Introduced in 2008s Iron ManThe crown jewel of the MCU is Robert Downey Jr.’s Blindly Tony Stark, whose greatest creation is his extensive gallery of advanced armored suits. From the clunky Mark I and the sleek Mark VII to the nanotechnology of the Mark 85, Stark’s collection of Iron Man armor continues to be a symbol of heroism. Iron Man’s suits reflect Stark’s own MCU journey – receiving upgrades, specializations, altered designs and even futuristic materials. The Iron Man suits demonstrate Stark’s relentless dedication to improving and refining not only his tech, but also his perspective throughout the MCU.
As the owner of Stark Industries, Tony Stark began as a villain in the MCU, with his gun-running earning him the nickname “Merchant of DeathThat changed when he was captured by the Ten Rings terrorist organization. Unbeknownst to all involved, this was the first step to the salvation of the universe, as Stark shifted his worldview away from warming and focused on building advanced armor suits to protect the world. Every Iron Man suit built by Stark that was appeared in the MCU.
Mark I
Seen in Iron Man
The first armor that Tony Stark of the MCU built was facilitated by a matter of life and death. Instead of building a missile for the Ten Rings, Stark and fellow hostage Ho Jensen Secretly put together a prototype suit of armor with very few resourcesCreating Iron Man’s Mark I. They armed it with flamethrowers, a limited rocket launcher, and crude jet boots. Given the source of its materials, the entire armor was bulletproof, although its rushed design left multiple vulnerable spots at risk.
Iron Man appears in the MCU |
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Iron Man (2008) |
The Incredible Hulk (2008) |
Iron Man 2 |
The Avengers (2012) |
Iron Man 3 |
Avengers: Age of Ultron |
Captain America: Civil War |
Spider-Man: Homecoming |
Avengers: Infinity War |
Avengers: Endgame |
Mark W
Seen in Iron Man
After returning from Afghanistan, Stark committed to building an improved version of the armor he and Jensen had created. Stark first developed advanced repulsor technology and then produced the now famous Iron Man armor design. Sleek and aerodynamic, the Mark II is the first Iron Man suit to integrate Stark’s AI JARVIS and a fully functioning HUD, in addition to the hundreds of carefully arranged moving parts that give Tony maneuverability while flying.
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His main weakness is his inability to reach high altitudes without freezing, a flaw that Tony later uses to defeat Stane. This armor was first used by James “Rhodey” Rhodes preceding the official debut of War Machine.
Mark III
Seen in Iron Man
Tony Stark’s Mark III armor symbolized the consolidation of Iron Man as a fully-fledged superhero, a key turning point in the designs for Iron Man suits of armor. The most visible change implemented in this model was the iconic red-and-gold color, inspired by one of his many luxury cars. It is also the first armor fully designed for battleInclude an entire arsenal of anti-tank missiles, flares and shoulder-mounted mini-guns, in addition to reinforced repulsors and a powerful ion beam coming from Stark’s bow reactor. Its gold titanium alloy fixed the icing problem and enhanced its strength and durability.
Mark IV
Seen in Iron Man 2
After the Mark III suit was badly damaged in Tony Stark’s final battle with Obadiah Stane Iron ManStark built the Mark IV armor to replace it. At this point, his ego returned, and he wore the armor as a symbol of luxury. Because of this, He did not come with any improvements other than a higher mobilityA bright shade of red, and – one of the strangest Iron Man armor features – a biological waste disposal system that lets him relieve himself without the need to go to the bathroom.
Mark V
Seen in Iron Man 2
Tony Stark made a significant first step toward optimized portability several years ahead of his invention of nanotechnology, though both were crucial to the development of Iron Man’s suits and Tony Stark’s MCU timeline. Dubbed the “suitcase suit,” Iron Man’s Mark V armor prioritized accessibility over strength and endurance.
This model owes its name to its ability to transform into an inconspicuous suitcase for cases of emergency, like Whiplash’s Iron Man 2 Attack in Monaco. Its lightweight plates allow for a quick fit-up and a large range of movement at the cost of its durability. Although it saves Stark from whiplash, it gets heavily damaged with just a few blows.
Mark VI
Seen in Iron Man 2 and The Avengers
When the arc reactor in Tony Stark’s chest poisoned him, he created a cleaner and more powerful one – plus a new suit of armor to go with it. This gave him the bonus advantage of harnessing an incredibly high energy supply that allowed him to add more mobility, more weapons, and higher armor. The new features included a powerful laser, arm-mounted mini-missiles, considerable resistance to electricity – as evidenced by its durability against whiplash and the full force of Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir – and the ability to perform perfectly underwater.
