Raza

Evil-doer

Full Name

Raza Hamidmi Al-Wazar

Alias

None

Origin

Iron Man

Occupation

Commander of theTen Rings

Associate ofObadiah Stane

Powers / Skills

Intelligence

Marksmanship
Intimidation
Leadership

Goals

Kill Yinsen(succeeded).

Make Tony Stark to build for him a dangerous nuclear missile to conquer Asia.
Kill Tony Stark and prevent his escape(both failed).

Crimes

Terrorism

Conspiracy
Kidnapping
Murder(inc. attempted)
Torture
Assault
Smuggling
Embezzlement
False imprisonment
Attempted conquest

Type of Villain

Terrorist Warlord

“	The bow and arrow... once was the pinnacle of weapons technology. It allowed the great Genghis Khan... to rule from the Pacific to the Ukraine. An empire twice the size of Alexander the Great... and four times the size of the Roman Empire. But today, whoever holds the latest Stark weapons... rules these lands. And soon... it'll be my turn.	„
	~ Raza to Tony Stark. http://villains.fandom.com/wiki/File:Raza%27s_weapons_speech.mp3 noicon

“	We have a common enemy. If we're still in business, I will give you these designs as... a gift. And in turn, I hope you'll repay me with a gift of iron soldiers.	„
	~ Raza toObadiah Stane.

Raza Hamidmi Al-Wazar (Pashto: رضا حمیدي الوار) is the secondary antagonist of the 2008 superhero filmIron Man, the first installment of theMarvel Cinematic Universe. He is slated to return in some capacity in the 2026 Disney+ miniseriesVisionQuest.

He is a high-ranking member of theTen Rings, one of theMandarin's most trusted agents and the personal subordinate ofIron Monger who was tasked with capturing Stark Industries CEO Tony Stark in Afghanistan, yet him capturing the millionaire turns out to be instrumental into Stark becoming Iron Man.

He was portrayed byFaran Tahir, who also playedIshmael Bakir inLost,Osiris inSupernatural,Tivon Askari inCriminal Minds,Captain Nemo inOnce Upon a Time and voicedAbasi Hakim inCall of Duty: Black Ops III,Ra's al Ghul inInjustice 2 andDr. Challus Mercer in the 2023 remake ofDead Space.

Biography[]

Cooperation with Obadiah Stane[]

Raza was one of the members of the terrorist group known as The Ten Rings (alongsideAbu Bakaar,Ahmed andOmar). After a secret agreement withObadiah Stane, Raza captured Tony Stark, who was in Afghanistan displaying the Jericho Missile. Raza wanted Tony to build him one of the missiles for his own use (he was originally supposed to kill Tony, but they came to consider him more useful alive). He called Stark "The most famous mass murderer in the history of America," and then went on to say that he was "honored" to meet him.

Stark's First Armor and Escape[]

Despite Raza's guards watching the prisoners day and night, Tony managed to build a suit of armor to save himself and his fellow prisoner, Yinsen. Tony managed to escape, while Yinsen was killed. During his escape, Raza was caught in an explosion and fractured a part of his head. Tony also managed to save an Afghan village from a Ten Ring attack led by Bakaar, who is left at the mercy of the angry villagers, much to Raza's anger.

Demise by Stane's Sonic Wave[]

Later, Raza organized a meeting with Stane to conduct further deals. Stane arrived at Raza's Camp in a convoy with a squad of armed guards. That meeting ended when Stane betrayed Raza, used a special device to paralyze him in his tent, and left, but not before he had his men dispose of Raza's guards and told them to "finish up".

Gallery[]

Images[]

Raza being paralyzed by Stane's sonic taser, causing his demise.

Videos[]

Obadiah Stane's Betrayal - Iron Man (2008)

Quotes[]

“	We have a common enemy.	„
	~ Raza to Obadiah Stane about Tony Stark's escape

“	This is only a first, crude effort. Stark has perfected his design. He has made a masterpiece of death. A man with a dozen of these can rule all of Asia. And you dream of Stark's throne. We have a common enemy. lf we are still in business, I will give you these designs as a gift. And in turn, I hope you'll repay me with a gift of iron soldiers.	„
	~ Raza's final words before his being betrayed by Obadiah Stane and eventual death.

Trivia[]

Faran Tahir expressed concern about the possibility of the film causing offence to a Muslim audience by portraying the gang as Islamic caricatures and suggested the idea of the gang having members from various different nations.
Raza himself mentioned that he is a descendant of the great Gengis Khan, and has the right to rule as a terrrorist.
In the comics, Raza is an alien space pirate. Although unrelated, Raza's character in the movie mirrors his comic counterpart with the scars on his face. However, his role in Iron Man's origin is very similar to the role of Wong-Chu, a Vietnamese warlord from the comics who took Tony prisoner in the jungles of South Vietnam.
- A version of the character was later introduced in the comics in a retelling of Tony Stark's origin as Iron Man.
Despite Raza's apparent death inIron Man, it would be announced years later that Faran Tahir will reprise the role inVisionQuest, possibly because Raza is related to the origins to Tony Stark, Vision's late creator, who may play a posthumous role with White Vision being the star of the upcoming miniseries. How Raza is going to return, however, is currently unclear, whether it is flashbacks or by retconning his death, as he wasn't killed onscreen.