Iron Man and Thanos: Two sides of the Same Coin

"Well, Dmitri, every search for a hero must being with something every hero needs, a villain."

- Dr. Nekhorvich from Mission Impossible II

When I watched Avengers: Endgame I was prepared for an engaging movie primarily because of the directors - the Russo brothers. But I have got to admit that the movie was far more emotionally draining than I expected it to be. Founded with time travel and peppered with nostalgia, the movie was a three-hour rollercoaster. The movie gave a fitting end to one of the longest series in movie history, wrapping up 21 movies in style. It was a classic good and evil tussle which became larger than life because of the heroes who adorned the screen, or should I say the ultimate antagonist.

The entire Marvel series was essentially a tussle between the tech-genius Tony Stark aka Iron Man and War Lord Thanos. The other characters, in my opinion, are mere distractions as the foundation of the conflict is between these two powerful men. The ultimate antagonist makes a story engaging which unfortunately is not the case with most masala movies. 

We have seen the evolution in the characterization of the individual Tony Stark, the man starts as a witty-selfish-playboy weapons manufacturer and ends as the Man who saves the Universe. Unlike the multiple events which change Tony's character and shapes his views of the world, we do not have much screen time where we get to understand the motives which shape the actions of Thanos. Though this is a shortcoming of the series, they have tried their level best to portray what goes on in the mind of Thanos through few conversations in Avengers: Infinity War. One can find interesting parallels between the two characters.

Thanos vs Iron Man: Battle of Titan (Infinity War)

Both the protagonist and the antagonist are scholarly, many a time philosophical. Tony Stark is the modern version of Leonardo Da Vinci, with an additional repertoire of fighting. Thanos comes not just with the knowledge of the so many worlds he decimated but with universal wisdom. 

The knowledge-galaxy in their heads makes them exceedingly stubborn which guides their actions and alienates them from the rest. 

The isolation which Tony suffers is portrayed in two of the previous Avengers movies. In Avengers: Age of Ultron Tony aims to create an artificial intelligence system for saving the world which backfires. The AI concludes that for achieving its objective of 'World Peace' it needs to eliminate Human beings. The entire team is against him for pursuing the creation of a powerful AI without their discussion. Though the plan results in chaos, Tony continues to believe that he did it right. Tony's vision comes true in Avengers: Infinity War where half the population is destroyed in the absence of a defense system.

Tony Stark in dissonance with the Avengers (Age of Ultron)

Thanos narrates a similar story in his conversation with Doctor Strange during the Battle on Titan during Infinity War. He says his idea of wiping out a portion of individuals for saving his planet was not accepted and that his planet was doomed due to finite resources. This boldens his conviction to get the Infinity stones to restore what he calls 'Balance' to the Universe by wiping out half of all celestial creatures.

Thanos in conversation with Doctor Strange (Infinity War)

Stark and Thanos are visionaries in their own right. Their objectives if one looks closely is achieving peace. It did not matter if it resulted in losing freedom in Tony's case and losing innocent lives in the case of Thanos. This sets up the interesting tussle in which each influences each other. The ultimate antagonist shapes the evolution of the protagonist. The Dark Knight is a classic example in which the Batman becomes the 'Dark Knight' because of the Joker.

The beauty of the Avengers construct is not only Tony Stark becoming Iron Man but during the process, Thanos changes himself. After the Battle in New York and the debacle of Ultron, Thanos decides to pursue the mission of collecting the Infinity stones himself. This sets the course for the inevitable clash of the Titans (on Titan).

Judging the entire series on these terms, the other characters seem to be a mere distraction, though they are not. In my opinion of the multiple story arcs, in the Avengers series, the Dance between these two is the most spectacular.

The Endgame had a fitting end. Thanos destroyed half of life by wearing the gauntlet in his left hand. When Tony ends Thanos and his army, the snap is from his right hand which wears the gauntlet. After all, the Hero is Right.