The Marvel Cinematic Universe is creating lots of new heroes in 2022, from She-Hulk to Ms. Marvel. However, in 2008, Iron Man was the first character to appear in the MCU. While most movie fans did not know who Iron Man was, Marvel had to build a new big screen hero since it licensed their most popular characters to other studios. It worked, and Iron Man became the heart and soul of the entire franchise for the first three phases.
Eventually, Iron Man died after sacrificing his own life to protect the world and those he loved from Thanos. However, with that said, there were several times Iron Man should have died a lot sooner than this, and the only thing that kept him alive was his plot armor (since he was the hero needed to carry the movies for over a decade).
The Shrapnel In The Heart
The first time Tony Stark appeared in his first movie, terrorists attacked him, and he ended up with shrapnel next to his heart. While it looked like he might die, Tony was eventually saved after doctor Ho Yisen performed emergency surgery while they were in a cave.
In reality, it's highly unlikely that Stark would have been able to survive this procedure since it was extremely risky and the extent of his injuries were just too great. Yet, somehow, he miraculously survived, built armor out of spare parts, and escaped to become one of Earth's greatest heroes. It might be far-fetched, but it did make for a unique origin story.
Crashing In His Mark I Armor
After figuring out how to keep the shrapnel from getting into his heart in the cave, Tony Stark built his first Iron Man armor out of spare parts in the cave. He then used the armor to attack the terrorists and escape.
While this all made sense, particularly when looking closely at the scientific jargon in the comic book movies, what threw the audience off was how Tony survived the fall that followed his escape. Given that he fell from a great height in his prototype armor and hardly took any damage surprised fans. If not death, Tony should have at least suffered a broken back and paralysis from this fall.
Stane Removes Iron Man's Arc Reactor
When Iron Man almost died, he created an arc reactor that he placed on his chest that helped keep the shrapnel from reaching his heart. It was the only thing that kept him alive. However, before his ultimate battle with Obadiah Stane, his father's former friend showed up and took the arc reactor.
This should have instantly killed Stark. However, while Stark was lying, dying, he somehow got his original reactor, which was luckily within reach. Iron Man survived to fight the final battle.
The Monaco Historic Grand Prix
In a new Iron Man villain also took an opportunity to attack here.
Experienced drivers die in car races, and Stark somehow surviving a high-impact crash after Whiplash destroyed his car and should have killed him instantly. Yet, he not only lived but rose from the wreckage to fight Whiplash.
The Battle of New York
If there was ever a time when plot armor inexplicably saved Iron Man, it was in the first Avengers movie (and it occurred in the last moments of the battle with the Chitauri). In the battle on the streets, Iron Man had more protection than anyone but Thor and Hulk.
However, Iron Man set out to be the hero, and he intercepted a nuclear missile the World Security Council fired at Manhattan and flew it into the center of the wormhole the aliens arrived through. He tossed the missile through and destroyed the attacking forces before his suit lost power, and he fell to his death. The only thing is that Hulk somehow caught him and saved him to fight for a few more movies.
Mandarin Bombs Tony Stark's Home
Tony Stark dealt with a lot after the Battle of New York, with the superhero showing signs of PTSD. He was also becoming more reckless and seemed to invite trouble.
When a terrorist named Eric Savin began making threats, Tony gave him his address. This led Eric Savin to show up with a helicopter, and he shot a missile into the home, blowing it up. Somehow, while falling to his death, Tony called on some Iron Man armor and saved both himself and Pepper Potts as the house exploded around them. It was certainly another moment where he got a lucky escape.
Iron Man Got Hit By A Truck
It is highly doubtful that Iron Man would have died in this instance, but in Iron Man 3, he saved a lot of politicians from a terrorist attack on a plane. He got them all to the safety of the water below and then, as he flew off, a semi-truck smashed into him and destroyed the armor.
This was a false alarm that was used as a joke. It turned out that Tony Stark wasn't even there, and he was operating the Iron Man armor remotely. Yes, Iron Man "died" here, but Tony Stark only ended up hurting his pride. Still, if he had been, it's likely that he would have found himself in desperate need of medical attention.
Iron Man Vs. Hulk
In a fight between Iron Man and Hulk, there is little chance that Iron Man could come out on top (especially when Hulk loses control and starts rampaging). This happened in Avengers: Age of Ultron when Wanda Maximoff used her powers to turn Hulk into a brainless wrecking machine.
When Hulk is in this state, there is no limit to his powers. However, the movie needed Hulk to regain control and for Iron Man to get out unscathed, so Tony revealed a new Hulk Buster armor he created specifically in case Hulk went on a rampage. Without it, the fight would have been over in a matter of minutes.
Battle On Titan
Iron Man was part of the major battle against Thanos on Titan. The heroes involved included Spider-Man, Star-Lord, Mantis, Iron Man, Doctor Strange, and more. They almost own too, as Mantis had Thanos subdued. However, Star-Lord screwed up everything when he wouldn't stop attacking Thanos while the others tried to retrieve the Infinity Gauntlet.
As a result, Thanos regained his conscious and took advantage. He was about to deliver the kill blow to Iron Man when Doctor Strange offered him the Time Stone in exchange for Tony's life. So not only did Strange save Tony's life, but he also gave everyone a chance at coming back since Iron Man helped contribute to Thanos' downfall in the next movie.
Death In Space
When Thanos snapped out half of all existence, Iron Man and Nebula ended up trapped on Titan. They had a way back to Earth, but with no sustenance, this trip would take them a very long time. Tony Stark looked like he was about to die and left a message for Pepper Potts, apologizing and telling her goodbye.
However, just when it looked like Iron Man would die, a bright light showed up outside the spaceship and Captain Marvel was in the right place at the right time to save the pair of heroes (ensuring that Iron Man lived to fight the final battle of his life).
