The appearance of Stark's armor has radically changed over the years, either as a result of modifications made by Stark or specialized armors created for specific situations.
Overview
Though Stark's wide array of armors have many different abilities, they are alike in that they are made of incredibly strong fictional materials bolstered by a force field. Every suit has a self-contained environment, assorted onboard weapons systems, enhanced strength, flight, and various communications arrays and sensors (such as radar and radio). Furthermore, they typically have multiple power sources including a secondary solar energy collection function in the event that conventional recharging methods are unavailable. Older versions of the armor could also fold virtually flat, allowing Stark to store them in his bullet-proof briefcase.
The defining abilities of Stark's armor are the jets situated in the boots and the repulsors situated in the gloves. The repulsors originated as a hand attachment, but have since become the armor's most important standard armament. They have been referred to as being magnetic,[1] a blast of charged particles,[2] and as a force beam.[3] In the 2008 movie, the repulsors are a form of propulsion and (as hand units) steering jet, though they can be used offensively. A later variation on this is the Pulse Bolts, bolts of concussive energy that actually gain energy the further they have to travel, up to a limit of roughly three football fields (about 329 meters).
Another defining trait is the chest-mounted "uni-beam", also known as the variobeam, and tri-beam (in the 2008 film, Tony commands J.A.R.V.I.S. to divert power to his "chest RT," or chest repulsor transmitter). Originally a spotlight and "proton beam," it has grown to accommodate a number of other weapons, primarily light and force-based.
Contrary to its appearance, most of Stark's armors are not rigid metal suits, like a medieval knight's. His standard armor suit consists of approximately two million grain-of-sand-sized discrete units, which are shaped to have as large a surface as possible to optimize their effectiveness. The basis of the suit's structural integrity is the powerful force field which permeates the armor's "cells," as well as the whole configuration when active. Each of the "cells" is a tiny unit in its own right, contributing energy and computing power to the entire armor; this is also why the suit can remain functional even after having sustained considerable damage. The basic principle of the suit is holistic; each part contains the whole, as it were. When inactive, the entire suit can collapse on the microscopic level, the cells "folding" in on themselves to take up a smaller volume, like a three-dimensional accordion pleat.
While Tony Stark designs every aspect of the armor, the complexity of the design requires that production be entirely automated. Each cell is constructed by using specialized bacteria — the bacteria consume minute amounts of specific metals, arrange themselves on pre-tagged areas on the "chip wafer", then die, leaving a very small amount of iron, or gold, or gallium-arsenide. This method allows great precision in determining the thickness of circuitry.
All the details of the armor's construction listed above are laid out in the Iron Manual. However, some armor which appeared after publication of the Iron Manual may well use entirely different methods of construction.
Armors of the 1960s
Iron Man Armor MK I (Grey)
Mark I grey armour.
First Appearance:Tales of Suspense #39 (March 1963)
Stark's grey armor was the first iron man armor he built and (in retrospect) a prototype for the later models. It was built around an iron chest plate designed to prevent the piece of shrapnel he received in Vietnam from traveling to his heart and killing him. The armor, made from ordinary iron, provided protection from physical attacks, small arms fire, temperature extremes, some energy forms, and acid. Powered by flat linear armature DC motors (rechargeable via any electrical outlet), the exoskeleton boosted the strength of the wearer by about 10 times, and employed negative feedback for motion sensing. Air pressure jets allowed for extended jumps, but not true flight. Weaponry included a chest-mounted monobeam (proton beam generator; useful range was only a few yards), a miniature hacksaw that extended from the gauntlet's fingertips, and magnetic turbo-insulators that allowed Stark to magnetically deflect metal projectiles or bring metal objects to him. Sensors consisted of a short-wave radio. All of the armor's devices and functions were manually controlled by the wearer. Stark used it to escape terrorists in Vietnam who were holding him hostage. He constructed at least one updated, form-fitting version, still rigid, upon his return to the United States.
Iron Man Armor MK II (Golden Avenger)
First Appearance:Tales of Suspense #40 (April 1963)
In order to make this armor - which originally was gun-metal grey, like the original - less frightening to the general public, Stark created a gold-colored version with a wide array of improvements over the original. The new armor used the three dimensional, collapsible micro-structure now common in Stark's suits, so that it could be folded up and stored in his briefcase while inactive. The chestplate was streamlined so that it could be worn under normal clothing without being noticeable. The suit had a semi-rigid interior with 3D knitted metallic exterior of a lightweight iron alloy, providing the same protection as his old suit did. This was also the first suit to be equipped with a force field generator. Power was still provided by flat linear armature DC motors, now rechargeable via solar recharger as well as electrical outlets, and motion sensing was still provided by negative feedback. The Mk II air pressure boot-jets provided limited flight; steering while flying was accomplished by bodily movement. Weaponry consisted of the chest-mounted Mk II Monobeam (usable as either a concussive force beam or a heat beam), a sledgehammer, hacksaws extending from the fingertips, hand drills, electromagnets allowing him to pull things to him and push them away, and an electrical field generator. Communications and sensor arrays consisted of a loudspeaker, short-wave two-way radio, radar, and a tape recorder. When one iteration of this particular armor was partially destroyed by the Melter, a supervillain who could dissolve iron and iron alloys with a special ray, Stark built an exact copy out of aluminum which was unaffected.
Iron Man Armor MK III (Original Red & Gold)
First Appearance:Tales of Suspense #48 (December 1963)
Stark's trademark red and gold armor arose from a battle with a villain named Mr. Doll, who could control the gold armor through a replica figurine. To circumvent the villain's ability, Stark withdrew and constructed a new suit with a significantly different look and a lighter build- thus allowing him to devote less of his own strength to moving the armor and more to fighting Mr. Doll's influence, resulting in the streamlined red and gold suit.
The red and gold armor was composed of an ultra-fine 3-D knit alloy and incorporated motors into the knitting to allow full mobility. While it ran on the same type of power, the power consumption was much more efficient. The boot jets were upgraded to chemically fueled thrusters, which provided a much faster flight speed. Weaponry consisted of the chest-mounted Mk II Monobeam (useful range was still only several yards), repulsor rays, a proton gun, and powerful electromagnets to pull metal objects to him or repel/push them away. Communications and sensors consisted of a short-wave radio. Other features included an image reproducer and collapsible roller skates. Most functions were controlled by miniature electronic switches mounted on the insides of various pieces of the armor such as the helmet and the gloves; by pressing various combinations of them, different systems were engaged. The switches in the helmet were enabled by the wearer's tongue; other functions were utilized with wrist-mounted controls.
Beyond these features, Stark also occasionally experimented with cosmetic modifications such as adding a nose indentation on his faceplate, or rimming the face-plate with rivets.
While the appearance of the armor changed only slightly, over the years its technology improved by leaps and bounds, resulting in vastly increased strength, speed, and firepower. Control of the armor was slowly shifted from motion feedback and internal buttons to cybernetic controls, which could sense and interpret the wearer's own brainwaves and respond accordingly. The pacemaker function of the chestplate was also eventually abandoned, as Stark's heart was repaired using artificial tissue.
It is hinted that Tony Stark based the new cosmetic improvement on a childhood fantasy, as the red and gold color scheme came from his elementary school's colors, and the whole "Iron Man" motif from the eponymous song by Black Sabbath.[4] This explanation is anachronistic, at best, as the Iron Man motif was fully established by the mid-to-late 1960s, while the Black Sabbath song was not released until 1970. Black Sabbath has never acknowledged an association between this song and the Marvel character.
Armors of the 1970s
Iron Man Armor MK V (Classic Red & Gold)
First Appearance:Iron Man (vol. 1) #85 (April 1976)
Armor structure was improved with 3D knitting. In addition, a force-field helped keep the armor rigid. The armor used solar power and integrated micro-circuitry. A thermocouple was used to handle extreme temperature and convert it to usable power, but it could be overloaded. Repulsors were standard weaponry. The variobeam/uni-beam was capable of various effects. A tractor beam could be used to pull or tow objects. The most recent version of the armor was able to use pulse bolts. Gyro-stabilizers were used in the boot jets. Power pods were capable of various functions such as boosting other systems or being set to detonate. ECM jamming was used to evade detection. A hologram emitter created multiple images to make the armor harder to target. In addition to the sonic emitter, a voice distorter helped protect Stark's identity and could also be used to duplicate sounds. The armor could travel underground. Freon could be emitted and a built-in fire extinguisher handled internal and external fire. Finger lasers and a "sabresaw" were available for cutting through objects. Life support was improved; the pacemaker was no longer needed after successful heart surgery. A slave circuit was added to control older suits after the incident with Weasel Willis. However, this was a weakness when Midas attempted to gain control of the armors. Sensors were upgraded with a full-band transceiver, infrared, and a 'life detector' that was keyed to several important personnel.
