The Best Iron Man Moments With Each Avenger

Tony Stark is, in many ways, the centerpiece of the Infinity Saga. The entire Marvel Cinematic Universe kicks off with his franchise, and its dramatic first stage ends with a snap of his fingers. But while the Starkster's primary Marvel journey may have wrapped up in Avengers: Endgame, the billionaire playboy managed to show up in a lot of different moments during his MCU career. With his own three movies and the four Avengers films, significant roles in Captain America: Civil War and Spider-Man: Homecoming, and even a brief appearance in The Incredible Hulk, Tony Stark has managed to cross paths with a lot of different people in the decade-plus that his superhero career played out.

As a result, we've decided to comb over Iron Man's past in an attempt to locate the best moments that he shared with his crime-fighting teammates — the Avengers. Having spent years as both the brains and budget of the overpowered organization, Stark managed to put in facetime with every member of the superhero posse at some point or another. From frenemy fights to incredible introductions, here are the best Iron Man moments with each Avenger.

If Stark is the brains of the Avengers, Steve Rogers is the heart of the team. The passionate, die-hard super soldier provides a moral compass for the Avengers that generally works really well with Stark. After they learn to get along in The Avengers, the two join together to take down both Loki and Ultron. They also end up teaming up once more to finally topple Thanos and end his bid to wipe out half and then all of the universe.

Throughout their time co-leading the Avengers in all but name, Stark and Rogers have an excellent give and take. They try to avoid stepping on each other's toes, and they back each other up to a fault, with one glaring exception – Captain America: Civil War. In Cap's third franchise film, the pair of leaders find themselves at odds about how much government oversight their "vigilante" organization should have. The disagreement eventually leads to blows — literally — which gives us the best scene that they share together.

Now, remember, the goal here is to find the best scene, not the "happiest moment" or "most feel-good occasion." In the case of Captain America, his best moment with Iron Man also happens to be his lowest one, as well. At the end of Civil War, the two friends come to blows over the Sokovia Accords and Bucky's fate as they open a can of whoop-ass on one another. The epic duel may end with Stark's defeat, but it's the entire team that ends up losing out.

Tony Stark holds a special place in Black Widow's MCU history, if only because it's his own franchise that initially introduces and establishes Natasha Romanoff's character. In fact, Nat's first MCU moments with her future team member end up becoming one of her most memorable.

This isn't the best Stark/Romanoff moment because it's endearing or cute, though. The first time Stark meets Nat, he thinks she's nothing more than an attractive notary looking for a few signatures. As he both ogles and Googles her, Stark's clearly lecherous thought process quickly shifts to one of respect as he watches her box Happy Hogan into submission in a few seconds, clearly establishing herself as a woman that shouldn't be messed with in the process.

Nevertheless, Stark's feelings of the flesh still remain at the end of the interaction. As Romanoff leaves the room, Stark turns to his then-business-associate Pepper Potts and informs her, "I want one." Of course, it doesn't take long before Nat reveals her true colors and even becomes a bona fide Avenger, helping (or perhaps forcing?) Stark to change his lascivious tune toward her once and for all.

In the name of fairness, we're going to give both Bruce Banner and Hulk their own moments with Stark, and when it comes to Banner, there's one scene that's hard to ignore. Most of Tony's interactions with Bruce Banner revolve around science, with the geniuses connecting early and often over their shared professional pursuits. From expressing their professional respect for one another in The Avengers to the pair buddying up to bring Vision to life in Age of Ultron, Banner and Stark spend a lot of time bonding on a very sciencey level.

However, it's Stark's persistent obsession with and attempts to unleash the Hulk that end up leading to his best moment with Bruce. At the beginning of Avengers: Infinity War, Stark prepares to defend Doctor Strange as the Children of Thanos arrive in the Big Apple in search of the Time Stone. Expecting some help from the muscle-bound emerald iteration of his friend, Stark asks Banner if he "wants a piece." When Banner is unable to summon his reticent other half, he explains to Stark that he and Hulk have sort of been "having a thing," which leads Iron Man to quip, "You're embarrassing me in front of the wizards." The moment is a welcome dose of frivolity in a scene that ultimately sets the tone for a very action-heavy and unsettling film.

While Stark and Bruce Banner get along pretty well, it's Iron Man's admiration for the Hulk that often dominates the conversation. However, whenever Stark actually gets a chance to work with the Hulk, he often ends up having to keep his distance, as even in his armor, he doesn't stand much of a chance against his friend from work if the latter should choose to turn on him. That said, there's one scene where Stark and the Hulk get up close and personal in the South African city of Johannesburg.