Mark VII
Seen in The Avengers
Stark’s suit-up after Loki threw him off Stark Tower during The Avengers Engraved the Iron Man Mark VII armor in viewers’ minds. Emerging from a rocket-like pod that is attached to bracelets and gathered around Stark, the fitting-up process is quick. The circular arc reactor returned, and so did Stark’s entire arsenal, including rechargeable lasers capable of decimating the Chitauri. The Mark VII had a powerful thruster in the back, which freed Stark’s hands and allowed him to blast his opponents while flying at full speed. The suit can withstand heavy battle damage and even take down a Leviathan.
Mark XLII
Seen in Iron Man 3
After experimenting with the Iron Legion’s 35 Iron Man suits, Tony Stark developed the infamous Mark 42 Iron Man suit, which he could remotely manipulate with subcutaneous chips implanted on his arms that controlled the individual parts that assembled, one by one, around his body . This feature also allowed him to lock the suit on another person.
“Prodigal Son” can also be controlled with a headset that allows Tony to take full command of the suit from a great distance. Inspired by Marvel Comics extremists The storyline, the Mark 42 had a lighter shade of gold and, apart from regular weapons, relied on its high-powered repulsor technology to fight.
The Iron Legion Armors
Seen in Iron Man 3
Mark XVI “Nightclub” – One of Stark’s stealth-based suits, Nightclub’s electronic cloaking system and color camouflage technology resembled that of SHIELD. It was the second suit he used against Killian. Like the Mark V, Nightclub also sacrifices strength, firepower and durability for mobility.
Mark XVII “Heartbreaker” – Stark’s seventeenth Iron Man armor iteration doesn’t last long, but it is briefly in Iron Man 3 To lead Rody to his own suit. This suit is nicknamed Heartbreaker due to its oversized chest panel designed to withstand devastating repulsor blasts.
Mark XXV “Tumper” – Thumper is designed for construction work and sports a sleek black paint job. Instead of traditional hands, Thumper sports pneumatic jackhammers at the end of each arm.
Mark xxvv “Red snapper – The Mark XXXV earned its nickname by its long, retractable pincers at the end of each arm. These are designed to get into tight spaces and help victims of natural disasters who may find themselves trapped under debris.
Mark XXXIII “Silver Centurion” – Based on his popular Marvel Comics counterpart, the Silver Centurion has one hidden blade in each arm and an enhanced energy system. It was the first armor that Tony Stark wore after calling the Iron Legion to fight Aldrich Killian in Iron Man 3And the Austrian with him Harib.
Mark XXXVIII “Igor” – This hulking suit features a hunched posture and an eye-catching blue paint job. Bulky and relatively unmanoeuvrable, the Mark XXXVIII was designed to lift heavy loads in construction projects.
Mark XXXIX “Gemini” – Gemini is perhaps one of Stark’s most visually striking Iron Man suits. Eschewing the classic red and gold for white, black and bronze, this suit is designed to withstand sub-orbital space travel. The suit sports a high-powered concussion cannon and small boosters that allow maneuverability in zero-g.
Mark XL “Shotgun” – With the ability to reach speeds over Mach 5, this was one of the fastest Iron Man armors Stark had ever created. It was the suit he chose to fight Aldrich Killian after Pepper Potts was presumed dead. This model has a strong thruster in the back to stabilize it while flying and fighting.
XLI “Bones” – This modern Iron Man armor has a striking black and gold look with an ornate circuit pattern running along its armor panels. The suit is extremely lightweight, favoring maneuverability over bulk. Each individual piece has its own thruster, which allows it to break apart and turn into a projectile swarm.
Mark XV “stealth” – This was the first suit Tony Stark designed for stealth purposes, the first in the Iron Legion to have a nickname, and the last he used in the final battle in Iron Man 3Getting totaled after the explosion of Mark XLII. His design stood out for his rugged helmet and the sharp angles in its plates.
Mark XLIII
Seen in Avengers: Age of Ultron
Tony Stark promised to stop building armor with Iron Man 3s “Clean slate” protocol. However, Mark XLIII (Mark 43), which he used to fight Ultron and his robot army, proved otherwise. This model has the best features of the armor of Mark VII and Mark XLII, combining the versatility of the latter with the endurance of the former.
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Notably, this Iron Man armor was designed to fit inside the Hulkbuster, which was the first time Stark explored combining different armors – both to create a threat and last longer in the increasingly dangerous battles of the Avengers. It also adds an infrared scanning system and the ability to switch to Sentry mode.
