Iron Man Armor: A Complete Guide from Model 1 to Marvel Apes
In terms of popular culture, March 1963 is among the most culturally-influential months. The debut album of a British pop band called The Beatles is released, the Alcatraz Island federal penitentiary was closed for good, Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds was released in theaters, and issue #39 of “Tales of Suspense” was released by Marvel Comics.
In this issue, a millionaire bachelor scientist named Anthony Stark made his comic book debut along with his mechanical alter ego, Iron Man. Since then, the character has gone on to appear in hundreds of comics, television shows and has been the focus of five feature films (with his sixth debuting in a few weeks). Throughout Tony Stark’s tenure as ‘Shell Head,’ he has had quite a few different versions of his famous Iron Man armor for every occasion that the hero may find himself in.
Iron Man’s armor in the upcoming Captain America: Civil War is the 46th version of his armor for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and it shouldn’t surprise you to learn there are even more in the source material (and quite a few scattered throughout the multiverse), so check out the gallery below for a look at Iron Man’s many armors.
Let us know which one of the sets of Iron Man armor is your favorite in the comments!
Iron Man Armors
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Model 1 (1963)
First appearance: Tales of Suspense #39
A war prisoner, Tony Stark was forced to create a weapon by the Communist leader Wong Chu. He called Chu’s bluff and outfitted a suit of armor with several technologies he had already been perfecting and thus the Iron Man Mark I armor was born. Fitted to it were the now famous boot-jets, a magnetic field disruptor, a blow torch, and finger saw.
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Model I Gold Version (1963)
First appearance: Tales of Suspense #40
The very next issue of “Tales of Suspense” featured the already upgraded version of the armor. It differed from its predecessor by changing the color scheme from silver to gold and many now defunct features such as an attached megaphone. This was also the armor that Tony used the very first time The Avengers formed together to stop Loki. It is often referred to as the ‘Golden Avenger’ armor.
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Model II (1963)
First appearance: Tales of Suspense #48
Created because he was almost killed in a fight with Mister Doll, the Mark II has become the design and layout for the armor that made Iron Man famous. This sleeker and more lightweight design has been the staple of Iron Man’s armor for decades and the first time his mask was ever equipped with the fabled “horns.” It’s often referred to as the ‘Ditko Armor’ because famous Marvel artist Steve Ditko designed it.
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Model III (1965)
First Appearance: Tales of Suspense #66
Two years later, the Iron Man armor would get another upgrade. The Mark III armor’s primary difference, and largest addition to the Iron Man mythology, is the use of the repulsor rays. The helmet for the Mark IV was also a more slick and rounded design from the pointed ‘horns’ of the previous version.
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Model IV (1976)
First appearance: Iron Man #85
Over ten years would go by before Iron Man upgraded his standard armor once again. The reason Tony upgraded this time was due to a fight he had with a villain known as ‘The Freak,’ who you might know as Happy Hogan. Yes, Tony Stark’s bodyguard was turned into a radioactive monster due to an accident at Stark’s lab and caused enough damage to the Mark III to warrant an upgrade. This was also the armor that James Rhodes wore when he briefly replaced Tony behind the mask.
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Space Armor (1981)
First appearance: Iron Man #142
The first set of Space Armor was created by Tony to investigate the source of microwaves emitting from a source in space. It looked very similar to the regular Iron Man armor with the same color patterns and design, but was heavier. The first Space Armor only appeared a few times in the comics.
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Stealth Armor (1981)
First appearance: Iron Man #152
1981, tensions are high in the Cold War, Communism is seen as a daily threat in the American life, and where does Iron Man have go to? East Germany, of course. Stark is spying on a facility in East Germany and can only do so with his newly-formed Stealth Armor. The primary capability of the suit was concealment, and it housed literally no weapons (a first for Iron Man).
