10 Dumbest Decisions Marvel Heroes Have Ever Made
4. Iron Man Fights While Drunk - Iron Man #168 (1983)
During the Demon In A Bottle storyline, Tony Stark developed a crippling addiction to alcohol. As the condition worsened, the formerly respected philanthropist grew belligerent, erratic, and violent. Convincing himself that he no longer needed to run Stark Industries, he quit his civilian life to be a full-time superhero. Of course, Shellhead was so drunk while piloting his suit, he often damaged property, injured civilians, and failed to stop criminals.
Probably the most reckless moment during this period was when Stark was confronted by the robotic superhero, Machine Man. Although the crimefighting android had nothing but good intentions upon meeting Stark, the armoured Avenger was too drunk to understand the situation and attacked Machine Man.
However, Stark was completely besotted, rendering him unable to hit his opponent effectively. When Stark tried to whack Machine Man with a pole, he accidentally swung the projectile towards two bystanders.
Luckily, Machine Man shoved the civilians out of the way just before the pole collided into them. When Stark reflected upon the incident in Iron Man/Captain America: Casualties of War, he admitted that he would've committed manslaughter if the civilians were an inch closer when he swung the pole.