved New York From Being Blown Up
As Loki and the Chitauri attacked New York at the end of The Avengers, Nick Fury informed Iron Man that a missile was headed in his direction. Iron Man left his comrades to finish fighting their otherworldly enemies in order to make sure that the city didn't get blown up. He carried the missile into the portal that the Chitauri were coming from, sending him into outer space. He then used the missile to blow up the fleet that the Chitauri came from and fell back to Earth. Not being able to fly, Hulk caught him.
5 He Defeated The Hulk In Johannesburg
In Avengers: Age of Ultron, Scarlet Witch controlled Hulk's brain and made him attack the people of Johannesburg. In order to get his friend and comrade to stop, Iron Man fought him in his Hulkbuster suit. As they battled each other all around the city, Tony did his best to keep civilians out of harm's way. While Hulk was a tough opponent to beat, Iron Man ended up winning the fight and saving his friend from Scarlet Witch's manipulation. However, people were even more afraid of the Avengers than they were before.
4 He Was Willing To Give Up The Avengers' Freedom In Order To Protect People
Due to how much collateral damage the Avengers were responsible for when saving Earth from threats such as Loki and Ultron, the United Nations came together in hopes to get the Avengers to work for them in Captain America: Civil War. Iron Man was more than willing to let the United Nations give him orders because he wanted to make sure that the Avengers made humanity feel safe, even if it meant giving up his freedom. While some of the Avengers agreed with him, others didn't, causing the two sides to fight each other.
3 He Fought Thanos
In Avengers: Infinity War, Iron Man worked with Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, and the Guardians of the Galaxy to fight Thanos on Titan. Iron Man was one of the heroes who fought Thanos the most but was nearly killed when Thanos stabbed him.
Thanos was about to finish Iron Man off, only for Doctor Strange to give Thanos the Time Stone in exchange for Tony's life. Thanos made the deal, shocking Tony. Shortly after, Thanos went to Wakanda, fought Iron Man's comrades there, and used the Infinity Stones to make half of all life fade.
2 He Helped Retrieve The Infinity Stones
Five years later, Tony discovered how to travel through time in Avengers: Endgame. He teamed up with the surviving heroes to find the Infinity Stones before Thanos did and use them to bring back the people that disappeared across the universe. They split up into multiple groups, with Tony going to New York with Captain America, Hulk, and Ant-Man immediately after he defeated the Chitauri. The heroes were able to get the Infinity Stones and save everyone that had faded away, which wouldn't have happened without Tony.
1 He Sacrificed Himself To Save The World
After the heroes obtained the Infinity Stones and brought back those that vanished five years prior in Avengers: Endgame, a past version of Thanos went into the future and initiated another battle. This time, his goal was to destroy the entire universe and start a new one so none of the heroes would be able to stop him.
Iron Man ended up fighting Thanos for the Infinity Gauntlet and secretly took the Infinity Stones out of it. As Thanos thought he was about to achieve his new goal, he was shocked to find out that Iron Man had taken the Infinity Stones. Tony sacrificed his life in order to make Thanos and his army disappear, saving the whole universe.