Iron Man was one of the first Marvel Comics superheroes and a founding member of the original Avengers. Captain America, however, actually existed before Marvel began publishing superhero comics. That said, these two heroes have co-existed in the Marvel Universe for decades now and have crossed paths as both allies and enemies on more than one occasion. These crossovers have happened in each character’s comic books and in some team-up issues as well. This won’t include Avengers moments, since they have worked together for countless years as a team, although it will consist of two major Marvel crossover events that saw them on opposite sides of the battle.
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From moments where Iron Man and Captain America teamed up to beat a greater evil to moments where they battled each other, here are the best times that they crossed over in Marvel Comics.
7) Armor Wars
Armor Wars was an Iron Man event series in which Tony Stark set out to retrieve all the armor and weapons made from his stolen technology. The problem is that he set his sights on everyone, including the United States government, and even tried to strip the security at the Vault high security prison of their protective armor. When he even attacked the hero Stingray, even though his armor was not made from Stark Tech, and SHIELD’s Mandroids, it proved that Iron Man was out of control.
Even though Steve Rogers had given up his role as Captain America, he was still operating as the hero known as The Captain, and he set out to stop Iron Man. This occurred in Iron Man #228, when Tony Stark created a new shield for Steve Rogers. However, they had a massive fight at the moment Iron Man attacked the Guardsmen at the Vault, and Steve was clearly disappointed in his old friend for his ruthless motives. This is a running theme between the two heroes.
6) Time Runs Out
Time Runs Out showed Captain America and Iron Man at their absolute worst. This was the event when the Incursions showed up to destroy Earth, and these two heroes couldn’t stop fighting each other long enough to enjoy their final moments of existence. This started when the two were in the Illuminati and discovered the Incursions were destroying Earths in the multiverse, and Earth-616 was in danger. Captain America used the Infinity Gauntlet to push away an Earth, but the Gauntlet shattered, and Cap refused to accept destroying other Earths to save theirs.
As a result, Iron Man agreed to have Doctor Strange wipe Cap’s mind, and time passed on. In Time Runs Out, Cap got part of his memory back and asked Iron Man who was responsible for destroying other Earths. When Tony said Cap was the one who caused it, the two men began to fight. Earyth-616 and Earth-1610 ended up colliding and destroying each other, while Iron Man and Captain America selfishly fought to the death.
5) Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty (1998)
In 1998, Mark Waid and Ron Garney reimagined Captain America’s earliest adventures in Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty. This began during World War II and included some stories featuring the Invaders. However, in issues five and six, time moves forward to Captain America being thawed and teaming up with Iron Man when they first meet, right after Cap agrees to join the Avengers.
The first issue occurred two days after Captain America was thawed, and he and Iron Man were walking around, with Cap rediscovering his old home. Iron Man feels Cap can’t keep up with the new heroes. However, when Iron Man ends up hypnotized by some Gargantus robots, Captain America proves he is more than capable of standing tall with anyone, including when fighting Iron Man. This was the story where Captain America proved his worth to Iron Man for the first time.
4) Iron Man #172
Captain America showed up in Iron Man #172 in a very different crossover. This was during Tony Stark’s descent into alcoholism, and while James Rhodes was acting as Iron Man. Tony was on the verge of losing his company to Stane International, and if he didn’t return and address the issue, he would lose everything. Stark’s executives sent Iron Man to find him, and Rhodey went to Captain America for help.
Cap and Iron Man saved Tony’s life from a villain known as Firebrand, and the best part of the issue came when Captain America talked with Tony, who broke down and said he couldn’t stop. Cap then noted that his own father was an alcoholic, and he couldn’t help Tony until Tony asked for help. The end was tragic as Tony disappeared again and Obadiah Stane took over his company. This, more than anything, showed their deep friendship and how Captain America knew that he couldn’t help Iron Man this time.
3) Captain America/Iron Man: The Armor & The Shield (2021)
In 2021, Captain America and Iron Man had another team-up, and this felt good after a few too many years of them fighting each other all the time. This was a five-issue miniseries that brought in a former Sam Wilson and Winter Soldier villain named Veronica Eden, a woman with whom Tony Stark had a one-night stand, and then incorporated her into SHIELD. She has since betrayed SHIELD for Hydra and is now setting out to kill superheroes with her allies, the Paladins, because she feels they are the cause of countless deaths in the world.
However, Captain America and Iron Man soon discovered a greater danger: the rebuilt Overseer, a system that planned to subjugate all humanity. This was a fantastic team-up because the two heroes utilized their differing philosophies to address the problem, with Cap breaking down to Eden how superhumans need to practice self-control, rather than being controlled, and Iron Man dealt with the technological issue involving the Overseer. The best Iron Man and Captain America crossovers effectively showcase their differences while highlighting how both remain great heroes.
2) Captain America and Iron Man (2012)
Released in 2012, Captain America and Iron Man was a three-issue storyline written by Cullen Bunn and illustrated by Barry Kitson. This was a hugely significant event, as it came after the Civil War crossover series, which saw the two heroes become increasingly bitter enemies. This was a good way to bring the heroes back together, although they would end up separated again in the Time Runs Out storyline. At least this made them allies again for a short time.
This miniseries sent Iron Man and Captain America to Madripoor undercover for a tech expo, only to find themselves battling Batroc’s Brigade and the evil Kashmir Vennema. Things then get progressively worse when Iron Man’s armor is deactivated. The best part of this storyline is the banter between Iron Man and Cap, who belittle each other with friendly barbs, while taking on various foes. This is the interaction fans of the two heroes love to see.
1) Civil War
While their Madripoor adventure is the kind of adventure Captain America and Iron Man fans love to read, Civil War is not. However, while this has the two Avengers at their absolute worst, it is also one of the most successful Marvel Comics storylines of the 21st century. Iron Man decides he will help the U.S. government force all superheroes to register as government employees and receive proper training after a superhero accident kills countless children in a school.
Captain America is opposed to this, as he doesn’t trust the government to have the best interests of the heroes or the general public in mind, and he doesn’t want all heroes to be used as weapons by the U.S. against anyone it chooses. This causes the superheroes to choose sides, and Iron Man and Captain America to go to war. It all ends with Iron Man winning, Captain America dying, and Marvel Comics readers developing an intense hatred for Tony Stark. It was a terrible time to be a fan of Iron Man and Captain America, but it was a massively important storyline.
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Image courtesy of Focus Features.
