Phaedrus45
Avenger
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Iron Man, of course
After a nuclear war kills almost all of Earth's superhumans and brings the world to the brink of extinction, the Maestro seizes control.
Gray haired and balding, the Maestro is clearly older than the Hulk, but is also significantly stronger due to the radiation he has absorbed since the war. He rules the city of Dystopia, built to his own designs and protected by radiation shielding. Brutal soldiers with hi-tech equipment keep the "peace" and impose the Maestro's iron will. The Maestro himself dwells in a grand palace, where a Bacchanalian atmosphere reigns. Other gamma-irradiated beings, She-Hulk (now calling herself "Shulk") and the Abomination, survived the war and seem to have conquered other areas of the world.
After the Hulk's recovery, the two clash once more; but despite the Hulk's best efforts, the Maestro is still far too powerful for him. At the last minute, the Maestro is defeated by the use of Doom's time machine, and sent back to the time and place that the Hulk was created: ground zero during the testing of the atomic Gamma Bomb, the only bomb that the Hulk knew the ground zero location of. Appearing next to the bomb itself, Maestro is seemingly killed in the same moment that creates the Hulk,[1] but some part of his consciousness still remains, tied to the skeletal fragments at the Gamma Bomb site.
So, we have a future, alternate Earth Hulk versus the current Tony Stark (or, at least current before Civil War). First, a chance to reintroduce voters to Maestro:
The question remains if Professor Hulk would have shared any information about Maestro to those people who might need to know about what the future possibly held? For me, I think it might be a good possibility that Tony Stark would have some information on Maestro. (He'd at least know he's a future version of The Hulk by seeing his picture, that's for sure.)
Now, from what I read, Maestro didn't defeat Earth's heroes, but kind of fell into a lucky situation from the nuclear war. Maestro is an alternate future, which means many of the situations that Tony Stark has gone through wouldn't be known to him, like the Extremis Armor. Also, Tony has the Hulk Buster Armor, and while we recently saw it fail in World War Hulk, that comic isn't usuable in this situation, and that version of the Hulk is much, much more deadly than the Maestro.
Tony does have 24 hours to try and come up with a plan on taking out The Hulk. If he knows about how Professor Hulk used a gamma bomb to eliminate him, he might try to come up with some power that he can use to attack him with the same weapon that changed him in the first place. Luckily, the location is unpopulated (and, more than likely, that mansion isn't going to hold up very well. I have a feeling the action will quickly go outside, because the mansion will be in ruins.)
Thus, I think Tony Stark has a good advantage if you look at his new armor, his old Hulkbuster Armor, 24 hour prep time, and knowledge of the Hulk and how gamma radiation might benefit him in this match-up.
Maestro vs. Iron Man:
I doubt he has because the Professor was part of the Pantheon which was not on great speaking terms with the Avengers. And we know the Hulk certianly did not have any conversation of the sort with Tony.
Actually it is uncertain it seems some may have been defeated by Maestro eventhough I would state that most died because of the nuclear war. However, regarding the armour, Tony's armour is fallible and the Hulk almost always has overcome it. This armour would not have a fate any different from the other ones. And the Maestro remains twice as strong (base strength) as the normal Hulk. Plus he is an insane genuis and as such will be able to plan for Iron Man.
First off, getting a gamma bomb to go off next to Maestro is not a simple task especially as we are in a base where there is not much room to fit one and transporting it would be difficult, as well as Iron Man would be destroyed in the blast as well. So I think you can stop that line of thought.
I actually think Iron man is heavily handicapped against the Maestro who is stronger, has a very powerful healing factor (he came back from nothing), is fast and virtually invulnerable.
There are a few clues that provide that the Avengers might have information about the Pantheon. First, Agamemnon is a half-human and half-Asgardian god. Since Agamemnon is half-Asgardian, Thor would know about him, and the Avengers frequently fought against Asgardians or have been afflilated with them; thus, they would likely have information about various Asgardians, especially with information gathered from Thor. Second, Hulk is a person who the Avengers always have kept information on; after all, he is a past Avenger. Thirdly, the Pantheon were ultimately recruited by the United States government. The Avengers would likely have information then. Finally, even the Avengers has made an appearance within the issues relating to the Pantheon.
Here is my thoughts on this. It's not always backed up really by the comics; but, I've always found a problem in how many characters have fought the Hulk. We've seen in the "Search for the She-Hulk" storyline from Avengers that Jack of Hearts used his powers to revert knock out and help contain both Hulk and She-Hulk. It would seem to me that Tony Stark and other geniuses could find a way to use radiation to defeat Hulk (and Maestro). In my thoughts, Tony Stark would take the information in the Search for the She-Hulk" storyline and use the same methods with his armor. A man of Tony Stark's genius would have a means to replicate this. (Sadly, Marvel Comics wouldn't like to show that Hulk can be defeated so easily. Thus, we always have fist-a-cuffs.)
It wouldn't be a bomb...but, Tony could take the information of how Hulk and possibly Maestro has been defeated in the past and use it with his armor. Radiation effects the Hulk, and there would be ways with the proper armor that Tony can take the battle to Maestro.
At first, Iron Man does seem handicapped. But, remember that now Tony has access to all electronics around him. So, anything usable in this Mansion of the Runaways is his to use. Any security defenses can be controled by Tony Stark. Also, even though Maestro might be stronger and all, he's also quite a bit older. When we get older, we lose some of our previous strengths. Tony is still a young man, and quicker of mind, in my opinion.
The Hulk never reported of his encounter with Maestro. It would have been stupid of the Professor to do this. How do you think the story would have come across that he becomes twice as powerful but criminally insane in the future and that he will try and rule most of the world. I am not sure that is a story he really wants people to hear. Plus he was a founding member of the Avengers but then ended up battling them in issue #3. He does not share information with them.
It is acnon that with all of his Hulk buster armours he has never been able to siphon off the power of the Hulk. To say that here he would all of a suden find a way is hard to imagine. Plus all he knows is he is facing a Hulk like creature, not that he is facing a future version of the Hulk. And one thing to note is that not all Hulk like creatures are the same nor have exactly the same strengths. That is a big hole in your argument as there is no certainty to EXACTLY who Iron Man is facing.
It's not a rare thing for a hero to discover that they have an evil alter-ego in a alternate reality or future version. Even Tony has a few of these. I doubt they'd judge Hulk any differently because he visited a future Earth that we all know will never happen. (These futures never do come to pass, after all.)
Iron Man will know of how Jack Of Hearts was able to subdue She-Hulk and Hulk. That information would be very valuable; it's kind of ridiculous, like I said, that the comics always have a physical fight, when there are obviously different ways to subdue Hulk. (But, of course, the comics wouldn't be that interesting if that happened each time.)
Anyway, I'm happy enough to end this contest at this point. You can rebutt a final time, and then we can bring this horse to the finish line finally.
The Hulk is not Iron Man who is a member of a team. He is an anti-hero who does not have a good public opinion to begin with. I just do not think he would have mentionned it.
One thing to note in a What If where he became the Maestro, all the other chracaters were caught unawares and had no knowledge of this new personality of the Hulk.
This is a comic book world with comic bok rules and Iron Man was never able to use this strategy you mention before nad he is unlikely to use it now.