WARNING: Spoilers for Iron Man #14
Both fan-favorite Avengers, Iron Man and Captain America make up one of Marvel Comics’ greatest duos. Even so, the Armored Avenger and the Sentinel of Liberty have butted heads on more than one occasion. But thanks to Iron Man’s cosmic new abilities, fans - and Tony Stark himself - may finally understand why.
Iron Man #14 by Christopher Cantwell, CAFU, and Angel Unzueta finds Tony coming to grips with his overwhelming new status quo. Adapting to the infamous Power Cosmic, Tony encounters more than a few visions that give the readers insight into how Tony sees the world. And one of these visions touches on just how Iron Man sees Captain America.
With Tony having been exposed to the Power Cosmic in the previous issue, Iron Man #14 follows Stark adjusting to his newfound power source through a series of hallucinations. Initially, Tony sees himself as an isolated and unnoticed child in the future Avengers Mansion before he and his Iron Man armor grow to incredible proportions for the whole world to see. Unfortunately for Stark, this vision doesn’t last and he’s shrunk down to a minuscule stature, landing right on the kitchen table in front of a larger-than-life Captain America who hands him the phone with his angry and belittling father on the other end of the line. Eventually, Iron Man manages to get the hang of this Power Cosmic, but this whole experience really sheds some light on Stark’s psyche.
While Cap only plays the briefest role in Tony’s vision, it still speaks volumes about the characters’ dynamic. Although Steve himself isn’t the one berating Tony, he’s the one handing him the phone projecting the dismissive and patronizing voice of Stark’s father, Howard. This implies that Iron Man subconsciously associates Captain America with his father in the sense that they’re both authority figures from an older generation with hard opinions on Tony’s actions.
After all, Steve and Tony have clashed repeatedly due to hardline philosophical disagreements with Marvel Comics’ Civil War event being the most notable example. In that very conflict, Iron Man was doing what he thought was best to protect and change the world with Steve on the other side consistently standing in his way and telling him he’s wrong - a habit that Tony clearly attributes to his late father. Seeing as how Tony’s hallucination clearly portrays Captain America as a literal giant compared to an Iron Man, it’s not hard to believe that Tony perceives his fellow Avenger as the living legend who steals all his thunder.
Iron Man and Captain America may be friends and teammates, but Tony clearly resents Steve even if it is on a subconscious level. While Stark is one of Marvel Comics’ greatest minds and Avengers, Tony still feels like he has a hard time comparing to Steve Rogers. Hopefully, Iron Man’s new powers will help him realize he’s just as much of a hero as Captain America.