4 Times Tony Stark Proved He Was a Team Player

Tony Stark AKA Iron Man is not well-known for being a team player as his ego leads him to fight his fellow teammates, the Avengers. On multiple occasions, he has battled his supposed Super Hero besties in arms in iconic events such as CIVIL WAR, THE CROSSING, and WORLD WAR HULK. However, Tony has those rare moments when he proves there is no “I” in team by stepping up to the proverbial plate. In honor of Stark Week, we’ve gathered a handful of them, which offer a whiff of what smells like team spirit for the Armored Avenger!

Taking One for the Team

When Herbert Edgar Wyndham AKA High Evolutionary schemed to create a new god with help from the evil alchemist Esteban Corazon de Ablo AKA Diablo, Iron Man and Thor went up against the diabolical duo, as seen in IRON MAN/THOR (2010). After Diablo betrayed his criminal colleague and transformed himself into a deity, Tony had the bright idea to use science and magic to defeat him. Tony implored Thor to use his hammer Mjolnir’s energy in concert with his technologically-advanced armor, at great personal risk according to Thor.

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

After Wanda Maximoff AKA Scarlet Witch suffered a nervous breakdown and lost control of her reality-warping abilities, the chaos that followed killed or hurt many of Avengers members. Those remaining decided to disband, unable to financially support themselves, but later Steve Rogers AKA Captain America and Tony later re-assembled the group in NEW AVENGERS (2004) #3. Tony not only admitted that he learned to listen to Cap, but also offered the new Avengers a headquarters, in one of his dream building projects: Stark Tower.

The Three Musketeers Tag Team

When the space gods known as Celestials rained down upon Earth for the Final Host, Tony joined Cap and Thor in protecting people and the planet. They took turns blasting the Celestials as much as possible though, their efforts failed as Loki, the facilitator of this long overdue event (see the Celestials first appearance in ETERNALS (1976) #1), revealed himself as part of the Celestial’s goal to cleanse the Earth of mankind. See which of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes joined the trio in a battle unlike any other in AVENGERS (2018) #1-6.

All For One, and One For All

After the Skrulls invaded Earth and Tony’s technology failed all over the world thanks to the aliens’ destructive virus, Tony lost his roles as leader of the Avengers and director of S.H.I.E.L.D. But he took responsibility for his failure to prevent the invasion by keeping all Stark and Iron Man technology—and files of his fellow Super Heroes’ secret identities—from falling into the wrong hands, those of Norman Osborn AKA Green Goblin. Osborn rose to power and took Tony’s place in the newly formed peacekeeping agency H.A.M.M.E.R. His efforts to protect the information came at a great cost as Tony’s most sensitive database lives in his mind. See how Tony took accountability in INVINCIBLE IRON MAN (2008) #8-24.

See, it’s not all about Tony’s ego! He can be a team player too and clearly has a heart nestled under that armor of his!

It's Stark Week! Stay tuned to Marvel.com and Marvel on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for even more of the Armored Avenger!