Breaking down how smart 'n' snarky Stark would topple DC 's Finest.
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00:00 Now, when it comes to Marvel and DC, there's been the occasional crossover, and likewise,
00:04 that's seen some of the Avengers tangle with the likes of the Justice League.
00:08 And should a full-on battle between these two groups happen again at some point, here's
00:12 how we think that Iron Man would be able to defeat 10 of the greatest leaguers ever.
00:17 So let's take a look at them as I'm Jules, this is WhatCulture.com, and this is how Iron
00:20 Man would defeat every Justice League member.
00:22 10.
00:23 Green Arrow
00:24 The ever-touchy Emerald Archer, Green Arrow is somebody who Iron Man would realistically
00:29 get the better of with relative ease.
00:31 Now, regardless of us being huge fans of Oliver Queen, it's tough to imagine him being able
00:35 to get even close to taking down the Armored Avenger.
00:38 Now, granted, the Master Bowman is prolific with his aim and can turn pretty much anything
00:42 into a weapon, but that just doesn't cut it when it comes up against somebody who is
00:46 as skilled and outright powerful as Iron Man.
00:49 Tony Stark is smarter than Oli, has a ludicrous amount of technology at his fingertips, can
00:54 handily keep his distance from Queen, and is able to fire his own missile projectiles
00:58 in the direction of Green Arrow and his trusty bow.
01:02 It may sound harsh to say it, but Oliver Queen is likely the easiest Justice Leaguer for
01:06 old Shellhead to face off against.
01:08 In fact, the only way that the Arrow might be able to match or possibly better Iron Man
01:12 is when it comes to firing off snarky quips.
01:14 9.
01:15 Atom
01:16 In the case of the Atom, his core power involves being able to shrink down in size while still
01:20 remaining extremely strong.
01:22 To compare Ray Palmer to any of the characters who Iron Man is already familiar with, the
01:26 two that immediately jump out from the pages of Marvel Comics are Ant-Man and the Wasp.
01:31 Utilising this knowledge of his Avengers teammates, Tony Stark definitely already has a one-up
01:35 on Atom.
01:36 Considering Palmer's size-altering abilities come from the white dwarf star usually attached
01:40 to his belt, Shellhead could feasibly hack into this and force the Atom to continuously
01:44 shrink indefinitely until there's nothing left of this Justice Leaguer.
01:48 On the flip side of this, there isn't much at all that Atom could do to Tony as part
01:51 of his own offence.
01:53 Stark has a collection of suits in his arsenal that are made from liquid technology, meaning
01:57 that there aren't any natural cracks in the armour of these outfits for the Atom to
02:01 get under Tony's skin.
02:02 In particular, the Bleeding Edge suit literally serves as a second skin for Iron Man.
02:07 This is a fight that the Atom simply cannot win.
02:09 For Tony Stark, it's a matter of when, not if, he'd be successful in beating Palmer.
02:14 8.
02:15 Aquaman
02:16 Key to Iron Man beating Aquaman is Tony Stark making sure to minimise the King of Atlantis'
02:21 ability to use water to his advantage.
02:23 On dry land, away from any coastlines, Aquaman is far less powerful than he is when swimming
02:28 around in the Seven Seas.
02:29 That said, the marine marvel is still one tough cookie, whether in or out of water.
02:34 Aquaman is a god-like being, similar in approach and powers to Thor in some regards.
02:40 One thing that Thor has been able to do previously, of course, is literally crush Tony Stark's
02:44 armour.
02:45 One has to imagine that this is similarly something that Justice League's Atlantean
02:48 would be able to do, but that doesn't mean Aquaman will get the W over Iron Man.
02:53 As previously mentioned elsewhere on this list, Stark has the Bleeding Edge armour up
02:57 his sleeve for any serious battles.
02:59 Essentially a liquid skin suit controlled mentally by the armoured Avenger, this would
03:03 be enough to hold off any assault from Aquaman.
03:06 Added to this, the uber-smart Shellhead would surely have some concussion missiles to hand
03:10 to disorientate and take down his foe.
03:13 Even better, those missiles would be even more effective underwater due to how quickly
03:16 sound travels in such circumstances.
03:19 7.
03:20 Martian Manhunter
03:21 On the surface, the Martian Manhunter has a frankly outrageous amount of powers at his
03:26 fingertips.
03:27 For those not overly familiar with John Jones, he's a shape-shifting, telepathic, telekinetic,
03:31 super-strong, heat-vision-firing being who can fly and turn himself invisible.
