Take a look at a line up of Iron Man’s infamous and deadly foes. Some of these villains may show up in future sequels of the film.
The Mandarin
Direct descendant to Genghis Khan, the Mandarin’s ten power rings are his source of power.
The Mandarin discovers the crashed starship of the Makluans, an alien reptilian race, and recovers ten rings; the power source of the ship. Mastering the technology of the Makluans and with the ten rings, the Mandarin initiates his plans for world domination.
Stark’s investment in China brings him to numerous confrontations with the Mandarin as Iron Man. His plans thwarted every time; the Mandarin becomes Iron Man’s arch-nemesis.
In one of his conflicts, the Mandarin loses his body after defeating the super-villain Yellow Claw. Yellow Claw’s minion, Loc Do takes the ten rings for his own ambitious plans but the Mandarin, his mind embedded in the rings takes over his body and transform Loc Do’s body to a younger version of himself. He develops a psionic bond with his rings further strengthening his power.
The Mandarin, recruiting other super-villains and using Makluan technology continues his plans of world domination.
Advanced Idea Mechanics
Organization who recruits only brilliant scientists and technicians dedicated to the overthrow of governments and acquiring power by technological means.
A.I.M. profits from their sales of technology and weapons to numerous terrorist groups while at the same time spreading their ambition of world conquest.
A.I.M.’s infamous inventions: the reality altering Cosmic Cube, MODOK and the android, Super Adaptoid.
Blizzard
Hungarian scientist Gregor Shapanka is an ambitious scientist researching on physical immortality when he was fired trying to steal Stark technology to fund his research.
Shapanka builds a cryogenic suit that creates super intense cold and calls himself “Jack Frost”. Seeking vengeance, Shapanka kidnaps Virginia “Pepper” Potts, and his chauffeur, Harold “Happy” Hogan. Iron Man defeats Jack Frost in battle and releases his captives Shapanka is convicted to prison.
Later, Shapanka escapes prison he builds a more powerful cryo suit this time calling himself “Blizzard”. As Blizzard, Shapanka begins a criminal life joining forces with other villains. He attacks Tony Stark’s Long Island complex only to be defeated again by Iron Man. He is eventually killed by a future Iron Man.
Crimson Dynamo
Russian physicist Anton Vanko created an armoured suit that generates massive electrical charges turning the wearer into a human dynamo. As Crimson Dynamo, he destroys Stark facilities but Iron Man reveals to him a recording of his leader’s plan to kill him. Vanko eventually defects to the US and worked for Tony Stark. When KGB agents hunt down Vanko, He dies in an explosion sacrificing his life for Iron Man.
Titanium Man
The Soviet Union’s response to the West’s Iron Man. Boris Bullski, a member of the Soviet Union’s Communist Party is demoted by his superiors and becomes an administrator in a Siberian labor camp. He had Titanium Man built with the help of exiled scientists under his supervision. Bullski planned to win back the Party’s favor and gain a propaganda victory by challenging and defeating Iron Man in public combat.
The Party gave Bullski permission to challenge Iron Man. In a worldwide television event, Iron Man accepted Bullski’s challenge and defeated him.
Controller
Basil Sandhurst worked as an electro-mechanical/chemical research scientist but his unorthodox methods would later ban him from legitimate research.
An accidental lab explosion triggered by his brother Vincent crippled his body. Vincent outfitted his brother with an automated lab where Basil created an exoskeleton to make him mobile. Using the psionic energies of those around him and by the use of slave discs, Basil began a plan to enslave New York City but was foiled by Iron Man.
The Controller later gets technical improvements from Thanos; he joins other super villains, but again is defeated by other superheroes including Iron Man.
Fin Fang Foom
A dragon-like shape-shifting alien from the planet Makluan. Fing Fang Foom was a navigator on the Makluan starship that crashed in China. While the rest of the crew shape-shifted to human form Fing Fang Foom preferred to stay in his original form and was entombed in hibernation. The Makluans bided their time for their plans of world conquest.
Fin Fang Foom awakens from his slumber a number of times either sowing terror or manipulated by other villains only to be defeated and retreats back to hibernation.
Ghost
Freelance saboteur with an unknown past except that he may have been a disgruntled executive bent on revenge. Ghost seeks to destroy corporations particularly those involve in high technology.
