Counter guide ยท Duelist
How to counter Iron Man
Last updated
Iron Man hovers and bombards. Spider-Man is his hardest counter by a long way (+15.8), Black Widow is second (+11.4), and our picker adds Magneto and Hawkeye as strong picks.
See every Iron Man counter Counter a full enemy team
Counter picks for Iron Man
From our counter data, strongest first. Bars show the weight: strong, good, soft. How weights work
What you are playing against
Repulsor Blast and Unibeam are his main damage, both upgraded during Armor Overdrive. Hyper-Velocity is his fast flight. Micro-Missile Barrage fires after either of those. Season 10.5 (balance post, Oct 6, 2026) made the missiles auto-track nearby enemies, cut each missile from 20 to 10 damage, capped locks at five per target, and raised their speed from 15 to 60 m/s. His ult, Invincible Pulse Cannon, hits a targeted area hard.
Picks that work
Spider-Man reels him in with Get Over Here! and doesn't care how high he flies.
Black Widow (+11.4) is a strong pick on our list too. A sniper is the most direct answer to a hero who hovers in one spot.
Magneto and Hawkeye are strong picks in our picker. Metallic Curtain blocks his projectiles, and Hawkeye punishes a slow flyer.
Punisher (+7.8) and Deadpool (Vanguard) (+7.5) also win the 1v1 per Counterwatch.
Habits that beat him
Hulk's Incredible Leap knocks flying enemies to the ground. If you have a Hulk, he is your Iron Man answer.
The new missiles track, so breaking line of sight no longer dodges a barrage after it launches. Get behind cover before he activates Hyper-Velocity or Armor Overdrive.
Invincible Pulse Cannon lands on an area. When you see it coming, move off the spot, not just away from Iron Man.
Iron Man by the numbers
Iron Man wins 51.4% of games across all ranks (B tier on the tier list), from 34,416 tracked matches. Best map: Symbiotic Surface. Worst map: Birnin T'Challa.
| Hero | How | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Spider-Man | Wins the 1v1 | +15.8 |
| Black Widow | Wins the 1v1 | +11.4 |
| Punisher | Wins the 1v1 | +7.8 |
| Deadpool (Vanguard) | Wins the 1v1 | +7.5 |
| Rocket Raccoon | +7.3 |
| Hero | How | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Squirrel Girl | +11.5 | |
| Wolverine | +10.4 | |
| Peni Parker | +9.9 | |
| Moon Knight | +9.7 | |
| Captain America | +9.6 |
Best teammates for Iron Man: Ultron (60.8%), Peni Parker (60.6%), Thor (58.1%), Gorr (57.0%), Storm (56.5%).
Ratings and win rates from Counterwatch, all ranks, as of October 29, 2026. A rating is how much better a hero does than average in fights against Iron Man, from duel and teamfight results.