{"id":6194,"date":"2019-04-11T18:56:59","date_gmt":"2019-04-11T18:56:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog-proxy.atomtickets.com\/?p=6194"},"modified":"2019-04-15T22:43:39","modified_gmt":"2019-04-15T22:43:39","slug":"tony-stark-is-marvels-greatest-villain-and-always-has-been","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/tony-stark-greatest-marvel-villain\/","title":{"rendered":"Tony Stark Is Marvel\u2019s Greatest Villain\u00a0– And Always Has Been"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cMarvel\u2019s got a villain problem.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That was a popular criticism of the Marvel Cinematic Universe for years, with Loki quickly emerging as the then-best threat the studio had to offer, up until Phase 3. Since then, Marvel has course corrected with more complex and sympathetic baddies like\u00a0<\/span>Killmonger, Adrian Toomes\/Vulture, and\u00a0<\/span>Thanos<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>Th<\/span>roughout the MCU\u2019s 21 movie streak, however, the conversation has somehow managed to overlook the one major villain hiding in plain sight: Tony Stark.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist<\/span>\u00a0has\u00a0<\/span>been the cavalier, quip-happy Avenger with good intentions when it comes to defeating the bad guys, but those intentions have always come with some seriously questionable moral decisions.\u00a0<\/span>He never\u00a0<\/span>means<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span>for the consequences of his choices to be what they are,<\/span>\u00a0but the truth is that at some point,\u00a0<\/span>good\u00a0<\/span>intentions stop mattering when the Avengers have to clean up another one of his messes. Let\u2019s ignore the millions that found themselves on the receiving end of a Stark Industries weapon<\/span>; T<\/span>ony learned about that and made changes! It was\u00a0<\/span>a<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>formative step for him becoming a hero.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But it also set him on a path through morally grey areas that bump against the black-and-white mandate of the Avengers, especially Steve Rogers. Many of the wrongs Tony sought to right, the damage he felt obligated to fix, were repairs to things he either broke or had a hand in breaking to begin with. Throughout the course of the MCU, Tony Stark has been both arsonist and fireman; we always excuse the former because of the latter. Let’s recount the ways in which Tony, by any other name, would just be a villain, unintentional or not.<\/span><\/p>\n

When He Almost Got Pepper Killed With His Arrogance<\/h2>\n
\"Tony's

Tony’s armor rescues Pepper from harm (Credit: Marvel Studios)<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Iron Man 2<\/span><\/i>\u00a0saddles Tony with many foes, the most prominent being Whiplash. This nemesis is one Tony inherited from his father\u2019s actions. But Tony made it his problem, and that of many innocent civilians, when he\u00a0<\/span>decided to antagonize him with his usual pompous public persona. Not a wise move for <\/span>the<\/span>\u00a0son of the man Whiplash blames for his family troubles.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Tony\u2019s impulsive bravado gets him in even more trouble in\u00a0<\/span>Iron Man 3<\/span><\/i>, when he announces \u2013 on live TV \u2013 his address. He literally brings the danger home when Killian sends choppers armed with missiles (because of course) to blow up Tony\u2019s Malibu compound. Now, Tony all but typing his address into Killian\u2019s GPS would be fine if Tony lived alone. But he didn\u2019t. He can\u2019t live or function alone \u2013 does he even know his own social security number? Tony\u2019s on-camera announcement put an arc reactor-sized target on the back of Pepper Potts, his live-in girlfriend and glue that holds Stark Industries together – who, not coincidentally, has had to save his arrogant butt many a time, both personally and professionally in the MCU.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And what does she get for her troubles? Blown up, right with Tony, when Killian and his fleet of murderous helicopters drop by for evening tea. Granted, Tony commands his armor to protect Pepper and not himself, but it’s still the least he can do after being the cause of the explosion. After,\u00a0<\/span>Tony has the audacity to be surprised that it\u00a0<\/span>even\u00a0<\/span>happened. Alright, genius.<\/span>..<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That Whole Ultron Murderbot Thing<\/h2>\n