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Iron Man 2020 (1984)
First appearance: Machine Man Vol 2 #2
One of many sets of armor that technically didn't belong to Tony Stark, instead this belonged to his nephew in the far away future of 2020. Arno Stark purchased Stark Industries and began life as a mercenary in armor inspired by his late Uncle’s own. The armor contained similar weapons to the original Iron Man armor, but was also capable of working underground, under water, and in space.
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Silver Centurion (1985)
First appearance: Iron Man #200
When the Mark VIII eventually showed up, it would be just as different of a design from the previous incarnations as the Mark III was to the Mark II. The Mark VIII is widely known as the “Silver Centurion Armor.” It changed the color pattern from red and gold to red and silver and featured the biggest addition to the armor in its newfound “Chameleon effect.” Using this effect, the armor could blend into the environment around it.
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Undersea Armor (1987)
First appearance: Iron Man #218
The name might make you think Tony uses this armor to put out fires when in fact it was used to dive to extreme depths in the ocean. Tony’s regular Iron Man armor does of course work in water, but the Hydro Armor could go as deep as three miles into the ocean. His reasoning for creating the armor might surprise you though: Tony helps the government stop a terrorist force from opening a toxic gas tank at the wreckage of the Titanic which they were planning to use as a weapon. Not the best of storylines, but at least they got some cool armor out of it?
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“Neo-Classic” (1988)
First appearance: Iron Man #231
In the midst of the first Armor Wars storyline, Tony was forced to wear this new version of his armor, that he'd been working on in his spare time, to fight the villain Firepower. To explain the new armor to the public, Tony Stark revealed that the employee of his wearing the armor (at the time the "Iron Man is Tony's bodyguard" shtick was still going) had died and revealed a new Iron Man had been hired.
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Crusader X - Iron Man (1990)
First appearance: Excalibur #21
In this alternate reality, America lost the Revolutionary War and is still under control of the UK. Tony finds himself as a member of the Sons of Liberty, targeting the leaders of the world as they vie for freedom.
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Space Armor Model II (1992)
First appearance: Iron Man #278
Ten years later after this first space armor, Stark needed an upgraded version to repel the Kree armies during “Operation: Galactic Storm” (side note: aptly named for Operation Desert Storm the year before). The upgraded model featured access to the Kree computers and could simulate potential scenarios in the war. The armor used the regular weapons technology that Tony’s armor housed, but also featured a highly-dangerous self-destruct mode.
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War Machine (1992)
First appearance: Iron Man #281
Besides the conventional Iron Man armor, War Machine (or JRXL-1000) is the most famous Iron Man armor in the history of the character. Created by Tony as a heavily-armed version of the suit and named ‘War Machine,’ it was later co-opted by James Rhodes who has since made the moniker famous. Included in the suit’s ever-growing arsenal are: repulsors, unibeam, twin chain guns, laser blade, wrist-mounted flamethrower, box rocket launcher, tear gas, tracers, flares, smoke grenades, anti-tank rounds, and at one point two chainsaws were added to the suit.
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Model XII “Telepresence Armor” (1993)
First appearance: Iron Man #290
When Tony Stark's nervous system was damaged to the point he couldn't carry out his Iron Man duties, the telepresence system was created. This allowed Stark to control the armor from a remote location, and since the suit didn't have to house a person, it was fully loaded with more weapons.
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Model XIII (1994)
First appearance: Iron Man #300
With this set of armor, dubbed the "Modular Armor," Tony created a suit wherein every piece from the helmet to the gloves and the boots could be swapped out for an alternative version. The most famous add-on to the armor was an early version of the Hulkbuster.
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Arctic Armor (1995)
First appearance: Iron Man #318
A recurring trend you’ll see in many of Iron Man's armors is that they’ve only appeared the one time that Stark used them. That of course goes for the Arctic Armor that Stark used to get himself to his secret Arctic Bunker (which wasn’t really heard from again). No details were given about the suit other than it could presumably survive in subzero temperatures. It’s thought to contain repulsor rays as the ports can be seen on the armor’s palms. It also featured a hexagonal-shaped unibeam port.
