The Rings of The Mandarin

THE TOP 10 VILLAINS OF IRON MAN

Iron Man Villain #1: The Mandarin

As any Iron Man expert knows, there is only one super-villain that qualifies as his greatest enemy; he's captured Stark and his suit more than once, had him at Death's Door on occasion, and even made him a servant for awhile. Any time an Iron Man game or video comes out, this legendary figure usually appears, regardless of design, and begins a campaign of plots to take Tony Stark to the woodshed. He ruthless and brilliant, and also happens to be the main villain in the Iron Man 3 movie; it's The Mandarin.

Right: The Mandarin as he first appeared, from the pages of Tales of Suspense #50 (1964).

Born in China with multiple aliases, The Mandarin first appeared in Tales of Suspense #50 (1964) as a legendary figure secreted in the Valley of Spirits. His purpose had yet to be revealed when Chinese officials requested the secrets to his miraculous science. Word then reached the U.S. and Iron Man was brought into the picture. From that day forward, it's been a test of technology and might; Stark and his inventions on one side against The Mandarin and his unique powers on the other.

While capable of defeating an opponent using numerous devices and plots, the most common artifacts in The Mandarin's possession are the 10 Rings of Power. Born of Makluan science, originating from an alien species he wandered upon, he mastered them and learned how to teleport, shoot various deadly rays, and accomplish mind control. Essential to The Mandarin in nearly every encounter, they were eventually fused to his spine.

Besides his Rings, though, The Mandarin is a overwhelming, mastermind-level, super-villain. At an early age, he found a Makluan spacecraft and became astute with their technology; he employs many inventions of their origin and has even controlled their Navigator, the infamous Fin Fang Foom (this occurred during the Dragon Seed story arc). He is also a martial arts master, rounding out his intellect, cunning, and physical prowess and - without a doubt - naming him Iron Man's greatest foe.

They may be tough, they may be rough, but boy do they hate Armored Superheroes! This is The Top 10 Villains of Iron Man, a Countdown of Stark's Greatest Foes provided by The Superheroes List, in tribute to the Iron Man 3 movie. Want to see who put him on the map? Read The List!

What Do Obadiah Stane and Justin Hammer Have in Common?

THE TOP 10 VILLAINS OF IRON MAN

Iron Man VIllain #2: The Corporate Super-Villains

~Obadiah Stane plots against Tony Stark, from Iron Man #200 (1985)

If you think about what makes Iron Man more robust than the typical super-hero, it has to be the man within, the true persona guiding the armor, Tony Stark. We already know he's a genius, an extrordinary inventor, and American icon of success. What what often gets overlooked, even though he's a playboy-philanthropist, is his altogether, most-important virture: Businessman.

Stark's 2nd most diabolical enemy, therefore, is not entirely a single person...rather, it's a from a singuler direction: Corporation. The target of their attacks is always Stark Industries, the company not founded by Tony, but his dad, Howard Stark. Two main villains have surfaced in this fast-paced world, representing the most damage to the Stark Holdings: Obadiah Stane and Justin Hammer.

Justin Hammer was the first to appear, from Iron Man #120 (1979). CEO of Hammer Industries, he's been one of the key criminal elements behind Iron Man and Stark Industry attacks for years. Using his vast wealth, Hammer has created much of the tech of criminals such as Blacklash (aka Whiplash), The Beetle, Spymaster, and more. It was Hammer technology that also remotely caused Iron Man to fire upon and kill a Carnelian ambassador. Stark did survive the assualts of Justin Hammer, but it would be years before he even learned the name of his true enemy.

Founder of Stane Industries, Obadiah Stane first appeared in Iron Man #163 (1982). Using ruthless techniques, his secret agency of "Chessmen", and even creating his own version, the "Iron Monger" armor, he took control of Stark Industries from Tony and ousted him as an alcoholic. Tony barely recovered, but somehow started the join LLC "Circuits Maximus" and eventually killed Obie in the Iron Monger/Iron Man battle of Iron Man #200 (1985).

Although neither of these villains bother Stark today, their actions have had historical importance in the Iron Man chronologies. From the days they arrived, fans have realized that Iron Man is only a strong as Stark's business sense; he is a servant of his owner. Furthermore, the person smart enough to takeover Tony's business controls the suit of armor, and the technology, from that point on.

