Iron Man vs. Black Widow: Who Would Win?
Although Avengers Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) are often seen working together in the movies and comics, and even taking the same side in Captain America: Civil War, it’s always fun to imagine them battling each other: who would really win? Let’s list five advantages for each of them first before revealing the final decision.
- Iron Man Would Win: Tech & a Genius Brain
Combined with being a multi-millionaire with a virtually infinite supply of money, Tony Stark can create amazing inventions with his genius brain in no time. So, while Black Widow has great skill, he can cook up something of his own to prepare for battle. And do you know what else is awesome? Tony can generate some brand new tech in a mere matter of seconds with the help of his AI assistant J.A.R.V.I.S.!
- Black Widow Would Win: Extreme Physical Fighting Skills
Alright, Black Widow can win over Iron Man – if he’s disarmed. Her extreme physical fighting skills can always help her win battles by performing some impressive martial arts moves while Tony’s pretty much a normal guy without his armor. That now brings us to the lesson we can learn: Don’t mess with someone trained in the Red Room! There’s a reason why she was named the “Black Widow”; it’s because she’s just as fierce as a real one.
- Iron Man Would Win: Many Allies
While Black Widow mostly works solo, Iron Man has many allies: the Avengers. Not very often has Tony Stark taken on an attack without at least one other beside him. Even though some people theorize the reason behind this is because he knows he’s not powerful enough, it’s probably just because he values teamwork just like his former nemesis Captain America. Backup’s always right there for him!
- Black Widow Would Win: Has Electrocuting Stingers, Stun Batons
Iron Man’s not the only one with cool weapons. His opponent in this article, Black Widow, also has some useful gadgets that could greatly help her in one-on-one combat. Two glowing stun batons on top of bracelets that also give her rival an electrocuting shock. It isn’t too shocking to hear this, though: for an agile combatant, Natasha’s expected to have these kinds of things on her belt.
- Iron Man Would Win: Can Fly
The advantage Iron Man always has over his enemies is that he can fly. And no, not with wings: by himself! (Wings can always get caught on something and do your enemy a favor instead.) Black Widow’s a land person as she can’t soar up into the sky like Tony can, but flying in the air, Iron Man can shoot blasts from up above and hide in the clouds. I wish humans today could do that…
- Black Widow Would Win: Spy & Stealth Skills
Not only is Natasha Romanova a trained physical warrior, but she was also raised to be a secret agent who’s succeeded in her spying multiple times. So Iron Man is great at flying with his armor, right? Well, Black Widow could sneak up right behind him while he’s busy talking to J.A.R.V.I.S., knock him unconscious with her handy stun batons, and then drag him away into the Quinjet or something.
- Iron Man Would Win: Super Durable Armor
Natasha’s basically a girl with a sleek black jumpsuit and superhuman agility, but Tony Stark’s always protected when in a fight with his prominent Iron Man armor that’s gone through multiple battles with only little scratches. And even if the suit is somehow shattered, Tony’s still safe inside and ready to build an even better one back in his mansion – he has just about an unlimited amount of metal and paint to continue constructing armor.
- Black Widow Would Win: Strengthened Immune System
An ability many people forget about Natasha is that she has a strengthened immune system: she can’t contract any kind of disease due to the extreme modifications made to all of the Black Widows. On the other hand, Tony Stark’s still a regular human being who can get poisoned or ill – he wasn’t shaped in a demanding facility like Black Widow was. (This is shown as he was nearly killed by the radiation from his arc-reactor in Iron Man 2.) Good for you, Natasha Romanova; you’ll never get the coronavirus!
- Iron Man Would Win: Arc-Reactor Can Fire Laser Beams
Tony Stark’s arc-reactor is multifunctional. The most vital job it performs is keeping him alive, and the second is that it can fire out powerful laser beams to blast his enemies to pieces. This would also easily work against Black Widow: if he gets a good aim at her without her dodging, he could blow her to bits – bam! She’s defeated. Was that too easy?
- Black Widow Would Win: Doesn’t Age
Aging is something that is a hurdle for the human world: the older you get, your body’s systems will slowly deteriorate, and, for a superhero, he/she wouldn’t be able to go about their daring feats anymore and have a higher risk of falling off a skyscraper or something. However, Natasha doesn’t have to worry about any of this! Again due to her Red Room upbringing, she doesn’t age and will continue to stay (and look) young for however long she lives.
The final decision…
We can all agree that Iron Man and Black Widow are much better off as a team… this decision was one of the toughest ones to make so far! But, the winner of this one-on-one battle will have to be Black Widow. Because of her superhuman strength, martial arts prowess, spy skills, anti-aging properties, and enhanced immunity, Natasha Romanova definitely used her Red Room training for the good of the Avengers in various movies. Whether working alongside Tony or going on stealth strikes for Steve Rogers, she’s got the skills to do so. You definitely can’t underestimate Iron Man, though….
As stated earlier, this “Who Would Win” article was such a close race! Congrats, Black Widow: you earned it.
