Warning! This article contains spoilers for Devil's Reign: Superior Four #1
The technological advancements present in Iron Man’s many suits of armor are usually enough to stop any major threat the Avenger faces, but he just can’t seem to get the better of Doctor Octopus who constantly humiliates Tony Stark in every conceivable reality. Iron Man and Doc Ock have faced off on many occasions in Marvel Comics, and on more than one occasion Iron Man finds himself humiliatingly defeated. That humiliation, which previously only existed on Earth-616, has become something of a multiversal constant.
In Devil’s Reign: Superior Four #1 by Zac Thompson and Davide Tinto, Doc Ock has taken to the multiverse after obtaining Reed Richards’ technology. Doctor Octopus plans to find a variant of himself from every reality to further his villainous agenda and prove he is superior across all universes. After finding variants of himself mixed with Ghost Rider, Wolverine, and the Hulk, Doc Ock and his variants travel to a new reality where they encounter a version of Iron Man only to absolutely demolish him.
The Iron Man variant, Iron Scab, challenges the team of Doc Ocks only to be taken down immediately by the original and then burned to death by the Ghost Rider variant. This trend of Iron Man being defeated by Doc Ock is not a new one, as he has lost to the Spider-Man rogue many times both in physical combat and psychological battle. In Marvel Fanfare #22-23, Iron Man is overpowered by Doc Ock’s tentacles as Otto proved Iron Man isn’t as invincible as he claims. In Invincible Iron Man #503, Doctor Octopus outsmarts Iron Man even and makes Tony it that he isn’t as smart as Otto.
The humiliation suffered by Iron Man apparently isn’t beholden to Otto Octavius alone but also anyone who uses Doc Ock’s signature robotic tentacles. In Captain America/Iron Man #2 saw Tony Stark physically dominated by a villain who was merely using tentacles similar to Doc Ock’s, showing fans that Iron Man has real trouble battling that form of technological weaponry no matter who wields it.
The Iron Scab’s humiliating defeat at the hands of multiple Doc Ocks is the first time Iron Man's embarrassing trend has happened in another universe as far as fans know. From physical domination to intellectual check-mates, Iron Man can’t seem to catch a break when fighting Doctor Octopus. Based on his alternate-universe defeat as well as the other Earth-616 losses, fans now know that Iron Man isn’t only constantly humiliated by Doctor Octopus in the main Marvel Universe, but in every reality across the multiverse.