Armors of the 1980s
During this period, Stark came to realize there were several situations where his regular model armor, while functional in most environments or situations when necessary, could not perform optimally. In response, Stark began to develop numerous specialized suits for special missions.
Space Armor MK I
First Appearance:Iron Man (vol. 1) #142 (January 1981)
While based on the same design principles, this suit's matrix was formed non-collapsible to increase its protection from the rigors of deep space; also, its specialized nature made collapsibility unnecessary. Power was provided by a Mk IV micro-nuclear supply pack, supplemented by solar power converters. Systems were controlled via a cybernetic interface, though it proved to be overly sensitive; when Stark first used the armor he had difficulty triggering the appropriate command to activate the feature he wanted. The suit was designed for extended time outside of the atmosphere, up to two days in orbit (food and catheterization capable). The life support, boot jets and altitude maneuvering were powered by an on-board supply of liquid oxygen. Weaponry consisted of palm-mounted third-generation Repulsors (electron beams which require laser ionized path of air to travel through the atmosphere; the beam is moderated using a pulsing beam and early form of adaptive optics; objects are jolted away from the beam path by the combination of ionized air and the accelerated neutron beam) and a chest-mounted Unibeam (a variable intensity light source usable as a spotlight or a laser; the pentagon shape of the emitter allowed for more accurate laser pulsing while in an atmosphere), and epaulet-mounted concussion-burst cannons. Sensors consisted of radar, sonar, infrared scanners, and radio. Additional features included ECM against radar and sonar, and the fully articulated hands could be fired out on retractable cables for use as long-range grapples. The most obvious feature on this special armor was its ability to attain escape velocity without aid of an external thruster, unique to this Iron Man version; however, the nuclear jets which allowed this made the suit bulky, heavy and awkward in Earth's gravity. The dangers inherent in an atomic-energy based propulsion system of such immense power seem to have driven Tony Stark to build the thruster unit which he has been using ever since.
Iron Man Armor Model 07 (Stealth Armor MK I)
First Appearance:Iron Man (vol. 1) #152 (November 1981)
The Stealth armor is another of the specialized suits of armor developed by Tony Stark for specific missions, similar to the Space Armor; indeed, its creation was inspired due to him being tracked by radar during his use of the Space Armor. The Stealth Armor was designed using current "stealth" technology to allow Iron Man to foil detection devices and slip unknown in and out of restricted areas. This sleek, jet black suit (composed of impact resistant carbon-composites overlaid on top of layered "flex-metal" which can condense itself like a 3-dimensional accordion pleat) was a polarized metal mesh armor that uses every bit of space for detection and evasion components, and therefore was originally designed with no weapons. Most of this armor used solar power to charge the batteries and run most of the integrated circuitry, though the pods on the sides were batteries that could maintain the suit's functions for a short time. It was able to recharge itself from electrical sources, a thermocouple to siphon power from extreme heat or cold, and solar power. The suit utilized force field technology to render Iron Man electronically invisible- a layer of low density plasma would be held in place by a focused magnetic field, and the tripole waveform reflected radar, along with a wave modifier that bent the radar around it. To quash any detectable infrared signature, the armor's boot-jet exhaust was "washed" by bursts of super-cooled air. The micro-turbines on his jet boots possess assisted air liquification devices; rings of liquid nitrogen.
Iron Man Armor MK VI (Recovery armor)
First Appearance:Iron Man (vol. 1) #191 (February 1985)
After climbing back out of the gutter where he had landed after Obadiah Stane's psychological attack had devastated him, Tony Stark started to construct a very basic armor out of spare parts he asked as payment from the companies he advised. More symbolic than anything, this armor had a strong resemblance to the very first, gray armor. While far more advanced than most earlier armors, it was inferior to the regular model Jim Rhodes was using at the time. It was eventually and unceremoniously destroyed by one of Stane's mechanical pawns. Nevertheless, it served to channel Stark's emotional distress into creative paths and paved the way for the armor that came next.
Silver Centurion
Silver Centurion armour
First Appearance:Iron Man (vol. 1) #200 (November 1985)
Stark began creating the Silver Centurion armor as a method of working out ideas and experimenting. The S-circuit, which uses its energy more efficiently, is an example of the breakthrough developed by Stark, using the armor as a model. With the destruction of Circuits Maximus by Obadiah Stane, Stark donned the newest set of armor to battle the foe that stripped him of his business, his friends, and almost his life. The battle with Stane was the first field test of this armor, and resulted in the defeat of Stane and the destruction of Stane International.
The suit had a rigid interior and a 3-D knitted metallic exterior, providing protection from physical attacks as well as acid, heat, cold, most forms of energy, radiation, and electricity. A 3-D knitting pattern on a submolecular construction level gave the armor itself more strength, while allowing for the most comfortable suit interior. By expanding the field that keeps the armor rigid, the armor could encase itself in a protective force field that was effective against most forms of attack; Stark could also use this field to polarize the armor to either attract or repulse other items via magnetic polarity.
Most of this armor used solar power to charge the batteries and run most of the integrated circuitry, though the pods on the sides were batteries that could maintain the suit's functions for a short time. It was also able to recharge itself from electrical sources, a thermocouple to siphon power from extreme heat or cold. Flight was accomplished via Mk IV boot-jets (which incorporated high-speed duo-source turbines), supplemented by a booster pack that enabled the armor to attain speeds up to 750 mph (1,210 km/h) in the air and 180 mph (290 km/h) in the water.
Weaponry consisted of a chest-mounted Mk III Unibeam (search light, heat beams, tractor beam, laser beam, and ultraviolet light beam), palm-mounted Mk III Repulsors (laser-guided particle beam emitters), pulse bolts (slow-moving high energy plasma discharge "torpedoes" that build in intensity as they travel through the atmosphere, picking up static and ambient energy and thus doing more damage the farther they travel), and a sonic emitter (generating high-frequency sound waves).
Sensors consisted of a full band audiovisual transceiver simultaneous images of the armor. It could also be used to generate a "chameleon field" around itself; the computer in the armor would analyze its surroundings and generate a hologram to make it blend in with the surroundings making it effectively invisible visually and to cameras. Unfortunately, the "chameleon effect" module interfered with the cybernetic controls of the armor, providing nasty feedback and massive headaches.
The Silver Centurion armor- or at least a copy of it, given that the original was destroyed towards the conclusion of the "Armor Wars"- was recently [5] used by Tony Stark to defeat the Mandarin, when his Extremis abilities were temporarily deactivated due to concerns regarding his mental health.
Hydro Armor
First Appearance:Iron Man (vol. 1) #218 (May 1987)
This unit was designed for salvage missions at the bottom of the deepest oceans—while Stark's conventional suits function underwater, they were noisy, inefficient, and they leaked. The exact composition is unknown; it is assumed to be composed of the same layered "flex-metal" micro-scale suit tiles fabricated by genetically engineered metal-affinity bacteria which assemble themselves in specific orderly arrays and then expire, leaving behind various metallic deposits which form all the metal shapes and micro-electronic circuits. A new aligned-crystal production process allowed the construction of a large, semi-spherical headpiece, as transparent as glass. This unit possessed several ocean-specific weapons, such as the electric field of an electric eel, a camouflage 'ink cloud' and small 'manta ray' torpedoes. It also comprised an inner "Escape Suit" that could be jettisoned from the main suit in case of emergency (this inner suit possessed a Unibeam, 2 torpedoes, and the holding bay). Functions were controlled by cybernetic interface.
Low Observable Armor (Stealth Armor, Mark II)
First Appearance:Iron Man (vol. 1) #229 (April 1988)
This armor was nearly identical to the Mk I Stealth Armor, with two additional features. The first was a camouflage effect, similar to the chameleon effect generated by the Silver Centurion armor. This suit's camouflage effect was entirely manually controlled, providing the wearer with invisibility to visual or camera detection, but only against backgrounds that are mostly of one color. The second addition were palm-mounted Mk IV Repulsors, though they only had enough energy to fire three shots at full power.
