One Subtle Detail Confirms Iron Man is the REAL Batman of the Marvel Universe

Warning: Spoilers for Invincible Iron Man #14!If anyone is the equivalent of Batman for the Marvel Universe, it has to be Iron Man. It seems as though the list of such candidates grows with each passing year, most recently with Danny Rand, formerly known as the Iron Fist, making a good argument for being Marvel’s Batman. Other heroes like Moon Knight and even more oddball choices like MODOK have drawn comparisons to the Caped Crusader.

Tony Stark’s always been a name that consistently comes up when it comes to who’s Marvel’s Batman (or vice versa) but his strongest case so far is made in The Invincible Iron Man #14 by Gerry Duggan, Bryan Valenza, Andrea Di Vito, and VC’s Joe Caramagna. The issue begins with Tony having a dream, or rather, his recurring nightmare where he fails to save everyone as Magneto kills him.

However, the more fascinating aspect of this dream is a line in which Tony monologues to himself: “I rarely dream of my life as Tony Stark. In my dreams, I am Iron Man.”

The Dichotomy of Batman and Bruce Wayne (and Iron Man and Tony Stark)

It’s been well-documented that being Bruce Wayne ranks among one of the most important aspects of Batman, to the point that some stories depict Bruce Wayne as Batman’s real mask, while the cowl reflects his true identity. This is often seen not only in comics, but across mainstream media. One of the more famous examples comes in the Batman Beyond episode “Shriek,” where an elderly Bruce confirms that in his subconscious, he calls himself Batman. He views himself as Batman, not Bruce Wayne.

Similarly, thanks in large part to his more mainstream appearances, Tony Stark’s modern comic book characterization is defined largely by the iconic MCU line, “I am Iron Man.” It’s always been suggested that Tony believes that he and Iron Man are largely one and the same, but this new dream sequence suggests something different. Tony may see more Iron Man in himself than he does Tony Stark, or – much like how Batman sees himself strictly as Batman – Tony views himself exclusively to be Iron Man.

Iron Man Adds New Layers to His Identity Crisis

More than making him Marvel’s Batman, this new revelation adds layers to the current identity crisis of sorts Tony is experiencing. Lately, Tony has been going through a rough patch, having had his company swept from under him by Feilong, someone he never respected enough to consider a nemesis beforehand. His resources have been stripped from him, his best friend was thrown in prison for trying to help him, and he’s even been tempted back to the bottle. Everything that makes Bruce Wayne Batman also applies to Tony Stark, but everything that makes Tony Iron Man is being stripped away from him.