The rivalry between Iron Man and Thanos was absolutely peak
The rivalry between MCU Iron Man and Thanos was truly a rivalry for the ages. One of the best in all fiction.
Tony might not have known Thanos’ face or name until Infinity War, but the very concept of him led to PTSD that he never truly got over. This PTSD almost ruined his relationship and got him and Pepper killed. Then he created an AI that almost wiped out mankind dinosaur style trying to prevent his inevitable come back, which also partially led to the splitting of the Avengers. This split was a contributing factor to his defeat by Thanos’ hands and the death of someone he viewed as a son. Everything Tony did to prepare for Thanos was all for a drop of blood.
Meanwhile, Thanos knew Tony stopped the 2012 invasion and thus saw him, a man in a can, as the greatest threat to his plans. Despite Thanos being an immensely powerful alien, the greatest threat to him was a mortal human with armor (if immensely powerful armor). They parallel each other in the fact that they both see themselves as the only ones who foresee a coming calamity, and have burdened themselves with the task of doing whatever it takes to prevent it.
Both Thanos and Tony (when he steals the stones in Endgame) eventually gain that power through the Infinity stones. In the end, Thanos’ narcissism leads to Tony eventually winning in the long run. Thanos is entirely driven by narcissism. He refuses to consider other solutions to the problem he's burdened himself with because of his ego. Thanos saw himself as an inevitable god, a force of nature, but Tony is just Iron Man. Tony was once selfish and arrogant, but he overcame that in his first movie. Thanos never did. Thanos sacrificed others to achieve his goals, Tony sacrificed himself to achieve his.
This contrast is also shown with how Tony treats his surrogate son and how Thanos treats his surrogate daughter. Tony may be patronizing at times, but it's for Peter's own good, and when the time is right, Tony trusts him and believes in the qualities that make him special. He also learns from Peter and is inspired by him to bring everyone back. It's not just about him. Thanos' relationship with Gamora is patronizing and all about himself. It is based on his admiration of how he shaped her and her Stockholm syndrome. He cares about her only for the things he gave her and not who she is. He doesn't care if she doesn't want it, he believes it's justified as long as she is what he wants her to be.
Finally, their fight in Infinity War is my favorite fight in any movie. Riveting, brutal, tense, epic and heart wrenching.
Just absolute peak writing on behalf of the Russos, Markus and McFeely (as well as Joss Whedon and the writers of Iron Man 3). And it's all the more fitting considering Thanos' debut was in an Iron Man comic.
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