Iron Man's armor is a fictional,
powered exoskeleton
A powered exoskeleton, also known as power armor, powered armor, powered suit, cybernetic suit, cybernetic armor, exosuit, hardsuit, exoframe or augmented mobility, is a mobile machine that is wearable over all or part of the human body, provi ...
appearing in
American comic book
An American comic book is a thin periodical originating in the United States, on average 32 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publication of ''Action Comics'' ...
s published by
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
. It is built and worn by billionaire
Tony Stark
Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby. The charac ...
when he assumes the identity of the superhero
Iron Man
Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby. The charact ...
. The first armor, which was created in the story by Stark and
Ho Yinsen
Y'Garon
Y'Garon is a demon who has clashed with Marada the She-Wolf and Dracula.
Yandroth
Yandroth was the humanoid Scientist Supreme of the " otherdimensional" planet "Yann" and a would-be-conqueror who, with his robot Voltorg, has fought Doc ...
, was designed by artists
and
Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby (born Jacob Kurtzberg; August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994) was an American comic book artist, writer and editor, widely regarded as one of the medium's major innovators and one of its most prolific and influential creators. He gr ...
, and first appeared in ''
Tales of Suspense
''Tales of Suspense'' is the name of an American comic book anthology series and two one-shot comics published by Marvel Comics. The first, which ran from 1959 to 1968, began as a science-fiction anthology that served as a showcase for such arti ...
'' #39 (March
1963
Events January
* January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cov ...
).
In the fictional multiverse, 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. In real life, it changed as different artists took over the series and decided to change it to what they wanted.
Overview
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,
flight
Flight or flying is the process by which an object moves through a space without contacting any planetary surface, either within an atmosphere (i.e. air flight or aviation) or through the vacuum of outer space (i.e. spaceflight). This can be a ...
, and various communications arrays and sensors, such as
radar
Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance (''ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, w ...
and
radio
Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...
. Furthermore, they typically have multiple power sources including a secondary
solar energy
Solar energy is radiant light and heat from the Sun that is harnessed using a range of technologies such as solar power to generate electricity, solar thermal energy (including solar water heating), and solar architecture. It is an essenti ...
collection function in the event that conventional recharging methods are unavailable. Earlier 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 gauntlets. The repulsors originated as a hand attachment, but have since become the armor's most important standard armament. They have been referred to as a force beam. In the
2008 film
The year 2008 involved many major film events. ''The Dark Knight'' was the year's highest-grossing film, while ''Slumdog Millionaire'' won the Academy Award for Best Picture (out of 81st Academy Awards, eight Academy Awards).
Evaluation of the y ...
, the repulsors are a form of propulsion as well as steering and braking jets.
Another defining trait is the chest-mounted "uni-beam", also known as the varibeam, pentabeam, tri-beam, and chest repulsor transmitter. Originally it had a spotlight and "proton beam", but it has grown to accommodate a number of other weapons, primarily light and force-based.
20th century incarnations
Iron Man Armor MK II (Golden Avenger)
;First Appearance: ''Tales of Suspense'' #40 (April 1963)
In order to make this armor less frightening to the general public, Stark created a gold-colored version with a wide array of improvements over the original.
Iron Man Armor MK III
This was the first armor to use the red-and-gold color scheme. The 2007
retcon
Retroactive continuity, or retcon for short, is a literary device in which established diegetic facts in the plot of a fictional work (those established through the narrative itself) are adjusted, ignored, supplemented, or contradicted by a subse ...
miniseries ''Iron Man: Hypervelocity'' hinted that 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
Black Sabbath were an English rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy met ...
.
Iron Man Armor MK VII (Silver Centurion)
Though this armor debuted before the return to the title by the creative team of
David Michelinie
David Michelinie (; born May 6, 1948) is an American comic book writer best known for scripting Marvel Comics' ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' and '' Iron Man'' and the DC Comics feature Superman in ''Action Comics''. Among the characters he created o ...
and
Bob Layton
Bob Layton (born 1953) is an American comic book artist, writer, and editor. He is best known for his work on Marvel Comics titles such as '' Iron Man'' and ''Hercules'', and for co-founding Valiant Comics with Jim Shooter.
Early life
Bob Layton ...
, Layton revealed in 1996 that he designed the Silver Centurion. He wrote that "Mark Gruenwald and associates came to me and asked me to come up with a 'Samurai-type armor' for the series. Gruenie was a big believer in overhauling the Armored Avenger on a regular basis." Layton also revealed that the original color scheme for the armor was red and black. He does not know who changed the original black color to silver.