Iron Man Armor MK VIII (New Red & Gold)
First Appearance:Iron Man (vol. 1) #231 (June 1988)
During the Armor Wars, Iron Man found himself facing the government-sanctioned armored assassin Firepower. Against this walking, flying armored arsenal, even the Silver Centurion armor did not stand a chance, and it was destroyed. Reluctant to enter the fray again, but forced into action, Tony Stark designed a new suit, even more powerful and versatile than its predecessor, designed specifically to negate Firepower's original advantages, such as a means of disrupting Firepower's targeting systems, a gauntlet-generated energy shield, and more powerful boosters for increased speed. It made short work of Firepower, and Stark was so horrified of the destructive potential of the armor should it fall into the wrong hands, he resolved to destroy it. Fortunately, he changed his mind. The modern classic armor resembled the classic armor which had endured for many years, with some minor cosmetic changes. Its appearance changed somewhat, mainly becoming more bulky, ostensibly to increase thruster power (its massive boot-jets earning it the some-time nickname "coffeepot armor"). It was also the first armor to incorporate a beta-particle generator, radically reducing Iron Man's external power needs and boosting his offensive power.
Armors of the 1990s
Space Armor, Mark II
First Appearance:Iron Man (vol. 1) #278 (March 1992)
A new space armor design intended to function for weeks on end without maintenance, recharging or restocking of resources. It was able to evade the sophisticated sensors on Kree and Shi'ar spaceships as well as interface with their technology. It also possessed an extremely powerful self-destruct mechanism via its fusion reactor.
Telepresence Armor
First Appearance:Iron Man (vol. 1) #280
Critically wounded by a bullet near his spine, Tony Stark was paralyzed from the waist down. After some soul-searching, he designed an armor which would enable him to walk. While his paralysis was ended by the implantation of an organic microchip, this proved only the start of his problems, as the biochip was revealed to be a parasitic life form, designed to consume his own nervous system and replace it with one that could be controlled from the outside. He now needed the support armor even more to protect himself from the people who controlled his body, since his armor cybernetically responded to his own brain. The cybernetic interface and battle computer were integrated with the Telepresence Neural Net, a more subtle armor he used to simulate his degenerating nervous system. While it was still worn as a suit of armor, the
functions and muscle control were carried out by the suit, not by the wearer.
This suit was created initially by Stark to deal with the Masters of Silence threat; a later version, JRXL-1000, was designed and built for, and worn for a while by James Rhodes. It was designed for all-out warfare, and was also known as the "Variable Threat Response Battle Suit". It was not collapsible, and included far heavier carbon-composite-based armor as well as improved tactical computer systems and automatic targeting. Since the Masters of Silence were protected against Iron Man's usual weaponry (Repulsors and Unibeam), those weapons were removed from the first version of the armor. In both iterations, the shoulder mounted weapons are modular and can be removed and replaced. In the first version, both the double-barreled cannon and the laser blade were fixed (the flamethrower was built over the laser blade casing). In the Rhodes model, the wrist weapons became modular too.
NTU-150 Telepresence Armor
First Appearance:Iron Man (vol. 1) #290 (March 1993)
Though similar in design to both the Neo-Classic armor and its remote-controlled counterpart, the NTU-150 incorporated the new SE Telepresence technology, enabling the unit to be operated under full Virtual Control. This unit was not a wearable suit of armor; rather, it was a fully articulated device controlled by the mental impulses of the user via a remote headset apparatus. The remote headset transmitted commands to the active unit in much the same way as the human brain transmits commands to the central nervous system (in this case, it is via a subspace radio connection, lessening reaction time to almost zero). Similarly, the visual, aural, and (to a lesser degree) tactile information collected by the NTU-150 could be interpreted by the user's brain in the same way as normal sensory data. The primary difference is that the sensory data collected by the NTU-150 includes a full range of electromagnetic spectra and computer-processed data normally unavailable to humans, while the active devices contained in the unit includes not only analogues to the human body, but weaponry, data collection and processing hardware as well, all under autonomic and voluntary nervous system control. In contrast to traditional robotic devices, the NTU-150 contains no mechanical framework to mimic the action of the human body; the unit's outer shell is articulated by a multiprocessor-controlled structural integrity field which allows for a much greater range of movement.
Modular Armor
First Appearance:Iron Man (vol. 1) #300 (January 1994)
This unit is a drastic departure from all of the previous armors. Instead of a single cohesive unit, each piece of the armor is a stand alone subsystem that can be interchanged at will. As such, while the overall unit is still referred to as the Mark 11, the actual configuration at any given time will vary. The shell was composed of layered "flex-metal" which could condense itself like a 3-dimensional accordion pleat. Micro-scale suit tiles were fabricated by genetically engineered metal-affinity bacteria, which assembled themselves in specific orderly arrays and then expired, leaving behind various metallic deposits which form all the metal shapes and micro-electronic circuits.
First Appearance:Iron Man (vol. 1) #304 (May 1994)
The Hulkbuster armor is a heavy-duty exo-frame (an add-on to the Mk. XI Modular Armor) designed for maximum strength amplification at the cost of reduced versatility and mobility. As its name suggests, it was specifically designed for hand-to-hand combat with the rampaging Hulk. The armor was rated with a lift (press) capacity of 175 tons. During its maiden run, the armor enabled Stark to hold his own in sustained physical combat with the Hulk. An armor similar to the Hulkbuster armor appears in Iron Man: Armored Adventures[6] referred to as the Dynamobuster armor. Also, in the video game Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction, the military forces begin using "Hulkbuster" battle-suits, which are usually of similar size to the Hulk himself.
Arctic Armor
First Appearance:Iron Man (vol. 1) #318 (July 1995)
Very little is known about this armor; Stark used it to travel to an Arctic bunker. It is hypothesized that the armor may have special thermal units for added wearer insulation. It also looked very striking, being blue and silver in color, and possessing a unique hexagonal chest beam.
Crossing Armor
First Appearance:Iron Man (vol. 1) #319 (August 1995)
This armor may reflect the mindset that resulted from Tony Stark being controlled more and more by Immortus. He did away with the still perfectly serviceable (and because of its very nature still state-of-the-art) Modular Armor and constructed a much more specialized armor; this one, in hindsight, was definitely designed for combat. In fact, it is possible it was designed to take on the Avengers.
Its appearance was simpler, sporting rivets as its only decoration. Bulky gauntlets housed more powerful repulsors on top of the wrist instead of in the palm of the hand. As Tony was dragged deeper and deeper into Immortus´ plan, it seemed his armor reflected this, going from blood-red and gold to darker burgundy-and-bronze.
Retro Armor
First Appearance:Iron Man (vol. 1) #325 (February 1996)
This armor's design history is unknown; it stands out because it, out of all the other armors in the armory, was picked by "Teen Tony," a Tony Stark who had been plucked out of an alternate time stream many years in the past to help fight his present-day self .
Teen Tony Armor
First appearance: Iron Man volume 1 #326 (March 1996)
MARK 1 (Iron Man volume 1 #326):
Not a full armor, but only a chest plate to keep the young Tony’s heart beating. Was soon upgraded with a pair of gauntlets.
MARK 2 (Iron Man volume 1 #327):
A chestplate and gauntlets, but more powerful and with superior shielding against energy attacks.
MARK 3 (Iron Man volume 1 #328):
Based on the mark 2, this was the first full-body armor constructed by the young Tony Stark – out of bits and pieces cobbled together on a moment’s notice. It was created to fight the super-cold villain Frostbite and therefore particularly geared at manipulating heat and cold.
MARK 4 (Iron Man volume 1 #329):
Finalized armor, like a streamlined, upgraded version of the mark 3, with design elements of model 16. It only partly consisted of solid metal; parts of the limbs’ armor were holographicforce-fields (which were visually indistinguishable from the original golden armor).
Prometheum Armor (Heroes Reborn)
First Appearance:Iron Man (vol. 2) #1 (November 1996)
During the Onslaught event, Tony Stark was one of the heroes who sacrificed himself to defeat the menace, and consequently was shunted into a newly created pocket universe by reality-altering mutant Franklin Richards.
In the new universe, every person had a new, but complete history- including a childhood, youth and adulthood- and no memory of their original universe. So Iron Man had to be reborn- and he was, this time not as a result of a booby trap in the Far East, but a direct encounter with the newly born Incredible Hulk. His chest pierced by shrapnel from a crashed helicopter, Tony Stark had no choice but to don an experimental exoskeleton (Project: Prometheus Rising) which had cost the life of one of his closest friends before. He had to keep wearing the chest plate constantly to keep his shredded heart beating thereafter.