They may be tough, they may be rough, but boy do they hate Armored Superheroes! This is The Top 10 Villains of Iron Man, a Countdown of Stark's Greatest Foes provided by The Superheroes List, in tribute to the Iron Man 3 movie. Want to see who put him on the map? Read The List!

My Name Is...MODOK!

THE TOP 10 VILLAINS OF IRON MAN

Iron Man Villain #3: MODOK and AIM

There are three more vital threats to Iron Man, and this is where things may get more or less obvious. You'll soon see why.

What's one of the biggest threats to an inventor? The patent office, did you say? No! The third most potent and vital enemy to Stark and his suits is an empire of scientists bent on world domination. With the planet's most brilliant minds, all unifying against you, next on Iron Man's list is AIM.

what chance can a lone suit of technology have when super-scientists plotting together under the same Advanced Idea Mechanics pit against you? Originally called THEM, they first appeared in Strange Tales #146 (1966) and were born from the equally evil organization of HYDRA during WWII. Their purpose was first to fashion super-weapons, but later they splintered into an empire with their own motives, eventually facing Iron Man in Iron Man #1 (1967). From that moment forward, they begin working on duplicating Tony Stark's work.

AIM's power extends throughout the Marvel Universe; a power-hungry group, they are adversaries to every super-hero available. And although they are always on Iron Man's radar, MODOK (the Mobile Organism Designed Only for Killing), explains why they are so high on the list. You'd think a super-tech suit is all AIM could hope for, but their actual successes have gone in completely different directions and sciences. Aside from creating the Cosmic Cube, a reality-altering device, and the Super-Adaptiod, an andriod that can copy super-powers, MODOK, a mutated human with enhanced intelligence and mental powers, has been their key component threat since Tales of Suspense #93.

The lesson here is simple "When you're genius inventor, evil scientists want your stuff". That's why Stark has been vexed by AIM ever since.

They may be tough, they may be rough, but boy do they hate Armored Superheroes! This is The Top 10 Villains of Iron Man, a Countdown of Stark's Greatest Foes provided by The Superheroes List, in tribute to the Iron Man 3 movie. Want to see who put him on the map? Read The List!

Hulk Smash....Iron Man!

THE TOP 10 VILLAINS OF IRON MAN

Iron Man Villain #4: The Incredible Hulk

~Iron Man's biggest fear. From World War Hulk.

If there's one thing in the world that any superhero or villain wearing armor fears, it's the Incredible Hulk. Standing nearly 8ft. tall and weighting three-quarters of a ton, he's a enraged weapon of mass destruction. The Hulk is so fearsome as a foe, that word of presence is enough to drive most superheroes away, and to this date, no metal structure (except perhaps Adamantium) is capable of withstanding his onslaught.

Being one of the premiere icons of the Marvel Universe, The Hulk is actually not a super-villain. They call him a superhero most of the time, and he probably fits the definition of an anti-hero nearly all of the time. But Tony Stark and his iron-clad alter ego have good reason to add him to this list. Ever since Stark Industries, Stark Enterprises, and Stark Resilient have been supplying inventions and weapons to the government, military, and SHIELD, this unstoppable behemoth has been destroying them and proving their failure.

Most people will acknowledge the first Iron Man/Hulk encounter in Iron Man #305 (1994); that's when we saw the first Hulkbuster armor. Actually, though, they clashed much earlier, as far back as 1963 in Avengers #1, and the result ended up forming the supergroup of  Earth's Mightiest Heroes. As history has chronicled over the years, Iron Man and Hulk will consistently battle due to the nature of their origins: Hulk will inadvertently lose control and go on a city-destructive rampage (Re: The World War Hulk event), and Iron Man and his resources will be tasked with stopping him.

They may be tough, they may be rough, but boy do they hate Armored Superheroes! This is The Top 10 Villains of Iron Man, a Countdown of Stark's Greatest Foes provided by The Superheroes List, in tribute to the Iron Man 3 movie. Want to see who put him on the map? Read The List!

Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum Fin Fang Foom!

THE TOP 10 VILLAINS OF IRON MAN

Iron Man Villain #5: Fin Fang Foom

~A comparative scale of Fin Fang Foom. Excerpt from Invincible Iron Man #271 (1991).

As old and antiquated as Tony Stark and the Iron Man adventures are to us, one of his greatest villains had his own beginnings even earlier. Created by none other than Stan "The Man" Lee and Jack "King" Kirby, Fin Fang Foom, a gigantic dragon of ancient origins, would eventually join the pantheon of super-villains attempting to crack the invincible shell.

