Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) was not always the hero that was both idolized and loved by all. Before the events of Iron Man, Tony Stark was a conceited and arrogant man who lived the lifestyle of an apathetic playboy functioning on his hedonist tendencies, taking advantage of his wealth and name. However, throughout the films, Tony’s character arc demonstrated exceptional growth to become not only a courageous role model but one of the mightiest heroes - an Avenger.
If “heroes are made by the path they choose, not the powers they are graced with,” each villain shaped the path that led Tony Stark to be who he is: Iron Man, a selfless hero. Each villain that interacted with Tony Stark had a different but profound effect on him, either by drastically changing his behavior, providing him with a life lesson, or simply prompting his next action.
Iron Monger
Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges) worked alongside Tony Stark’s father at Stark Industries. He took over as the as interim CEO of the company, fueling his egoism as the man in charge. When Tony was officially ready to take on the role and its accompanying responsibilities, Obadiah was forced to step down. Growing resentful and jealous, he decided to take matters into his own hands, selling illegal weapons for side profit, plotting Tony’s failed assassination, and creating a weaponized armor mimicking Tony’s Iron Man suit.
Traumatized by what he experienced, Tony recognized the perils of war and the role he had played in facilitating it. Realizing that the company he took so much pride in has a legacy of creating nothing but weapons, Tony evaluated not only the business but his personal priorities, leaving behind his frivolous lifestyle. As Tony said, “mistakes have the power to turn you into something better than you were before.” Obadiah’s initial egoistic demeanor led to a cascade of events that eventually gave the world one of the greatest heroes.
Ten Rings
The Ten Rings were the terrorist organization that first kidnaped Tony at the instruction of Obadiah Stane. Instead of killing him, they instruct him to build a missile, giving Tony an opportunity to escape and return to his life- or rather the new life that awaited him.
Witnessing the violence at the hands of The Ten Rings allowed Tony to see the reality of what he was so proud of. Opening his eyes to the brutality of war, Tony, following the advice of Yo Hinsen, decided to no longer waste his life, but instead embrace the chance to change the Stark legacy.
Whiplash
Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke) had a personal vendetta against the Stark family. Ivan’s father worked alongside Howard Stark until he was deported for selling designs of the first arc reactor on the black market. Resentful towards Tony Stark, who had everything he thought he deserved to have, Ivan targeted him as he grew to prominence as Iron Man.
After the events of Iron Man, Tony had a sense of invincibility which further drove his arrogance. He held an egoistic perception that he created what no one else could achieve, leading him to dismiss others’ concerns about his tech. Ivan once said that “if you could make God bleed, people would cease to believe in him.” Targeting his legacy as Iron Man, he demonstrated that Tony is not as ‘unbreakable’ as he appeared in the public eye. Ivan opened his eyes to real threats, making him realistically hesitant about new potential threats, seeing the big picture he was now a part of.
Justin Hammer
Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell) was a competing military contractor whose insecurities drove his desire to run Stark Industries out of business. After failing to recreate the Iron Man suit, Hammer enlists Whiplash, breaking him out of jail for personal gain.
As a weak villain, his charismatic performance blurred the lines between a calculating businessman and an insecure man, overshadowed by the hype over Iron Man. Hammer helped Tony realize just how superior he was as both a businessman and hero, further fueling the arrogant nature that fed his downfall. Hammer and Vanko were two sides of the same coin - one boosted his ego and the other discouraged his arrogant nature.
Loki
.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=1500&dpr=1.5)
After Loki (Tom Hiddleston) presumably falls to his death, it is revealed that he not only survived but arrived at Earth seeking the Tesseract. After Nick Fury deliberates over how Earth is faced with a mass genocide-level threat, he enlists the Avengers. Loki created a wormhole above New York which allowed the Chitauri armies to invade in an attempt to conquer Earth. While Loki failed, much to the disappointment of Thanos who was behind the attack, this drastically affected those on Earth who faced the reality of threats from other universes.
As many citizens found solace in knowing the Avengers would be there to protect Earth, Tony began to feel the pressure of being on the frontline, where eyes were on him not only as Iron Man, but as an Avenger. Being one of Earth’s mightiest heroes holds a lot of weight, and furthermore, not being able to explain them leads Tony to experience anxiety over what the future might hold.
Mandarin
Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce) was a brilliant but stubborn scientist who took extreme measures to succeed, even at the expense of others. Struggling to accept his physical disabilities, Killian tried to use his intellectual abilities to overcome his weaknesses. When Tony failed to support his project, instead deliberately stifling him, Killian becomes disgruntled. He reflected on the anonymity of his presence, further fueling his desire to be seen.
While the film follows Tony’s encounter with the Mandarin, which is Killian’s organization, Tony also faces an internal conflict as he grapples with coming to terms with the events of New York. As he took solace in his suits which have always saved his life, he struggles to find his place between the blurred lines of Tony Stark and Iron Man. Although Tony said that we create our demons, villains like Killian had more of a role to play in creating the demons that haunted him. Despite his catastrophic actions, he helped him pave Tony’s path towards that of a hero as he fought his demons, to become a changed man and solidify his assurance of who Tony is: Iron Man.
Ultron
Ultron (James Spader) was Artificial Intelligence created with the intention of a Peacemaking program which protect Earth from extraterrestrial attacks like that of Loki and the Chitahuri army in New York. Tony worried that threat was imminent after New York and although he came to terms with facing threat daily, he still feared the extra-terrestrial attacks that could threaten all humankind. Embracing any means with which he could protect Earth, his actions indirectly posed a much greater threat.
Prior to repossessing Loki’s scepter, Wanda manipulates Tony to see his worst fear, a fear that unlocked an unforeseeable outcome. Fearing that the Avengers would one day fail, and scared to bear that burden, Tony creates Ultron, to try and put a ‘suit of armor around the world. While the Avengers stopped Ultron, the collateral damage to those in Sokovia was ruinous, fueling anger from disgruntled citizens like Zemo.
Zemo
Baron Zemo (Daniel Bruhl) lost his family to the Battle of Sokovia during which he was confident that they were out of harm’s way, reassuring his wife not to worry because the Avengers were there to protect them. Disgruntled at the thought that those who had a key role in starting the war claimed his family’s lives were being called heroes, Zemo sets off a cascade of events that fractured the Avengers.
Miriam Sharpe (Alfre Woodard) also lost her son and confronted Tony, whom she blamed. She made Tony see the calamity that had been caused and forced him to rethink the role he had played in perpetuating war. Miriam and Zemo, along with the guilt of creating Ultron and causing so much destruction and death, prompted Stark to support the Sokovia Accords. He believed that if they can’t accept limitations, they aren’t much better than the bad guys.
Thanos
Thanos (Josh Brolin) was first introduced to the MCU in The Avengers where his first attempt to possess the stones is mediated through Loki. When he finally unveiled the Infinity Gauntlet, it became evident that Thanos was what Tony was not only unconsciously preparing for since New York, but what would be the imminent threat that Tony feared most.
Each villain’s actions impacted Tony differently, but Thanos was the root of his fear that inspired so much of what he did. At the end of it, Tony paid the ultimate sacrifice of being the hero the world needed in a selfless act that claimed his life. Though this finally allowed Tony to rest, a reminder of how restless he was since becoming Iron Man.