The paradigm of this armor was quite different from the one Iron Man had worn for years in the baseline universe, but the arrangement of weapons, and, oddly enough, the color scheme, remained similar. Its sensors seemed somewhat more advanced. It remained cloaked when not worn, but could join up with the chestplate in seconds when called.
Renaissance Armor (Heroes Return)
First Appearance:Iron Man (vol. 3) #1 (February 1998)
Fresh upon his return from the "Heroes Reborn" universe, Tony constructed this armor which served as a new beginning, combining cutting-edge technology with classic lines. The armor possessed energy-absorption strips, as well as a "horned" faceplate, reminiscent of the first red-and-gold armor, and a pentagonal chest beam.
Tony temporarily returned to the Heroes Return armor in the aftermath of Secret Invasion in Iron Man (vol. 5) #10 (April 2009).
Experimental Safe Armor
First Appearance:Fantastic Four (vol. 3) #15 (March 1999)
Experimental armor incorporating safe power systems, necessary when it became apparent the constant exposure to the powerful energy fields inside the Iron Man armor were harming Tony's health. Iron Man transported to the moon to help the Fantastic Four; however a malfunction caused a brief battle between Iron Man and the FF. Despite its rough, unfinished state, it still played a vital role in defeating Ronan, the Kree Supreme Accuser.
Armors of the 2000s
Sentient Armor
First Appearance:Iron Man (vol. 3) #26 (March 2000)
Incorporated 'safe' power systems, which insulated the wearer. Too large to fit into the traditional suitcase, it instead transformed into a compact, flight-capable module. It became sentient due to the Ultron Imperative (although the original tale controversially involved the Y2K bug as the explanation) being unwittingly implanted in it by Jocasta. As a sentient unit, it was a superior fighter to Iron Man, but its artificial nature rendered it fairly predictable when Tony was forced to fight it on a desert island, allowing him to set up elaborate traps to confront it while it was occupied with a signal from the Avengers. It possessed a strong desire to be with Tony Stark, an apparently initially sincere affection which soon grew into possessiveness and deadly obsession. In the end, however, the armor, which had intended to replace Tony altogether, sacrificed itself to save his life when he suffered a potentially fatal heart attack, ripping its own cybernetic heart out and shunting it into his creator's body. Later, the Sentient Armor was revived by the misguided Sons of Yinsen who sought to use it to resurrect their prophet, Ho Yinsen. Unfortunately, Ultron's consciousness quickly dominated the armor, even joining with his head, lost during the events of the "Ultron Imperative"-story. In the end, the armor was presumably destroyed when New Timbetpal, the massive floating city of the Sons of Yinsen, crashed.
Outer Atmospheric Armor
First Appearance:Iron Man: Bad Blood (miniseries) #4 (December 2000)
A completely new space armor design. It requires a booster rig for takeoff, and has therefore been trimmed down to reduce weight. While it offers less protection than previous models, it is also stealthier and far more maneuverable in space, using anaerobic jets for propulsion. It contains a special compression gel to protect the wearer from G-forces, and automatically seals any leaks. To accommodate re-entry, the unit possesses a massive, expanding solar sail.
S.K.I.N. Armor
First Appearance:Iron Man (vol. 3) #42 (July 2001)(prototype); Iron Man (vol. 3) #44 (September)(finished design)
This armor's main difference from its predecessors is its sheer size; the torso and shoulders in particular are massive. Its development, starting from scratch, resulted mainly from Tony's fear that an innate factor had resulted in his previous armor developing sentience. Its appearance also differed markedly from the Sentient Armor, perhaps to make it seem as different as possible: it possessed a circular chest beam, a greatly altered overall configuration (including many "industrial-style" details such as external tubing, earning this suit the ignoble nickname "udder armor"[citation needed]) and a restyled helmet.
The armor is powered by a Beta Particle Generator and solar power converters and controlled by a Cybernetic Interface and Battle Computer to enhance reactions when in combat. It can absorb directed energy attacks as well as massive non-directional energy discharges (like explosions). It also possesses a new force field.
The golden sections of Iron Man consisted of S.K.I.N (Synth-Kinetic Interface Nano-fluid), a liquid alloy that can be manipulated to conform to any desired shape. It is lightweight but has immense structural integrity, being harder than titanium and approaching low-grade adamantium. S.K.I.N. can be contracted to fit into a small container or stretched/shaped into another form. The alloy's wondrous properties were developed by Askew Technologies, and the exact elements incorporated into the S.K.I.N. remain unknown. Tony had set up the S.K.I.N. of his armor to be stored in a small container. On his command, the S.K.I.N. spilled out and assumed its default armor configuration.
The larger size of the armor accommodated storage of several new systems, including an improved sonic array, upgraded chameleon field, energy blade, missiles and even a number of grapefruit-sized, spherical drone units which could hover and fly autonomously, and serve as scouts or remote-controlled weapons.
Unfortunately, this design had to be abandoned after Ultron proved how easily he could make S.K.I.N. (or a human being it was bonded to) jump through hoops.
Stealth Armor, Mark III
First Appearance:Black Panther (vol. 2) #44 (July 2002)
Similar to Stark's earlier Armor, the Mark III Stealth unit was also specifically designed to combat the Black Panther's anti-metal vibranium claws- it is composed entirely of advanced composite ceramics and experimental bio-neural gel-pack circuitry, fused with a kevlar-like polymer and backed by optical fiber networks; all of which comes down to an armor which was invisible to electronic detection systems as well as the naked eye, even the Black Panther's. Although the development of Stark's new cloaking technology for the Mark 25 "S.K.I.N." armor probably rendered the Mark III unit's stealth technology obsolete, the Stealth armor is nevertheless an effective weapon against opponents such as the Black Panther and Magneto because of its plastic/ceramic design.
Tin Man Armor
First Appearance:Iron Man (vol. 3) #50 (March 2002)
After the S.K.I.N. fiasco, Tony once again more or less redesigned the armor from scratch. Improved scanning included GPS and a particle mist that could be used to 'mark' targets. The armor, which went through various evolutions, had originally a generally segmented, almost insect-like appearance; later, it became heavier, more industrial, and the ultimate form of this armor (through trimmed down) made Tony sigh, "It's difficult to believe I used to be able to fit this inside a briefcase".
Carbon dioxide provides underwater propulsion; immediate satellite uplinking even from miles underwater was possible.
Repulsors were improved with a 'crowd control' setting. The armor could also release a (tentatively called) "deflector pulse", a shaped force field blasting outward from various points on the suit. Armor could also release a devastating "blockbuster" blast utilizing uni-beam and repulsors in concert, but more potent than either.
When commanded, the armor could also adopt a hovering, non-humanoid, autonomous combat mode, equipped with energy and projectile weapons.
Thorbuster
First Appearance:Iron Man (vol. 3) #64 (March 2003)
The Thor-Buster armor was designed by Tony Stark as a precaution against Thor, in case his good deeds went bad. The power source for the armor was a mystical Asgardian crystal, originally part of a new type of power generator that Thor left Tony Stark to possibly use as a new energy source for mankind. Outwardly, it resembled the Asgardian Destroyer. Because it could absorb and utilize the massive amounts of energy Thor turned on it, in terms of raw strength this armor could be the mightiest Iron Man of all. Nevertheless, it was ultimately destroyed by Thor, its power source undone.
Cobalt Man impostor
First Appearance:Avengers/Thunderbolts #1 (May 2004)
First Appearance:Iron Man (vol. 3) #71 (October 2003)
This prototype armor possessed armor made up out of three-inch (76 mm) , honeycomb-shaped tiles, piled several layers thick. Each tile was made of high-impact polymer. When one of the tiles was damaged, it popped off and the next one below it snapped into place. Furthermore, the suit used repulsor-tech force fields to position new tiles, produced in a "polymer kiln" on its back. It could also create a "storm cloud" of thousands of orbiting tiles around itself to act as "chaff". This armor was originally designed to be used in space, where micrometeoroids provided an impact-rich environment, but was ultimately used to defend against a parasitical alien life form which infected organisms and altered them to suit its needs. For optimal efficacy, the tiles were "loaded" with specialized nanobots which would turn the alien's biology against itself.
