The 5 Dumbest Ways Iron Man Has Been Taken Down in the Comics

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In the comics, Tony Stark, also known as Iron Man, is often portrayed as invincible. However, there have been instances where he doesn’t quite live up to that reputation. Despite his impressive collection of heavily armed armors and a long history of fighting against evil, Tony is one of the strongest Avengers members. Yet, despite numerous spectacular victories, there have been moments when Tony has suffered severe defeats. Some of these defeats are particularly embarrassing and illogical, often due to Tony’s suit malfunctioning at inopportune times or being outmaneuvered by seemingly weak villains. These instances represent the most foolish times Tony was outsmarted or overpowered by his adversaries.

Instead of downplaying adversaries or making poor clothing choices, some of Tony Stark’s most embarrassing defeats have stemmed from these factors.

5) Beheaded by Thanos’ Girlfriend

In the Marvel Comics, Thanos’ battles aren’t just legendary in the Cinematic Universe, they’re iconic. While Iron Man faces off against Thanos in the movies, things are quite different in the original Infinity Gauntlet comic series. Instead of battling Tony Stark himself, Thanos is more preoccupied with winning the affection of Lady Death – a pursuit that ends in rejection.

To make Lady Death jealous, Thanos creates a female version of himself named Terraxia, designed to be eternally loyal. When the Avengers, including Iron Man, arrive to confront Thanos for his destructive actions, the villain uses Terraxia as a pawn in their encounter, treating it like a game rather than an epic battle between him and Iron Man. Unfortunately for Iron Man, he is quickly defeated off-panel by Terraxia, with her parading his severed head shortly afterward.

However, the outcome of this battle didn’t last long as Nebula managed to steal the Infinity Gauntlet and manipulate time to erase the event from history. Yet, an off-panel defeat at the hands of a one-dimensional henchwoman is a rather unimpressive end for a genius superhero like Iron Man.

4) Having His Extrembiote Suit Overtaken by Carnage

In the comic series ‘Extreme Carnage’, Carnage acquires the power to control the collective mind of symbiotes and order them to do his bidding. When facing an adversary with such powers, Tony Stark selects the least suitable armor for the task – the Extrembiote Armor. Previously, in ‘King in Black’, Tony had used the Extremis nanotech super-soldier serum to infect and command a symbiote, transforming it into his armor. With this armor, he confronted Carnage, but the outcome was as expected. Carnage swiftly took over the symbiote that formed Tony’s armor and used it against him. The agent known as Agent Anti-Venom intervened, forcibly removing the corrupted symbiote from Tony’s body. Despite this, Tony came close to meeting his end because he underestimated Carnage’s might.

3) Getting His Pants Melted Off by the Melter

In many of Iron Man’s battles, a recurring adversary is Bruno Hagan, better known as the Melter. As his name suggests, this villain possesses a destructive melting ray capable of turning any substance into liquid. This ability poses a significant threat to Tony Stark and his armored suits, as it can easily turn them into gooey puddles. Despite the seemingly terrifying power, the Melter is typically depicted by Marvel as a B-grade villain whose abilities are often used for comedic effect. One of the most humorous instances is when the Melter joined the new Masters of Evil and engaged in combat with the Avengers. During this fight, most of the Masters retreated, leaving the Melter behind to face the full force of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Iron Man confronted the Melter, but the villain used his melting ray on the lower half of Tony’s armor, leaving him in just his underwear. Embarrassed and without a suit, Tony had to scurry back to his lab to create a new one while the rest of the Avengers quickly captured the Melter. This is definitely one battle that Tony would rather forget.

2) Running Out of Energy While Fighting Angel

In simpler terms, it’s surprising that Iron Man, with his advanced technology, lost to Angel, a mutant who can only fly. This unlikely defeat actually happened in a comic book storyline. Angel, one of the original X-Men, gained wings and the ability to fly. When exposed to radiation, he turned evil. During their confrontation, Iron Man’s rocket boots ran out of power, causing him to fall. In their second encounter, Angel tricked Iron Man into locking himself in a building, then saved him when his rockets failed again. This experience taught Iron Man to ensure his rockets had enough power for longer fights.

1) Getting His Teammates Stuck to Him by Squirrel Girl’s Evil Clone

In the Marvel Comics universe, Squirrel Girl, otherwise known as Doreen Green, has a long-standing comic relief aspect where she manages to overpower some of Marvel’s most powerful characters, despite her ability being limited to controlling squirrels. This invincibility trope became troublesome when Doreen’s malevolent counterpart, Allene, attempted global domination. To pilfer some of Iron Man’s technology for her schemes, Allene directed her squirrels to shred Iron Man’s armor as if it were made of cardboard and abducted him. Upon helping Tony Stark escape, the billionaire hero quickly crafted the Model 53 armor to combat Allene’s squirrel control. He also enlisted the Avengers as backup, but this was exactly what Allene had planned for. The team blundered into Allene’s electrified floor trap, rendering all the Avengers except Tony momentarily incapacitated. Next, Allene shot a sticky putty arrow from Hawkeye’s bow at Tony, coating him in adhesive gloop. With his unconscious comrades stuck to his suit, any action Tony took risked injuring them. Immobilized by the situation, Tony was left defenseless against Allene. She eventually removed his helmet, delivering a knockout blow with a single punch. Although Squirrel Girl ultimately defeated Allene, being turned into a giant glue trap is undeniably an embarrassing and sticky way to meet defeat.

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2025-09-04 15:14