Modular Armor
;First Appearance: ''Iron Man'' #300 (January 1994)
The Modular Armor is the main armor in the ''
Iron Man animated TV series'' and
Capcom
is a Japanese video game developer and video game publisher, publisher. It has created a number of List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises, with its most commercially successful being ''Resident Evil' ...
's ''
Marvel vs. Capcom
is a series of crossover fighting games developed and published by Capcom, featuring characters from their own video game franchises and comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The series originated as coin-operated arcade games, though ...
'' video game series.
Prometheum Armor ("Heroes Reborn")
;First Appearance: ''Iron Man'' (vol. 2) #1 (November 1996)
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 as well as the color scheme remained similar. Writer
Scott Lobdell
Scott Lobdell (; born 1960) is an American comic book writer and screenwriter known for his work on numerous ''X-Men'' series for Marvel Comics in the 1990s, various work for DC Comics in the 2010s, namely ''Red Hood and the Outlaws, Teen Titans ...
confirmed in an online discussion that the secret of the Prometheum Armor was nanotechnology.
Renaissance Armor ("Heroes Return")/Sentient armor
;First Appearance: ''Iron Man'' (vol. 3) #1 (February 1998)
This armor possessed a "horned" faceplate reminiscent of the first red-and-gold armor, as writer Kurt Busiek said that he liked Iron Man's helmet from early ''Avengers'' issues, and a pentagonal chest beam.
21st century incarnations
Cobalt Man impostor
;First Appearance: ''Avengers/Thunderbolts'' #1 (May 2004)
This armor was used to impersonate the
Cobalt Man
Tatiana Caban
Bethany Cabe
Caber
Caber is one of the Celtic gods of Avalon, a warrior god. Caber is a good friend to Leir and usually accompanies him in battle.
Cable
Danielle Cage
Danielle "Dani" Cage is a fictional character in Marvel ...
.
Mark 1616 (Rescue)
;First Appearance: ''The Invincible Iron Man'' #10 (April 2009)
A version of the Rescue armor is adapted into the 2019 feature film ''
Avengers: Endgame'', in which Potts, who is married to Stark, wears the armor when joining the battle in the film's climax, and fights side by side with Stark against Thanos forces.
Bleeding Edge Armor
;First Appearance: ''Invincible Iron Man' #25 (June 2010)
In ''Invincible Iron Man'' #25 (2010), Stark creates a new armor in the aftermath of the "Stark: Disassembled" storyline. Created by writer
Matt Fraction
Matt Fritchman (born December 1, 1975), better known by the pen name Matt Fraction, is an Eisner Award-winning American comic book writer, known for his work as the writer of '' The Invincible Iron Man'', '' The Immortal Iron Fist'', ''Uncanny ...
and artist Ryan Meinerding, this new armor is sleeker in appearance, and is featured in the 2010 crossover storyline, the "
Heroic Age".
Black and Gold Armor
;First appearance: ''Iron Man'' (vol. 5) #1 (January 2013)
This gun-metal grey armor debuted in the first part of the 2012 "Believe" storyline, which launched the fifth volume of the ''Iron Man'' series as part of the
Marvel NOW!
Marvel Now! (stylized as Marvel NOW!) is a comic book branding for the relaunch of several ongoing comic books published by Marvel Comics, that debuted in October 2012 with new #1 issues. The relaunch also included some new titles, including ''Un ...
initiative. This version of the armor is a TestBed for new suits, and is composed of "smart-metals
hat
A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...
align to a subdermal ghost of a skeleton".
Heavy Duty armor
;First appearance: ''Iron Man'' (vol. 5) #4 (February 2013)
Described as starting "where
War Machine leaves off", the Heavy Duty armor is a large, bulky suit that focuses on firepower. In addition to standard repulsor weaponry, the armor possesses a large
rotary cannon
A rotary cannon, rotary autocannon, rotary gun or Gatling cannon, is any large-caliber multiple-barreled automatic firearm that uses a Gatling-type rotating barrel assembly to deliver a sustained saturational direct fire at much greater rate ...
that is built into the left arm, and a
gun turret
A gun turret (or simply turret) is a mounting platform from which weapons can be fired that affords protection, visibility and ability to turn and aim. A modern gun turret is generally a rotatable weapon mount that houses the crew or mechani ...
positioned over the right shoulder.
Endo-Sym Armor
;First appearance: ''Superior Iron Man'' #1 (November 2014)
Stark begins using the Endo-Sym armor,
which features a chrome finish, in the beginning of the 2014 "
Avengers & X-Men: AXIS" storyline. When writer
Tom Taylor
Tom Taylor (19 October 1817 – 12 July 1880) was an English dramatist, critic, biographer, public servant, and editor of ''Punch'' magazine. Taylor had a brief academic career, holding the professorship of English literature and language a ...
and artist
Yildiray Cinar created the armor, they designed it to glow red/orange when Tony was angry.