Iron Man Armor Model 29
First Appearance:Iron Man (vol. 3) #72 (November 2003)
Tony Stark began using this armor during the time that he served as the United States Secretary of Defense. Standard weaponry including repulsors, uni-beam and sonics. Concussion blasts were used against the Hand. Zero-point energy was used against Michael Pointer (aka The Collective). Via voice command, the armor could adopt an autonomous, robotic Battle Mode. If separated by magnetism, it could reform and return to Stark. Defensively, a repulsor shield could be extended to protect the armor and allies. Security was enhanced by upgrades to anti-tampering devices
Anti-Radiation Armor
First Appearance:Incredible Hulk (vol. 2) #72 (July 2004)
The armor is designed to attract radiation into the armor where it is converted into usable power. This greatly enhances its strength. Through absorbing ambient radiation the armor is able to decontaminate irradiated areas. It also possesses repulsors and a unibeam.
Banner's addition was "RG-27," a special compound that neutralizes gamma radiation. Since it is most effective in liquid or gas form, a series of tubes were built into the armor for irrigation. This enables the armor not only to withstand radiation, but also allows it to decontaminate areas. To expose a government conspiracy, the two faked a quarrel over some of their designs. Stark unveiled a finished version of the suit to battle the Hulk. However, Stark seemed to be acting strangely while wearing the suit. A problem with the irrigation system was discovered. The Hulk was able to help Stark shut it down before gamma poisoning set in.
High Gravity Armor
First Appearance:Iron Man (vol. 3) #83 (July 2004)
Designed to withstand high gravity environments; it was bulky, being able to survive long-term exposure to at least 50 G; the wearer had blood artificially forced to body parts which would otherwise suffer from the extreme gravity. Unfortunately, the wearer is still susceptible to nitrogen narcosis and the bends.
Iron Man Model 30 (Extremis Armor)
First Appearance:Iron Man (vol. 4) #5 (March 2006)
After being critically injured during a battle with a nanotech-enhanced foe, Stark injected his nervous system with a modified techno-organic virus to save his own life. This fused Stark's armor to his body, allowing him to store the inner layers of the Iron Man armor in the hollows of his bones as well as control it through direct brain impulses. The Extremis enhancement has turned Stark into a cyborg, whereby the usage of his existing lockchip (a personal area networking implement implanted in his forearm) is directly integrated into his nervous system.
His new armor is no longer a bulky unit which houses its own AI "response server" and miscellaneous interfaces for neural control. Instead, it is more lightweight (constructed of a pliable crystalline material with a molecular structure that can collimate into super-hard planes upon the application of an electrical field) and less complex (as it interfaces directly to Stark's brain via the Extremis-modified cybernetic connections), and has much faster response time since it effectively functions like Stark's second skin.
He is also able to remotely connect to external communications systems such as satellites, cellular phones, and computers through the PAN interconnect (that is now thought-controlled). Because the armor's operating system is now directly connected to Stark's nervous system, its response time has been significantly improved.
Another major departure from the previous armors is expansion of repulsor technology. The "repulsor flight system" provides lift (something like anti-gravity) and positive flight control (pitch, roll and yaw), while the usual rocket boots provide the armor with thrust. The same repulsor technology allows the individual pieces of the armor to levitate and assemble themselves, by modulating what Stark referred to as "vectored Repulsor fields".
Furthermore, the Extremis process has endowed Stark with a 'healing factor' and possibly even enhanced physical abilities, as he was confident enough to challenge Logan/Wolverine to a fight (and even challenging to see who's capable of recovering faster from the other's attack). It was later stated that the Extremis enhancement speeds up a person's repair process and hence the body's cells died and regenerated at a faster rate. This effectively made Tony Stark immune to cancer and gave him his 'healing factor'.
In the Iron Man: The Inevitable storyline, it was shown that it's not only Tony Stark's body and the interfacing undersheath that has self-healing properties. Even the Iron Man armor has the ability to self-heal and self-repair, presumably through the use of nanotechnology. The armor is also able to store power throughout its structure, indicating that instead of having main batteries mounted around the waist as in the older Iron Man armors, the Extremis armor incorporates distributed and decentralized energy storage.
Note: Although Extremis for reasons of simplicity is referred to as "a virus", it is not. The Extremis process involved injecting several billion microscopic nanotubes, which act as information carriers, into the brain. The brain is then partly reprogrammed; the so-called "repair center," that part of the brain which maintains an "integrity map" of the body, is told that the body is wrong. The physical reaction is that the entire body regrows itself, remaking itself per the Extremis instructions. Extremis itself, the original information package, is not involved; neither are "nanobots."
After the entire Stark 'dataspine', the central data processing center which governed all, or at least the pertinent chunk of Stark technology, was infected with a hyper-advanced, Skrull-developed computer virus during the Secret Invasion, Tony lost the ability to use Extremis' interface functions and consequently the armor was rendered obsolete. For the "World's Most Wanted" storyline, Tony has begun using older armors, such as the Heroes Return armor and the Classic Red and Gold.
Argonauts
Sometime after the Extremis transformation, during an attack by the new Super-Adaptoid, Tony Stark realized he could command several armors at once. Building on this, and realizing the world was becoming an increasingly dangerous place, he decided to construct a "team" of Iron Men—hyper-advanced drones that would be under his direct mental command, just as his own armored body. Unfortunately, the "Argonauts" were abused and destroyed before they ever could serve for good. They included:
"Space Ghost": space-flight capable, could reach low Earth orbit under its own power; nearly impossible to detect espionage model; possibly intended as a satellite-killer.
"Submariner": streamlined for great speed underwater; capable of using the ocean itself as a weapon, it apparently unleashed several tsunamis, and was able to overpower Namor, the Submariner, under water - an incredible feat.
"Adamantium Man": equipped with practically indestructible "Stark-Chobham" armor, an experimental composite of carbon nanotube-reinforced ceramics, laced with adamantium.
"Digger": enormous drone, possibly over a hundred tons; equipped with (shielded) Antarctic Vibranium (which dissolves any metal) helmet dome and a specialized repulsor/unibeam system which allowed it to tunnel at incredible speed.
"Hulkbuster II": also a massive drone, ostensibly designed mainly for raw power and toughness, to take on the Hulk. It proved entirely capable of taking on the Avengers. Like its predecessor, Hulkbuster II bore a distinct resemblance to Juggernaut.
While extremely powerful, the drones were useless once Tony Stark rendered himself clinically dead.
Modern Hydro Suit
First Appearance: Wolverine (vol. 3) #45 (August 2006)
During the Civil War arc of Wolverine solo series, Wolverine borrows Stark's armor to pursue Namor who is undersea in New Pangea. A new hydro suit is used by Wolverine which reflects the style of the Extremis generation Iron Man suit.
Hypervelocity
First Appearance: Iron Man: Hypervelocity (January 2007)
This new iteration of the armor possesses enhanced repulsors, housed not in gloves but in high-strength manipulator waldoes (giving the armor somewhat longer arms than usual); multiple-mode bootjets that can operate both with and without oxygen intake; improved structural integrity for the armor; an improved "chameleon mode" and a "supercavitation spike", projecting upward from the back, which apparently creates a sort of "bubble" so that the armor can travel underwater at near-supersonic speeds. A massive amount of electrical energy is stored in a spinning, superconductive capacitor ring on the back.
The most radical feature of this armor must be that its vastly increased computing power allows it to make a "back-up" of Tony's own mind, so that in the event of critical injury of the wearer, the armor can act as him, with all his knowledge, insight and experience. The effect is so complete that the armor, thus activated, referred to itself as "Tony 2.0."
After several hours of existence, the armor managed to develop a program that enabled it to function at "hypervelocity" - effectively thinking and moving at a much, much faster timeframe than everyone else.
Note that this story is set before "Extremis", though it was published afterwards.
Hulkbuster Armor MK II
In the World War Hulk event, Stark designed a new Hulkbuster armor, in order to battle the Hulk upon his return from space. He does so in World War Hulk #1, and initially was able to hold his own against his foe. The new armor was built as a large exoskeletal shell which fits around his normal armor and is equipped with rocket-boosted gauntlets, capable of punching the Hulk back several miles. It is also equipped with Adamantium-tipped injector needles, which Stark used in an attempt to suppress the Hulk's power with S.P.I.N. Tech nanites, but the nanites failed due to sabotage (see Avengers: The Initiative #4). With the damage done by the Hulk and the entire Stark Tower collapsing on the already damaged armor, it was unable to continue functioning. It briefly re-emerged as a host body for the demon Zom, who attempted to use it to access S.H.I.E.L.D. technology and destroy New York City by shifting it into the Negative Zone; Zom was defeated by the efforts of the self-styled "Renegades" (Amadeus Cho, Hercules, Angel, and Namora), and the armor was used by Amadeus Cho as a temporary support to shore up structural damage caused in the battle.