Ghost soon crosses path with Iron Man, as Tony Stark’s bodyguard, he also watches over Stark property. Their confrontations on numerous occasions would leave Iron Man almost defeated and Ghost would kill another super villain, Spymaster by leaving him trapped between walls. The only way Iron Man defeats Ghost is by exposing him to intense radiation, Ghost creates a meltdown and falls through the melting floor, all Iron Man could find are melted debris of his costume.
Ghost resurrects and again continues his corporate terrorism.
Justin Hammer
Cutthroat industrialist, Tony Stark’s corporate rival. Hammer had many encounters with Iron Man using the technology his companies researched to try to destroy him. He hired many super-villains to help him in his illegitimate enterprises.
Hammer stole data from Iron Man’s armor technology which he sold and equipped other super villains. Iron Man is forced to retrieve the technology by any means creating a small war in the process. Hammer’s greed led to the first Armor War.
Justin Hammer is later diagnosed with an incurable illness, deciding not to wait for his death to destroy Stark; he infected Tony Stark with nanites that made him temperamental and chaotic. Hammer and Iron Man had a final confrontation in Hammer’s space station where he was accidentally frozen and lost in space.
Madame Masque
Born Giulietta Nefaria, daughter of the master criminal Count Luchino Nefaria of the Maggia crime group, in Rome, Italy. When her mother, Renata died in childbirth Count Nefaria asked Byron Frost to raise the child as his own giving her a respectable life that he never had. Giulietta grew up as Whitney Frost living a socialite’s life believing the Frosts to be her true parents.
When Bryan Frost died, Count Nefaria revealed to Whitney Frost her identity. Nefaria threatened exposure if she would not obey ostracizing her from the society she grew up. Whitney accepted and Nefaria trained her in all aspects of criminal activity turning her into a criminal mastermind. Whitney took over the Maggia as the Big M when Count Nefaria was imprisoned. Her criminal activities would bring her in confrontation with Iron Man. When her escape craft crashes after fleeing from Iron Man, Whitney’s face disfigures from chemicals inside the craft. She is saved by another villain, Mordecai Midas who employs her as his agent. Whitney covers her scarred face with a golden mask and renames herself “Madame Masque”
Madame Masque and Tony Stark strike a reluctant relationship, falling in love after Stark shows concern about her scarred features. Madame Masque feels guilty about her criminal past disappears only to come back disguising herself as Krissy Longfellow, Tony Stark’s new secretary. They discover each other’s secret identity and begin a romantic relationship.
Madame Masque loses her sanity when her father Count Nefaria, after a botched experiment, dies while trying to escape from Iron Man. She leaves Stark and later returns to some semblance of normalcy heading again the Maggia criminal organization.
MODOK (Mobile/Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing)
George Tarleton, an average intelligence technician for AIM was genetically altered with the use of the Cosmic Cube and turned into MODOC (Mobile/Mental Organism Designed Only for Computing).
AIM scientists planned to use MODOC to improve on the organization’s productivity not considering the fact that the tremendous intellect would also produce a megalomaniacal being.
MODOC turns against his masters and changes his acronym to MODOK. He takes over AIM becoming a ruthless killer sacrificing scientific research to feed his personal grudge against superheroes. AIM scientists disillusioned by MODOK’S leadership hired assassins to terminate him. He was killed by the Black Adder of the Serpent Society who returns MODOK’S body to AIM and is turned to a super computer, as was the original intent. Later MODOK is remotely controlled by a rogue AIM agent and finally destroyed in a fight against Iron Man.
Iron Monger
Built by Obadiah Stane, another ruthless industrialist and rival of Tony Stark. Stane plans to ruin Stark and take over his company.
Through secret manipulations and economic sabotage, Stane masterminds Stark’s downfall taking over Stark International and renames the company Stane International.
Stark relapses into alcohol but does a comeback with a new company, Circuits Maximus where he creates a new armor called the Silver Centurion.
Stark challenges Stane who suits up as Iron Monger both battle it out but Stark exploiting Iron Monger’s dependency on computer control defeats Stane by destroying the computer that Stane uses to enhance Iron Monger’s abilities. Stane kills himself with a shot of a repulsor ray to the head. Stark takes control of his company renaming it Stark Enterprises.
Latest Comments
RSS