7 Biggest Differences Between Captain America and Iron Man

Captain America and Iron Man have become two of the most popular heroes in pop culture because of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but even before that, they were major players in the Marvel Universe. Each of them played a big role in the history of the superhero community on their Earth. Cap is one of the fathers of the superhero and the most popular of the early heroes. Iron Man helped forge the superhero community into something new, and when Cap returned, he stepped to the fore, with Iron Man in the background doing all kinds of work that didn’t get the same kind of praise, but was no less important.

The two heroes have been the best of friends and bitter enemies. They have a lot more similarities than most people realize because everyone focuses on the numerous differences between them. These seven differences between Captain America and Iron Man are the biggest, showing the contrast between the two heroes.

7) Captain America Is as Much a Symbol as a Hero

Captain America has had legendary adventures, right from the beginning. He was the hero of World War II and his disappearance saw him canonized in the years after the war. He became a symbol of something greater, and when he returned, it was like a deity coming back. He was a living legend, a symbol of everything that America could be. He became a walking, talking icon, one that has to live his own life all while balancing his choices against the symbol that he’s become. He walks a tight rope, living the legend while still being a man. Iron Man doesn’t have to deal with anything like this at all, showing the different ways they’re perceived.

6) Captain America Is a Much Better Fighter

Captain America has some impressive wins under his belt. Iron Man is definitely more powerful than he is, but there’s no doubt in anyone’s mind who is the better fighter between the two of them. Cap’s supersoldier serum makes him into a physically perfect human, and his years of experience and fantastic fighting skills has made him a fighter that everyone fears. Cap has gone toe-to-toe with some ridiculously powerful enemies (even Iron Man himself) and walked away with the win, on top of training heroes like Iron Man in combat. He’s a master; Iron Man is good, but Cap is vastly superior.

5) Iron Man’s Pragmatism Makes Him More Willing to Sully His Reputation

Iron Man is all about finding solutions to problems. It’s what he does as an engineer, and this has made him extremely pragmatic. He’s a person for which every problem has a solution and he believes so much in protecting his world that he’ll do anything to accomplish that. This has led to him doing some pretty shady things, like the Armor Wars, creating the secret group known as the Illuminati, and teaming with the government in Civil War. He’ll do anything to win the day, including sully his own reputation, all to save as many people as possible. Iron Man can make the hard decisions and live with the consequences. Cap may be a soldier, but his idealism can limit his pragmatism.

4) Iron Man Sees the Big Picture Better

Civil War broke the Marvel Universe, and Iron Man gets blamed, rightfully, for a lot of it. However, there’s a good reason for this. Iron Man is a futurist, a man who is always trying to figure out the next big problem and how to solve it. He is the kind of person who sees a battle for just one part of the war and will do everything he can to solve the problem for the long term. Cap is a great tactician, but he works one battle at a time. Iron Man is constantly trying to predict the thing coming down the pike, trying to ready himself for the next disaster, so he can help everyone survive.

3) Captain America Is the Better Leader

The Avengers has had some fantastic leaders, but everyone knows that Captain America is the best. In fact, most out there would see that he’s the greatest leader in the Marvel Universe, including Iron Man. He can look at any battlefield and figure out a way to win the day, and he can handle any surprise. He knows what his people can do and when to use their powers for the most impact. He knows when to attack, when to go on defense, and can out-think most foes. Iron Man is a great leader, but he can’t match Cap’s tactical wherewithal in battle and can’t inspire like the Sentinel of Liberty can.

2) Iron Man Is a Scientist and That Colors His Heroism

Iron Man is constantly tinkering with his armor, and has created some of the greatest pieces of technology ever. Tony Stark is an engineer, but he’s truly more than that: he’s a scientist. Stark entered a world where he’s had to deal with everything imaginable. He’s learned a certain way to do things, and while he’s definitely a superhero, he goes about it in a scientific way. He’s constantly learning, constantly trying to create something better and solve all the problems. Everything is a chance to come up with a new thing to make the world better. He’s a great fighter and leader, a great businessman, and loved by the masses. However, all of that comes from the fact that he’s one of the planet’s greatest scientist, bringing a different methodology to superheroism.

1) Captain America Is the Ultimate Soldier

Steve Rogers just wanted one thing: to fight the Nazis. He wanted to be a soldier and he was given the ability to become the greatest hero imaginable by the supersoldier serum. Since then, Cap’s become the ultimate soldier. Put an enemy in front of him, and he’ll figure out a way to beat him. Send him on a mission, and he’ll do anything to complete it. Put him at the head of a company of people, and he’ll bring them through Hell with a win. Cap is the greatest soldier on the face of planet, and everyone knows it. Iron Man is a great hero, but the way that he does things is completely different, and he could never be the kind of soldier Cap is.

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