In Invincible Iron Man #25 (2010), Tony creates a new armor in the aftermath of the Stark: Disassembled storyline.[7] Created by writer Matt Fraction and artist Ryan Meinerding, this new armor is sleeker in appearance, and will be featured in the upcoming 2010 Marvel storyline, the "Heroic Age."[8]
Being called an upgrade to Extremis by Mr. Fantastic, Tony Stark corrected this comment by saying, "Nah - this is what comes next." As such the new armor is a part of Tony Stark's now-posthuman biology - it is stored inside Tony's body in its entirety, "manifesting" itself when mentally commanded.
The nano-machines that make up the suit can now be commanded to form any type of structure upon Stark's skin. The nano-machines can even mimic the appearance of clothes, and then dissociate to transform into the Iron Man armor whenever Stark wishes. The armor and Stark's own transhuman body are powered by the high-yield arc reactor mounted in his chest. The high output of the arc reactor has greatly augmented Stark's intelligence and provided him superhuman-level multitasking and learning capabilities. Unlike earlier armors, this new armor does not appear to rely on motors and servos for motion. Instead, the nano-machines create a second layer of artificial muscle over Stark's body, upon which additional rigid structures are assembled. This also enables the armor to self-repair and be almost invulnerable, as the armor is capable of transforming and healing itself as long as the power output from the arc reactor isn't interrupted or terminated; when the armor was briefly apparently destroyed in a fight with an alternate version of Apocalypse, it was restored to normal after only a matter of seconds (Although it was still out of action long enough for Stark to need rescuing by Spider-Man to stop himself hitting the ground as he fell).
Tony Stark later explains that the hardware was developed on inspiration by Iron Lad, a time traveller from the future wearing a morphing armored suit. The new armor consists of iron/platinum nanoparticle fibers which arrange themselves according to the wearer's commands, even forming large, complex structures such as weapons. It is extremely thin, weighing a total of less than twenty-five pounds. [9]
Armors from alternate realities & possible futures
Iron Man 2020 - Arno Stark bought the corporate identity of Stark Industries, and apparently this included Iron Man. Unlike his heroic ancestor (actually, Tony might be his uncle, once removed) he found himself working as a ruthless mercenary to bolster the financial reserves of his company. His armor was recognized to be both more powerful and more combat-oriented than that of the twentieth-century Iron Man. Decades later, this same armor (although possibly upgraded by Doctor Doom) is worn by Andros Stark, the villainous Iron Man of 2093.
Heroes Reborn "Prometheum" Armor (See also "Heroes Reborn-armor"); originally an experimental self-contained, armored life-support and combat system. It was a joint project of Tony Stark and Connor "Rebel" O´Reilly, but it proved dangerously unstable, and Rebel was killed in the testing stage. The project was abandoned and Tony Stark went into a spiral towards psychological self-destruction. Ironically, years later, when he went to investigate an incident at one of his more remote business annexes, his helicopter was attacked by the newborn Incredible Hulk of that reality and crashed where he was impaled by debris. He was forced to don an upgraded version of the experimental armor which had been stored at the annex to save his own life, and from that day on fought on as Iron Man. Later, he came face to face with a resurrected Rebel, outfitted with another version of his armor which had been completely reimagined by Doctor Doom.
Iron Man of Earth X- In the world of Earth-X, the whole world has become exposed to an airborne agent which causes everyone to mutate into superpowered beings. Tony Stark sealed off his factory complex while still inside, fearful of being changed into a `super´-version of himself. Over the years, he constructed an army of Iron Men, intended to be used as a worldwide police force, but never used- again for fear of being corrupted by such power. Instead, he built robotic versions of the deceased Avengers, otherwise remaining mostly passive inside his fortress. Forced into action by the arrival of the Celestials, he revealed that his entire factory was a final, titanic armor; he managed to delay the Host of the immense aliens, but was finally destroyed.
Marvel Mangaverse Iron Man - In this universe, Tony Stark vanishes after fighting Namor one last time... and his position as both industrialist and Iron Person is taken by his twin sister Antoinette (Toni) Stark, a former agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. She expands the paradigm into an entire army of every conceivable form of Iron Man, from flying weapons platforms (one of which is a clear homage to the RX-78GP03 Gundam "Dendrobium Orchis" from the Gundam anime franchise), to 100-foot (30 m) mechas, to platoons of armored soldiers... all of which proves entirely useless against the Incredible Hulk. Meanwhile, it is revealed Tony Stark is still alive - albeit reduced to a head in a life-support unit because of spinal cancer. He initially equips the Avengers (Captain America, Vision, Hawkeye and the Scarlet Witch) with four super-powerful vehicles, capable of combining into yet another skyscraper-sized Iron Man mecha. This, too is destroyed by the Hulk. Later, when targeted by a conspiracy against all superheroes in the world, the disembodied Tony Stark dons a cybernetic body to once again become Iron Man.
Ultimate armour.Ultimate Iron Man - The Tony Stark of the Ultimate Marvel universe wears an armor that is bulkier and more difficult to operate. When the USA was invaded by foreign armies of superhumans, Tony Stark deployed "Iron Man 6," a gunship that might very well be the largest `armor´ in any known reality (the flying fortress could be over 1,000 feet (300 m) across). The main armor requires a full behind-the-scenes support team to maintain and operate at full proficiency.
Iron Maniac - An alternate Tony Stark from a world in which the Avengers were drawn into outer space, lured into interstellar battle and effectively destroyed by a warlike alien race. His spirit shattered, he returned to Earth, apparently to find that Reed Richards had planned to take over the world (to date, the exact circumstances behind his descent are unclear). He decided to take control of the planet himself "to save it" and adopted methods more like those of Dr. Doom, killing, among others, the Human Torch, and adopting a bulkier gray armor that resembled his original suit, although possessing far more advanced weaponry than he had back then, including a weapon capable of temporarily negating the FF's powers and a means of escaping from mystical bonds. He was accidentally drawn into the 616-universe, and after an extended battle with the local heroes- initially facing the Fantastic Four and Doctor Strange before his attempt to escape saw him fighting Captain America, the Black Widow, Spider-Man and X-23 - was incarcerated. He escaped, adapting a hyper-advanced LMD into a new set of armor that could shape itself according to his thoughts and form any weapon he could conceive of, and called himself the "Iron Maniac"; since everything in this world was backwards from his perspective, this was his way of stating he was sane and everyone else was mad. He is a cyborg; at the least his chest is armored.
The Lord Iron armor from Marvel 1602. A Spanish scientist who was taken captive by the English in the war and forced, through torture by David Banner, to devise weapons for them. He now needs his massive armor to survive; it harnesses electric power from simple chemical cells, but can also absorb lightning bolts. It provides increased strength, electrical attacks and some sensory enhancement.
Somatic Combat Vehicle from Iron Man: Crash; In the words of Tony himself: "My SCV secondary body protective shielding is formed of a titanium beryllium geodesic alloy doped with nickel iron mylar superstrate and interlaced microcrystalline quartz fiber and synthetic rubber endoform & ectoform substrate layer." This armor's various properties (strength, lightness, structural integrity etc.) are all a result of optimizing the interaction between the properties of various materials, all balanced out on a molecular level. In a sense, this armor is one huge "tile" like the millions of tiny ones the contemporary armor is made out of.
Overload armor from What If (vol. 1) #64 ("What If Iron Man Sold Out?") - In an alternate world where Tony Stark went public with his armor instead of keeping it for himself, the "arms race" quickly completely escalated, with more and more advanced armor being developed by all parties from the U.S. government and S.H.I.E.L.D. to HYDRA and the Mandarin. Ultimately, the worst threat turned out to be Magneto, who was infuriated by the lack of interest in the plight of the Mutants, who were being hunted by Starktech Sentinels. He used his power over metal to defeat everything that was thrown at him, but was ultimately defeated by Iron Man in a towering suit, which composed completely out of polymers.
Sorcerer armor from What If (vol. 1) #113 (What If Tony Stark was Sorcerer Supreme?") - In a reality in which events led Tony Stark to become the main student of the Ancient One (instead of Stephen Strange), he ended up combining his understanding of technology as well as magic to create an armor which incorporated both. It held a vast storage of magical spells in its memory, ready to be deployed at a moment's notice. This armor was lost when Tony Stark sent it on an endless dimensional quest, carrying the body of the dread Dormammu, forcing the dark lord (in his astral form) to pursue it.
