The Mandarin still
Iron Monger
Ezekiel Stane
Madame Masque
Someone else
He has none
His real archnemesis is yet to be revealed
I don't think that's true. Several of them are mercenaries who don't even think in those terms at all. The Mandarin and maybe Living Laser are the ones with the most personal grudge against Stark.
Right now, honestly, he doesn't have one.
I'd love for Justin Hammer or Edwin Cord to return and present a real challenge to Tony.
Maybe Arno and Sunset will fill the void.
I'd almost have to say Mandarin by default, since he's maybe the only Iron Man rogue that's still around and still worth Tony's time.
OP Question - The Mandarin, I suppose. I can't think of anyone else who comes close even though the Mandarin hasn't had a story in many years now.
"So you've come to the end now alive but dead inside."
I wonder how Doom feels about Tony now and vice versa. Doom felt it was his duty to honor Tony's memory when he became Infamous Iron Man. I'm sure Tony would agree with his AI and say thanks but no thanks. But there wasn't any leftover animosity on Doom's part when he returned from Secret Wars. But then again I look at Slott and what he did with Doom's appearance in the Fantastic Four.
It’s the Mandarin. Always has. Always will be.
"We live in a world of cowards. We live in a world full of small minds who are afraid. We are ruled by those who refuse to risk anything of their own. Who guard their over bloated paucities of power with money. With false reasoning. With measured hesitance. With prideful, recalcitrant inaction. With hateful invective. With weapons. F@#K these selfish fools and their prevailing world order." Tony Stark
"We live in a world of cowards. We live in a world full of small minds who are afraid. We are ruled by those who refuse to risk anything of their own. Who guard their over bloated paucities of power with money. With false reasoning. With measured hesitance. With prideful, recalcitrant inaction. With hateful invective. With weapons. F@#K these selfish fools and their prevailing world order." Tony Stark
to find his archenemy, you have to first define Tony's motivation. The Red Skull's goals are diametrically opposed to Captain America's. So who is that to Tony? I still think that Spymaster was right. He outgrew his rogues gallery. I guess it could be said that Stane represents something that Tony abhors; the perversion of advanced technology (his own technology specifically). But Zeke hasn't earned his stripes. To me, what is important to Tony is control. That makes him his archenemy because nature cursed him with dependency/human frailty. Even now that he's not fully human.
Last edited by Michael Watkins; 08-02-2019 at 05:11 PM.
About having diametrically opposing views, I think that’s why the stanes are the closest thing to an archenemy. Obadiah is old fashioned, always thinking about war, profit and conquest while tony wants a better more optimistic future. Ezekiel is shameless and again just wants profit for profits sake. Often a great archenemy is like “what if the hero was bad” (like magneto or red hood). I think that’s why Ezekiel is cool too because he’s the other side of capitalism or even tony before he got captured
"We live in a world of cowards. We live in a world full of small minds who are afraid. We are ruled by those who refuse to risk anything of their own. Who guard their over bloated paucities of power with money. With false reasoning. With measured hesitance. With prideful, recalcitrant inaction. With hateful invective. With weapons. F@#K these selfish fools and their prevailing world order." Tony Stark
I expect them to interact again at some point. With Doom being on the run in his upcoming solo, maybe Tony will be one of those looking to capture him.
I know Layton and Michelinie finished their time trilogy some years back. They've been to the past, the future and the last was the present. But it wasn't as good as the other two. What other direction could they go...sideways maybe? As in a parallel universe. We saw a glimpse of Sorcerer Supreme Tony in Infamous Iron Man. With Bendis gone, no one has really touched upon that AFAIK.