After the formation of the team in #1, Wasp came up with the name, but it was Tony who put all his investments into the team, he gave them a headquarters and bankrolled all the money for the technology and everything else.
Therefore Tony is always seen as the man in charge, without him, would the team have developed this far over the years? just look at other teams that do not have his money behind them, New Warriors, Heroes for Hire etc. They just don’t compete with the Avengers.
However, since #4 and the discovery of Captain America, the balance has been altered. Due to his morals, ethics and strategic thinking, Tony has always deferred to Cap as being Field Leader. So even when Cap is not the official leader of the team, as soon as he starts barking orders in battle, everyone follows.
While the Avengers have had many leaders, Captain Marvel (Photon), Scarlet Witch, Wasp, etc…They have always during their time as leaders, gone to Tony or Steve for advice and counsel. This has sometimes caused problems as seen in Force Works, where Tony kept trying to overrule Scarlet Witch. But usually, they follow whoever is in charge of the team at that time.
"All the best"