The calamitous event takes place in Avengers: Age of Ultron, and it's a barn burner. Thrown off-kilter by the then-antagonistic Scarlet Witch's mind games, Hulk heads off toward the nearby city on a blinding rampage. Stark follows in pursuit, calling in "Veronica" — the space satellite that deploys his first major iteration of the Hulkbuster suit. The ensuing showdown with the Hulk is a catastrophic hoot as the heroes tumble and smash their way through the city streets, ultimately taking down an entire skyscraper before Stark can manage to subdue his overpowered companion.

The first time Tony Stark and Thor meet, their friendship kicks off with the Asgardian taking Stark's stuff — and by that, we mean the captured Loki. As Thor arrives on Earth to abruptly recover his brother and shake him out of his shenanigans, Iron Man confronts the god of thunder in a wooded clearing. The encounter begins with Thor warning Stark that the metal man doesn't know what he's dealing with, to which Stark responds with the taunt that it feels like Shakespeare in the Park, adding the zinger, "Doth mother know you weareth her drapes?" — a not-so-subtle dig at Thor's colorful, flowing cape.

As Loki watches on in amusement, the pair proceed to drop the insults so that they can resolve their differences in a more grown-up manner. That is to say, they start beating each other to a pulp. The knock-down-drag-out affair only ends when Steve Rogers finally arrives on the scene and puts an end to the madness with his shield and a few well-placed words, you know, like he always does.

Tony Stark and Clint Barton don't get in each other's way too often. They both operate as Avengers at various times and generally work together fine. However, they share one laughably iconic juncture toward the end of The Avengers that doubles as both their best moment and a potential Lord of the Rings crossover.

The moment in question comes just after the team finally gels in the devastated streets of New York City. Hordes of Chitauri soldiers continue to pour out of the sky above, and as Captain America divvies up the team's responsibilities, it falls to Barton to take up a post high on the roof of a nearby skyscraper in order to keep his hawk-like eyes on the goings-on.

The only problem is, despite his airy epithet, Barton is a fairly earthbound hero who doesn't go flying around up in the air too often. The solution for getting the hawk into his aerie? Iron Man. As Barton asks if Stark wants to "give him a lift," the Starkster replies, "Right. Better clench up, Legolas." The quick reference to the renowned elven archer of J.R.R. Tolkien's legendarium is a perfectly timed wisecrack, as Iron Man takes off in a vertical manner with the MCU's own legendary bowman in tow.

By the end of the Infinity Saga, Scarlet Witch is an integral part of the Avengers team. However, although the strongest Avenger has carved out a nice, ever-evolving place amongst the MCU's greatest heroes, she initially started as an antagonist. More accurately, she started as an emotionally scarred child fleeing a war-torn nation-state who was then turned into a science experiment by HYDRA — which is roughly the point where she first crosses paths with Tony Stark.

When the Avengers take down Wolfgang von Strucker's base in Sokovia at the beginning of Age of Ultron, Tony Stark is the first to infiltrate the base far enough to find the scepter holding the Mind Stone. As he nabs the prize, though, he stumbles into Wanda. The Maximoff twin sneaks up on her then-hated opponent and messes with his brain by giving him a vision — and not the "sugar plums dancing in your head" kind, either. Stark sees a precinct series of vivid images, revealing his dead friends and Thanos' triumphant victory. While the vision is hardly the happiest moment between the two, it's by far the most meaningful one that they share, as it primes the Iron Avenger to begin chasing a safer world in preparation for the incoming alien invader.

The moniker for shortest-living Avenger has to go to Quicksilver. The zippy fellow meets his doom not long after he turns on Ultron in the villain's titular film. Once he joins the Avengers, Pietro Maximoff's primary feat of heroism consists of helping the superhero posse stop Ultron's apocalyptic plans in Sokovia. Throughout the action, the newborn hero helps evacuate civilians and finally sacrifices himself by putting his body between Ultron's bullets and Hawkeye and the child he's trying to protect.

Before this happens, though, Quicksilver manages to put in one top-notch scene with all of the Avengers, including the one he doesn't get a ton of screen time with — Iron Man. In the penultimate action sequence of the film (right before the giant flying rock crashes out of the sky), the entire Avengers team puts up an epic stand as they defend the key to Ultron's doomsday machine. The scene is awesome on every level, and it goes down as the closest thing to a "best moment" that Iron Man and Quicksilver are able to muster together.

