Age of Ultron Proved Tony Stark's Greatest Weakness Was Hiding in Plain Sight

Tony Stark is one of the most resourceful heroes in the MCU. Even still, Age of Ultron proved he had no defenses for his greatest weakness.

Before heroes took the skies or came from mythical lands, the Marvel Cinematic Universe was a world of spies where heroism took place in the shadows. From Ant-Man to Peggy Carter, espionage made a world of difference in keeping Earth safe. Because of its long history, organizations like S.H.I.E.L.D. became exceptionally skilled at hiding in plain sight, sneaking up on even the most savvy characters. A great example of this was Tony Stark, who met Natasha Romanoff after she had already infiltrated Stark Industries.

Natasha's infiltration served as the first of many instances in that Tony Stark fell victim to the oldest spy trick in the book: deception. He may have had contingencies for powerhouses like Hulk or tech to repel shrapnel from his heart. But when it came to spies, Stark was always at a disadvantage. While it's funny to see throughout the MCU, it's also strange, given the company his father kept.

Tony Stark Was Always Terrible at Sniffing Out Spies

Natasha Romanoff was the most famous example of a spy getting the drop on Tony, but it was far from his last. Nick Fury was the first to start the trend as he easily broke into the billionaire tech genius' house to tell him about The Avengers Initiative. Fury would then be one of the many spies to get the drop on Tony in Avengers: Age of Ultron, which drove home the notion that he can't catch a break against spies.

In Age of Ultron, it was revealed that Clint had been hiding from Tony and the others that he had a family, a simple enough secret. However, this was nothing compared to how Maria Hill, while working closely with Captain America and on Tony's payroll, was still working closely with Fury. She and Laura Barton also played a part in deceiving Tony so that he could have a one-on-one discussion with Fury. With so many moments that Tony was caught off guard by spies, it's almost comical that he never developed a method or picked up any tricks to ensure he wasn't fooled again.

Tony's Weakness to Spies Makes No Sense

On his own, Tony being constantly deceived by spies felt like a given, as he's only an engineer. But once audiences were reminded that he was the son of Howard Stark, the fact that he was duped so many times felt all the more inconceivable. Howard was working with the military and their secrets for decades, developing the machine that gave birth to Captain America. He was also a founding member of S.H.I.E.L.D. and worked closely with spies to keep the world safe. In short, Tony was raised by the perfect example of how not to be caught off guard.

While it's possible that Tony's rocky relationship with his father led him to never pick up the traits that let him work with spies, years of firsthand experience should've split the difference. Tony knew not to trust Fury the moment he stepped foot on the Helicarrier and was proven right, showing that his gut was never wrong. Yet, he continued to allow himself to be surprised by those he knew had a history of secrecy. In the end, Tony not picking up the tricks Howard used to keep up with his spy allies fostered a weakness of deception he never overcame.