Depending on the suit of armor he’s wearing at the moment, Iron Man has a plethora of astounding abilities that make him not only one of the strongest Avengers, but one of the most powerful mortals in the history of the Marvel Universe. And there’s one ability in particular that Iron Man has, no matter which suit he has on, and while it’s not the most flashy, it’s one that gives him a serious advantage in any given situation. So serious, in fact, that Tony Stark actively hides this power from other heroes.

In Iron Man #7 by Daniel and Charles Knauf and Patrick Zircher, Iron Man takes down a villain that’s robbing a bank and threatening the lives of civilians – and he does so by stopping his heart. Granted, Tony knew exactly when and how to restart the technologically-enhanced villain’s heart to ensure that he didn’t kill him (permanently, anyway), but it was still enough to make Captain America and Luke Cage angry when they heard it.

As Iron Man flies away from the scene, leaving Steve and Luke to clean up his mess, Luke Cage tells Captain America what he really thinks of Iron Man. Luke says that Iron Man is treating them like his personal sidekicks, before flat-out saying that Tony Stark deserves to get his butt kicked. During Luke’s anti-Stark tirade, Captain America tried to get him to stop talking, and when Luke finally finished, Rogers looked Cage dead in the eye and said, “He can hear every word you’re saying”.

Iron Man Has Super-Hearing Powers Almost No One Knows About

Captain America knows about Iron Man’s super-hearing power because they are two of the closest heroes in Marvel Comics, so it’d make sense that he’d be aware of that particular ability. What’s more telling, however, is that Luke Cage didn’t know about that power, which indicates that Iron Man doesn’t advertise it. And if Luke Cage didn’t know – being a member of the Avengers during that time – then it’s likely almost no other hero knew, either, making this super-hearing ability one Iron Man keeps fairly close to his chest.

Tony Stark doesn’t want everyone to know that he can hear people from a great distance away (indeed, Iron Man had gotten pretty far after he flew away from Luke and Steve) because this low-key power gives him the advantage in every situation. Whether he wants to listen in to what the other Avengers are saying behind his back, or he is doing a covert-op mission, and doesn’t want it leaked to his enemies that he can hear them from far away. Any secret power is advantageous, and this one is especially useful given its discrete and subtle nature.

Iron Man’s Super-Hearing Effectively Gives Him Daredevil’s Best Power

Even with the fact that secret super-hearing can give someone an advantage in practically any situation, it still feels like a pretty insignificant power next to some of Iron Man’s more flashy superpowers. However, super-hearing is the cornerstone of Daredevil’s entire power-set, as it’s the heightened sense he arguably calls upon most. And now, it’s revealed that Iron Man can call that power his own, which is complimented by the other ‘heightened senses’ his armor offers him, like visual zoom and sonar.

While the idea that Iron Man kept his super-hearing power a secret from the Avengers is a little sketchy, it makes practical sense why he would do so. Every other power he boasts is on full display, as is the fact that Tony is just a normal person without his armor (albeit a super-genius one). Iron Man may feel like he needs to give himself little advantages over these superpowered ‘gods’ he works alongside everyday, and as far as covertly obtaining secret information, there’s no better power than this one.