Highlights

  • Marvel Snap showcases a wide range of Marvel characters, from iconic heroes to lesser-known villains, providing exposure to new characters.
  • Iron Man's foes are noticeably absent in Marvel Snap, missing out on potential unique mechanics and gameplay opportunities.
  • The game could benefit from introducing popular Iron Man villains like Iron Monger, The Mandarin, and Fin Fang Foom for added depth.

The cards in Marvel Snap represent a large cross-section of the Marvel universe, featuring some of Marvel's most iconic characters, like Hulk, Spider-Man, and Wolverine, alongside some of its lesser-known ones. As a result, Marvel Snap does a great job exposing players to heroes and villains they might have never heard of otherwise, giving many characters their time in the spotlight. However, the game is still missing some deserving characters, and despite being one of the most recognizable Marvel characters, many of Iron Man's most iconic foes are still missing from Marvel Snap's roster.

Every season, Marvel Snap adds a handful of new cards via the Season Pass and Spotlight Caches. These cards tend to relate to the season in some way, such as March 2024's Avengers vs X-Men season featuring cards like War Machine and Cannonball, and April 2024's Thunderbolts season featuring cards like Baron Zemo and Red Hulk. However, across all of Marvel Snap's seasons, Iron Man characters have been missing out, with some of Tony Stark's greatest threats still absent from the game, despite the vast potential they hold for introducing unique mechanics.

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Iron Man Villains Are Severely Underrepresented in Marvel Snap

Iron Man himself has been pretty well-represented in Marvel Snap so far, with tons of solid variants for a card that consistently finds itself a spot in the Marvel Snap meta. While many of Iron Man's allies like Ironheart, Iron Lad, and War Machine have made it into Marvel Snap, the game hasn't been as good about featuring classic Iron Man villains. With most heroes in the Marvel universe having a large rogue's gallery of villains to pull from, Marvel Snap has tons of potential waiting to be unlocked within some of Iron Man's most nefarious foes.

The recent addition of War Machine during the Avengers vs X-Men season created a popular new tool in the meta, potentially showcasing just how powerful Iron Man-related characters could be as Marvel Snap cards.

While Marvel Snap does have villains like Ultron and MODOK, whom Iron Man has battled in the past, these villains are not unique to the hero. Many of the foes Iron Man has faced as a part of a team like The Avengers are in Marvel Snap, but some of the ones most closely associated with Tony Stark specifically are notably absent. Marvel Snap could rectify this issue with a future season themed around Iron Man, introducing several new cards based on his villains, along with variants for Iron Man himself and his allies like Ironheart and War Machine.

Iron Man Villains Who Should Be Added to Marvel Snap

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There are plenty of Iron Man villains that could be added to Marvel Snap and bring unique gimmicks to the game that would fit in line with their characters. Perhaps one of the most famous Iron Man villains is Tony Stark's business rival, Obadiah Stane, AKA Iron Monger, who could have a similar but adverse ability, such as halving the total Power of the opponent's side of a location. Another infamous Iron Man villain is The Mandarin, who could be similar to Thanos in that his card shuffles cards for each of the Ten Rings into the player's deck at the start of a match.

Other Iron Man villains that could appear in Marvel Snap include the giant space dragon Fin Fang Foom, or the femme fatale Madame Masque. Even characters like Spymaster, Whiplash, or another of Tony Stark's business rivals, Justin Hammer, could make for solid additions to Marvel Snap's roster. With the way the MCU turned Iron Man into one of Marvel's most recognizable heroes, it's a shame that Marvel Snap hasn't followed up on this legendary status and given Iron Man's greatest villains their time to showcase their skills.