10 Iconic Iron Man Nicknames You Need to Know About

Iron Man is a character very well known for handing out hilarious nicknames to other characters left and right. I laughed out loud at ‘Squidward’ in Avengers: Infinity War, or ‘Capsicle’ referring to a frozen Captain America. However, Tony Stark has numerous witty, funny, epic, and iconic nicknames given to him as well.

From Tin Man to Golden Gladiator, here are the ten most iconic Iron Man nicknames you need to know about ranked. It includes nicknames for both the comics and MCU versions of the character.

10. Armored Avenger

The first one on the list is quite simple and as iconic as any nickname for Iron Man. He is often referred to as the Armored Avenger for, well, self-explanatory reasons; he is an Avenger, and he wears a suit of armor.

The Armored Avenger sounds cool and showcases not only Tony’s talents and abilities but also the fact he’s one of the founding members of the Avengers team. Iron Man was called the Armored Avenger numerous times, one of which was Deadpool Vol. 5 #7.

9. Bullet-Head

The nickname Bullet-Head came in Tales of Suspense #54. I’m not sure if it was meant as a joke or slander against Iron Man, but I do know it’s not even that bad when you think of it. I mean, Iron Man’s armor is so hard it can bang through a concrete wall like it was butter.

If anything, his head is probably even stranger and more dangerous than a bullet. Even if you call Tony a Bullet-Head outside of his armor, one might say it’s because his mind is as fast as a bullet. 

8. Brass Man

I’m pretty sure this was a nickname jokingly given to Iron Man that’s obviously referring to his suit of armor. Still, if it were really made of brass, Iron Man wouldn’t come that far, I reckon.

The nickname Brass Man appeared in Avengers: The Initiative #4, and I honestly found it super funny. It’s so much less intimidating than Iron Man but just simple enough that one can see it as an honest mistake.

7. The Invincible

Do you know how we have the Incredible Hulk or the Amazing Spider-Man? Well, when it comes to Iron Man, the adjective is Invincible. I don’t remember when I’ve first seen it or who gave Iron Man the nickname Invincible Iron Man. However, it does sound incredibly epic for somebody who doesn’t actually have superpowers, only a super-powerful brain.

There’s a whole line of comics titled Invincible Iron Man, but Tony was called that even before in the comics. For instance, in Iron Man Vol. 4 #12. The nickname honestly shows Iron Man’s character, as not only does he believe he is invincible in his suit, but out of it, too.

6. Tin Man

Obviously, this is a joke nickname for Iron Man, usually meant as an insult rather than harmless banter. Like brass, tin is weaker and less ‘intimidating’ than iron, so calling Iron Man Tin Man is actually a mocking nickname, referring to the Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz.

He was called that several times in the comics, mostly by his enemies. One of the times I remember seeing it was in Runaways Vol. 2 #10, where Iron Man was called Tin Man by a member of the Runaways.

5. Golden Gladiator

Tony Stark can be pretentious sometimes. Like, super pretentious – despite the overall goodness in his heart. And one of the most pretentious nicknames I’ve ever heard Iron Man be called is the Golden Gladiator.

To be fair, he did appear golden in the issue where he was called the Golden Gladiator, in Tales of Suspense Vol. 1 #47. He faced a villain named the Melter, who melted half of Iron Man’s suit off with his Melting Ray. 

Iron Man regrouped and redesigned his armor, making it tougher with extruded aluminum while also giving it the yellowish-golden hue that ultimately earned Iron Man the nickname.

4. Iron Avenger

This one is quite similar to the first entry we have on the list, Armored Avenger but is also one of the most iconic and most frequent Iron Man nicknames ever. The Iron Avenger tells you all you need to know – he wears an iron suit, and he’s an Avenger. Pretty straightforward, am I right?

The only problem I have with the nickname – or Iron Man’s mantle in general – is that his suits are hardly ever made out of iron. He rather uses different, lighter, tougher, more durable metals.

3. The Da Vinci of Our Time

Iron Man was always a popular character for Marvel Comics, but Robert Downey Jr.’s portrayal of Tony Stark in the comics simply took the character to a whole new level of awesomeness and popularity. MCU Stark is nothing short of a spectacular character, but at the beginning, he’s also kind of a douchebag.

His military inventions are literally changing the landscape of the planet, and even before he became Iron Man, Tony Stark was shown to be dubber The Da Vinci of Our Time in media. He was also dubbed The Merchant of Death, but that one wasn’t as flattering, so I chose not to include it on the list.

2. Genius, Billionaire, Playboy, Philanthropist

Neither of the four ‘nicknames’ really stuck long-term, but come on – this scene is one of the most iconic Tony Stark scenes in the entire MCU. It came during the first Avengers movie, in a not-so-lighthearted conversation with Captain America.

Cap says to Tony: “Big man in a suit of armor. Take that off, what are you?” to which Tony readily answers: “Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist,” delivering one of the best comeback burns in MCU history. Of course, it became a meme and RDJ’s signature Iron Man line. It shows that there’s a whole lot more to Iron Man than his fancy suits and toys.

1. Shellhead

Tada! This one has to be the most iconic Iron Man nickname ever and for many reasons. Iron Man was called Shellhead on numerous occasions, not just in the comics (like in Tales of Suspense #56) but also in the MCU, where Natasha Romanoff uses the ‘pet name’ for Tony.

It works so great because A – it’s a super funny nickname, playing with Iron Man’s suit of armor and his big-headed nature. And, B – Tony Stark gives out semi-insulting, hilarious nicknames to absolutely everyone, like Capsicle (frozen Captain America), Squidward (Ebony Maw), Build-A-Bear (Rocket the Raccoon)… It felt great seeing him get such a nickname and take it as a champ.

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