Mark xliv
Seen in Avengers: Age of Ultron
The Hulkbuster armor finally arrived Avengers: Age of Ultron After years of anticipation after Tony Stark’s cameo in the post-credits scene of The Incredible Hulk. This colossal suit was developed by Stark and Bruce Banner as a contingency plan in case the gamma-irradiated scientist lost control.
Powered by multiple arc reactors, the armor was deployed by a satellite named Veronica, and assembled onto Tony’s regular armor. All of his weapons are custom designed to subdue the Hulk, with tranquilizers, jackhammer hands, and replaceable parts to help him. The Hulkbuster turned back inside Avengers: Infinity WarThis time sported by Bruce Banner himself.
Mark XLV
Seen in Avengers: Age of Ultron
This model has all the features of Mark XLIII and reinforced the entire armor with chrome gold titanium, making it significantly tougher and sleeker. The overall design was sleek and pioneered the hexagonal shape around its arc reactor. Since Stark and Banner implanted JARVIS in Vision, this was the first of Iron Man’s suits to use his replacement, Friday. The suit was so durable that it managed to withstand a fight against Ultron and his minions and was still able to overload the machine that detonated Sokovia, then survived the raining debris.
Mark XLVI
Seen in Captain America: Civil War
The suit Stark used to fight Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, and Bucky Barnes, aka the Winter Soldier, was the first to be inspired by the Bleeding Edge armor from Marvel Comics, before the nanotech armor he used in Avengers: Infinity War.
The miniature arc reactors scattered throughout the armor enhanced its power, and its collapsible structure enabled Tony to manipulate it more easily. He is able to put it on effortlessly, with the touch of a button, and the helmet can retract into the suit. Stark’s watch housed a glove with sonar and flash-bang blast that helped him fight Barnes without having to wear the rest of the suit.
Mark XLVII
Seen in Spider-Man: Homecoming
The Mark XLVII Armor that appeared in Spider-Man: Homecoming Is directly inspired by the Ultimate Marvel comics, with its middle part sporting a silver color. The design, however, was the same as the Mark XLVI, although its main improvement was the ability to be controlled by Wi-Fi without the need for a headset, as Tony Stark demonstrated while on vacation in India.
In another moment showing Stark’s ingenuity, the Mark XLVII also had powerful detachable jets that allowed Iron Man to put the damaged shuttle back together faster and more efficiently than Spider-Man’s webs. When not controlled by Stark, Friday took care of everything.
Mark XLVIII
Seen in Avengers: Infinity War
After the success of the Hulkbuster suit, Stark proceeded to upgrade it to the Mark XLVIII, aka Hulkbuster 2.0. Unfortunately, the Mark XLVIII doesn’t see much action. Ironically, instead of being used to stop the Hulk, the suit was piloted by Bruce Banner during the Battle of Wakanda when he temporarily lost the ability to “Hulk out.” Visually similar to its predecessor, the hulking Mark XLVIII is slightly more streamlined, with rounder edges than the Mark XLIV. Other than that, the suits are strikingly similar.
Mark L
Seen in Avengers: Infinity War
This suit was the beginning of Iron Man’s suits with nanotechnology, so the features are basically endless. Like Black Panther’s second suit, the Mark L/Mark 50 can materialize and reshape itself in a matter of seconds, but unlike T’Challa’s vibranium armor, it can also create a wide variety of missiles, thrusters, cannons, Blades, hammers, shields. , wings, freezing shower, and even glasses.
The design was the sleekest of all Stark’s suits, and actually mimicked the shape of Stark’s body. It has the ability to fly into deep space without any damage while protecting Tony from radiation and also providing life support, significantly raising Iron Man’s power levels in the MCU.
Mark LXXXV
Seen in Avengers: Endgame
Tony Stark spends the five years after Thanos’ head in Avengers: Infinity War Perfecting his final suit, which resulted in the Mark LXXXV. Tony’s latest armor perfectly resembles the classic look of Steve Ditko’s comic book illustrations, blending the sleekness and nanotechnology of Mark L with a visibly more muscular and more robust design. Not only has Iron Man’s Mark 85 perfected the previous features, but also possesses enough strength to withstand a full fight with Thanos and even harnesses the power of all six Infinity Stones, with the design of the hand taking inspiration from Thanos’ Infinity Gauntlet .
Tony Stark’s Sakarian Armor
Seen in what if…?
During a handful of episodes of the multiverse animated series, what if…?, Tony Stark found himself on Sakaar. During his time there, Stark made another suit, this time using all the parts and scrap he found in Sakar’s trash. His color scheme is different from the main MCU Iron Man, helping to set him apart from most of the other armor in the franchise. One of the coolest quirks of the suit is its ability to transform into a race car that is powered by the arc reactor.