In What If?: Civil War, released in December 2007, Tony Stark died from the Extremis injection and Captain America went on to lead all the heroes in the civil war which broke out when the government tried to enforce the Superhuman Registration Act. To provide the inspiration which Tony had given in life, Steve briefly wore an Iron Man armor with a red, white and blue color scheme.
In the Marvel limited seriesBullet Points, an alternate reality where Dr. Abraham Erskine is killed (along with a young MP Benjamin Parker) one day before injecting Steve Rogers with the Super Soldier formula, thus terminating the Project: Rebirth, and initiating Project: Iron Man, in which Rogers takes place instead, making him Iron Man until he is killed in a fight with this reality's Hulk, Peter Parker. Years later, when Galactus attacks, Tony Stark finally armors up with the suit.
In What If?: Age of Apocalypse, Captain Britain wears an early model of the Iron Man armor, custom painted as his uniform, as part of the Defenders.
In Marvel Zombies, Forge is shown using an enhanced version of the original armor against the zombies.
In the 2008 Black Panther annual story "Black to the Future" (a What If?-type story set in 2057) the USA challenges the nation of Wakanda's global dominance with an army of Iron Men. This force is led by an Iron Man giant robot piloted by Tony Stark himself. This huge machine (easily as big as the New Avengers/Transformers giant suit) could only be controlled by direct neural interface, so Tony Stark was physiologically injured when the suit was damaged by Wakanda's panther-shaped giant robot. Tony's death ended the war and inspired a Wakandan-led global peace.
In House of M, Tony Stark is still the head of Stark Industries but also the star of the hit TV show: 'Sapien Death Match' along with his father, and Johnny Storm. His battle armor for the show is similar to his original gold armor, however, it is then revealed that he was working on a much more advanced armor, more advanced than his current armor in the normal reality. This armor was chunkier, had large wing-like jets coming from the back and a cannon on its right hand. It also has counter magnets built in, to prevent Magneto from controlling it.[10]
In the New Avengers/Transformers miniseries, Stark used a giant armor, the size of a Transformer; it allowed Iron Man to go head-to-head with the invading Decepticons. Due to the massive energy requirements, this armor would quickly run out of power, until recharged by Optimus Prime, Jazz, and Bumblebee.
In Incredible Hercules #125, the evil Amazon Artume had used a mystical object to change the world into her vision of it. In this world, men were an oppressed and debased part of society, and a male resistance movement existed. Practically the last member of it was Hercules, who wore cybernetic armor made for him by Tony Stark, who had long since been executed.
As noted above, Iron Man's modular armor was his standard suit for his appearance in the 1990s Iron Man animated series, but with a slightly modified face plate to give it the traditional mouth-slit. The suit was redesigned in the second season of the show, most significantly by restoring the "mouthless" appearance of the armor. (The season 1 armor appeared in a flashback early on)
The trademark of a changing armor remained a constant in the animated series, with the first season featuring the hydro-armor and deep space armor, straight from the comics. The second season, however, was when the variant armors became a focal point of the series; the new modifications Stark made to his suit allowed it to shape-shift into different forms with specialized capabilities that could be called upon for the assorted situations he found himself in. The hydro-armor and space armors were incorporated into this mechanism, and more armors from the comics such as the stealth armor and Hulkbuster armor were introduced. The series also introduced an array of original situational armor designs, including:
Subterranean drill armor - Brown and gold, with an arm-mounted pneumatic drill for underground burrowing.
Inferno armor - Red and gold with pink highlights, this armor was resistant to extreme temperatures and outfitting with fire-extinguishing foam, which proved helpful in combat with Firebrand.
Samurai armor - Never actually used in combat, this highly stylized armor was blue and grey.
Radiation armor - Blue and silver armor to shield against radioactive danger, capable of firing x-ray blasts.
Lava armor - Red and silver armor that can resist submergence in magma, which proved helpful when Iron Man had to recover one of the Mandarin's rings from within a volcano.
Magnetic armor - Purple and silver, with the ability to generate electromagnetic pulses, once used by a microscopically reduced Iron Man to fibrilate Hawkeye's heart.
Bio-energy armor - DNA-powered red and gold armor, used against the Mandarin's anti-technology field in the two-part series finale "Hands of the Mandarin".
Hydro armor - Yellow with a glass-domed helmet, is used for underwater situations.
Space armor - Used to break through the Earth's atmosphere, the only thing that appears to be different is that it has a jet pack.
Stealth armor - Dark gray, is used to stay silent and is unable to be traced by radar.
The toyline also featured two armors which did not appear in the series; an entirely silver Arctic armor and the Silver Centurion suit, dubbed hologram armor.
Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Heroes
Several types of Iron Man armors were also featured in the Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Heroes episode "Shell Games". The armors that were featured were the original grey suit, Stealth Armor, Hulkbuster Armor, Arctic Armor, War Machine Armor, and the Silver Centurion Armor.
Several types of Iron Man armor appear in the 2008 Iron Man film and the 2010 sequel Iron Man 2:
Mark I: As in the comics, the first armor which Stark builds with Yinsen's help while in captivity during the first film is crude and bulky. It had the ability to amplify Stark's strength tremendously and was armed with flamethrowers and a missile launcher, as well as a limited rocket jump capacity to allow Stark to exit the immediate hostile area and escape after he sustained damage to the suit's knee joints while attempting to escape. The rockets failed shortly after the start, however, resulting in the suit shattering upon landing and forcing Stark to abandon it to attempt to reach friendly territory. Later, Stark's enemies found the abandoned armor, using it as the base design for Obadiah Stane's Iron Monger suit (although Stane still needed to steal the power supply from Stark). The second film shows that Stark displays within his workshop the Mark I prototype along with other prototypes. Also, the Mark I was possibly retrofitted with an independent arc power source, allowing it to be operated by other users that have access to Stark's lab. The first prototype was based on the original gray suit from Iron Man's first appearance.
Mark II: Upon returning home during the first film, Stark developed a sleeker, polished stainless steel Mark II prototype version with improved flight capability, but it was prone to icing when attempting to test high altitudes, and the weight was a destructive problem if Tony would have to land from any height. The second film shows that Stark displays within his workshop the Mark II prototype along with other prototypes. Also, the Mark II appears to be retrofitted with an independent arc power source, which was operated by James Rhodes in hand-to-hand combat against Stark in the Mark IV armor.
Mark III: The armed red/gold Mark III prototype armor was the last armor built in the first film and was built with a gold-titanium alloy (a fictional composite used in the Seraphim series of Stark Industries' satellites) to resolve the freezing problem. It appears that this material not only prevents the armor's systems from freezing at high altitudes, but is also extremely durable while maintaining the weight ratio of the Mark II. It was able to withstand small arms fire, an explosion from a tank shell (the shell exploded in close proximity to Stark, resulting in a fall from several thousand feet up), followed by hits by 20mmVulcan shells and a high speed collision with an F-22 Raptor with only minimal cosmetic damage. When Stark reverted to the original reactor after the second reactor was stolen by Stane to power the Iron Monger suit, the first reactor had great difficulty providing enough power to the Mark III suit, being depleted to around a fifth of its power supply simply by flying Stark from his home to Stark Industries, with the last 20% being exhausted and was extremely damaged in the fight against Stane in the Iron Monger armor. The second film shows that Stark displays within his workshop the Mark III prototype along with other prototypes showing he restored it prior to the events of the film. Also, the Mark III was possibly retrofitted with an independent arc power source, allowing it to be operated by other users that have access to Stark's lab. The Mark III armor's look was inspired by the signature red-and-gold armors in the comics.
Mark IV: The Mark IV armor is the first shown armor in the second film, meaning that it was built during the six months in-between the first and second films. The suit has a brighter color scheme, a differently-colored HUD, a generally more angular design, is more form-fitting, and aerodynamic than the Mark III armor. Although its full arsenal and fighting potential is not explored in the movie, the Mark IV appeared to be a match in hand-to-hand combat with the Rhodes-operated-Mark II armor though Stark's inebriation compared to Rhodes's sobriety may have been a factor. When Stark isn't using the armor, the Mark IV is shown on display within Stark's workshop along with other prototypes.