[
]
Model-Prime Armor
;First appearance: ''Invincible Iron Man'' (vol. 2) #1 (October 2015)
Beginning with the 2015 All-New, All-Different Marvel
All-New, All-Different Marvel (ANADM) is a 2015–2019 branding for Marvel Comics' entire main line of comics. Taking place after the crossover storyline "Secret Wars", it details the new Marvel Universe, with nearly 60–65 titles relaunched w ...
branding, Tony Stark designs a more streamlined and less complex suit of armor, once again with the traditional red and gold colors. This armor's primary feature is that it can change shape depending on the wearer's needs.
Other versions
*''Ultimate Iron Man
''Ultimate Iron Man'' is the name of two comic book miniseries written by Orson Scott Card and published by Marvel Comics. The stories tell the origins of the Ultimate Marvel version of Iron Man, who appears in ''The Ultimates''.
Publication hist ...
'' - The Tony Stark of the Ultimate Marvel
Ultimate Marvel, later known as Ultimate Comics, was an imprint of comic books published by Marvel Comics, featuring re-imagined and modernized versions of the company's superhero characters from the Ultimate Marvel Universe. Those characters in ...
universe wears an armor that is bulkier and more difficult to operate. After the events of Cataclysm
Cataclysm is derived from the Greek (), 'down, against', and (), 'wash over, surge'. It may refer to:
Common meanings
*Generally, any large-scale disaster
*Deluge (mythology)
*Doomsday event, see hypothetical risks to civilization, humans, and p ...
, Tony funds and is a member of the Ultimate version of the Future Foundation, donning a purple, blue and white armor and returning to the Iron Man mantle."Ultimate FF #1 (UNLETTERED) (Preview)"
CBR.com
''Comic Book Resources'', also known by the initialism CBR, is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book–related news and discussion.
History
Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1995 as a development of the Kingdom Co ...
. April 16, 2014.
*Ironheart armor from ''
Avataars: Covenant of the Shield''.
*In the 2007 ''
New Avengers/Transformers'' miniseries, Stark used a giant armor, the size of a
Transformer
A transformer is a passive component that transfers electrical energy from one electrical circuit to another circuit, or multiple circuits. A varying current in any coil of the transformer produces a varying magnetic flux in the transformer' ...
.
In other media
Film
Live-action
In the
Marvel Cinematic Universe
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appear in American comic books published by ...
,
Tony Stark
Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby. The charac ...
, portrayed by
Robert Downey Jr.
Robert John Downey Jr. (born April 4, 1965) is an American actor and producer. His career has been characterized by critical and popular success in his youth, followed by a period of substance abuse and legal troubles, before a resurgence of ...
, has worn and created multiple armors. He also designed suits for
James Rhodes / War Machine,
Peter Parker / Spider-Man, and
Pepper Potts
Virginia "Pepper" Potts is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She serves as a supporting character to Iron Man and sometimes a romantic interest of Tony Stark. Created by writers Stan Lee and R ...
.
Obadiah Stane
Iron Monger is an alias used by multiple fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first character to use the alias is Obadiah Stane, who first appeared in ''Iron Man'' #163 (Oct. 1982). The Iron Mong ...
has developed a suit of his own, "
Iron Monger
Iron Monger is an alias used by multiple fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first character to use the alias is Obadiah Stane, who first appeared in ''Iron Man'' #163 (Oct. 1982). The Iron Mong ...
".
In an alternate timeline in ''
What If...?'', Stark's father
Howard
Howard is an English-language given name originating from Old French Huard (or Houard) from a Germanic source similar to Old High German ''*Hugihard'' "heart-brave", or ''*Hoh-ward'', literally "high defender; chief guardian". It is also probabl ...
develops a "
Hydra Stomper
Steven Grant Rogers, more commonly known as Steve Rogers, is a fictional character primarily portrayed by Chris Evans in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise—based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name—commonly k ...
" suit for the non-superpowered
Steve Rogers.
Animated
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) in order to escape from caves.
Notes
References
External links
"The Armory Armoire" The Invincible Iron Man Armory
"The Reality of Iron Man" Emory University
Emory University is a private research university in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1836 as "Emory College" by the Methodist Episcopal Church and named in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory, Emory is the second-oldest private institution of ...
.
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
. May 4, 2010
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Iron Man's armor
Fictional elements introduced in 1963
Armor
Armour (British English) or armor (American English; see spelling differences) is a covering used to protect an object, individual, or vehicle from physical injury or damage, especially direct contact weapons or projectiles during combat, or fr ...
Fictional armour