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Model XV (1995)
First appearance: Iron Man #319
Trapped in his Arctic Base, Tony had a bit of a breakdown about his identity resulting in the creation of Model XV. The new model featured larger gauntlets than its predecessor, with even more weapons.
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Prometheum Armor (1996)
First appearance: Iron Man vol. 2 #1
In the mid '90s, Marvel did a ballsy thing and killed off their characters in the primary universe, only to revive them in the "Heroes Reborn" world of Counter Earth. In that series, Tony Stark's primary armor was known as the Prometheum Armor and never made its way into the primary Marvel Universe.
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Iron Lantern (1997)
First appearance: Iron Lantern #1
Marvel and DC did a very strange thing in the late 90s, following their respective crossovers they decided to mash up their villains and create a line of comics where the DNA of Marvel and DC were blended. This included characters like Dark Claw (combining Wolverine and Batman), Super Soldier (combining Captain America and Superman), and Lobo the Duck (Lobo and Howard the Duck). Iron Man was combined with Green Lantern for the event, becoming Hal Stark the Iron Lantern. His origin remained similar to Green Lantern in that he found a dying alien spacecraft, but then in true Iron Man fashion took the parts and made a suit out of it.
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Model XVI (1998)
First appearance: Iron Man Vol. 3 #1
After his return from Counter Earth, Tony created the new armor but quickly abandoned it after the power system made him ill.
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Sorcerer Armor (1998)
First appearance: What If? Vol 2 #113
One of Marvel's most interesting titles is the ‘Out-Of-Continuity’ ‘What If…?’ It featured titles that posed bizarre questions and told self-contained stories that usually came out of left field. In ‘What If…’ #113 the question asked was “What if Tony Stark became the Master of Mystic Arts?” In the story, Stark is the one responsible for Stephen Strange’s hand injuries and becomes the Sorcerer Supreme instead of Dr. Strange. The armor is a combination of pieces from gathered from a number of different dimensions and is described as a perfect balance of science and magic.
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MC2 Iron Man (1998)
First appearance: A-Next #1
In the MC2 universe, the superhero boom began 15 years earlier than in the primary Marvel Universe. This means the timetable for other events happened 15 years earlier as well, and as a result many of the heroes are old, retired, or deceased. Tony however is still alive and kicking, but leaves the Iron Man duties to an android he created named Mainframe.
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Experimental Safe Armor (1999)
First appearance: Fantastic Four Vol 3 #15
After the Model XVI caused health problems, Tony created a new set of armor without the risk of hurting him. It was quickly replaced however...
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Safe Armor (1999)
First appearance: Iron Man Vol 3 #15
...with the actual Safe Armor. Tony ended up not using this model all that long anyway as it become possessed by the villain Ultron, and sentient.
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Iron Man of Earth X (1999)
First appearance: Earth X #0
Earth X imagines a dystopian future for the Marvel Universe where every single person on the planet has superpowers following the release of the Terrigen Mists. In order to protect himself from contamination, he built the Iron Mansion where he lived and continued to develop other forms of armor.
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Iron Avengers of Earth X (1999)
First Appearance: Earth X #X
In addition, Tony developed Iron Man versions of his fellow Avengers that had fallen in battle including Hawkeye, Giant Man, Vision, Scarlet Witch, and Quicksilver.
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Outer Atmospheric Armor (2000)
First appearance: Iron Man Bad Blood #4
Unlike Tony's other space armors, this one was used primarily to stay close to Earth and was made specifically to confront rival Justin Hammer in space.
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S.K.I.N. Armor (2001)
First appearance: Iron Man Vol. 3 #42
After the last model became sentient thanks to Ultron, Tony created a new set of armor with a revamped design. This armor was also taken over by Ultron.
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Ultimate Iron Man (2002)
First appearance: Ultimates #2
A modern retelling of Marvel’s heroes, the Ultimate universe’s Iron Man is similar to the other designs as far as the color and weaponry goes, but where it differs is a whole team is needed to suit up Stark in the armor. It features more defensive weapons than many of the other suits in the 616 universe as well. Also much like the ‘real’ Tony Stark, the Ultimate Iron Man has several versions of the armor.
