While the MCU is filled with great heroes, Iron Man has always been at the center of the cinematic universe. As the first hero introduced and the first to complete his own solo trilogy, the journey of Tony Stark has been a thrilling one with plenty of obstacles for him to overcome in order to be a hero.
One common theme of the trilogy seemed to be betrayal. Sometimes well-meaning friends and allies were forced to break trust and, of course, there were plenty of nefarious characters willing to backstab to get what they wanted. It was one more element of the trilogy that helped keep the audience on their toes for these thrilling adventures.
Happy Works For Pepper
Happy Hogan was introduced in the first Iron Man movie as Tony Stark’s bodyguard and buddy. Much like Pepper, he is a loyal employee who is willing to put up with Tony’s eccentric behavior and help him in every task he needs.
In Iron Man 2, Pepper is named as CEO and Tony’s continued recklessness drives a wedge between them. It gets even more awkward when Tony realizes that Happy now works for Pepper, even joking that he lost him in the divorce.
Rhodey Testifies
Given Tony’s nature, it’s not too surprising that sometimes his best friends need to go behind his back to keep him in check. This goes for Rhodey as well when he is brought before the senate hearing about turning the Iron Man weapons over to the U.S. government.
It is clear that Senator Stern meant to use Rhodey’s testimony out of context to make Tony look bad, which is not Rhodey’s fault. But he also could have told his best friend that he would be testifying against him in this very public setting.
Obadiah Wipes Out The Ten Rings
While the Ten Rings organization will be explored in greater detail in Shang-Chi, they were first introduced in Iron Man as the group that captured Tony Stark. However, they don’t seem very formidable as they were easily taken out by the main villain, Obadiah Stane.
After working together to kill Tony, Riza, the leader of the Ten Rings, tries to make a new deal with Stane. However, Stane clearly thinks that they have worn out their usefulness and has Riza and his men killed.
“Natalie” Is A Spy
After Pepper is promoted to CEO, Tony Stark begins looking for a new assistant and quite impulsively selects a legal aide named Natalie Rushman. She is a hardworking and loyal assistant who seems to have Tony wrapped around her finger.
As it turns out, that was all part of the plan because Natalie is actually Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow. She was sent to spy on Tony by Nick Fury and very easily manipulates him into letting her into his inner circle, proving how effective of a spy she really is.
Vanko Uses Hammer
After Russian thug Ivan Vanko nearly kills Tony Stark during an attack on a race track, the mad man gets the attention of Tony’s main rival in the tech world, Justin Hammer. Wanting to build an army of “Iron Men” for his company, Hammer breaks Vanko out of prison and recruits him.
Of course, Vanko has no intention of being someone’s lackey. Instead, he uses Hammer’s resources to build an army of drone fighters that he is programming to kill Iron Man. Hammer believes he is in control, not realizing he has given a very dangerous man access to his company.
Maya Hansen Is Working For Killian
In the opening flashback sequence of Iron Man 3, Maya Hansen is introduced as the inventor of an experimental regeneration formula called Extremis. She then pops back into the story years later when she comes looking for Tony’s help, claiming her boss, Aldrich Killian, is working for the Mandarin.
As it turns out, Maya knew Killian was evil all along and needed Tony to help finish the formula. She even helped Killian kidnap Pepper to tempt Tony.
Obadiah Steals The Arc Reactor
After Obadiah Stane kills the Ten Rings, he takes the armor Tony uses to escape captivity. It is his hope that he can build his own Iron Man armor which he sees as the ultimate weapon. But despite having the pieces, he discovers that something is missing that will complete the suit.
Obadiah visits Tony and uses some tech to paralyze him so that he can take the arc reactor from his chest. Not only is he willing to steal from Tony to complete his own suit, but he is also willing to kill him in the process.
Killian Kills Maya
Despite the fact that Maya Hansen turned a blind eye to all of the evil things Killian was doing, it turned out that she wasn’t completely without a conscience. She wanted to help people with his formula and Tony helps convince her that this is not the way to do it.
Finally, she decides to confront Killian, threatening to kill herself, thus leaving him without anyone to keep the formula stabilized. Surprisingly, Killian calls her bluff and shoots her in cold blood.
The Vice President Is In On It
Killian’s plans with the fake Mandarin continue to get more and more dramatic, leading to him kidnapping the President of the United States to have him executed. When Tony and Rhodey discover this plan, they call the Vice President and tell him to send in the army.
However, the Vice President does nothing, revealing that he is in on Killian’s plan, hoping that the Extremis formula can help to restore his daughter’s missing leg.
Obadiah Sells Out Tony
Initially, it seemed like Obadiah Stane was one of Tony Stark’s closest allies and something of a father figure following the death of Howard Stark. But as it turns out, Stane did not have the same respect for Tony as he did for Tony’s father.
Seeing Tony as an obstacle in his way to taking over Stark Industries, Stane hires Riza and his soldiers to kill Stark. It is a ruthless decision based entirely on greed and shows how much Stane was pretending to care for Tony while plotting his death.
