5 Times Tony Stark Was the Villain (And Not Just in Civil War)

The genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, is one of the most respected superheroes in the Marvel Universe. However, Tony is also incredibly flawed. He’s an alcoholic, can be extremely arrogant, and seem a cold-hearted mastermind. One of the most iconic examples where Tony was the villain of the story was during Civil War. In that story, Tony worked with the government to apprehend superheroes who refused to reveal their identities to the public. Tony’s actions during the event shattered many relationships and even caused the deaths of heroes such as Goliath and Captain America. Civil War isn’t the only time Tony committed evil acts, and many of his actions have destroyed the lives of countless people.

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Iron Man may be a hero, but his pride and ruthless practices have led him to descend into villainy several times. These are just five of the many horrible things that Tony has done in his life.

1) Selling Weapons

From weapons dealer to hero, Tony’s story is one of redemption. Unlike what is depicted in the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies, in the comics, Tony did not have an immediate change of heart after he became Iron Man. Tony was not nearly killed by his own weapons, but instead his near-fatal injury was caused by a random trip mine. Therefore, Tony was not repulsed by his arms’ dealings and had no problem continuing to sell weapons of mass destruction. He only stopped selling weapons when the Vietnam War ended several years later. Even so, now and again, he would sell weapons to the highest bidder. While Tony may now regret these decisions, it doesn’t change the fact that countless people were killed by the weapons he manufactured and helped distribute.

2) Attacking Everyone During the Armor Wars

In the “Armor Wars” storyline, Tony discovered that many of his armor designs had been stolen. He then went on a one-man crusade to hunt down and destroy any piece of his technology. While his intent may have been good – he didn’t want his designs to fall into the wrong hands – his obsession led him to overreact and attack people who had nothing to do with the stolen designs. He assaulted the government-sanctioned hero Stingray, which put him at odds with the US government. Tony then attacked S.H.I.E.L.D., the Soviet Union, and even Captain America. Iron Man’s rampage caused him to be stripped of his Avengers membership. Although he managed to capture the people who stole his designs, the damage Tony did to his reputation followed him for years.

3) Exiling the Hulk From Earth

The Hulk is well-known for his uncontrollable and destructive rage. Deciding that the Hulk was too much of an unpredictable threat, Tony and the members of the Illuminati launched the Jolly Green Giant into space in a rocket ship. The Hulk crash-landed on an alien planet where he was forced to become a gladiator. He then led a rebellion against the oppressive rulers and made himself the new king. However, several years later, the ship the Hulk arrived in accidentally self-destructed and killed countless people in his kingdom, including his wife. In retaliation, the Hulk led an army against the Illuminati and Earth, bringing enormous devastation in the “World War Hulk” storyline. Although this wasn’t his intention, Tony had indirectly caused a planet-wide war brought on by a vengeful Hulk.

4) Working with Kang

In one of the most controversial Marvel stories, Tony Stark revealed to the Avengers that he was working alongside the futuristic villain Kang the Conqueror for years with the goal of destroying Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Tony then proceeded to kill the heroes Yellowjacket and Gilgamesh. The Avengers went back in time and recruited a younger, more heroic Tony to fight his evil older self. After the older Tony died, his teen version became the new Iron Man. Fans hated this storyline, and Marvel retconned it. The older and younger Tonys were merged, and Marvel now acts as if the story never happened.

5) Everything He Did as Superior Iron Man

During one of her manic episodes, Scarlet Witch inverted the personalities of various heroes and villains. Eventually, she managed to reverse the spell, but the now evil Tony created a shield to protect himself from her reverse spell and to remain his villainess self. As this evil Superior Iron Man, Tony developed an app called Extremis 3.0, which gave everyone the ability to alter their physical appearance however they wanted. But, after giving everyone an initial taste and addicting them to the app’s capabilities, Tony revealed that people had to pay $99.99 every day to use it. Additionally, in a sadistic act, Tony cured Daredevil of his blindness, only to immediately take away his sight again. Tony returned to being a hero after the entire Marvel Multiverse was destroyed and rewritten in an Incursion Event. The people of the Marvel Universe are thankful that Tony’s morality has since been restored and that he’s back to being a hero.