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Tin Man Armor (2002)
First appearance: Iron Man Vol 3 #50
Created when Tony realized that Ultron had gained control of his armor, the ‘Tin Man’ armor proved to be one of the most powerful sets of armor Stark ever created. The armor could withstand direct impact from missiles and other large scale weaponry but proved no match for Wolverine’s adamantium claws. Visually, the biggest difference in this armor and previous incarnations is the bulky shoulder pads and the coiled design used on Tony’s midsection and legs.
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Stealth Armor Model II (2002)
First appearance: Black Panther Vol 3 #44
Created specifically to battle T’Challa himself, Black Panther. Unlike every other previous armor, it was created without using metal. Instead, it used Kevlar and ceramics to create itself. The cloaking aspect of the armor, while inventive, was easily ruined by cleaning supplies being spilled on the armor.
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Iron Maidan (2002)
First appearance: Marvel Mangaverse: New Dawn #1
In the early 2000s Marvel sought to expand their comics into the burgeoning Manga market in the United States and reinvented their characters through the prism of that style of storytelling. Within the series, Tony Stark was still a character but the Iron Man of the world was his sister, Antoinette Stark.
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Mangaverse - Ultimate Iron Man (2002)
First appearance: Marvel Mangaverse: Avengers Assemble #1
Tony Stark did have one trick up his sleeve in the Mangaverse, and that was the Iron Avengers vehicles he created that would form together to create the Ultimate Iron Man suit.
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Millennial Visions (2002)
First appearance: Marvel Universe 2001 Millennial Visions #1
Another re-imagining of the Marvel Universe, this one sees Tony in the far future (of 2020) washed up with Stark Industries in ruins and working for the Russian Government. He creates another set of armor for his heroics in the Mother Land.
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Thorbuster (2003)
First appearance: Iron Man Vol 3 #64
Set up: A religion forms around Thor in Slovakia and all its members are executed. Hearing their cries, Thor goes to the country and beats the snot out of their army. The US asks Tony to intervene before the U.N. gets involved and he agrees. After a brainstorming session with Doctor Doom, Tony creates this set of armor which is powered by an Asgardian crystal gifted to him by Thor. Disgusted that Tony would use his gift as a weapon, Thor destroys it.
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Ablative Armor (2003)
First appearance: Iron Man Vol. 3 #71
Created for use in deep space, the armor differs from the other ‘Space armors’ in that it was created for exploration and scientific discovery as opposed to combat. When the tough ‘Tin Man’ armor was destroyed, the driving force for the Ablative armor was born - as the Ablative armor is attacked, it contains a self-repairing apparatus allowing it to constantly be in good shape.
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“Iron Secretary” (2003)
First appearance: Iron Man Vol 3 #73
When Tony Stark assumed the role of Secretary of Defense, the Model XXIV armor became his primary suit. Given his position, it earned the nickname, "Iron Secretary."
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Emperor Stark (2003)
First appearance: Exiles Vol 1 #23
In the alternate reality hoping series Exiles, one of the worlds they find themselves on sees Tony Stark ruling the planet as Emperor for Life. His dress being comparable to Victor Von Doom should tell you what sort of fist he ruled the world with...
An Iron one.
Sorry, sorry.
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High Gravity Armor (2004)
First appearance: Iron Man Vol 3 #83
While traveling on a space station to destroy an asteroid, Tony used this armor to get around given the high gravity on the station.
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Model 25 (2004)
First appearance: Iron Man Vol. 3 #84
Following the Model XXIV armor being damaged by acid, it's replaced by an updated version.
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Anti-Radiation Armor (2004)
First appearance: Incredible Hulk Vol 2 #72
The suit was developed after the government asked Tony to work on tech to protect people from radiation. When completed, the suit absorbed radiation and converted it into power.
