The news that Robert Downey Jr. has been cast as Doctor Doom in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has come as a huge shock to fans of the genre. The return of the actor who started the Doctor Doom franchise wasn't the only reason. microcontrollerBut he will be playing one of the greatest villains in all of comics. Doctor Doom is apparently one of the biggest villains in the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe, so he stands in sharp contrast to Tony Stark/Iron Manwhose self-sacrifice made him the franchise's greatest hero. However, throughout the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Tony Stark engages in some questionable acts that paint his heroism in a new, more sinister light.
By no means are we suggesting that Tony Stark was a villain or that the true villain of the MCU was a greater threat than Thanos or Kang. However, given his actions, Tony Stark’s actions before and after becoming Iron Man had significant impacts on the MCU. Many of the major world-changing events that impacted millions of lives can be traced back to him. While Bruce Banner’s alter ego, The Hulk, made audiences see him as a monster until he joined the Avengers, Tony Stark’s Iron Man was perhaps the true monstrous Avenger who stood in sharp contrast to the likes of Captain America, Thor, Captain Marvel, or Black Panther. Here’s how some might call Tony Stark a villain… and if that criticism is fair.
Tony Stark Created Ultron
The greatest source of Tony Stark's damaging influence can be seen in Create Ultron In the 2015 movie Avengers: Age of UltronWhile Tony Stark's intentions seem heroic on the surface, wanting to create a shield around the world to protect the planet from threats like the ones the Avengers faced in their first film or threats like Thanos in the future, Bruce Banner is quick to point out that he seems like a cold scientist. Tony Stark is in charge of deciding what is best for everyone and his will is the right path.He does not single out the rest of the Avengers except Banner because he does not want to get involved in an argument with his teammates, believing their opinions to be less important than his own.
In Tony's hubris, he creates Ultron. Despite what Tony Stark and Ultron would have you believe, the AI mirrors its creator. Scarlet Witch underscores this point when she says, “Ultron can't tell the difference between saving the world and destroying it; where do you think he got that?” Stark created Ultron, and all of Ultron's actions could have been prevented if Tony Stark hadn't stepped up with the project or even if he had included Captain America, Thor, Black Widow, and Hawkeye in his plan. Ultron is the embodiment of Tony Stark's arrogance, which is manifested in metal.
Ultron wasn't an isolated event either. The creation of Ultron and the villain's subsequent actions set off a chain of events that still reverberate throughout the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Ultron's destruction of Sokovia led to the creation of the Sokovia Accords, which led to the division The AvengersThis also resulted in the death of Helmut Zemo's family, which led to his revenge on the Avengers at a time when they were already fragile due to the rift caused by the Sokovia Accords. With the Avengers divided, they were divided and not at their full strength to fight Thanos, which led to the fracture that wiped out all life in the universe. This means that the events in Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity Warand Avengers: Endgame This is all a result of Tony Stark's actions in Avengers: Age of Ultron, and the impact of Thanos' snap is still being felt in MCU titles like Spider-Man: Far From Home, Wanda Visionand The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
While many have criticized Age of Ultron for being a misleading title as Ultron was only around for a few days (although he is set to return in the upcoming release), vision In many ways, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as audiences now know it, is the Age of Ultron. It all stems from the actions and creation of the villain Tony Stark. That means the Age of Ultron may indeed be the Age of Stark.
How many other villains have Tony Stark's actions created?
While Tony Stark literally created Ultron, and thus had an indirect hand in Zemo's creation, Tony Stark's actions in the MCU have also created many other threats.Before he donned the Iron Man suit, his actions as an arms dealer led to the deaths of Wanda and Pietro MaximoffHis parents, which led to both of them volunteering to be subjected to Baron Strucker's experiments. While they eventually became Avengers to stop Ultron, they briefly allied with him, and those actions led to the destruction of Sokovia. Tony Stark then saw Wanda Maximoff as a weapon rather than a person during Captain America: Civil Warisolating her and setting her on the path to becoming the Scarlet Witch in Wanda Vision and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Another victim of his time as Tony Stark was Aldrich KillianAfter being eliminated on New Year's Eve 1999, Aldrich devoted his life to becoming a new kind of arms dealer, creating the Extremis serum and leading to the deaths of many people. Iron Man 3 The film explores how Tony's past actions before becoming a superhero will lead to the creation of demons that will eventually return, and he will have to face them. However, even after becoming Iron Man, Tony Stark ends up creating many other villains despite trying to do the right thing.