Mark V: Also introduced in the second film is the Mark V travel armor, a portable suit developed for emergency use, likely made in the six month time gap. Lightweight and flexible enough to take the form of a briefcase, the armor is deployed as Stark is forced into a confrontation with Ivan Vanko in Monaco. By kicking open the case, inserting his hands into the protruding gloves and placing the main assembly onto his chest, the armor folds out around Stark, quickly forming into a full red-and-silver armor. This armor is shown to be durable enough to withstand the focused repulsor energy of Vanko's energy whip attacks, though it sustained heavy internal and external damage. While this model features the palm-mounted repulsors, any potential flight capability is not shown (while in the game based on the second movie it is established that the suit can fly, but it takes all of its power just to keep Tony airborne, preventing him from carrying anything else). The Mark V armor's look was likely inspired by the Silver Centurion armor in the comics.
War Machine: After Rhodes confiscates the Mark II armor on behalf of the United States government, it is heavily weaponized by the United States Air Force for their "War Machine" project. The Mark II's ballistic weaponry upgrades were provided by defense contractor Justin Hammer. Weapon pods each containing a 9mm submachine gun and a 5.56mm assault rifle are mounted on both forearms. An external 7.62mm minigun is attached via a gyro-stabilized arm mounted behind the right shoulder. Enclosed inside of the left shoulder is a 40 mm grenade launcher capable of firing heavy munitions, including a bunker-buster warhead (which Hammer personally nicknamed the "Ex-Wife"). Though this weapon, like many of the products produced by Hammer Industries, proves to perform well below expectations. The energy repulsors from the original design are still located in the palms and chest. Though Rhodes is the War Machine suit's primary pilot, its internal computer systems were linked to the Hammer Industries mainframe, allowing it to be operated by remote.
Mark VI: The Mark VI armor differs little from the Mark III and Mark IV platform; the main difference being a triangular-shaped chestplate protecting the arc reactor assembly. This suit withstands prolonged and extreme combat situations with relatively minor damage, and is shown to be extremely fast and responsive in flight, and strong and durable in hand-to-hand combat. The new model seemingly retains all the weapons present in the Mark III and Mark IV, with two additions: a multi-fire adhesive grenade launcher in the upper arm, and a one-time-use hand-mounted laser weapon, powerful enough to cut though several Hammer drones cleanly in half. The Mark VI armor's look originated from the Extremis armor in the comics.
Arc Reactor: In the first movie, the armor suits are powered by a miniaturized arc reactor, a fictional clean energy source. The arc reactor is also used to power the electromagnet that protects Stark's heart from the shrapnel embedded in his chest. The first reactor was allegedly capable of powering the electromagnet protecting Tony's heart for fifty lifetimes on its own, but after returning home Stark developed a more efficient reactor that he used to power the Mark II and Mark III suits as well. Although Stark reverted to the original reactor after the new model was stolen by Obadiah Stane to power the Iron Monger suit, the reactor had great difficulty providing enough power to the Mark III suit, being depleted to around a fifth of its power supply simply by flying Stark from his home to Stark Industries, with the last 20% being exhausted during his fight with Stane in the Iron Monger armor.
The Mark III armor included anti-tank missiles that launch from the suit's forearms, steering and retrothrust jets in the palms which could double as short-range repulsors (early in the first film, Stark mentions that the Jericho missiles utilize his company's repulsor technology), small anti-personnel guns in the shoulders which could be individually targeted at multiple enemies for a simultaneous attack, flare launchers on the hips, and a uni-beam projector in the center of his chest. Furthermore, Mark II and III operate with remote assistance from JARVIS (Stark's artificial intelligence), who manages the armor's systems at Stark's command, and they also have a holographicHUD. These armors also have variable control surfaces for active flight control, which are controlled by JARVIS to automatically stabilize the suit in flight. All three suits are able to protect their occupant from the effects of extreme g-forces.
The second movie reveals that the miniaturized arc reactor was first developed some years earlier in a joint effort between Howard Stark (Stark's father) and Russian physicist Anton Vanko (the father of Ivan Vanko). Also, the miniaturized arc reactor (palladium) that Stark has been using for a power source in the previous version was slowly poisoning him. When Stark successfully develops a new element (vibranium) for a power source of his personal arc reactor, he must develop a new suit (Mark VI) capable of channeling the immense power.
Iron Man: Armored Adventures
In Iron Man: Armored Adventures, a teenage Tony Stark initially creates the first armor completely on his own. It's similar to the Movie version of the Mark III armor, with a less complex design and more red. Once Obidiah Stane's scientists said the armor is "more advanced then anything we're currently working on" and that "it's years, if not decades ahead of current technology" (Tony even mentioned in the same episode that he may have "outgeniused himself" when he made the armor). In addition to the traditional abilities the Armor gives (superhuman strength and durability, flight, repulsors, and the uni-beam projector), it's able to generate a force field around it, uses magnetic manipulation, and has other various functions, including a remote command system to enable Rhodey to control it from a separate computer terminal if Tony can't ("Secrets and lies"), a security system to prevent people from opening it when Stark is unconscious ("Seeing Red") and a secondary wheeled transportation system that enables him to "skate" when the flight system is damaged ("Masquerade"). In "Ancient History 101", Stark even creates a pack that allows him to don the armor when and where he needs to, combined with anti-gravity devices so as to reduce the suit's weight (possibly based on how the comic version always carried his armor in his briefcase).
Iron Man's original armor in the series
The armor briefly gained intelligence in Episode 14 of Season 1 "Man and Iron Man". Problems arose due to its desire to protect Tony above all (including almost killing Whiplash, like what it did in the comics) - by constantly keeping him inside itself. However, like in the comics, the armor sacrificed itself in order to save Stark during a cardiac arrest.
The first variation of the armor appears in "Cold War", when he created enhanced gauntlets for his armor and used them to help him fight Blizzard. After the fight, he talks about creating other armors, including arctic and space variants.
New armors then appear in various episodes:
Silver Centurion: Red and silver, very similar to the original red and gold armor and its own comic counterpart in both appearance and abilities. Stark created it in the episode "Whip Lash", and used it in the same episode to fight the eponymous villain. The Silver Centurion armor made a cameo in "Don't Worry, Be Happy" and other episodes.
Stealth Armor: Again, initially similar to the red and gold armor, but with a different chest plate and lights on the sides. First seen and used in "Field Trip". It allows Stark to become invisible and undetectable to cameras and sensors, including those used by Stark Industries. Unfortunately, this function burns up the power cells after a short period of time. The armor returned in "Panther's Prey" with a new design that is almost completely a black-like gray with red lights on the sides (a tribute to the comics). This version made some cameos in later episodes and was shown exploding in "Tales of Suspense (Part One)".
Dynamo Buster Armor: A heavy-duty Hulkbuster-like armor designed for maximum strength and endurance at the cost of reduced mobility. It has the ability to redirect energy shot at it and has powerful versions of the repulsors and uni-beam as well as missiles and shoulder mounted Gatling laser blasters. First used to take on the Crimson Dynamo in "Seeing Red" when Obidiah Stane redesigned and weaponized it and sent it after Iron Man. Tony later used it in "Uncontrollable" to fight the Hulk (a reference to its comic roots). The armor was later shown exploding in "Tales of Suspense (Part One)". It has a slight resemblance to the X-men villain Juggernaut.
Space Armor: A mouthless, black and gold armor that has all of the same weapons systems as Tony’s standard armor. However, this armor also has extended life-support capabilities and an expanded propulsion system on the back (a jet pack) for long-term flight and for flying into and maneuvering through space. Tony mentioned making space armor at the end of "Cold War" and used it for the first time in "Fun with Lasers" against the Living Laser. It made some cameos in later episodes.
Arctic Armor: The Arctic Armor contains additional systems that project thermal energy from Iron Man’s gauntlets and uni-beam. It has greater life-support functions and generally resists freezing temperatures. This special suit is equipped for long-range flight. Tony mentioned making arctic armor at the end of "Cold War" and used it in "Best Served Cold" against Blizzard.
War Machine Armor: Whereas Tony Stark created the Iron Man armor as a multi-environment suit for exploration and rescue, the War Machine armor was created for fighting. The War Machine isn't as fast as the Iron Man armor, but it has numerous weapons, more powerful and bulkier than the normal armor. Equipped with more powerful versions of the repulsors and uni-beam, the War Machine also sports shoulder mounted missile launchers as well as wrist mounted machine guns and shoulder mounted Gatling laser rifles. (which makes it very similar to the Dynamo buster armor in many ways) While Iron Man is red, War Machine is Grey. The War Machine first appeared in the two-part season finale "Tales of Suspense", where Rhodes uses it to bring the Mark I Armor to Stark and help him against the Mandarin and Fin Fang Foom.
