MCU: 5 Most Selfish Things Iron Man Ever Did (& 5 He Should Be Proud Of)

Tony Stark might be one of the most complicated heroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe because many of his actions aren’t heroic. Yet, on the other hand, he also makes the ultimate sacrifice and does some truly heroic things in the films. But, seeing as how he is a billionaire with a rather egotistical personality who goes on a journey from selfish to selfless, it makes sense he makes a lot of mistakes along the way.

There are many things he does that he should have been ashamed of, but because of his arrogance, he didn’t feel that bad about them. However, there are also many things he does that are worth applauding that he should be proud of.

10 Self-Involved: When he tried to kill Bucky Barnes

There has always been a lot of debate over who was wrong in Captain America: Civil War, but the truth is that both Tony and Steve had some good points and also made some mistakes.

So, while it’s easy to see why Tony would react irrationally and want to hurt Bucky for killing his mom, he was wrong to try to kill him. Bucky was a victim of HYDRA, and it wasn’t Tony’s place to try to end his life. It was an incredibly self-involved action.

9 Proud Of: Taking the warhead into the wormhole

While many people only started to see Iron Man as a true hero after the end of Avengers: Endgame, the truth is that he showed his heroic tendencies much earlier on in the franchise.

Even in the first Avengers film, Tony was willing to risk his own life to save others, and he took the nuke all the way up into space to keep millions of people from dying. Luckily, he was able to survive the ordeal.

8 Self-Involved: He was often very sexist

One of the most disturbing things about Tony Stark in the early days of the MCU was just how sexist he was. He often treated women like objects for him to own, and he sexualized most women around him.

He also didn’t treat Pepper very well and it took him a long time to learn how to respect her and be a good partner to her. While the MCU did get away from showing this side of Tony eventually, there are a lot of problems with this at first. He really seemed to think only about himself.

7 Proud Of: Stopping the production of Stark Industries weapons

Tony is a billionaire, so a lot can be said about just how ethical he is in the ways he spends his copious wealth. However, most people can at least agree that selling weapons of war isn’t the most heroic thing an Avenger could do.

While Tony should have cared more about selling weapons to begin with and been more invested in his own company, he at least finally changed his way. It did take him going through his own near-death experience, but it was still the right thing to do.

6 Self-Involved: His treatment of Aldrich Killian and many others

Tony is a privileged person in society because of his wealth and genius, but he tends to be quite arrogant. He can dismiss people outright and doesn’t treat people kindly unless he thinks they are worth his time.

So, while Aldrich Killian is still responsible for his own actions, the way Tony dismissed people he didn’t think were cool enough wasn’t right either. Tony’s self-involvement certainly had a hand in creating his own demons.

5 Proud Of: Working with Captain America again

At the end of Captain America: Civil War, the relationship between Ton and Steev has been ruined, and the Avengers have fallen apart. Tony was understandably hurt and betrayed by Steve, and it wasn’t easy for him to get over this.

However, when he gives him back the shield and forgives him in Avengers: Endgame, it was the right move, and Tony had to be a lot more mature than he was in the past to see Steve as a friend again.

4 Self-Involved: Spending so many years only caring about himself

One of Tony Stark’s overall worst traits and biggest flaws is that he can be so selfish at times. This is especially true in some of the earlier movies as much of his narrative arc and character development revolves around him becoming more compassionate and caring.

While it’s clear that many of his behaviors were defense mechanisms for his own insecurities, he did spend many years acting like a reckless child and not caring much about anyone else around him. And, for much of that time, he didn’t really seem to feel that bad about it either.

3 Proud Of: Because he was a really good dad

While Tony’s own father clearly wasn’t always there for him and was also rather harsh, Tony didn’t repeat this cycle. He became a much better parent than his own dad ever was, and despite all of his flaws, he really changed a lot.

He loved Morgan and was a very invested dad. While Tony might have had to go through a lot to get to a place to be a good husband and father, it was very endearing to see.

2 Self-Involved: When he created Ultron

It’s probably not shocking that this is one of the main things on the list because it’s one of the most obvious mistakes that Tony ever made. While time might have led him to regret the decision, he definitely went forward with doing something risky with no thought to oversight.

This was just one example of a time where Tony thought he knew best because he was smart, but he didn’t think about the long-term impacts of his choices.

1 Proud Of: He sacrificed himself to save the world

While Iron Man did do many heroic things before this point, this is still one of the most dramatic and memorable moments of all. When Tony snapped the Infinity Gauntlet, he knew he wasn’t going to survive as he was only human.

However, if he didn’t sacrifice himself, the entire universe would have been destroyed. It was a tragic moment to watch, but Tony did the right thing.

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