Tony Stark is a loyal member of the Avengers, and given the chance, he would lay down his life for each and every one of them. However, if there's one Avenger who's particularly near and dear to Tony's heart, it has to be James Rhodes. Rhodey is by Stark's side (albeit with a quick actor swap early on) throughout the entirety of Iron Man's own trilogy, as well as all of the Avengers films. We see the soldier turned superhero don his War Machine armor time and again as he follows his friend through their heroic adventures, and Rhodey's fall during the airport battle in Civil War is particularly jarring for his iron-clad companion.

However, their best moment together is one that's short, quick, and silent. At the end of Avengers: Endgame, Tony Stark famously snaps away Thanos and his minions, sacrificing himself in the process. As he lies there, dying in the dusty aftermath of the deed, the first person to find him is his faithful pal, Rhodey. His friend's concerned expression shifts to one of acceptance and then support as he takes in the inevitable situation. Rhodes puts a hand to Stark's head, and the pair share a long, silent look in his final moments. No words are spoken, and none are needed. The two are brothers in arms who've finally reached the end of the line. 'Nuff said.

There's one Avenger whose best moment with Stark is particularly important because, well, he wouldn't exist without Iron Man's tinkering and tampering in the first place. Vision comes into existence during Age of Ultron, and he primarily has Stark to thank for that. With a passion to make a suit of armor around the world coupled with the desire to create a version of Ultron that's missing the homicidal glitches, Stark pushes Banner to help him bring Vision's vibranium-infused husk to life. Owning their inner monster, the mad scientists get to work.

Eventually, the rest of the team shows up to try to put a stop to the apparent insanity. However, Thor thunderously arrives, last on the scene, with a foresighted focus that guides him to electrify Vision into existence. While Stark takes part in the following sequence as the heroes cautiously meets their new teammate, it's his work on the front end of the deal — both through developing J.A.R.V.I.S. and figuring out how to bring the android to life — that sets the stage for one of the most powerful Avengers of them all to come into existence.

Towards the end of Captain America: Civil War, Stark visits the imprisoned Avengers on the Raft. He arrives in search of information on Steve Rogers' whereabouts, but he's also clearly in pain from seeing what's been done to his fellow Avengers. As he arrives at Sam Wilson's cell, he fills in the Falcon on how the injured War Machine is doing before asking what Sam needs and if the guards have fed him yet. Falcon's response cuts right to the chase, "You're the good cop now?"

Stark then admits that he was wrong about the previous civil war-ish events before asking for Wilson's advice on Rogers' location so that he can help him. During the exchange, Stark points out that the two don't know each other too well, which is true, as Wilson is generally attached at the hip to Captain America. However, the good man decides to trust his former colleague by telling him where Rogers is headed, ultimately and unwittingly setting the stage for the divisive ending of the film.

Peter Parker is on the shortlist of individuals who've been the most influenced by Tony Stark. From the moment Stark saves child-Parker from a drone in Iron Man 2, the billionaire philanthropist has been influencing his junior colleague's fledgling superhero life. Sometimes, this influence comes in the form of a favor, like when Stark recruits Parker to help him in Civil War. At other times, the assistance flow the other way, such as when Stark posthumously gifts Parker a particularly powerful set of sunglasses in Spider-Man: Far From Home.

When it comes to the duo's best moment together, though, there's one scene that quickly stands out from the crowd. In Spider-Man: Homecoming, Stark shows up just in time to save Parker's bacon as he's trying to literally hold the Staten Island Ferry together. In the aftermath of the event, the pair rendezvous on a nearby rooftop, where Stark berates Parker for his foolish, ill-advised heroics. He even takes away Parker's suit, ultimately giving the web-head the push that he needs to rise to the occasion and become a hero — with or without the fancy clothes. Considering the intimate father-son relationship that they share, the heartbreaking event is by far one of the greatest moments of growth for both characters, and it's their best shared on-screen scene.

Tony Stark typically makes the most of his introductions. From horseplay and quick quippy remarks to dramatic confrontations, the Iron Avenger likes to make a splash with the whole nice-to-meet-you schtick. However, Tony shares a scene with one Avenger in which the dramatics have nothing to do with him.

In the opening moments of Avengers: Endgame, Stark is shown apparently breathing his last as the oxygen runs out and the powerless Benatar drifts through space. As he closes his eyes for what he thinks is the last time, a glowing light begins to flicker on his face. And the glow is coming from none other than Carol Danvers. As Iron Man wakes up and sees the gleaming face of Captain Marvel on the other side of the glass, he looks bewildered. However, he's clearly thankful for the intergalactic hero's help, with his gratitude extending beyond the simple search and rescue mission, as is shown when, a short while later, he mentions that, "She's great, by the way. We need you. You're new blood." That's high praise coming from the likes of the sarcastic Starkster.