Iron Man's armor is a fictional powered exoskeleton appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. It is built and worn by billionaire Tony Stark when he assumes the identity of the superhero Iron Man. The first armor was created in-story by Stark and Ho Yinsen, and was designed by artist Jack Kirby, first appearing in Tales of Suspense No. 39 (March 1963).
In the fictional multiverse, the appearance of Stark's armor has changed over the years. Stark has modified or optimized the armor to adapt to specific situations. As various artists have depicted Iron Man and his armor, the appearance of the armor has changed over time.
Stark's suits are each unique in design and purpose. 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, thruster-aided flight, and various communications arrays and sensors, such as radar and radio.[3]
While Tony Stark himself was designed by Don Heck, the designer of the character's first suit of armor in 1963 was Jack Kirby.[4] It was recoloured gold for the character's initial batch of adventures in Tales of Suspense,[5] before being redesigned again by Steve Ditko later in the year – this was the first version to feature a red and gold/yellow scheme, which would come to be Iron Man's most recognisable look.[6]
Bob Layton would redesign the character's armor several times during his stint on the book. In 2008 he recalled that editorial directions in 1981 were that going into space was "a big deal", and devised the first space-going Iron Man suit with this edict in mind. He later devised the 1985 red and silver/white 'Silver Centurion' armor with input from Mark Gruenwald, who directed him to base it along Samurai motifs. The 1994 'Modular' armor was designed by Tom Morgan.[7] When writing the title, David Michelinie avoided overuse of stealth technology in the armor. His eventual successor Len Kaminski disagreed, and in 1994 decided the suit's abilities should be boosted drastically. He devised a component system of armor that could be customised according to various missions, and noted he didn't "like to play fast and loose" with the rules of science and technology.[8] This 'Modular' armor was designed by Tom Morgan, and was the first that could be converted into a 'Hulkbuster' configuration.[7]
In Invincible Iron Man No. 25 (2010), Stark creates a new armor in the aftermath of the "Stark: Disassembled" storyline.[9] Created by writer Matt Fraction and artist Ryan Meinerding, this new armor is sleeker in appearance, and is featured in the 2010 crossover storyline, the "Heroic Age".[10] When writer Tom Taylor and artist Yildiray Cinar created the 'Endo-Sym Armor' in 2014, they designed it to glow red/orange when Tony was angry.[11]
The first Iron Man armor was created by Stark with the help of Ho Yinsen in issue 39 of Tales of Suspense, which he used to escape captivity. After his escape, Stark created a new version with a wide array of improvements; it was colored gold in this second version. He would then change up the color scheme to a mixture of red and gold, which would become a staple of the armor's appearance throughout successive iterations, before briefly changing to an armor colored red and silver in the 1980s, before returning to the red and gold color scheme during the Armor Wars storyline, with only the occasional change in color scheme for specific armors and storylines, after which he invariably returns to the 'classic' red and gold colors.
After defeating Norman Osborn in 2010, Stark creates a new "Bleeding Edge" Iron Man suit to replace the Extremis version. Asked whether the Bleeding Edge is an upgrade to Extremis, Stark says, "Nah—this is what comes next." The new armor is a part of Stark's now-posthuman biology; it is stored inside Stark's body, "manifesting" itself when mentally commanded.[12] The neurokinetic user-controlled morphologic nanoparticle bundles that form the suit reside in Stark's body, and form a fibrous wetweb of iron and platinum,[13] that can be commanded to form any type of structure upon Stark's skin, such as large boxing gloves,[14] or weapons, including large guns extending from his arms[13] or a lightsaber-like energy sword with which Iron Man was able to harm one of the Worthy.[15] The nano-machines can mimic the appearance of clothes, then dissociate to transform into the Iron Man armor as Stark wishes.[16] The suit adds less than 25 pounds to Stark's body mass. It can stop a howitzer shell.[13]
The armor and Stark's own transhuman body are powered by the high-yield arc reactor mounted in his chest.[12] The reactor augments Stark's intelligence and enables superhuman multitasking and learning. Unlike earlier armors, this new armor does not appear to rely on motors and servos for motion. Instead, the nano-machines create a secondary artificial musculature 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 is not interrupted or terminated; when the armor is briefly apparently destroyed in a fight with an alternate version of the Scarlet Witch, it is restored to normal after only a matter of seconds (although it remains inactive long enough to require Spider-Man to rescue Stark from plummeting to the ground).[17] In the 2012 "Ends of the Earth" storyline, Doctor Octopus is able to disable the armor using technology derived from the armor of Iron Man 2020.[18]
The suit's repulsors, which are located around the knuckles, chest, back, and legs of the armor, as well as in the traditional palms, also function as cameras, or "eyeballs", which afford Stark a 360-degree panoramic view.[13] Temporarily replacing the suit's primary composite—iron/platinum—with carbon nanotubes renders it immune to Magneto's powers when he and Iron Man fight over Utopia.[19]
After Stark decides to retire as Iron Man, he undergoes a surgical procedure that expels the Bleeding Edge technology from his body, rendering the armor inert.[20]
In 2008, Marvel issued a handbook called All-New Iron Manual, which issued model numbers to the various armor suits seen in the comics up to that point. When the guide was printed in trade paperback form alongside the Iron Manual, the numbering of the armors was revised so that the Model 14 listed in the original printing was now a sub-model of Model 13.[21] Since then other guidebooks have named several newer models, though as of 2024 most featured since 2016 have not received official designations.