03:35 By anyone's standards, this is quite the impressive laundry list of ability.
03:39 But while he is an opponent that can topple most beings in the galaxy if allowed to tap
03:43 into his unique skills, the one major weakness of the Martian Manhunter is a simple one - fire.
03:48 To throw out a comparison, fire to the Manhunter is similar to what kryptonite is to Superman.
03:53 So for Iron Man to get one over on the Bronze Wraith, he just needs to conjure up an absolute
03:57 hellstorm of fire.
03:59 And given the arsenal at his disposal, it wouldn't take much for Tony Stark to make
04:02 some sort of explosive firework that would have the Martian quaking in his cape.
04:07 Once fire has been thrown Jones' way, the fight would be over in a matter of seconds,
04:11 and the Armored Avenger would be standing victorious.
04:14 6.
04:15 Wonder Woman
04:16 In terms of abilities, Wonder Woman is likely the closest Justice Leaguer to Captain America,
04:20 with that splash of Thor thrown in for good measure.
04:23 Both the Amazon and the Sentinel of Liberty have superhuman strength and endurance, both
04:27 are master strategists and leaders, and both are pretty damn tough to kill.
04:32 But whilst being tough to kill, both Diana and Cap have indeed perished over the years
04:36 of the comics.
04:37 Of course, comics being comics, said demises haven't exactly remained permanent.
04:41 Still, the point stands that it is possible to get the better of Wonder Woman.
04:45 Pulling a page from Batman's playbook in the opinion-splitting Tower of Babel storyline,
04:49 Tony could use Diana's own will to win against her.
04:52 Forever up for a good fight, Wonder Woman simply cannot say no to a battle.
04:56 As detailed by the Dark Knight when compiling records on how to defeat each of his Justice
05:00 League cohorts should they ever go rogue, the best way to stop the 'Lady of Justice'
05:04 would be to trap her in a simulation based around continuous combat.
05:08 Given Iron Man's intelligence and resources, he could easily put together just such a machine
05:12 to trick Wonder Woman into an endless fight with herself.
05:15 5.
05:16 Superman
05:17 While the Marvel Cinematic Universe has popularised Iron Man's Hulkbuster suit, it may well
05:21 be Tony Stark's Phoenix Buster that comes in handy should Shellhead ever butt heads
05:26 with Superman.
05:27 In a case of 'does exactly what it says on the tin', Stark's Phoenix Buster is
05:31 capable of toppling the ridiculously powerful cosmic force known as the Phoenix.
05:36 You know, as in the one and the same Phoenix that's been known to regularly turn Jean
05:39 Grey into the most dominant being in the entire galaxy?
05:42 As part of 2012's Avengers vs. X-Men crossover tale, Hank Pym helped Tony in creating what
05:47 would be known as the Phoenix Buster.
05:49 This particular suit is able to hold off the might of the planet-devouring Phoenix, and
05:53 is literally able to protect the universe.
05:55 So while Superman is one of the true powerhouses of comics, the Man of Steel's Iron Will,
06:00 Deep Vision, Ice Breath, Super Speed, Flight, and Enhanced Strength would fall short against
06:04 the smarts and resourcefulness of an Iron Man who has access to his Phoenix Buster costume.
06:10 Superman would not go down without a fight, but Stark has often been shown that he's
06:13 prepared to be truly clinical and underhanded if necessary.
06:17 As such, don't put it past him to have used his vast resources to unearth some green kryptonite
06:21 to use against the big blue boy scout as well.
06:24 4.
06:25 Green Lantern
06:26 If Superman is best advised to don his Phoenix Buster to fight Superman, then it's even
06:30 more the case should the shellhead square off with any of the numerous Green Lanterns.
06:34 With their status as protectors of the universe, the Emerald Knights are some of the most powerful
06:38 beings in DC Comics and beyond.
06:40 The ring sported by a Green Lantern allows them to dream up anything they choose, whether
06:44 that's a gun, a sword, or even a comically oversized fist.
06:48 Of course, each and every GL has one major weakness.
06:51 Despite having limitless abilities to their name, the Lanterns can be tripped up by yellow.
06:56 For those comic book fans looking to throw shade in the direction of a Green Lantern
06:59 over the years, the low-hanging fruit has always been to poke fun at how these near-invincible
07:03 characters can be taken down by a colour.