Most of the experts will tell you Iron Man's first beginnings were from Tales of Suspense #39 (1963); that's where you'll first meet the inventor and read the origin. What many of them don't know, though, is that Fin Fang Foom is actually older. First appearing in Strange Tales #89 (1961), this sleeping behemoth is awakened by Asian youth attempting to protect his homeland from invading Communist forces. That's when Mr. Foom shrugs off centuries of sleep, destroys the invaders, and heads back to its resting place. A friend to none, he is then lulled back to sleep with a special herb.

And there you go: Fin Fang Foom had already established comic book history before Stark ever assembled.

But let's get to the truth about this ancient Chinese dragon. Beating Iron Man thoroughly, "Triple F" first battled him in Invincible Iron Man #271 (1991). It seemed like a long time coming, but it was actually a meeting in the making; both were manipulated by otherwise malevolent forces (which you'll learn about later.) And once they did clash, it turned out Fin Fang Foom wasn't a dragon at all, but a draconian alien navigator from an elder race. Put in an eternal slumber by other members of his race bent on conquering our planet, he cultivated as one of the great myths of legend.

Ironically, Iron Man and Fin Fang Foom haven't had many encounters; while they fought in 1991-1992 in the Dragon Seed story arc, there's been little else except a stint in Iron Man #15-18 (1991). For some reason, though, he's a real popular pick when it comes to Iron Man cartoons and video games. To date, this villain has appeared in nearly every animated Iron Man series, including The Invincible Iron Man DVD from 2007. Maybe is because he's huge, maybe it's the legendary status. Who knows; it's probably because everybody loves a dragon.

They may be tough, they may be rough, but boy do they hate Armored Superheroes! This is The Top 10 Villains of Iron Man, a Countdown of Stark's Greatest Foes provided by The Superheroes List, in tribute to the Iron Man 3 movie. Want to see who put him on the map? Read The List!

When Ultimo Lives, Iron Man Dies

THE TOP 10 VILLAINS OF IRON MAN

Iron Man Villain #6: Ultimo

In the realm of Science Fiction, there's always one terrible plot that keeps us in suspense. It raises the hairs on the back of our necks and awakens our survival instincts. Ever drawing comic book readers, this happens when aliens, or threats of extra-terrestrial origin, invade our world seeking destruction.

To explain the next great Iron Man villain, therefore, we'll have to take you back to the 1950s. It was a time of the rise of great Sci-Fi classics where movies The Blob (1958), Invasion of The Body Snatchers (1956), and The War of The Worlds (1953) gained immediate popularity and fanbase. The alien creature was a figure of horror and mystery in all of them, but one movie in particular, The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951), where a giant robot called "Gort" goes on a destructive rampage, seemed to have inspired Marvel Comics in a very special way.

~Cover shot of Tales of Suspense #77 (1963), where Iron Man first fought Ultimo.

And this is where Ultimo, an ancient robot created a thousand years ago by an alien race, becomes the next awesome villain of Iron Man to enter the picture. Much like the Gort of that era, he's a 50 foot tall android world-killer with no other purpose than to extinguish life. Ultimo first appeared by visage in Tales of Suspense #76 (1963), and then was fully seen one issue later.

Virtually indestructible, Ultimo is like a battering ram. His energy reserves have caused the earth to crack and earthquakes to rumble across the continent. His strength is uncanny, having shattered Iron Man's armor and nearly killed Tony Stark multiple times. Having proved to be superior to our Golden Avenger in battle, most of the confrontations typically involved shutting the creature down or temporarily halting its movement.

Although he seemed to have no weakness and would have destroyed every living thing on the planet, Ultimo was restrained by one key element: programming. Being an android, mastermind-styled super-villains loved finding the robot and altering its directives for their own purposes. Even though this gave them temporary domination, it usually backfired; Ultimo is self-adapting and self-repairing, and therefore, would fix any coding errors, and turn on its user.

As of last note, Ultimo had been captured and disassembled, but its nano-technology components were turned into a sentient, weaponized virus that controlled people and gave them ultimo-like powers. Only through the efforts of James Rhodes aka War Machine and a Suzi Endo, a woman capable of controlling tech with her mind, did they neutralize it and erase its programming.

