Ultraman vs. Iron Man: Which Armored Character Would Win?

Two of the most popular armored characters in the history of fiction are Ultraman and Iron Man. While Ultraman made his name in Japan, Iron Man became popular in the West. Therefore, we are looking at two different characters from different parts of the world, although there are similarities between the two characters. So, which between Ultraman and Iron Man would win in a fight?

Iron Man could defeat Ultraman using his versatility. While the new version of Ultraman also relies on a powered suit and is naturally stronger and faster, Iron Man is more versatile and has more weapons in his arsenal. The versatility and the intelligence that Tony Stark possesses can be enough to defeat Ultraman.

It is worth noting that the original Ultraman is no longer the same as the one we have now. Still, Ultraman is quite powerful but is nowhere near as versatile as Iron Man. As such, let’s look at the things that we know about both of these armored heroes.

Who Came First Ultraman Or Iron Man?

It is no secret that several generations of fiction fans have grown up reading and watching Ultraman and Iron Man, as these are two of the most popular fictional armor-wearing heroes in the history of fiction. They started out differently but are now seen as characters that are quite similar to one another. But who between Ultraman and Iron Man came first?

Iron Man came before Ultraman as Tony Stark was introduced as a comic book character back in 1963. Meanwhile, Ultraman was first introduced as the titular character of the 1966 Ultraman television series, which ultimately became one of the most popular shows in the history of fiction. That said, Iron Man is only three years older than Ultraman.

Is Iron Man A Copy Of Ultraman?

Considering that Ultraman is the younger character compared to Iron Man, does that mean that he is actually just a copy of Iron Man? After all, despite their differences, they also have plenty of different similarities.

Despite the fact that the current Ultraman resembles Iron Man a lot, they are two completely different characters, especially if you look at the original Ultraman. The first Ultraman was an alien that bonded with a host human that gave him Ultra abilities and the power to change his size and exhibit powers that could fight giant monsters. On the other hand, Iron Man is completely different because he is a regular man that wears a technologically advanced suit of armor.

Even the current Ultraman isn’t a copy of Iron Man. While it might be true that today’s Ultraman also wears a tech suit of armor, he has different abilities. He exhibits superhuman power and speed even as a regular human, but his abilities are only amplified by the Ultraman suit.

Is Ultraman A Marvel Character?

Originally, Ultraman was actually a property of Tsuburaya Productions in Japan. However, in 2019, Marvel and Tsuburaya Productions made a deal that allowed Marvel to publish Ultraman comic books in 2020. 

So, while Marvel may have the right to publish Ultraman, that doesn’t make the character a Marvel hero. Ultraman is still a property of Tsuburaya Productions, but Marvel only has the right to publish the comic books. It’s similar to how Marvel publishes Star Wars comic books, but Star Wars is still a property of Lucasfilm.

Ultraman vs. Iron Man

Now that you know a bit more about Iron Man and Ultraman, let’s look at a hypothetical battle between the two characters.

Strength

The original Ultraman is a giant being that can exhibit strengths that are beyond imagination, especially considering that he can battle giant kaiju. Of course, while the current Ultraman isn’t a giant, he still retains some of the original strength that the first Ultraman had. Being the son of Shin Hayata, who bonded with the Ultraman alien, Shinjiro Hayata naturally possesses super strength that allows him to carry extremely large objects and jump very high.

Tony Stark is a regular human that doesn’t have super strength at all. However, when wearing his Iron Man suit, his strength is magnified exponentially as he can carry things that not even some of the superpowered characters could carry. There is no true figure that would explain how strong Iron Man is, but it is possible that the strongest Iron Man suit can lift well over 100 tons. It really depends on the Iron Man suit that Tony Stark is wearing.

Because of the fact that the original Ultraman is a gigantic being and that the current Ultraman is naturally gifted with super strength, we will give this round to the Japanese hero. Still, Iron Man is no slouch as well because the suit allows Stark to match superpowered beings in terms of strength. But Ultraman is just a bit stronger.

