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Introduced in 2008’s Iron Man, the crown jewel of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is undeniably Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark, whose greatest creation is his extensive gallery of advanced armored suits. Stark created a multitude of armors that let him battle fire-breathing terrorists and literal gods. From the clunky Mark I and the sleek Mark VII to the almost magical nanotechnology of Iron Man’s Mark 85 (Tony’s suit in Avengers: Endgame), Stark’s collection of Iron Man armor continues to be a symbol of heroism. Indeed, Iron Man’s suits reflect Tony’s own journey in the MCU — receiving upgrades, specializations, altered designs, new equipment, and even futuristic materials. While every Mark of Iron Man armor is flawed in some way, they all prove Tony’s relentless dedication to improving and refining not just his tech but also his perspective as an Avenger throughout his 10 Marvel Cinematic Universe films.
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 Death.” That, however, changed in a heartbeat when his life was turned upside-down by the Ten Rings terrorist organization used his own weapons against him and left his life hanging by a thread. Unbeknownst to everyone involved, this was the first step toward the salvation of the universe, as Stark shifted his worldview away from warmongering and focused on building advanced suits of armor to protect the world. Many of Iron Man’s coolest armors never made it into the movies. Despite making around 93 suits of armor in total, the genius Avenger only wore 19 of them onscreen. Here’s every Iron Man suit Tony Stark wore in the MCU.
Mark I – Iron Man
The first armor that the MCU’s heroic Tony Stark builds is facilitated by a matter of life and death. Instead of building a missile for the Ten Rings inside a cave in the middle of the desert, Tony and fellow hostage Ho Yinsen (Shaun Tob) secretly put together a rough suit of armor with the few resources they can salvage – Iron Man’s Mark 1. They arm it with two flamethrowers under each hand, a limited rocket launcher, and very crude jet boots. Given the source of its materials, the whole armor is bulletproof, although its rushed design leaves multiple vulnerable spots at risk, such as the joints and eyeholes. As unrefined as it was, the first of Iron Man’s suits inspired Tony to become the invincible Iron Man. An alternate-universe version of the Mark I armor appears in What If…?, revealing that Tony’s father, Howard, creates it for Steve Rogers once Peggy Carter takes the Super Soldier serum.
Mark II – Iron Man
After surviving Afghanistan, Tony Stark returns with an ambitious goal in mind. He commits himself to building an improved version of the armor he created, in the words of Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges), “with a box of scraps.” Tony first develops advanced repulsor technology and then devises the now-famous Iron Man armor design. Sleek and aerodynamic, the Mark II is the first Iron Man suit to integrate JARVIS (Paul Bettany) and a fully-functioning HUD, apart from the hundreds of carefully arranged moving parts that grant Tony maneuverability while flying. Its major weakness is its inability to reach high altitudes without freezing, a flaw that Tony later uses to defeat Stane. This armor is the first one used by James Rhodes (Don Cheadle) preceding the official debut of War Machine, who is slated to star in the MCU Phase 6 movie Armor Wars.
Mark III – Iron Man
Tony Stark’s Mark III armor symbolizes the consolidation of Iron Man as a full-fledged superhero, a key turning point in the designs for Iron Man’s armors. The most evident change he implements in this model is the iconic red-and-gold scheme, inspired by one of his many luxury cars. This is also the first armor fully designed to hold up in battle, incorporating a whole arsenal of anti-tank missiles, flares, and shoulder-mounted miniguns, besides the intensified repulsors and a stronger uni-beam that comes from Stark’s arc reactor. Its gold titanium alloy fixes the icing problem and enhances its strength and durability.
Mark IV – Iron Man 2
After the Mark III suit is heavily damaged in Tony Stark’s final battle with Obadiah Stane, Tony builds the Mark IV armor to replace it. By this point, his ego has returned, and he wears the armor as a symbol of luxury. For this reason, he doesn’t come up with further improvements besides a higher degree of mobility, a brighter shade of red, and — one of the most peculiar Iron Man armor features — a biological waste disposal system that lets him relieve his basic necessities without the need to go to the bathroom.
Mark V – Iron Man 2
Tony Stark made a significant first step towards optimized portability several years ahead of his invention of nanotechnology, with both events being highly crucial to the development of Iron Man’s suits and Tony Stark’s MCU timeline. Dubbed Iron Man’s “Suitcase Suit’, the Iron Man Mark V armor prioritizes accessibility over strength, flight, and endurance. This model owes its name to its ability to transform into an inconspicuous suitcase for cases of emergency like the attack of Whiplash (Mickey Rourke) in Monaco. It’s composed of many lightweight plates that allow for a quick suit-up and a great range of movement at the cost of its durability. Although it saves Tony from Whiplash’s rage, it gets heavily damaged with just a few blows. Despite how the Mark V essentially turns Iron Man into a glass canon that won’t last long on the battlefield, its designs laid the foundations for later more durable armors to also become portable.