They may be tough, they may be rough, but boy do they hate Armored Superheroes! This is The Top 10 Villains of Iron Man, a Countdown of Stark's Greatest Foes provided by The Superheroes List, in tribute to the Iron Man 3 movie. Want to see who put him on the map? Read The List!

Iron Man vs. Doctor Doom

THE TOP 10 VILLAINS OF IRON MAN

Iron Man Villain #7

~Excerpt from Iron Man Legacy of Doom #1 (2008)

One concept of Iron Man that captures his readers is the capability of his armor. We always wonder how good he is compared to other armored foes. We also want to see his technology pitted against other geniuses of the age. This is a very old, but consistently updating argument because, year by year, technology and science have brand new innovations. Stark, therefore, has his work cut out for him; to stay the top dog "iron man" superhero, he has make sure his suit is cutting edge.

You'll notice that many of Iron Man's foes are likewise armored. You've already met The Ghost and Crimson Dynamo; and this same argument explains why jaws dropped when Doctor Doom, one of Marvel's greatest super-villains, shifted his gaze to Stark Industries, and became one of his greatest enemies.

Typically known as the Ruler of Latveria, Victor Von Doom is also armored, iron-grey is color with swathes of green. Doctor Doom and Iron Man first faced off in the Doomquest Saga, beginning with Iron Man #149 (1981). It was a simple fight over Stark processors, fairly purchased, to the tyrant. Tony, however, cancelled the shipment, fearing what the ruler might do with his technology. And since then, it's been bad blood.

Besides being a quintessential of Marvel, Doom shows up only occasionally to face the Avenger; after their first meeting, it was a hundred issues later (Iron Man #249) before the rematch. And it's not frequency that puts him on this list, but the popularity of the two powerhouses when they battle. Comic Book fans love it. That's because Doom is perfectly-positioned to oppose Stark on many levels. Both have suits, both are brilliant, and where Tony is a billionaire, Victor is a wealthy monarch with his own kingdom. Perhaps Doom's edge is his mastery of Sorcery, but one thing is certain, when the two come to blows, there's certain to be sparks flying.

They may be tough, they may be rough, but boy do they hate Armored Superheroes! This is The Top 10 Villains of Iron Man, a Countdown of Stark's Greatest Foes provided by The Superheroes List, in tribute to the Iron Man 3 movie. Want to see who put him on the map? Read The List!

From Russia With Love: The Crimson Dynamo

THE TOP 10 VILLAINS OF IRON MAN

Iron Man Villain #8: The Crimson Dynamo

~The Crimson Dynamo. Excerpt from Iron Man #229 (1988).

When Tony Stark first appeared in comics books, it was Tales of Suspense #39 from 1963. There were already super "men" about and costumed crusaders in the comic books, but no one - until him - was armored and calling himself hero or villain. His story was original and believable: an American Inventor-Genius who built a high-tech suit with lots of gadgets, super-strength, and nigh invulnerability. His presence therefore, attributed to "The Greatest Generation" and "American Exceptionalism", where the USA was a powerhouse of ingenuity and had a diehard spirit.

But out of the 50's and into the 60's, specifically in the John F. Kennedy Presidency, we began to witness the rise of another superpower, one symbolized by a government of communism and the soviet red flag. Having a diametrically opposed strength to American Ideals, it was only proper that Iron Man have a fight of equal scale.

Enter: The Crimson Dynamo. His first appearance being Tales of Suspense #46 (1963), a Communist Inventor named Anton Vanko who built his own special armor for the service of Mother Russia. (And if that name sounds familiar, it's because the main villain in the Iron Man 2 movie is Ivan Vanko, the inventor's son bent on revenge. Don't use the movie as a reference, though, there are serious discrepancies between it and the comic books.) Tasked with defeating Iron Man, one-on-one, Anton fought a great battle and was stopped when his Russian Overseer betrayed him. In one quick swoop of American Capitalism, Tony offers him a job at Stark Enterprises and he's now working for us.

Of course, that's not the end, though. Ever since Anton was neutered, the Crimson Dynamo has been alive and well in numerous iterations with countless different forms of technology, facing our Crimson Avenger time and time again. There have been 13 variations and wearers of this armor at this point in research, and much like the metamorphing of the Russian Government, so too is he. Call these versions "upgrades" or just representatives of their era, but the most prominent and noted wearer was Dmitri Bukharin, who had an approximate 12-year run (1978-1990).

