Also known as Tony Stark, Iron Man became one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s (MCU’s) strongest characters. He was able to break into communication systems, keep himself off of radars, and display remarkable traits like super strength, speed, and endurance.
Iron Man was ranked the fifth strongest Avenger in a list from Insider in 2022. You can credit Tony Stark’s ingenuity for Iron Man’s strength, whose powers lie in his many Iron Man suits. With each new suit Stark created, Iron Man grew in power.
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In the MCU
Tony Stark, also called Iron Man, is one of the most powerful characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). We see plenty of evidence of this throughout the Infinity Saga.
It started in Iron Man, when he concocted the Mark 1 Iron Man suit to ward off the Ten Rings. And it didn’t end until he created the powerful Mark 85 suit from Avengers: Endgame.
While Stark held his own many times in the Infinity Saga, his sheer strength jumped out in Spider-Man: Homecoming. In this film, he rescued Spider-Man (Peter Parker) twice, the second of which occurred when Parker botched rescuing the Staten Island Ferry.
In the events preceding Homecoming, Stark also showed he was nearly capable of fighting off two Avengers at once. This occurred in Captain America: Civil War, when he fought against Steve Rogers (Captain America) and Bucky Barnes (Winter Soldier).
If it wasn’t for a last-ditch effort from Bucky, Stark would have won the two-on-one fight. And we also can’t forget that Iron Man was also the one who officially ended Thanos in Avengers: Endgame.
Rank Among Avengers In MCU
Insider once ranked Iron Man fifth in their Avengers Power Rankings list. They credited Tony Stark’s genius intellect as the primary reason behind Iron Man’s powers in the MCU.
He was also able to build more powerful suits as time went on, with his first coming from scraps while imprisoned in Afghanistan.
Before Stark ended Thanos in Endgame, he was also the first Avenger to physically harm him. Not only was this an accomplishment within itself, but Stark was able to injure Thanos after the latter already had four Infinity Stones.
Is Captain America Stronger?
The only Avengers that ranked higher than Iron Man were Captain America, Thor, Captain Marvel, and the Scarlet Witch. They cited Cap as the stronger Avenger since he could have killed Iron Man in Civil War.
However, you can put an asterisk by this claim, since Iron Man was fighting both Captain America and the Winter Soldier. Iron Man was also in a position to win the fight, but a last-second interference from a near out-of-commission Winter Soldier led to Captain America winning.
In the Comics
Like his MCU counterpart, Iron Man is also powerful in the comics. Just as he nearly overpowered Captain America in Civil War, he also hung strong with the First Avenger in the comics. In one issue, Iron Man fought Captain America to a stalemate.
From a pure strength perspective, Stark was strong enough to pull five battleships. And he also put a fist through the strongest metals, Vibranium and Adamantium.
Iron Man also took on Thor in the comics, thanks to his Thorbuster armor. While Iron Man did not win the fight with the armor, it proved that with it, he could at least challenge Thor.
He also constructed the Hulkbuster, which he used to defeat Hulk a few times in the comics. The Hulkbuster suit later appeared in the MCU.
Like the MCU version, Iron Man made a habit out of constructing new armor in the comics, and it eventually led him to even use a specialized version to take on Magneto. This suit contained no metal, so it was able to circumvent Magneto’s power.
With his ability to construct and use different types of armor in the comics, Iron Man didn’t always win his battles, but he was able to put up memorable fights. Like his MCU counterpart, this also made him one of the strongest Avengers in the comics.
Iron Man’s Strongest Suits
In the MCU, we know Tony Stark loves to construct enhanced Iron Man suits. He did this shortly after returning from Afghanistan in Iron Man. And this trend continued throughout the Infinity Saga. Below, we have listed three of Tony Stark’s strongest Iron Man suits.
Mark 44
It’s up for debate as to whether the Mark 44 or Mark 85 is the strongest, depending on the source. We saw the Mark 44 suit in Age of Ultron. Also called the Hulkbuster, this suit is capable of matching Hulk in strength, as we saw in the film.
