The MCU Officially Made Iron Man’s Obsession With Avengers Nicknames Even Deeper

Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for What If…? season 2 episode 2

After 15 years, the MCU has finally offered an official reason for one of Iron Man’s most frequent habits. During his 11 years leading the Marvel franchise, Robert Downey Jr’s Tony Stark gave almost all of his Avengers teammates (and several villains). While that could have been explained by his provocative character, a new MCU release has added a deeper reason.

Stark famously gave his enemies and those he sought to belittle cutting nicknames or shallow jabs at their appearance, usually with a pop culture origin. Nebula is “Blue Meanie” (from The Beatles’ Yellow Submarine), and Ebony Maw is labelled “Squidward”. Even his friends and heroic colleagues aren’t safe: Thor is nicknamed Lebowski when he gains weight in Avengers: Endgame, Ant-Man is “Pissant”, Hawkeye is “Legolas”. It’s all part of his charm and a hint at his quick wit, but it seems it’s much more than that too.

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Every Nickname Iron Man Gave Other MCU Characters Explained

Known for his sarcastic quips, Tony Stark also had a penchant for nicknames, and he gave some of the funniest ones to other MCU characters.

How What If Explains Iron Man’s Nicknames Origin

In What If…? season 2 episode 2, a moment from Howard Stark explains why Iron Man gives everyone nicknames – he takes after his father. When the Asgardian God of Thunder arrives on Earth to join the fight against the multiverse Peter Quill, Howard calls Thor “Lightning Boy” dismissively. It’s a brief moment, but it suggests that Tony learned his endearing (and occasionally annoying) trick from his daddy.

Hilariously, Thor misses the nuance of Howard belittling him with the nickname and refers to the Avengers 1988 founder in return as “moustache man”.

What If…?

What If… ? is an animated anthology series set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe which features fan-favorite characters, including Peggy Carter, T’Challa, Doctor Strange, Killmonger, Thor, and more. The new series, directed by Bryan Andrews with AC Bradley as head writer, features signature MCU action with a curious twist. The show sees Uatu the Watcher, an omnipotent being that observes the events of multiple universes from afar as they unfold, unable to interfere. However, things shift when an entity peers beyond the veil, jeopardizing the multiverse. 

Cast

Samuel L. Jackson , Stanley Tucci , Michael Douglas , Sean Gunn , Mark Ruffalo , Karen Gillan , Tom Hiddleston , Jeffrey Wright , Michael B. Jordan , Toby Jones , Sebastian Stan , Paul Rudd , David Dastmalchian , Natalie Portman , Josh Brolin , Dominic Cooper , Jeff Goldblum , Hayley Atwell , Djimon Hounsou , Chadwick Boseman , Taika Waititi , Chris Hemsworth , Neil McDonaugh , Jeremy Renner , Michael Rooker

Writers

Ashley Bradley , Matthew Chauncey

Streaming Service(s)

Disney Plus

Tony Stark’s Nickname Trick Has A Touching Meaning

The deeper meaning here is all about connection. Tony may have wanted to distance himself from his father and find his own way but Endgame proved he always wanted his approval. When the pair unite in the 1970s timeline branch, Tony finally gets the chance he lost to actually connect with his father free from the more negative emotions he grew up with.

Mirroring his father is a tragic little nod to just how important Howard always was to him. Tragically, despite his express desire that his son wouldn’t grow up to be like him, Howard never got to see the positive lessons Tony learned from his relationship with his father as he got older. Yes, he took on his ego and his obsessive professional drive, but he also eventually avoided being the bad father he clearly felt his father was.

Despite their love/hate relationship, Tony still idolized his father. He grew in his image both consciously and unknowingly, and the fact that he picked up his father’s penchant for nicknaming people – even in the face of their obvious super powered threat – proves exactly how closely Howard imprinted on Tony. It’s a small detail in What If…? but a surprisingly loaded addition to Iron Man’s backstory.