In the 2007 direct-to-DVD film The Invincible Iron Man, Stark with James Rhodes' help creates a grey and bulky suit of armor (similar to the original Iron Man armor that Stark and Yinsen created in the comics) to escape from caves. After returning to Stark Industries in America, Stark reveals to Rhodey that he had previously used his company's resources to create several multi-use armors (including the Hulkbuster armor, the War Machine armor, and Ultimate Iron Man's armor) that he had been keeping in storage until the time was right to reveal them to the public. Stark first uses his Underwater suit to fight off the Elementals, destroying one while sustaining minor damage to the suit. Stark subsequently uses a red-and-yellow suit (resembling Iron Man's standard armor) to destroy two Elementals in a volcano, although there was severe damage to his suit. When he returns to China, Stark returns to using his grey suit to fight the last Elemental, an army of Terracotta soldiers, a giant dragon, and even the Mandarin.
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 trademark of a changing armor remained a constant in the animated series, with the first season featuring the hydro-armor and deep space armor 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:
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.
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 Mark I Armor, Stealth Armor, Hulkbuster Armor, Arctic Armor, War Machine Armor, and the Silver Centurion Armor.
In Iron Man: Armored Adventures, a teenage Stark initially creates the first armor completely on his own. It is similar to the movie version of the Mark III armor, with a less complex design and more red. In addition to the traditional abilities of the armor (superhuman strength and durability, flight, repulsors, and the uni-beam), it is able to generate a force field around it, uses magnetic manipulation, and has other various functions, including a remote command system to enable Rhodes to control it from a separate computer terminal if Stark cannot ("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"). It can even adapt to fit any size ("Don't Worry, Be Happy"). In "Ancient History 101", Stark 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.
The armor briefly gained intelligence in Episode 14 of Season 1 "Man and Iron Man". Problems arose due to its desire to protect Stark above all (including almost killing Whiplash, as it did in the comics) – by constantly keeping him inside itself. However, like in the comics, the armor sacrificed itself to save Stark during a cardiac arrest.
The first variation of the armor appears in "Cold War" when he created enhanced Thermal Gauntlets for his armor and used them to help him fight Blizzard. After the fight, he talks about creating Arctic and Space Armor.
New armors then appear in various episodes:
In The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes series, in which Iron Man is the co-leader of the Avengers, his standard armors are based on the ones in the film series. In "The Kang Dynasty", he even made special suits for the Avengers to use in the space battle against Kang, excluding the Hulk (who only needed a breathing mask) and Black Panther (who was still in Wakanda).
His current armored suits give him the standard superhuman strength and durability, flight, repulsors, and the unibeam projector. They also have energy shields, an electromagnetic pulse generator, arm-mounted cannons and projectile launchers, and various tools like a drill or detachable hip tasers, and can absorb and release energy.
