The breakout star of the Marvel Cinematic Universe was undoubtedly Iron Man, who became the face of the series until his demise in Avengers: Endgame. However, Tony Stark had the kind of challenging personality that made others consider him to be full of himself, even when he was right.
Other times, Tony was the one at fault but his bravado made him overlook the fact that he could be wrong too. In his eleven-year stay in the MCU, Tony had to face the likes of Ultron, Loki, and even his own Avengers teammates, during which there were plenty of times where he was in the right and in the wrong.
Wrong: That Steve Rogers Was A Hero Only Because Of The Serum
In The Avengers, Steve and Tony got into an argument over Tony’s belittling of S.H.I.E.L.D. and undermining their authority. When Steve called Tony out on this, the latter shot back that Steve wasn’t a hero either since he was essentially a lab experiment whose abilities came from the super-soldier serum.
This wasn’t the case, though, as Steve’s role as a hero wasn’t limited to his powers but the heart and strength of character he displayed. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier proved that Captain America had become a symbol for all that was good, proving that Steve’s status as a hero was far deeper than Tony thought.
Right: The Earth Needed Protection
Tony became paranoid of an attack on Earth after the Chitauri invasion but his fears were ignored in Iron Man 3. He was the only one who kept thinking of ways to protect the world by Avengers: Age of Ultron.
He turned out to be absolutely right in Avengers: Infinity War when the Black Order attacked Earth at a time when there was no one to protect it. He made sure to call Captain America out on this in Avengers: Endgame when Thanos had won, as the Avengers weren’t united to fight him.
Wrong: Alienating Rhodey When He Thought He Was Dying
There’s no doubt that Tony and Rhodey have the best friendship but this relationship was in threat during Iron Man 2 when Tony deliberately made a mockery out of himself when he thought he was going to die. His intention to do so was for Rhodey to become War Machine and be the next hero.
When Rhodey learned of Tony’s condition by the end of the movie, it was clear that he didn’t think any less of his friend and actively helped him stop the threat of Whiplash along with providing Tony support. In this instance, Tony had underestimated the loyalty that Rhodey possessed.
Right: That Bruce Banner Needed To Embrace The Hulk
As soon as Tony and Bruce met, the former took it upon himself to test just how much control Bruce had on The Hulk. While Bruce wanted to fight his other side, Tony argued that he needed to embrace it in order to achieve total harmony.
Not only was Tony proven correct in The Avengers, but he was ultimately right in the long run as Bruce combined his original persona with The Hulk’s by Avengers: Endgame to finally find the peace and acceptance he had always craved.
Wrong: Signing The Sokovia Accords Would Help
The unique aspect of Captain America: Civil War was that neither side of Iron Man and Captain America was totally right or wrong. However, the Avengers became fractured due to government intervention and Vision, Rhodey Black Panther, Black Widow -- all of whom were on Iron Man’s side -- aligned with Steve by Avengers: Infinity War.
Tony himself lost interest in the Avengers and was left with only Spider-Man on his side by the time the Black Order attacked. Although teaming with Captain America would have made him the government’s enemy, it would have at least allowed the team to be united to face Thanos.
Right: Steve Would Get The Family Life Someday
After losing the love of his life in Peggy due to him being frozen for seventy years, Steve came to think that he would never get the family life he had once wanted. Tony, however, claimed that Steve would definitely get that someday, which he said as far back as in Avengers: Age of Ultron.
Tony was never around to see it, but Steve kept his words by his heart and followed through with it in Avengers: Endgame when he traveled back in time to be with Peggy. In the end, Steve got what he wanted, something that Tony had predicted many years earlier due to his faith in Steve.
Wrong: Not To Reconcile With Steve When He Had The Chance
The Avengers could have been reunited by the end of Captain America: Civil War itself had Tony swallowed his pride. This was due to his possession of the phone that Steve sent to him with the hope that Tony would call him to reconcile.
Tony decided against doing so, with the consequence being that the Avengers were still broken up by the time Thanos attacked. What’s more, Tony actually carried the phone around with him at all times, meaning he did desire to make up with Steve but forced himself not to.
Right: To Take The Fight To Thanos
In Avengers: Infinity War, Tony found himself in space along with Peter Parker and Doctor Strange, where they were able to defeat Ebony Maw. However, Tony then proposed they go to the destination Maw wanted them to since Thanos would be waiting and they could ambush him.
Although the team ultimately lost on Titan, Tony had the right idea of things since they actually did beat Thanos and would have won had Star-Lord not botched the plan. More importantly, it was on Titan where Doctor Strange saw all possible futures and devised the strategy to win in Avengers: Endgame.
Wrong: That He Could Make The Ultron Program Work
Tony’s failings always came down to his arrogance, which remained a part of his character even after he had decided to embrace the superhero life. In his bid to “put a suit of armor around the world,” Tony lost sight of the consequences.
To this end, he went about making Ultron all by himself, which backfired horribly as the A.I. decided to destroy Earth itself. Tony was not only wrong about creating Ultron, but his move also led to the Sokovia Accords that ultimately fractured the Avengers.
Right: That Everything Would Ultimately Work Out The Way It's Supposed To
These were the words Tony spoke when his holographic message was shown to his family before his funeral. While the others were nervous about the Time Heist, Tony took on a more humorous approach in Avengers: Endgame due to his belief that things would work out.
Although he perished in the end, Tony was right that everything would fall into place as all the characters that survived were able to return to their lives. His belief in the victory of the good guys was absolute and that is exactly what transpired after the defeat of Thanos.