Pepper Potts’ Rescue Armor
Seen in Avengers: Endgame
One of the many surprises that Avengers: Endgame Delivered was Pepper Potts’ own suit of armor. The rescue armor wasn’t as weapon-heavy as most of Stark’s suits in Marvel comics, but the MCU managed to give Pepper all the major features that Iron Man is known for, such as the floating ion cannons and the uni-beam, Courtesy of Tony’s determination to protect Pepper and their daughter, Morgan.
Although Pepper Potts is unlikely to have a big role in the MCU after Stark’s sacrifice in End gameShe may sport her rescue armor in the future Avengers Or an all-female one A-force project, and potentially even in the upcoming MCU Armor Wars project.
War Machine MK II
Seen throughout the MCU
While Tony Stark is justified in letting anyone else use his super-suited tech, he makes an exception for his long-time friend and fellow Avenger Jacob “Rhodey” Rhodes, aka War Machine. While Rhodey originally fit into Tony’s then-outdated Mk II armor, he gets his very own setup that favors heavy weaponry over maneuverability. However, they do not fit the standard list of Stark suits as some have been modified by people other than Tony.
The “Mk I” was just Iron Man armor, his bespoke suits range from War Machine Mk II to Mk VI. The Mk II is also simply the Iron Man Mk II, but it has benefited from significant firepower upgrades from Justin Hammer in Iron Man 2. The Mk III debuted after Avengers: Age of Ultron When Rhodey officially joined the new Avengers list. However, it was destroyed by Vision at the end of Captain America: Civil War.
The Mk IV armor is quite similar to the Mk II and III, but War Machine Mk V came with massive firepower upgrades. The suit is significantly larger (though much smaller than Tony’s Hulkbuster armor), sports dark reds and blues in addition to the classic War Machine gray, and is equipped with alien technology. The suit is only seen in Thanos’ final assault on the Avengers compound in Avengers: Endgame. The War Machine Mk VI Armor was a return to the more traditional design, but it was significantly damaged by Thanos in End game.
Other Iron Man Armor appearances
Some of Iron Man’s suits appeared in projects that Stark himself had no role in. Spider-Man: Far From HomeHaunting Peter Parker. Hulu’s MODOKWhich has no ties to MCU continuity, also featured Iron Man and included a Mark I helmet in the future timeline where MODOK defeated the Avengers. Phase 4 What if…? Featured different variations on Iron Man, such as Steve Rogers’ HYDRA Stomper, Killmonger’s Gundam armors and zombie Iron Man.
Armor Wars could introduce 33 missing Iron Man suits to the MCU
Iron Man 3 ended with Stark disposing of over 30 suits, but the MCU never revealed what happened to the 33 suits made between Avengers: Infinity War And End gameHow Iron Man went from using the Mark 50 to the Mark 85. The missing suits are likely to appear in Armor Wars.
After Stark’s death, there is little standing in the way of the villains seeking the power of Stark technology. Although most of these suits may be incomplete prototypes, Armor Wars Can see them being used for nefarious purposes. The suits could also turn any regular person into a superhero, which could be a better way to continue Iron Man’s legacy.
Every MCU character wearing Stark Armor other than Tony Stark
- James Rhodes – War Machine: Rhodes as a war machine has been around ever since Iron Man 2. He first sets out to fight Tony Stark during a party that Stark is throwing.
- Pepper Potts – Rescue: Pepper Potts briefly donned Iron Man armor Iron Man 3But her first full use of a suit came during the climactic battle in Avengers: Endgame.
- Peter Parker – Spider-Man: Peter Parker initially rejected the Iron Spider armor during Spider-Man: Homecoming But finally wore it as he was flying in space during Avengers: Infinity War.
- Sam Wilson – Falcon: After the events of Captain America: The Winter SoldierSam Wilson needed a new suit, and Tony Stark made him one.
- Bruce Banner: Without being able to turn into the Hulk, Bruce Banner helps protect Wakanda in Hulkbuster Armor during Avengers: Infinity War.
- Obadiah Stane – Iron Monger: Stane is the original villain of the MCU, appearing in Iron Man And using a suit his engineers created after stealing Tony Stark’s design.
- Steve Rogers – Hydra Stomper: in the What if…? series, Steve Rogers never becomes Captain America. Instead, he gets an Iron Man suit built by Tony Stark’s father, Howard Stark.
- Ultron: in Avengers: Age of UltronTony Stark and Bruce Banner create Ultron as they try to build an AI to protect the world. Ultron goes first in an Iron Man guard robot, fighting the Avengers.
- Riri Williams – Ironheart: Although not technically created by Tony Stark, Riri Williams reverse engineers Tony Stark’s plan to create her own during the events of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.