Additional armors from the comics that were shown in the series are:
The Iron Man anime series features an Iron Man armor similar to the movie's Mark III armor, except that in the anime the armor is only shown to be equipped with the repulsors, unibeam, and mini-rockets. Plus, instead of J.A.R.V.I.S. as the suit's AI; It has a female-voiced computer named "Computer" that sounds similar to the AI in the suit(s) of Iron Man Armored Adventures.[episode needed]
The plot of the series involves Stark traveling to Japan to build an ARC station and also to test a new armor: Iron Man Dio. Stark intends to mass-produce Dio and then retire as Iron Man. The Dio chest power core resembles the one on the Extremis Armor, but the armor is colored blue and silver rather than red and gold. Dio's head is also slightly redesigned from the typical Iron Man armor with curved features on its faceplate. The Dio armor is stolen in the first episode of the series, and Stark is forced to fight the Dio armor repeatedly over the series. Stark asserts the Dio Armor is a knock-off of the real Iron Man armor, but Dio is demonstrated as being equal to or surpassing Stark's standard armor in terms of performance.[episode needed]
The SDF later create a suit of armor called "Ramon Zero", used by Captain Nagato Sakurai. It resembles a samurai's armor. The Japanese armor appears to have a red pentagon-shaped ARC reactor, is armed with powerful swords, and also uses repulsors and missiles in combat.[episode needed]
Yinsen, revealed to still be alive and piloting the Dio Armor, builds an army of autonomous drones called Iron Man Sigma. These drones resemble the Dio Armor, except the Sigma armor is colored army camouflage.[episode needed]
In Iron Man: Rise of Technovore, Tony Stark dons an armor that could possibly resemble his Marvel NOW! armor from the comics, but with even less gold color and a predominant red instead of black. The abilities of the armor are pretty much the standard, namely extreme physical strength and speed, repulsors, unibeam, and a suitcase transformation module. Its unique feature is the extra thrusters on its back and feet and the small, retractable wings on the shoulder pads. Stark appears with the same armor in the follow-up anime movie Avengers Confidential: Black Widow & Punisher.
In the animated series Ultimate Spider-Man, the episode "The Iron Octopus" reveals several prior suits developed by Stark:
In the animated series Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H., the episode "Wheels of Fury" reveals several prior suits developed by Stark:
In the animated series, Avengers Assemble, Iron Man battles alongside the other Avengers. Iron Man reveals that he has made numerous armors in the episode "The Avengers Protocol Part 2". In season 2, his main armor looks slightly modified, with smaller shoulder plates and a more "movie-style" detailed helmet. Its prehensile capabilities are shown more prominently and now it has a suitcase module. It is currently unknown which model is this suit. In season 5, Black Panther's Quest, (partly due to the fact that the animation style has changed) Iron Man's armor has become sleeker, resembling an amalgamation of the Bleeding Edge and Model-Prime armors from the comics and retaining the "holographic" activation style from Season 4:
In this direct-to-video team-up feature, Tony Stark displays three armors. His initial armor, the 'Mark VI', is a slightly bulky hypervelocity armor with a circular uni beam lens. It is somewhat reminiscent of the cinematic Mark III, but with a less complex paint job and more gold color. It is first seen battling a Hulkbuster armor run by J.A.R.V.I.S. in a training exercise. This time, Stark does not wear the Hulkbuster, instead giving the torso armor and the gauntlets to Hulk for extra protection against Zzzax. Stark's final armor is the 'Mark VII', an untested prototype that has better chances of defending against Zzzax. The armor clearly resembles the cinematic Mark VI, with grey plating on the knees and arms, but with a pentagonal uni beam instead of a triangular one. The Mark VII is Tony's main and only armor in the follow-up animated movie Iron Man and Captain America: Heroes United. While there was also a Stealth armor, it was stolen and worn by Taskmaster.
In Marvel Disk Wars: The Avengers, Iron Man's armor is almost identical to the cinematic Mark VI, although the name of this model is not stated in the series. Its weaponry and abilities are the standards, with flight capabilities, repulsor rays, missiles, and the unibeam. When Akira, Tony's partner, inputs the hidden command 'X-W-1-0-1-Alpha-7', Iron Man can unleash his 'Ultimate Unibeam' attack. Because Stark is trapped inside a DISK (Digital Identity Securement Kit), he is always seen in his armor. In episode 28, Iron Man gains the Build Up Plate, an extra piece of armor worn over his regular one, which grants him more firepower thanks to his Final Repulsor attack.
The standard Iron Man armor featured in Marvel Future Avengers bears a striking resemblance to the Mark XLVI from Captain America: Civil War. The suit has prehensile abilities, shown when Tony Stark is able to control a gauntlet individually and then the rest of the pieces form up on him, completing the whole armor. Two additional modular add-ons were shown during the series: the Hulkbuster armor, an add-on donned over his regular armor that looks exactly like the Mark XLIV Hulkbuster from Avengers: Age of Ultron, and the Booster Unit, an add-on with a pair of thrusters and multiple arc reactors on the chestplate and shoulders that enables Iron Man to reach extremely high speeds during flight. The main operating system of the armor is FRIDAY.
Two different armors are shown in the series, the Mark 49 and 50. The Mark 49 appears to be based on the other armors in the franchise. The Mark 50, however, is mainly red with a gold face mask and collar bone, with a prehensile system. According to Tony, it can act as the central unit of an Iron Legion. Both the Mark 49 and 50 debuted (Mark 49 was destroyed by Ghost) in the episode Stark Expo.
Iron Man's armors feature prominently in several films set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.