"Blow something up? I already did that."

I've been tweaking this deck for years, particularly after the release of SP//dr, and feel like it's gotten to the point where it's reliable and powerful. The primary goals are to get tech upgrades out quickly to boost your hand size so you can get out of alter ego fast (usually after two turns) and then Repulsor Blast and Supersonic Punch the villain to death, while keeping threat in check at the same time. The cards chosen are energy resource focused, to make Repulsor Blast as hard hitting and consistent as possible. From my plays, 9 damage is a fair average once you get the non-energy supports and upgrades down. (Note that Repulsor Blast requires printed energy resources, so wild resources won't help you there.)

This is not a traditional protection deck that's actually focused on defense, and is certainly not focused on defending for others, though it could be tweaked to provide more assistance. The aspect was chosen as the tech upgrades help Iron Man get up to full hand size faster, so he doesn't have to stay in alter ego form for as long as in other aspects, and for Repurpose. I find I'm typically flipping up to hero form on my third turn, if not my second.

Powered Gauntlets and Plasma Pistol are typically used to clear Stun, to cut through Tough on the villain, or to deal with minions when you don't want to waste the big damage events on them.

Energy Shield, Energy Barrier, and Forcefield Generator are not only tech upgrades, but help you stay in hero form once you get there. Between the latter two, you can essentially get up to 12 additional hitpoints. Keep in mind that Forcefield Generator's defensive effect is mandatory, so try to Repurpose it before you have to discard it.

Iron Man will primarily handle thwarting from his Mark V Helmet and his basic thwart power (2x per round with Arc Reactor (and ideally another +1 from a Justice player giving him Heroic Intuition). Also, the aforementioned Repurpose can be a game-changer for either thwarting or attacking, particularly if you can play multiple copies in the same turn, as the effectiveness escalates.

I included two Plasma Pistol and two Stun Gun to have more tech options, particularly in the early game, and as Repurpose targets for the late game. You can only have two total on your board at once, but these are the most expendable tech upgrades anyway, so you'll likely be churning through them. Feel free to switch out one of these for a third Forcefield Generator, just keep in mind that you can only have one of those on your board at a time.

You likely won't play Preemptive Strike much, but it's there just in case and because it's an energy resource. You could substitute in Defiance, as it's zero cost, but Preemptive Strike lets you shift damage to yourself on another player's turn, so it's more flexible. Subdue is also an option here if you prefer helping teammates but not shifting the actual attack to you. If you want be more helpful, you could add more of these events and remove a Plasma Pistol, a Stun Gun, and/or a Forcefield Generator. Just be careful not to take out too much tech, which will make your tech build up take more turns and/or leave you with less-appealing Repurpose targets, like Arc Reactor, which should only be discarded as a last resort.

Regarding allies, none of them are essential, but Spider-Byte and White Fox (through Repulsor Blast) frequently come in for free. I almost didn't include Spider-Byte as he's not an energy resource, but a free ally seems too good to pass up. Nova gives you a great way to turn the defensive events or other extra cards into damage, as well as giving another use for Repurpose when you can't afford to discard your tech just yet. Luke Cage provides some extra defense, while being an energy resource as well.

As for the other cards, Quincarrier and Ingenuity provide the intellect resource to go aerial. If you can't run Quincarrier because someone else (selfishly) is, Enhanced Awareness should be fine. Avengers Mansion and Helicarrier aren't necessary, but are always nice to have and can help your teammates. Endurance never hurts either, and it's an energy resource as well.