Warning! Spoilers for X-Men: Hellfire Gala #1 ahead!
Measuring intelligence can be somewhat subjective, but most lists of Marvel geniuses tend to put Reed Richards near the top. The leader of the Fantastic Four is hands down one of the most brilliant men around, but during this year’s Hellfire Gala Iron Man proved that being the most intelligent doesn’t always make you the smartest.
Mr. Fantastic is one of the smartest characters in Marvel Comics, having discovered the Negative Zone and the cosmic rays that gave the Fantastic Four their powers. He has created artificial intelligences, extra dimensional portals, and even the Unstable Molecules that most heroes use to keep their costumes from falling apart. Reed has conquered space travel, time travel, and multiversal travel, and no other character comes close to his accomplishments, except for Tony Stark. Iron Man is an obvious genius, having mastered electrical and mechanical engineering, chemistry, computer science, and physics. Though he is often rated lower than Reed, Tony has created some of the most sophisticated technology ever seen, including nanotechnology, his Endo-Sym Armor, and even powerful armor capable of killing a celestial. Unlike Mr. Fantastic, Iron Man’s intelligence is more impulsive. Reed is a mercurial and absent-minded scientist, who sometimes neglects his own family, friends, and bodily needs in pursuit of a problem. On the other hand, Tony is more madcap, and will typically jump into solving a problem before he even fully understands it.
Iron Man is a doer and Mr. Fantastic is a thinker, and nowhere is that more clearly illustrated than in the pages of 2022’s X-Men: Hellfire Gala #1. With a creative team of Gerry Duggan, Russell Dauterman, Kris Anka, C.F. Villa, Matteo Lolli, and Carlos Gomez, the second Hellfire Gala sees Reed confess to Tony that Professor X and Magneto stole plans for a device from his head and then wiped his memory. Mr. Fantastic has been sitting on this troubling problem for some time and has never worked to resolve it. In contrast, Iron Man immediately confronts Emma Frost and plants a seed of political strife among the mutants of Krakoa. This action proves that Reed may be smarter but Tony is savvier, and that’s a huge advantage.
During the events of 2020’s X-Men/Fantastic Four Charles Xavier used his powers on Mr. Fantastic to steal plans for a device that could mask the X-Gene in mutants. From espionage to warfare, this invention could have incredible advantages to the mutant nation of Krakoa. Despite being mindwiped, Reed figured out what was stolen and then did nothing with the information. In contrast, Iron Man goes directly to Emma Frost, meeting her in a room full of prominent mutants and heroes where it would be difficult to mess with his memory undetected. While predicting the end of Krakoa, he drops hints about what was done to Reed. Frost and Xavier are part of two different political factions within Krakoa’s Quiet Council, and it’s almost certain that Tony knows this. By giving her enough breadcrumbs he is planting seeds of division among the mutant ruling council. Then before he leaves, Tony stops to congratulate Firestar on being elected to the X-Men, and to remind her of her loyalty to the Avengers. In a few short conversations Stark is able to cause strife among the mutant nation and recruit a possible informant. For as smart as Reed is, Tony demonstrates an intelligence beyond his ability.
When you measure the pure intellectual power of Tony Stark and Reed Richards there is no comparison. The leader of the Fantastic Four is a cognitive powerhouse, but as Iron Man proved during the Hellfire Gala there is more to being smart than simply knowing how to invent shiny machines.