07:05 Thus, Iron Man could pull a bunch of yellow-painted drones up, or fire a yellow-infused light show
07:10 if presented with the threat of Hal Jordan, Jon Stewart, Guy Gardner, and everyone else.
07:15 3.
07:16 Batman
07:17 To some, Batman is the greatest hero in all of comics.
07:20 At the physical peak of mankind, with one of the brightest brains on the planet and
07:24 an entire fortune behind him, Bruce Wayne is a tough nut to crack, even for somebody
07:28 as capable as Tony Stark.
07:30 In a pre-arranged hand-to-hand fight, Batman would be the favourite of this battle.
07:34 Given his methodical approach to, well, everything, time to prepare for such a stripped-back battle
07:38 would allow the world's greatest detective ample opportunity to formulate a victory plan.
07:43 But the thing is, any such meeting between Batman and Iron Man would feature the pair
07:47 in their trademark outfits 99% of the time.
07:49 And whilst the Batsuit has plenty of wonderful toys, it simply cannot hold a torch to any
07:53 of Stark's armoured attires, when assessed for practicality and sheer ability said suit
07:58 gives its owner.
07:59 Bats has been known to disrupt similar threats with electromagnetic pulse technology, but
08:03 the catch here is that Iron Man's armour is immune to EMP interference.
08:07 Added to this, the suits also give Stark the ability to fly, which could keep him at a
08:11 safe distance from the Dark Knight.
08:13 One other trick that Tony has in his back pocket for this encounter, if really needed,
08:17 is his bleeding edge armour, again.
08:19 When wearing this, the nanite-constructed armour, which is tethered to Stark's consciousness,
08:23 is so powerful that it essentially makes him the most powerful human on Earth.
08:28 2.
08:29 Cyborg
08:30 Tony Stark is a tech wizard, while Victor Stone, aka Cyborg, is a literal living, breathing
08:35 piece of technology.
08:36 Sure, one school of thought is that Tony and his genius could infiltrate Vic Stone's
08:40 body and destroy it with some sort of advanced virus, but the problem is that Cyborg can
08:44 connect to pretty much any piece of tech on the planet.
08:47 For once, the armoured Avenger might find himself out of his depth when it came to tech-based
08:51 attacks, but one way he could give himself a needed boost in this battle is that he could
08:55 utilise the many satellites dotted up in the galaxy, and call in reinforcements in the
08:59 shape of his numerous drones.
09:01 If - and it is a big if - Iron Man is able to distract Cyborg and infiltrate Stone's
09:06 own system, he could feasibly look to pull Cyborg apart from the inside.
09:10 It would be brutal, but separating the ravaged human body from the all-powerful tech might
09:14 be the Marvel hero's only way to win out against Vic.
09:17 In some regards, Cyborg is a fight that would be far trickier for Iron Man than the supposed
09:21 bigger names like Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman.
09:24 At number one, The Flash
09:25 Whether the Jay Garrick, Barry Allen or Wally West version of The Flash, this sultan of
09:29 speed could well prove to be Iron Man's greatest test were he to go up against the
09:33 Justice League.
09:34 Not just do these iterations of The Flash all have the obvious ability of super speed,
09:38 being able to travel faster than both the speed of sound and light, but with these powers
09:42 comes the capabilities to phase through pretty much anything.
09:45 That means that Tony Stark, in his wide array of suits, could be in quite the pickle should
09:48 he tangle with a Flash.
09:50 If the Armored Avenger was to have any hope of taking down The Flash, he would have to
09:53 catch them on a bad day, basically.
09:56 Whereas Iron Man has the dependability of his vast array of outfits to choose from,
09:59 the one mild downside of being The Flash is that his super speed can at times be an erratic
10:03 force that fluctuates or even outright stops working.
10:07 Other than that, Stark could look to whip up some sort of disruptor device or call upon
10:10 his army of his patented drones to help overcome The Flash.
10:14 But even then, it's up in the air as to whether Iron Man could really topple this
10:18 particular leaguer.
10:19 And there we go, my friends.
10:20 That was how Iron Man would defeat every Justice League member.
10:22 I hope that you enjoyed that, and please let me know what you thought about it down in
10:25 the comments section below.
10:27 As always, I've been Jules, you can go follow me over on Twitter @RetroJ, but the O is a
10:31 zero, and it'd be great to see you over there.
10:34 As always, I've been Jules, you have been awesome, never forget that, and I'll speak
10:37 to you soon.