The suit also appeared in Infinity War, when Bruce Banner was forced to use it as a contingency plan thanks to Hulk refusing to emerge. As we saw in the film, it can evoke more damage than any of the other Iron Man suits listed, including Mark 85.
Mark 85
We saw this one in action for Avengers: Endgame, and it was what you saw Stark wearing when he defeated Thanos to save the universe. Since Mark 85 is Stark’s most technologically advanced suit, and the final one he constructed, it deserves a spot as one of Iron Man’s strongest.
Mark 50
Stark wore the Mark 50 in Infinity War, and it contained a wider array of weapons than any other Iron Man suit in the MCU to that point. Given its nanite manipulation technology, Stark was able to create any weapon he wanted.
It also had strength and speed upgrades, which made Tony Stark more formidable of an opponent than ever before.
Without His Suit
Since Tony Stark is a human with no supernatural powers of his own, he is not as strong without his Iron Man suit. However, Stark is no pushover in an event when he doesn’t have his suit.
Since he is gifted in hand-to-hand combat, Stark can still evoke incredible damage on an opponent. Given his high IQ, Stark is also a brilliant strategist. So if you combine Stark’s ability to strategize with his expertise in combat, he makes for a formidable fighter.
He could also develop computer viruses and, therefore, mess with technology. If an opponent’s suit relied on tech, they would find themselves at a disadvantage thanks to Stark’s computer skills. If he hacks into that technology, he won’t need his Iron Man suit to win a fight.
Superior Iron Man
Superior Iron Man is an inverted variant of Iron Man who wears white armor that glows blue. However, it can also turn orange when he is angered. His abilities mirror Iron Man’s, as he contains a superior intellect with ample knowledge in all things machinery.
He is a manipulative character who has elite hand-to-hand combat skills, and he can easily strategize to turn the tide in his favor. Like Iron Man, his speed and strength are superior, and he also retains the ability to fly.
Because he is an inverted version of Stark, Superior Iron Man is a villain. So if you take the darkest characteristics of Stark’s personality and amplify them, you get Superior Iron Man. His major opponents include Daredevil, Pepper Potts, and even Stark’s own memory.
Iron Man vs. Thor
Thor is the God of Thunder, and he has few weaknesses. Meanwhile, as an individual who mainly relies on his suit for his powers, Iron Man is the weaker of the two on paper.
However, given Iron Man’s ability to strategize against any opponent, he is capable of beating Thor. Despite this, Iron Man always finds himself on the losing end following his fights with Thor.
Iron Man has technology on his side, and he can use Thor’s weakness for energy blasts. We know Tony Stark can weaponize his Iron Man suits with just about anything he needs. So, if he can whip up a weapon that unleashes energy blasts, he can get the upper hand against Thor.
In Avengers, we also saw Iron Man fight Thor to a stalemate, indicating that in the MCU, these two are on a relatively equal platform.
![Iron Man vs Thor - Fight Scene - The Avengers (2012) Movie Clip HD [1080p 60 FPS]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/kjiSVunIWpU/0.jpg)
Conclusion
Iron Man is one of the MCU’s strongest characters, and the same holds true in the comics. He ultimately saved the universe from Thanos, covered for Spider-Man’s miscues, and nearly defeated Captain America and the Winter Soldier in a two-on-one fight.
While Tony Stark has no real superpowers of his own, his technologically-advanced Iron Man suits have given him superhuman strength, the ability to fly, and even to self-heal. The suits can create weapons on-demand and even have transformative qualities.
Without his suit, Stark isn’t as powerful, but he can still hold his own in fights, given his ability to hack into communications systems and his expertise in hand-to-hand combat.
Sion Fawkes has been covering Star Wars since January 2022, expanding his expertise in Star Wars Canon, Legends, and MCU. When not writing, you can find Sion in the gym or running trails. He also likes watching sports and listening to audiobooks.