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Lord Iron (2005)
First appearance: Marvel 1602: New World #2
Maintaining the namesake of the original Iron Man, the Anthony Stark of the Elizabethan era also has a similar origin story. Captured during the English/Spanish war, Anthony was forced into making weapons for David Banner. In doing so he creates his own set of armor which is powered by ‘lightning bottles.’ Though it doesn’t feature the kind of weapons we know Iron Man for, the suit is quite invulnerable, gave Anthony superior strength, and utilized lightning-based weapons. It is referred to as the Lord Iron Armor.
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Iron Maniac (2005)
First: appearance: Marvel Team-Up Vol 3 #2
Another alternate version of Tony, this one comes from a world where many of the heroes died in a space battle and a less-than-friendly rivalry developed with Reed Richards. In order to “save” the world from Mr. Fantastic, Tony tried to take over the world and was then propelled to the main Marvel Universe by Richards to be rid of him. For the first few encounters that the heroes have with him, they believe, because of his armor, that he's actually Doctor Doom and not Iron Man.
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Extremis Armor (2006)
First appearance: Iron Man Vol 4 #5
In the modern context of Iron Man, this is probably the most well known and popular set of armor. The Extremis armor featured some of the biggest upgrades to the armor not only in terms of weaponry but its connectivity to other machines and convenience in assembling. The armor features ‘summoning’ technology that allows the armor to assemble around Tony at any point. It also features an improved self-healing tech and allowed Stark to remain connected to security systems and other networks.
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Battlefield Argo Armor (2006)
First appearance: Iron Man Vol 4 #7
After becoming enhanced with the Extremis armor, Tony created Project Argonaut. In the "Execute Program" storyline, this set of armors he could control remotely and with the same level of control that he would have with his own limbs. Tony's mind, however, is later taken over by a villain, who uses his neural connection with the armors to fight the other avengers. The Battlefield armor is laced with Adamantium, making it nearly indestructibly, and is used by Tony to fight The Sentry.
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Hulkbuster Mark II (2006)
First appearance: Iron Man Vol 4 #7
Despite its name, the Hulkbuster armor fought Captain America and Ms. Marvel in the "Execute Program" storyline.
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Subterranean Armor (2006)
First appearance: Iron Man Vol 4 #7
The Subterranean armor is used to fight the Fantastic Four in the "Execute Program" storyline.
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Submarine Armor (2006)
First appearance: Iron Man Vol 4 #7
The Submarine armor fought Namor in the "Execute Program" storyline.
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Stealth Armor Model III (2006)
First appearance: Iron Man Vol 4 #7
The new Stealth Armor, the first of which had the traditional color scheme, was destroyed by the Human Torch in the "Execute Program" storyline.
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Undersea Armor Model II (2006)
First appearance: Wolverine Vol 3 #45
An improvement on the previous Hydro armor, the Model 35 armor was stolen by Wolverine so he could meet with Namor.
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Model 28 (2007)
First appearance: Iron Man: Hypervelocity #1
The Model 28 version of the armor was developed specifically to increase speed, and functioned 150% faster than other versions.
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Hulkbuster Model III (2007)
First appearance: World War Hulk #1
The updated version of the Hulkbuster was used to fight the Hulk in the World War Hulk storyline. In their fight, the pair send out a shockwave that smashes every window in New York City. The armor would later be possessed by a demon, because comic books.
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Anti-Transformers Armor (2007)
First appearance: New Avengers/Transformers #3
Marvel published several Transformers comics throughout the ’80s and ’90s, but in 2007 they published a crossover with IDW publishing. In the series, the Autobots teamed up with the New Avengers to stop (who else?) Megatron. As a result of giant robots that can morph into cars, Stark created a super-sized version of his armor to fight back. The armor met its end when Megatron cut its head off.
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Satellite Armor (2008)
First appearance: Iron Man Vol 4 #33
Created when Stark was the head of S.H.I.E.L.D., the Satellite Armor was created in the event that a force came to Earth that its heroes couldn’t stop. When a fleet of Skrulls were preparing to attack Earth, Tony gave James Rhodes control of the satellite, which was actually a giant set of Iron Man armor in disguise. Rhodes used it in battle and fought off the invading force.
