How Iron Man Would Defeat Every Justice League Member

Breaking down how smart 'n' snarky Stark would topple DC 's Finest.

by Andrew Pollard
Justice League Iron Man
DC Comics/Marvel Comics

These days, Iron Man is one of the most popular and recognisable characters in all of comics. In part due to Robert Downey Jr.'s depiction of Tony Stark in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Armoured Avenger is a truly major deal in the comic book world right now.

Despite being a founding member of the Avengers, it's not always been sunshine and rainbows for Stark. In fact, truth be told, the Iron Man character was largely viewed as a B-list, possibly C-list hero by fans for a couple of decades. After 1979's Demon in a Bottle arc, some would argue that Shellhead wasn't really relevant again until the lead-in to Civil War in 2006.

While his popularity may have waned during those years - usually with Spider-Man or the X-Men instead being at the fore - Marvel Comics still did their best to showcase Iron Man as an extremely powerful and intelligent superhero. So much so, Tony was realistically a serious threat to anyone he chose to butt heads with.

There has been the occasional crossover between Marvel and DC Comics, and likewise that's seen some of the Avengers tangle with the Justice League. Should such a full-on battle between these two groups happen again at some point, here's how Iron Man would be able to defeat ten of the greatest Leaguers of all time.

10. Green Arrow

Justice League Iron Man
DC Comics

The ever-tetchy Emerald Archer, Green Arrow is someone who Iron Man would realistically get the better off with relative ease.

Regardless of your writer being a huge fan of Oliver Queen, it's tough to imagine him being able to get even close to taking down the Armoured Avenger. Granted, the Master Bowman is prolific with his aim and can turn pretty much anything into a weapon, but that just doesn't cut it when it comes to going up against someone as skilled and outright powerful as Iron Man.

Tony Stark is smarter than Ollie, has a ludicrous amount of technology at his fingertips, can handily keep his distance from Queen, and is able to fire his own missile projectiles in the direction of Green Arrow and his trusty bow.

It may sound harsh to say it, but Oliver Queen is likely the easiest Justice Leaguer for ol' Shellhead to face off against. In fact, the only way that the Arrow might be able to match or possibly better Iron Man is when it comes to firing off snarky quips.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.