The biggest Marvel movie yet is nearly upon us, as The Avengers are ready to storm theaters and bring audiences the comic-book crossover event most fans could only dream of. But with so many heroes, gods and supersoldiers assembling from across half a dozen different movies, the question remains: who’s the best Avenger?
It's time to pick sides. Join both Player Affinity Movies and Comics in making the case for each member of the Avengers as truly being Earth’s mightiest hero.
Who better than the man (and machine) that started the whole thing? Iron Man is practically perfect in every way, if you don’t like his personality you’re going to love his gadgets. Kat from comics and Simon from movies are going to make sure of that.
First Comic Appearance: Tales of Suspense #39 (Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, Jack Kirby, Don Heck)
Comic Re-Imaginings: Big re-imaginings for a lot of characters in the Marvel Universe came from the ultimate universe stories which first started with Spider-man in Ultimate Spider-man #1 (2000). The first appearance of Iron Man in the ultimate universe was Ultimate Marvel Team Up #4 (2001).
Best Comics Issue/Moment: The best moment for Iron Man was in his origin stories. Iron Man gets kidnapped and has to build a power suit to save himself. That starts his legacy. Iron Man makes a complete 360 with his life and that is why it is so memorable. Without this traumatic origin, Tony Stark would never have become Iron Man.
Strengths of the Movie Interpretations: Three words: Robert Downey Jr. Inherently the “iron man” is just a suit, but like batman and countless other superheroes it’s the man (or woman) underneath the “mask” that makes the hero. And in the case of a movie, it’s the actor portraying the man underneath the “mask” that makes the hero. Even though Tony Stark is a narcissistic, chauvinistic, war monger, Downey Jr. crafts a damaged but compelling protagonist who finds his soul when he almost (literally) loses his heart. ~ Simon
In every movie that Iron Man has appeared in he is very confident and not afraid to speak his mind. This brings him to do a lot of courageous things throughout all of the films he has been in so far. He had enough confidence to overcome every obstacle that came his way and did not hide in a corner because of fear. Instead, he attacks any situation head on. His intelligence proves to be a great strength for Iron Man also. Iron Man is just human, but he proves with his confidence and intelligence he can become a big time superhero. ~Kat
Weaknesses of the Movie Interpretations: Especially in the case of Iron Man 2, Marvel’s build toward The Avengers was ever more pronounced. In a number of instances which included some out-of-place side-plots and choppy action structure, the sequel seemed more like just something to do in the meantime, rather than having been created with passion or vision backing it. In Iron Man and its sequel, the villains of Obadiah Stane and Whiplash respectively (while portrayed excellently) still lacked the “Joker level” conflict that makes a memorable duel. With Iron Man’s nemesis The Mandarin rumored to not even be in the upcoming third entry, it’s puzzling Marvel would craft a trilogy of films without the central villain.~ Simon
In the beginning of the first "Iron Man" movie his weakness was making the first Iron Man suit. At first it had a lot of problems, but as Tony became more dedicated to the project the suit began to improve. In the second Iron Man movie his weakness was his repulser, the thing that saved him in the first movie was the very thing that was killing him. But Tony overcame all of these challenges throughout the two movies. ~Kat
Why Iron Man is the Best: Brains, badass-looking brawn and bravery to spare, Tony Stark’s Iron Man is a self made hero who can adapt to any environment and rise to any occasion.
Weakness: Even though the Iron Man suit is very durable and can withstand a lot of damage the suit still has its weaknesses. High amounts of electricity and magnetism can overload the suit, but Tony is always trying to improve every weakness he sees with his Iron Man suits. There is also a big Iron Man story arc called “Demon in the Bottle” where we find out that alcohol is one of Tony’s biggest weaknesses.
Why Iron Man is better than Captain America: I have a feeling that one of the main things we are going to see in this movie is the fight for leadership between Captain America and Iron Man. I think that Iron Man could be a much better leader than Captain America can ever be in this movie. Iron Man knows a lot about business, and he is going to have use a lot of that knowledge as a team leader for a team organized by Nick Fury. We all know that Nick Fury and the team are going to have arguments so the best person stand up and make the teams case is Iron Man. I don't think Captain America would be able to do that in that situation.
Why Iron Man is Better than The Hulk: American physiologist Walter Bradford Cannon famously popularized the “fight or flight” philosophy, in that people and animals are hardwired to either act aggressively or evade and fight another day. Cannon obviously never fathomed The Incredible Iron Man who has fight and flight. That’s two for Iron Man and only one for the Hulk. In a fist-flying slugfest, of course Hulk wins every time, but Stark’s ability to keep his wits about him in battle would certainly allow him to devise a way to contain the beast until the scrawny Mr. Banner rejoins civilized society.
Although both Bruce Banner and Tony Stark are genius scientists, when rage sets in, Banner is mostly overwhelmed by his baser emotions and can be an enemy unto himself and harm others in the process. Stark's epiphany transformed the selfish egotist into a true crusader for good. While some of his actions may be alienating to others, it is that bravado that makes him a natural leader and an invaluable addition to The Avengers.
Why Iron Man is better than Black Widow: Even though Black Widow is great with a gun and with combat, I do not think she could ever beat Iron Man. Iron Man is wearing a billion-dollar suit that is nearly indestructible. Black Widow’s gun is not going to be able to make a dent on his suit, and she is not going to be able to flip him on his back with her combat while Tony is wearing the suit.
One Thing We Hope To See Iron Man Do In The Avengers: In the Avengers, I hope to see Iron Man take charge. He is the perfect candidate to lead this team. Iron Man can take care of any situation when a situation needs to be taken cared of. He can lead the Avengers into defeating any threat that comes their way, and he could do the same with a threat like Loki. I would also like to see a lot of comic relief from Iron Man. Robert Downey Jr. never fails to make us laugh. (A little hint at the “demon in the bottle” storyline wouldn’t hurt either).
