The MCU’s foundational superhero, Iron Man was the Armored Avenger who started it all. He’s also the one who brought one of the most remarkable cinematic sagas to a close over a decade later. As such, Tony Stark naturally has his fair share of iconic moments in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Played by Robert Downey Jr., the MCU’s Iron Man is one of the most popular and beloved superheroes of all time. Now, Robert Downey Jr. will soon return to the MCU to play Doctor Doom, the next big villain who will bring the current Multiverse Saga to a close with the next two Avengers films, much like Iron Man was the focal point for the end of the prior Infinity Saga. With that in mind, here are Iron Man’s 10 most iconic moments in the MCU’s Infinity Saga, ranked.
10
Iron Man Recruits Spider-Man in Civil War
Captain America: Civil War (2016)
In 2016’s Captain America: Civil War, the Avengers were split in two with the pᴀssing of the Sokovia Accords, requiring Earth’s Mightiest Heroes and other enhanced individuals to register and answer to the United Nations. Captain America led those unwilling to give up their freedoms and right to choose when, where, and how they helped people. Conversely, Iron Man led those who supported the Accords, believing greater parameters were needed.
However, the movie also saw Iron Man ushering in the debut of none other than Peter Parker’s Spider-Man into the MCU. Becoming his mentor, Iron Man recruits the young Webslinger to help bring Captain America to “justice”. As such, the entire sequence where Iron Man meets with Peter in Queens and later calls Spider-Man to steal Steve Rogers’ shield in Germany will always be one of the MCU’s most iconic moments (one that’s naturally shared with Spider-Man himself).
9
Iron Man And War Machine’s First Team-Up
Iron Man 2 (2010)
In the face of his own mortality, Tony Stark’s self-destructive behavior in Iron Man 2 led to his best friend James Rhodes confiscating one of his suits. Rhodey then had the suit outfitted by the military and its government contracts with weapons manufacturer Justin Hammer, leading to the birth of the MCU’s War Machine. Ultimately, Rhodey and Tony reconcile by the movie’s end, and the third act sees the duo epically joining forces for the first time in the MCU, taking down Whiplash and his legion of Hammer drones in their respective armors.
8
Thanos Defeats Iron Man
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Initially, one might think that Tony Stark losing wouldn’t be one of his most iconic moments in the MCU. However, Iron Man’s showdown with Thanos on тιтan in 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War will go down in cinematic history as one of the most epic fights. Not only does Iron Man survive an entire moon being thrown at him, but he also becomes the first MCU hero to make the Mad тιтan bleed, using his suit’s array of different nanotech configurations.
Sure, Tony Stark ultimately loses and gets stabbed by Thanos. He’s then forced to helplessly watch nearly all his allies get dusted before almost starving to death in the cold vacuum of space. However, you can’t say Iron Man didn’t go down swinging against the villain who’d been haunting him since 2012’s Avengers.
7
Tony Stark Summons The Iron Legion
Iron Man 3 (2013)
Tony Stark summoning his entire “Iron Legion” of over 40 different armors in Iron Man 3 will always be one of his most iconic moments. Having obsessively built several different armors following the Battle of New York, the Iron Legion was the result of Stark’s unresolved PTSD and feeling a lack of control. As such, Tony choosing to destroy all of these suits and resolving to spend more time with the woman he loves is just as cool as summoning the armor in the first place to take down Aldrich Killian’s Extremis soldiers (even if Stark does walk back his retirement almost immediately).
6
Tony Stark Builds His First Iron Man Suit
Iron Man (2008)
There’s always something special about one’s first, and Iron Man’s first armor is no exception. Critically injured and kidnapped to build weapons for the Ten Rings, Tony Stark built his first arc reactor-powered armor in secret with the help of Ho Yinsen, who encouraged Stark not to waste his life, motivating his future as one of the MCU’s greatest heroes. To that end, seeing Stark exiting the cave in his first armor and destroying all of his company’s weapons in the terrorists’ possession will always be a peak Iron Man moment.
5
Iron Man’s Hulkbuster vs The Incredible Hulk
Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
When the Scarlet Witch uses her powers to put the Hulk in a frenzy in 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, Iron Man suits up in “Veronica”, his brand-new Hulkbuster armor he and Bruce Banner designed specifically to bring down the big green rage monster. As such, Iron Man and Hulk’s battle in Johannesburg will always be one of the most intense and exciting superhero showdowns of all time. To be specific, Iron Man buying an entire skyscraper just before demolishing the structure and burying the Hulk in the rubble is easily a top-10 moment for the Armored Avenger.
4
Iron Man vs Captain America & The Winter Soldier
Captain America: Civil War (2016)
At the end of 2016’s Captain America: Civil War, Iron Man felt betrayed by the reveal that Bucky Barnes killed his parents as Hydra’s brainwashed Winter Soldier and the fact that Captain America knew and withheld the truth. This led to a major battle between Stark, Barnes, and Steve Rogers, ending with Bucky and Steve leaving Iron Man incapacitated and Captain America leaving his shield behind. However, it wasn’t before Iron Man blasted Bucky’s metal arm off his body, analyzed Captain America’s fight pattern to counter several of his strikes, and recreated the original iconic cover from the comics’ Civil War event.
3
Iron Man Wins The Battle of New York For The Avengers
The Avengers (2012)
While the Avengers were fighting Thanos’ Chitauri army led by Loki in 2012’s Avengers, the World Security Council decided to fire a nuke on New York City to eliminate the threat in its entirety. Warned by Nick Fury, who tried stopping the nuke from being fired, Iron Man flew up and diverted the nuke up and into the portal so that it would detonate right at the heart of the incoming Chitauri forces still in space. Proving his ability to sacrifice himself for the greater good, it’s easily one of Iron Man’s greatest and most iconic moments in the MCU.
2
Tony Stark Publicly Announces He’s Iron Man
Iron Man (2008)
The ending of 2008’s Iron Man is the definition of iconic, with Tony Stark ignoring his prepared speech and telling the press straight up that he’s Iron Man. It’s one of the MCU’s very best moments in general, made even better considering it’s also one of its first. However, there’s really only one other moment for Iron Man that’s even more iconic in the MCU overall.
1
Iron Man Defeats Thanos With The Infinity Stones – “I Am Iron Man”
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
Calling back to his first movie 11 years ago, Tony Stark gives Thanos the perfect response in 2019’s Avengers: Endgame. Thanos says he’s “inevitable” as he prepares to destroy all the Avengers and their allies by snapping his fingers after recovering the Infinity Stones. However, the Mad тιтan can only be shocked when Iron Man reveals he stole the Stones from Thanos while they were grappling.
Responding with a truly epic “…and I am Iron Man“, Tony Stark gives his life to snap away Thanos and all his forces. Before being overwhelmed by the power of the Stones, Iron Man truly couldn’t have had better final words in the MCU. Without question, it was the perfect and most iconic way to help bring the Infinity Saga to a close by echoing how it started, especially with Iron Man’s time coming to an end as well.
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Thunderbolts*
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May 2, 2025
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The Fantastic Four: First Steps
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July 25, 2025
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Spider-Man: Brand New Day
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Avengers: Secret Wars
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December 17, 2027
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