Mark VI – Iron Man 2 and The Avengers
When the arc reactor in Tony Stark’s chest poisons him, he creates a cleaner and more powerful one — plus a proper armor to go with it. This gives him the bonus advantage of harnessing an incredibly higher energy supply that allows him to add more mobility, more weapons, and higher durability. The new features include a powerful laser, arm-mounted mini-missiles, considerable resistance to electricity — as evidenced by its durability against Whiplash and Thor (Chris Hemsworth) — and the ability to perform perfectly underwater.
Mark VII – The Avengers
Tony Stark’s suit-up after Loki (Tom Hiddleston) 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 attaches to a pair of bracelets and assembles around Tony, the suit-up process is quicker. The circular arc reactor returns, and so does Tony’s whole arsenal, now including rechargeable lasers capable of decimating the Chitauri, although not with the same efficiency as Captain Marvel during Avengers: Endgame’s final battle. The Mark VII possesses a powerful thruster in its back, which frees up Tony Stark’s hands and allows him to blast his opponents while flying at full speed. The suit can withstand heavy battle damage and take down a Leviathan, but it can’t fight a trip to space without shutting down.
Mark XLII – 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 can manipulate remotely with subcutaneous chips implanted on his arms that control the individual parts that assemble, one by one, around his body. This feature also allows him to lock the suit onto another person. “Prodigal Son” can also be controlled with a headset that allows Tony to take full command of the suit from a very distant location. Inspired by Marvel’s “Extremis” storyline, the Mark 42 sports a lighter shade of gold and, apart from regular weaponry, relies on its high-powered repulsor technology to fight.
The Iron Legion Armors – Iron Man 3
Mark XXXVIII “Silver Centurion”: Based on its popular comic book counterpart, the Silver Centurion has one hidden blade in each arm and an enhanced energy system. It’s the first armor that Tony Stark wears after calling the Iron Legion to battle Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce) and the first one to be destroyed by him.
Mark XVI “Nightclub”: One of Stark’s stealth-based suits, Nightclub’s electronic cloaking system and color camouflaging technology resemble that of SHIELD’s. It’s the second suit he uses against Killian. Like the Mark V, Nightclub also sacrifices strength, firepower, and durability for mobility.
Mark XL “Shotgun”: With the ability to reach speeds over Mach 5, this is one of the fastest Iron Man armors Stark ever created. It’s the suit he chooses to fight Aldrich Killian (aka Iron Man 3‘s fake Mandarin) after Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) is presumed dead. This model has a powerful thruster in the back to stabilize it while flying and fighting.
Mark XV “Sneaky”: It’s the first suit Tony Stark designed for stealth purposes, the first one in the Iron Legion to have a nickname, and the last one he uses in the final battle, getting totaled after the explosion of Mark XLII. Its design stands out for its rugged helmet and the sharp angles in its plates.
Mark XLIII – Avengers: Age of Ultron
Tony Stark promised not to continue his armor-building venture with the “Clean Slate” protocol in Iron Man 3. However, Mark XLIII (Mark 43), which he used to fight Ultron and his robot army, proved otherwise. This model takes the best features from the Mark VII and Mark XLII armors, merging the versatility of the latter with the endurance of the former. Notably, this Iron Man armor is designed to fit inside the Hulkbuster, marking the first time for Stark to explore combining different armors – both to pose more of a threat and last longer in the Avengers’ increasingly dangerous battles. Moreover, contrary to the previous model, it can break into pieces but doesn’t shatter under heavy hits. It also adds an infrared scanning system and the ability to switch into Sentry Mode.
Mark XLIV – Avengers: Age of Ultron
The Hulkbuster armor finally arrived in Avengers: Age of Ultron after years of anticipation since Tony Stark’s cameo in the post-credits scene of The Incredible Hulk. This colossal suit is developed by Tony Stark and Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) as a contingency plan in case the gamma-radiated scientist lost control. Powered by multiple arc reactors, the armor is deployed by a satellite named Veronica and assembled onto Tony’s regular armor. All of its weapons are custom designed to subdue the Hulk, with sedatives, jackhammer hands, and replaceable parts to help him. The Hulkbuster returns in Avengers: Infinity War, this time worn by Bruce Banner.
Mark XLV – Avengers: Age of Ultron
This model carries over all the features from Mark XLIII and reinforces the whole armor with chromed gold titanium, making it considerably tougher and shinier. The overall design is sleeker and pioneers the hexagonal shape around its arc reactor. Since Ultron transformed JARVIS into Vision, this is the first of Iron Man’s suits to use his replacement, FRIDAY (Jennifer Connelly). This suit is so durable that it manages to withstand a fight against Ultron and his minions and still be able to overload the machine that detonates Sokovia, subsequently surviving the raining debris.
Mark XLVI – Captain America: Civil War
The suit Tony Stark used to fight Captain America (Chris Evans) and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) is the first to be inspired by the Bleeding Edge armor from the comics, before the nanotech armor he uses in Avengers: Infinity War. The miniature arc reactors scattered throughout the armor enhance its power, and its collapsible structure enables Tony to manipulate it more easily. He can put it on effortlessly with the touch of a button, and the helmet can retract into the suit. Tony’s watch stores a glove with sonar and flashbang blasts that help him fight Bucky Barnes aka Winter Soldier even without the need to wear the rest of the suit.
