Iron Man Vs. Storm: Who Wins Marvel's Contest Of Chaos Fight?

Contains spoilers for "Iron Man Annual" #1

Iron Man and Storm might be two different kinds of heroes in the Marvel Universe, but when they are forced to fight, the Omega-Level Mutant taking on the powerless genius billionaire ends up being a surprisingly good and unexpected match-up.

Marvel's "Contest of Chaos" crossover event features a rejuvenated Agatha Harkness as the main villain with her quest to create a new Darkhold corrupting heroes into fighting. After stealing the heart of the elder god Chthon, the creator of the original Darkhold, Harkness has already forced Spider-Man and Wolverine to duke it out, leading the web-slinger to team up with Jessica Jones to figure out what exactly made him fight in the first place. However, before anyone can figure out a way to stop Harkness from forcing more duels between usual allies as she distracts heroes from her quest to gain more power, Iron Man and Storm turn on each other with the witch's magical influence pitting them together.

While readers might expect Storm's incredible abilities to dispatch Iron Man easily, Tony Stark shows why he's prepared to take on the deadliest opponents in the Marvel Universe despite having no powers. But who won the tussle between the characters?

In "Iron Man Annual" #1 (by Jason Loo, David Cutler, Bryan Valenza, and VC's Joe Caramagna) from Marvel Comics, Storm travels to the West Coast of Mexico after a series of familiar voices call to her. Upon reaching a cave, she hears the likes of Kitty Pryde and Stevie Hunter inside. But, before the hero enters the mysterious cave, Iron Man arrives on the scene and confirms he's also hearing voices inside his head.

Ororo Munroe and Tony Stark venture into the cave, noticing supernatural activity coming from crystals inside. But, the pair immediately begin verbally attacking each other, with the mention of T'Challa leading Storm to tell Tony his fellow Avenger hasn't forgotten about him decimating the Wakandan embassy in "Civil War." Iron Man hits back, asking Storm about her ugly divorce from the hero during the "Avengers vs. X-Men" storyline, with the Omega-Level mutant responding to him that he's not exactly in Wakanda's good graces by bringing up he once stole one of their prized weapons in the "X of Swords." Things get nastier when Storm calls out the Avenger for being authoritarian while bringing up Stark's responsibility in the death of Goliath. She doesn't stop, also bringing up how he played a role in unleashing the Extremis Virus on the world.

The continued back-and-forth leads Iron Man and Storm to exchange powerful energy blasts against each other as a fight between the Avenger and the mutant breaks out. Storm recognizes the magical crystals inside the cave are somehow making them act irrationally, but neither hero can break free from its magical hold.

While the fight occurs in "Iron Man Annual" #1, Storm and Iron Man are confronted by their history as heroes. Storm sees Cyclops asking her if she could cut it as a leader of Marvel's mutants and whether he should take over the team. Meanwhile, Iron Man hears Captain America telling him to give up with his suit being so battered. 

Iron Man gets cocky after knocking Storm to the ground with a series of missiles. He tells her she's not on his level while threatening to take her into Avengers headquarters. Storm responds by hitting him with lightning and throwing a disheveled Tony Stark deeper into the cave. When he wakes up, Stark is confronted by Professor Yinsen, the man he was trapped with when he built his first armor. Iron Man immediately recognizes Yinsen as an illusion, but when he strikes him with a blast of energy, it's revealed to be a mirage and actually Storm. Meanwhile, Ororo Munroe suffers her own illusions created by dark magic, reverting back to her childhood with the Shadow King, who calls her future as a hero a "fantasy" he intends to stop.

The situation doesn't get easier for Iron Man as a demonic version of his former girlfriend, Hellcat, shows up alongside his fallen friend Happy Hogan, who tells him it's his turn to die. Storm eventually puts an end to the fight, telling Tony she has shown him mercy. She unleashes a giant strike of lightning while lifting Stark out of the cave. She places an exhausted Iron Man on the ground while sharing with him that she gave him a good run for her money. However, the confrontation ends when a magical force takes Munroe from the battlefield.

Ultimately, Storm decided to go easy on Iron Man, which made the Avenger feel like he was in the same league as the Omega Level Mutant. In reality, that's not true. Tony Stark's suits of armor are mighty and loaded with some of the most advanced technology in the Marvel Universe. However, none are strong enough to beat Storm, especially one-on-one. At full power, Ororo Munroe is not just one of the strongest mutants but one of the strongest heroes, period. Stark put up a good fight, all things considered, but in rarely any scenarios is he strong enough to take down Storm singlehandedly.

"Iron Man Annual" #1 ends with a backup story (by Stephanie Phillips, Alberto Foche, and Raul Angulo) where Jessica Jones and Spider-Man learn of Storm and Iron Man's fight and decide to pay a house-call to someone who understands magic better than either of them: Clea Strange. With Agatha Harkness' magic leading the likes of the Avengers and X-Men to turn on one another, the street-level hero pair hope to learn more about what Harkness is trying to accomplish. Strange has her own dark magical history, meaning she likely knows more about the threat being unleashed.

The "Contest of Chaos" continues throughout August and September with upcoming match-ups, including Ghost-Rider vs. the Human Torch in "Fantastic Four Annual" #1, Moon Knight vs. Taegukgi in "Moon Knight Annual" #1, Spider-Gwen vs. White Fox in "Spider-Gwen Annual" #1, Venom vs. Deadpool in "Venom Annual" #1, Cyclops vs. Captain Marvel in "X-Men Annual" #1, and lastly the Avengers vs. a mysterious opponent in "Avengers Annual" #1. "Iron Man Annual" #1 from Marvel Comics is in comic book stores and available at online retailers now.