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Fantastic Four Armor (2008)
First appearance: "What If...Newer Fantastic Four?" #1
Another ‘What If’ story set up an idea of a new Fantastic Four composed of The Hulk, Spider-Man, Wolverine, and Iron Man. Tony’s armor in the series doesn’t differ much from the regular armor in terms of its capabilities, but the cosmetic differences are in the color and that the Fantastic Four’s signature ‘4’ appears on his chest.
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Iron Mandrill (2008)
First appearance: Marvel Apes #1
Following the success of Marvel Zombies, Marvel Apes was created...and this was the Iron Man from said alternate universe.
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MCU MARK I, II, & III (2008)
First appearance: Iron Man
The first Iron Man film featured three variations on the armor starting with the hand-built armor in the cave. Tony’s Mark II in the film got the design and shape that would be the basis for the rest of the armors, but the Mark III is the slickest and most powerful of the designs. The Mark III armor is the first to use the red and gold color scheme and is used by Tony to defeat Iron Monger.
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Iron Patriot, Norman Osborn (2009)
First appearance: Dark Avengers #1
Though technically not built by Tony Stark, this armor was conceived by Norman Osborn for himself. He was forming a new team of Avengers and wanted to channel both Captain America and Iron Man in his own suit, thus the Iron Patriot was born (from an old set of Iron Man armor no less). Osborn may have looked the part for the Iron Patriot, but his modifications and lack of knowledge about the suit made it far less powerful than most of Iron Man’s other suits.
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RESCUE (2009)
First appearance: Invincible Iron Man #10
Made by Tony for his long time love interest Pepper Potts. It was created for Pepper after she suffered a shrapnel wound in her chest, the design relied heavily on magnets to relieve her of the pain the injury caused her. As the name implies, the Rescue armor is used primary for search and rescue operations and, at the request of Pepper, features very limited weapons capabilities.
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Cancerverse (2009)
First appearance: Realm of Kings #1
The Cancerverse is an alternate world were no one can die, and fueled by a force known as the "Many-Angled Ones." In this universe, the Avengers are corrupted and refer to themselves as The Revengers. Now bad guys in service of said force, this is what the Cancerverse-version of Iron Man looks like.
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Iron Man at The End (2009)
First appearance: Iron Man: The End #1
Set in the future, the one-shot told the “last” Iron Man story but finds Tony too old to work the suit and as a result must find a successor. The pictured armor being what the “new” Iron Man, Nicholas Travis wears.
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Iron Man Noir (2010)
First appearance: Iron Man Noir #1
Set in 1938, Iron Man Noir reimagined the character as a 1930s adventurer not unlike Indiana Jones. In the story, Stark finds and completes a set of armor that his father had been working on for many years, and what does he do with this armor? What else? Destroy the Nazi army.
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Bleeding Edge Armor (2010)
First appearance: Invincible Iron Man #25
This is what Tony referred to as ‘the next step’ after Extremis. The armor is comprised of nanotechnology that is stored inside Tony’s body and assembles into the Iron Man armor when commanded. It also seems to take a page out of Spider-Man’s black suit as the tech could also morph into clothes, other armors, and other people. Bleeding Edge was also capable of detaching from Stark and forming Iron Man armor separate from him.
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MCU Mark IV, V, & VI (2010)
First appearance: Iron Man 2
Like the first film, Tony uses three new sets of armor throughout the film. The Mark IV is used when he attends the Stark Expo. It’s also the armor he’s wearing while drunk-fighting James Rhodes. The Mark V armor is influenced by the ‘Silver Centurion Armor’ and is the first set of armor Stark housed in a briefcase. The Mark VI armor was used by Stark to fight Hammer’s androids in the film’s finale. The cinematic version of the War Machine armor makes its debut in the film as well as an upgraded version of the Mark II.
