Over the almost sixty years since his comic book debut in 1963, Iron Man has faced countless enemies both on his own and as part of hero teams like the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy, among others. While most of his most recognizable villains are male, Tony has also faced some intriguing female foes over the years.
These female villains are ones that Tony has primarily faced as an individual, with more personal ties to the fight, rather than those that he's taken on as part of a larger organization. From family members of his greatest rivals to fellow tech entrepreneurs, these women have opposed Tony throughout his heroic history.
Madame Masque
The dynamic between Tony Stark and Madame Masque started off as one of Iron Man's strangest friendships. Born as Giulietta Nefaria but having later changed her name to Whitney Frost, she met Iron Man while working as his secretary and the two had a relationship when Tony discovered her identity as the villain Count Nefaria's daughter.
Although Madame Masque has become a recurring nemesis of Iron Man's, the two have continued to share a complicated dynamic, sometimes appearing to be on the same side and still show affection for one another, but just as quickly able to clash as enemies.
Justine Hammer/The Crimson Cowl
The daughter of Justin Hammer, Justine Hammer has sometimes taken on the name the Crimson Cowl, through which she formed a version of the Masters Of Evil. Justine has also worked alongside another opposed to Stark, Ezekiel Stane, in order to discredit Tony's company, Stark Resilient.
Although the MCU's Iron Man trilogy is over, the villain could appear in other MCU movies, as Mandarin did in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Justine's strained relationship with her father, whose disregard for her led to her founding the Masters Of Evil to succeed where he failed, provides an unexpected point of common ground between her and Stark, even as she so vehemently opposes him.
Kala
One of Iron Man's earliest villains, Kala also made her comic book debut in 1963. As Queen of the Netherworld, a realm which broke off from Atlantis but likewise sank, Kala aimed to bring her armies back to the Earth's surface and conquer the people there.
When Tony is accidentally transported to her realm, Kala attempts to use his genius as a way to achieve her goals, but instead he uses Kala's lab to create a duplicate of his armor and escape. Kala's classic villainy and more fantastical backstory make her a memorable, if relatively short-lived, foe. Her treatment of Tony and motivation to have him build her new tech provides a parallel to Stark's first capture by Wong-Chu, the event that led to him becoming Iron Man in the first place. It's a reminder that Tony's genius is just as valuable to some villains as Iron Man's power.
Absynthe
Who better to take on one of the smartest characters in Marvel Comics than a sentient computer program? Originally a human named Abigail, Absynthe had her consciousness uploaded into digital form via an experimental trial. Targeting Tony in order to gain some of his software, Absynthe manages to gain control over some of his armor.
During this storyline, a copy of Stark himself - Tony Stark 2.0 - is uploaded to the suit as a failsafe when the primary Tony is injured. The subsequent fights between Tony 2.0 and Absynthe take place primarily in a digital space, providing a refreshing kind of battle for both hero and reader, while also reminding Tony of the hazards of his reliance on the software he's built and the ways it can be hijacked.
Sasha Hammer
As the daughter of Iron Man's coolest villain, the Mandarin, and fellow female antagonist Justine Hammer, Sasha Hammer learned all of Iron Man's worst traits and teamed up with boyfriend Ezekiel Stane to take down key Stark Industries buildings. She also worked alongside her mother and donned the Detroit Steel name and armor to take matters into her own hands. With the family legacy of Stark hatred inherited from both her mother and father, it's no surprise that Sasha's vendetta against Tony is so strong, and the layers of her motivations make her an interesting villain to observe.
Tomoe
An Inhuman whose latent powers were awakened by the Terrigen Bomb, Tomoe gained the ability to control technology with her thoughts, even systems as complex and fortified as Iron Man's suits of armor. She often uses this power to gather such technologies around herself, forming her own improvised armored suit.
After her powers awakened, Tomoe also fought her way to the head of the Southeast Asia Crime Syndicate in Japan and faced off against not only Iron Man but also War Machine and Ironheart. Her abilities lead Stark to come up with some creative solutions, and her arc feels satisfactory as a result. Tomoe's tendency to augment her improvised suits with materials from her surroundings also shows her adaptability, a skill that Tony can sometimes struggle with due to his constant reliance on the reliable but relatively static Iron Man tech.
Sunset Bain/Madame Menace
A great entrepreneur and the CEO of Baintronics, Inc., Sunset Bain attended MIT at the same time as Tony Stark and the two had a relationship, during which time Sunset tricked Tony into revealing security codes used at Stark Industries. After this incident, several prototypes were stolen and Sunset broke up with Tony, later founding her company.
She took on the name Madame Menace, using the identity to engage in criminal dealings while keeping her company and name out of it. Sunset and Tony clashed when he became convinced she'd built a military vehicle from his stolen tech, and they continued to feud. Interestingly, Sunset has far more dealings with Tony than Iron Man, a distinction that sets her apart from a lot of other villains. Her main concern is controlling the tech market, both in legitimate and criminal circles and for those reasons her actions threaten the credibility of Tony's armor designs, which helps bankroll his superhero career.