Points: Hayata 1, Stark 0

Speed

The original Ultraman may have been able to transform into a gigantic being, but he could actually fly really fast. It is said that the original Ultraman could fly at speeds of Mach 5. On the other hand, the new Ultraman may be able to fly, but it is not yet shown how fast he could be when in the air. Still, what we do know is that Ultraman is quite fast.

Tony Stark, when wearing his Iron Man suit, is said to be capable of flying at Mach 5 speeds as well. His other suits might not be as fast, but he does have suits that are capable of reaching this speed. As such, when wearing his fastest suit of armor, Tony Stark is actually quite fast as well and can even keep up with jets when he wore his earlier Iron Man suit in the first Iron Man film.

The fact that both of these characters can fly at speeds of Match 5 is impressive. That’s why this round is a tie, as we cannot determine which between them is faster.

Points: Hayata 1, Stark 0

Firepower

One of the things that made Ultraman so special and so popular is his spacium beam, which he can do by crossing his arms to form a plus sign. The spacium beam is said to have a heat level of 500,000 degrees Celsius and destructive power of 500,000 horsepower. Meanwhile, while the newer Ultraman doesn’t have the same kind of power, he still is quite powerful when using his spacium beam. All that said, Ultraman’s firepower is something you cannot disregard.

Tony Stark’s Iron Man suits have different weaponry and abilities. This makes it difficult to quantify the character’s firepower, but we do know that all of his suits are capable of firing concussive beams from his armor. On top of that, some of his suits have different weapons that are powerful enough to cut through thick steel and can destroy multiple enemies in an instant. As such, Stark has a lot of weapons at his disposal.

Even though Iron Man doesn’t have the same kind of pure destructive power that Ultraman possesses, the fact that he has multiple weapons at his disposal will allow him to match Hayata’s firepower. As such, this round is once again a tie.

Points: Hayata 1, Stark 0

Versatility

If there is a weakness in Ultraman’s abilities, it could be the fact that he is a one-trick pony. Ultraman doesn’t have a lot of weapons and abilities at his disposal, as he is almost always shown using his strength when fighting opponents and using his spacium beam to finish them. Other than that, he simply doesn’t have versatility.

On the other hand, Tony Stark is one of the most versatile fictional characters of all time because he has a lot of different suits of armor that he can use in different situations. He has an armor to solve almost any kind of problem, and that’s why he is often the trump card in battles against even the most powerful beings in the Marvel galaxy.

Stark might not be versatile on his own, but his full arsenal of Iron Man suits makes him arguably the most versatile Marvel character there is. This is why he takes a full point in this round.

Points: Hayata 1, Stark 1

Intelligence

None of the Ultraman shows have been able to properly portray just how smart Ultraman is. Shin Hayata is a regular human in terms of his intellect, despite the fact that Ultraman is an alien being. And considering that he is simply his father’s son, Shinjiro isn’t exactly portrayed to be the most intelligent character in fiction.

Meanwhile, there are only a handful of characters in Marvel who are more intelligent than Tony Stark. He is one of the smartest humans in the universe and is an expert in a lot of different types of sciences. It is actually Tony Stark’s intelligence that got him to the dance because he was smart enough to develop different types of suits of armor that he could use for different situations. As such, there is no questioning Iron Man’s intelligence.

This is a no-brainer because Tony Stark is simply smarter than either Shin or Shinjiro Hayata. While the Hayata father-and-son duo may be smarter than the regular human, Stark is simply that much smarter than anyone else.

Points: Hayata 1, Stark 2

Ultraman vs. Iron Man: Who Wins?

In terms of physical attributes and firepower, Ultraman should take a slight edge over Iron Man because he is the superior character in terms of his physical strength. However, the fact is that Iron Man is a lot more versatile and smarter than Ultraman. Therefore, it is Tony Stark’s versatility and intelligence that would allow him to win against Ultraman. And even if he were to fight the gigantic version of Ultraman, he would be able to use a suit that can beat Ultraman or last long enough until the giant hero’s three-minute timer runs out.