However, even after becoming Iron Man, he continued to make enemies. A group of former Stark Industries employees teamed up in Spider-Man: Far From Home, led by former Stark industrialist Quentin Beck, who felt Tony had made a mockery of his illusion technology and had become MysterioNow, this isn't entirely Tony Stark's fault, as Quentin Beck was clearly an unstable individual, and Tony Stark didn't wrong him in any meaningful way. However, the situation surrounding another Spider-Man villain, Adrian Toomes/The Vulture, is different.
Adrian Toomes started out as the former owner of Bestman Salvage, and lost his livelihood when Damage Control, a joint venture between Stark Industries and the U.S. government, took over the salvage operation after the Battle of New York in 1865. The AvengersEven though Toms had a contract with the city, Toms had rented new equipment for the job which would have left him financially ruined, so he took up a life of crime and became Eagle To save technology from other superhero battles to sell on the streets.
Tony Stark had a fleet of killer drones.
Spider-Man: Far From HomeThe most controversial development is the revelation that Tony Stark creates a series of killer drones controlled by an artificial intelligence called EDITH (short for Even Dead, I'm The Hero).This reveal puts hero Tony Stark in a whole new light. While Tony Stark certainly has a lot of respect and admiration for Spider-Man and knows he has a good heart, it seems irresponsible to put such a dangerous weapon in the hands of a 16-year-old. He could have easily handed it over to his wife, Pepper Potts, or even his best friend James Rhodey or one of the other Avengers he trusts.
Not only are the drones communicating with Ultron, but they also closely resemble HYDRA's plans with the Project Insight algorithm to eliminate anyone they deem a threat, as seen in Captain America: The Winter SoldierTony Stark is doing the same thing now, but he’s doing it under the guise of heroism. In this way, the lines between a hero like Tony Stark and a villain like Victor Von Doom begin to blur. It’s not hard to imagine Downey Jr. playing Doctor Doom, a villain who’s also driven by his belief that he can run the world better. Iron Man may not have been a villain in the same way that other MCU villains have been, but he was a flawed hero.
Iron Man's flaws are what make him a hero.
Despite all of Tony Stark's flaws, which have had repercussions for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Those flaws and his journey to heroism were the building blocks of the MCU.While The Fantastic Four are the foundation of the Marvel Universe in comics, Iron Man was the primary hero who built the Marvel Universe. Starting with Iron Man underscores much of the thematic drive of the Marvel Universe. The Fantastic Four established Marvel heroes as often scientific accidents, as well as reflections of typical superhero power fantasies, but Iron Man proved that the MCU heroes are people whose morally questionable pasts don't need to define their futures..
Tony Stark, the arrogant billionaire who doesn’t care about anyone and grows up to become a hero, is the path many heroes in the MCU take. Black Widow was an assassin before joining SHIELD and later The Avengers. The Guardians of the Galaxy were all criminals before eventually becoming one of the greatest superhero teams of all time and a close-knit family. Scott Lang was a former criminal who eventually saved the world as Ant-Man. The same goes for the arrogant Doctor Strange or Thor, who must learn humility to become heroes. The MCU is built on the premise that individuals can be redeemed.
Tony Stark has made mistakes in his past and has sought to right those wrongs by becoming Iron Man. In his first film, Tony Stark says that he is not the hero type. However, despite his past problems, the MCU shows through Iron Man that it is never too late in life to change one’s ways and become a hero. Tony Stark stumbles and makes many mistakes in his quest to protect others, as the road to hell is paved with good intentions. But it is also worth noting that Tony Stark has done a lot of good, saving millions of lives as Iron Man. Tony Stark is a genius, a billionaire, a gamer, a good person, and to some, a villain and to others, a hero.
