Iron Man Is Still Haunted By His Greatest Captain America Failure
Warning! Spoilers for Iron Man #18 by Marvel Comics
One of Iron Man's biggest personal failures continues to haunt the hero to this day, as the death of Captain America following the events of Civil War still hang heavy in his mind years after it occurred. In Iron Man #18, Marvel Comics takes a deeper dive into Tony Stark's personal struggles, which reminds readers of his guilt over his role in the death of Captain America.
Marvel's Civil War fractured the relationship between Iron Man and Captain America, as Tony Stark supported the controversial Superhero Registration Act. At the same time, Steve Rogers strongly opposed heroes having to be under the government's watch. As a result, Captain America and Iron Man would come into conflict, as heroes on both sides were thrown into danger, with the final confrontation between the two heroes almost leading to Rogers killing Stark. However, Captain America would eventually stand down, leading to his arrest. But, it also led to his death via assassination attempt, which hung heavy on Tony Stark's head - as he blamed himself for his longtime friend's murder.
In Iron Man #18 by Marvel Comics by Christopher Cantwell, Lan Medina, Frank D'Armata, and VC's Joe Caramagna, Tony Stark's god powers leave his closest friends dead. In a conversation with Patsy Walker, he reveals his friendships almost always end in conflict, as Iron Man goes through his past and the heavy expectations put on him by his father that made him feel worthless. Stark reveals he tried to be perfect by ignoring his flaws, as his heroic form made him not always care about what harm he caused. However, he admits his attempts to be a "saint" were misguided and cost him a lot, as his flaws caused people, including Captain America in the aftermath of Civil War, to get hurt.
Iron Man has long struggled with his public perception versus his own self-worth, as he's spiraled out of control several times after getting people hurt. It's why Tony Stark has turned to drinking and other addictions to forget or mask his problems. However, he's still haunted by how he handled Civil War and the subsequent death of Captain America, which continued the cycle of turning a close friend into an enemy.
As he has before, Iron Man tried to fix his problems before fully confronting them. Unfortunately, this time, it leads to the death of his friends at the hands of his new god powers. Just like the death of Captain America in Civil War which still haunts him to this day, Tony Stark allowed his flaws to get those closest to him killed - but in this scenario, he was solely responsible for their deaths. Thankfully, unlike with Captain America's death, Iron Man can immediately undo the damage he caused - but only after Patsy Walker ensures he does not forget the danger of his actions. Iron Man #18 is in comic book stores now.