Mark XLVII – Spider-Man: Homecoming
The Mark XLVII armor that appears in Spider-Man: Homecoming is directly inspired by the Ultimate Marvel comics, with its middle portion sporting a silver color. The design, however, is the same as the Mark XLVI, although its main improvement is the ability to be controlled by Wi-Fi without the need for a headset, as Tony Stark demonstrates while on vacation in India. In another moment showing Stark’s ingenuity, the Mark XLVII also has powerful detachable jets that allow Iron Man to put the damaged ferry back together faster than Spider-Man’s webs. When not controlled by Tony, FRIDAY takes care of it.
Mark L – Avengers: Infinity War
Tony Stark’s fiftieth armor marked the penultimate step toward perfecting his greatest creation. As this marks the beginning of Iron Man’s suits using nanotechnology, its features are basically endless and only dependent on Tony’s creativity. 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 futuristic vibranium armor, it can create a wide variety of missiles, thrusters, cannons, blades, hammers, shields, wings, freezing spray, and even glasses. The design is the sleekest of all Iron Man armors and actually mimics the shape of Tony’s body. It also has the ability to fly into deep space without any damage while protecting Tony from radiation and also supplying life support, considerably raising Iron Man’s power levels in the MCU.
Mark LXXXV – Avengers: Endgame
Tony Stark spent the five years after Thanos’ snap polishing his ultimate suit, which resulted in the Mark LXXXV. Perfectly resembling the classic look of Steve Ditko’s comic book illustrations, Tony’s final armor blends the Mark L’s sleekness and nanotechnology with a visibly more muscular and more robust design. Not only does Iron Man’s Mark 85 perfect the previous features, but also possesses enough strength to withstand an all-out fight with Thanos and harness the power of all six Infinity Stones.
Bonus: Pepper Potts’ Rescue Armor – Avengers: Endgame
One of the many fan-pleasing surprises that Avengers: Endgame brought to fans was Pepper Potts’ own suit of armor, previously teased by her wearing the Iron Man Mark XLII armor to protect herself from the Mandarin’s attacks in Iron Man 3. The Rescue armor isn’t as weapon-heavy as most of Tony Stark’s suits in the comics, but the MCU did give Pepper all the main 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 Gwyneth Paltrow’s Pepper Potts is unlikely to have a big role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe after the death of Tony Stark, she could don her Rescue armor in a future Avengers or an all-female A-Force project in the form of a cameo. After all, in the multiverse-ending plots of MCU’s Phase 4, anything can happen, and the Rescue suit’s the most powerful Iron Man armor Tony Stark never wore.
Other Iron Man Armor Appearances
Some of Iron Man’s armors have made it to movies and shows where Tony Stark hasn’t appeared. One of Tony’s older armors appeared in Mysterio’s illusions to haunt Peter Parker in Spider-Man: Far From Home, although it was created purely through the villain’s visual effects. Hulu’s M.O.D.O.K., which has no ties to MCU continuity, also featured Iron Man as a recurring character and included a Mark I helmet in the future timeline where M.O.D.O.K. defeats all the Avengers. Finally, Marvel’s What If…? features various alternate realities with different variations of Iron Man, such as Steve Rogers’ HYDRA Stomper, Killmonger’s Gundam armors, and zombie Iron Man (who uses the Mark 50 armor from Avengers: Infinity War). The most unique Iron Man armor introduced in What If…? is the Hulkbuster Tony Stark creates in Sakaar, which will be expanded upon in What If…? season 2.
Armor Wars May Introduce 33 Missing Iron Man Suits To The MCU
Iron Man 3 ends with Tony Stark disposing of over 30 armored suits, but the MCU never confirms what happens to the 33 suits Stark made between Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, during which Iron Man goes from the Mark 50 to the Mark 85 – and those 33 armors could appear in Armor Wars. The trouble with Iron Man’s suits is that, after his death, there’s little that stands in the way of would-be villains seeking the Titan-slaying power of Stark technology. Although most of these suits could be dangerously incomplete prototypes — experiments that made the Mark 50, Mark 85, and Rescue armors possible — Armor Wars could see Iron Man’s missing suits in the wrong hands, enabling any given MCU villain to harness the abilities of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. On the other hand, the suits could also turn any regular person into a potential superhero, which might be a more fitting tribute to the legacy of Iron Man.
Iron Man’s Replacement Already Has Unique Armor
Though not technically among Iron Man’s suits in the MCU, Riri Williams’ Ironheart armors in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever are directly inspired by Tony Stark’s work, but are nonetheless unique enough to establish their own category. While the weapons and capabilities of Ironheart’s suits are highly similar to Tony’s, what makes them truly unique is the availability of Vibranium to Riri due to her close relationship with the new Black Panther, Shuri. Indeed, though Ironheart’s first armor is a direct callback to Iron Man‘s MCU Phase 1 suits, Riri’s second armor is made of Vibranium, which makes it more or just as durable as Tony’s latter suits in the MCU. Undoubtedly, Riri will continue to design her own line of advanced armored suits just like Tony, more of which will appear in Ironheart and Armor Wars.
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