One thing is for certain: The Crimson Dynamo will always paint on Iron Man's radar as one of his greatest enemies. This super-villain, in any iteration, is a competing technology that forces Stark to move forward in adaptation or become overwhelmed. And although Russia is a different geo-political beast, it still has the power of The Crimson Dynamo within its grasp.

They may be tough, they may be rough, but boy do they hate Armored Superheroes! This is The Top 10 Villains of Iron Man, a Countdown of Stark's Greatest Foes provided by The Superheroes List, in tribute to the Iron Man 3 movie. Want to see who put him on the map? Read The List!

Iron Man Villain #9: The Ghost

THE TOP 10 VILLAINS OF IRON MAN

Intangible, And Very Destructive

To many of the Iron Man fans who have followed him since his "golden" years, The Ghost, or "Ghost", has been around for awhile. His first appearance was Iron Man #219 (1987) wearing a fairly archaic looking opaque outfit that didn't appear to have all the bells and whistles of armor. And while his villainy was originally in question, Stark has learned that this conspiracy theorist has moved far ahead of the typical trouble-makers for his company and his suit.

The origin of The Ghost is shrouded in mystery; we've only received hints to his beginnings. What is a fact, though, is that he is the source of Ghost Tech flux-processors from Omnisapient, a company who took all the credit for his work. With his technology, the chips could activate intangibility. Somehow, this ended up in an attempted assassination (which failed) and evolved him into his present form. Practically insane, he's a Corporate Assassin with Ghost Tech processors embedded in his skin. His hatred of Stark seems to stem from Tony's success mostly as a Corporate Wizard of Wall Street.

If you're looking at the old Ghost Suit, that's a thing of the past; so is the Ghost that we originally knew. What makes him one of Iron Man's greatest threats is his ability as a master-level programmer, security analyst, and data thief. Perhaps one of the highest skilled at his craft, Ghost uses his tech to get close enough to servers and databases to extrapolate data and destroy the evidence; he's also done this with his own records, wiping out his existence completely. Everybody knows that Stark has upgraded his own body with tech, including the infamous Extremis research; this only makes him a more vulnerable target, which we saw in Iron Man #20-24 (2010).

Nowadays, Ghost represents the most elevated level of dangerousness as a villain. Iron Man has stolen and incorporated Ghost Tech, but is still unable to catch the thief as he worms his way into Stark systems and slowly nibbles away at the very thing making him a hero.

They may be tough, they may be rough, but boy do they hate Armored Superheroes! This is The Top 10 Villains of Iron Man, a Countdown of Stark's Greatest Foes provided by The Superheroes List, in tribute to the Iron Man 3 movie. Want to see who put him on the map? Read The List!

Iron Man Villain #10: The Living Laser

THE TOP 10 VILLAINS OF IRON MAN

Anti-Iron-Man Tech Has Always Been Popular, After All

~The Latest Incarnation of The Living Laser Armor, from The Invincible Iron Man #155 (2012), part of the Shattered Heroes event.

When you delve into an Iron Man comic book, one of the things you'll confront is the list of opposing technologies Stark has to face on a day-to-day basis. Because his identity is public, the villains come at him through both portals. Sometimes they hit him on the battlefield, other times it's in a court of law or judicial impositions.

Arthur Parks aka The Living Laser represents the culmination of this Anti-Iron Man tech he fought in all-out brawls over the years. And although he's going to appear alone in this list, you could accompany him with the likes of other low-rated tech villains such as Blizzard, The Titanium Man, Controller, and Whiplash, to name a few. Each of them also developed very unique powers based on their own technological research.

The Living Laser therefore, appears here at the Number 10 spot and covers the whole host of enemies that Iron Man has faced multiple times, almost beating him. Arthur Parks originally was a Physics scientist specializing in lasers, ultimately having photon diodes implanted within his skin. Starting as a suit of weapons, he eventually "upgraded" and as a side effect, became impermeated with photon energy.

Arthur's first appearance was Avengers #34 (1966), but he later became a specialized enemy of the Golden Avenger with numerous appearances. Among his many powers are insubstantial form, holograms, laser beams, and the ability to travel at light speeds.

They may be tough, they may be rough, but boy do they hate Armored Superheroes! This is The Top 10 Villains of Iron Man, a Countdown of Stark's Greatest Foes provided by The Superheroes List, in tribute to the Iron Man 3 movie. Want to see who put him on the map? Read The List!