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Phoenix Killer Armor (2012)
First appearance: Avengers vs. X-Men #5
The events of Avengers vs. X-Men weren't the first (nor likely the last) time both teams battled, but the driving force behind their fisticuffs was the Phoenix Force. The entity that possessed Jean Grey all those years ago was headed back for Earth and Tony Stark of course thought he could handle it. Using his newly-created armor, he went into space to destroy it, but when he activated the armor’s weapons it split the Phoenix force into five pieces which all found a different host on Earth, escalating the fight further.
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Model 39 (2012)
First appearance: Invincible Iron Man #517
In the comics, James Rhodes briefly fakes his own death and other circumstances force Tony to stop being Iron Man. As a result, the new set of armor Tony builds is worn by Rhodey without anyone knowing.
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Model 40 (2012)
First appearance: Invincible Iron Man #523
After being forced to work for the Mandarin, Tony and Zeke Stane work together to build this armor to fight off the villain.
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Space Armor Model III (2012)
First appearance: Invincible Iron Man #527
After his time as a prisoner of The Mandarin, Tony decides to take a vacation... to space. This version of the space armor, however, was designed less so for combat and more for sight-seeing.
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Marvel's The Avengers
First appearance: MCU Mark VII (2012)
The Mark VI armor from Iron Man 2 is what Stark uses through most of the film until he returns to Stark Tower and creates the Mark VII armor. The biggest improvement over this armor from the previous versions is its ability to seek out and form around Stark due to him wearing a homing bracelet. Director Joss Whedon also demanded the Mark VII have a circle arc reactor as opposed to the triangle in the Mark VI.
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Model 42 (2013)
First appearance: Iron Man Vol 5 #1
One of the only other examples in Iron Man’s armor that strays from the normal color pattern, the armor debuted in the relaunch of Iron Man’s comic series 2013 and features black and gold armor instead of red and gold. The Model 40 armor is more of a ‘liquid metal’ suit that (like many of the other armors) was usually stored in a briefcase. The suit is used by Stark to test out any new ideas he has and is frequently modified by a mobile armory.
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Stealth Model IV (2013)
First appearance: Iron Man Vol 5 #3
The latest set of Stealth Armor was used to stop a Columbian drug dealer that had purchased a set of the ‘Extremis’ armor (more on that later). Like the other armors, it featured few weapons and was used mostly to blend into the environment, but it did feature a better explanation for why it was capable of blending in: light-bending technology.
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Heavy Duty Armor (2013)
First appearance: Iron Man Vol 5 #4
Though it bears somewhat of a resemblance to the Hulkbuster armor, the model 44 armor differs in its color and weapon choice. The armor features a mini-gun attached to its left arm and a canon that could extend from the right side.
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Space Armor Model IV (2013)
First appearance: Iron Man Vol 5 #5
When Tony decided to join the ranks of the Guardians of the Galaxy, he decided he needed to upgrade the armor so that it could survive extended lengths of time in deep space. The armor was also equipped with the an upgraded arc reactor and Stark’s newest A.I. named P.E.P.P.E.R.
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Iron Patriot, Rhodey (2013)
First appearance: Gambit Vol.5 #13
Following the release of the film Iron Man 3, Rhodey was given the Iron Patriot armor in the comics. Perhaps a silly decision given Norman Osborn's previous use of the name and style, but Rhodey's version did feature a more distinctly blue color scheme.
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Model 46 (2013)
First appearance: Iron Man Vol 5 #15
Following Tony's return from his space vacation, he began developing other armors. Model 46 was essentially the same as Model 42, though it featured the addition of two prominent laser canons on the shoulders.
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Model 47 (2013)
First appearance: Iron Man Vol 5 #15
This version featured far more armaments than previous armors such as miniguns and missiles.
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MCU Mark XLII (2013)
First appearance: Iron Man 3
Following the events of The Avengers, Tony found himself in a state of constant depression and frustration and as a result built a startling amount of different armors. The Mark XLII was his primary armor, featuring a more golden color scheme than previous Marvel films.
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MCU ... and the rest! (2013)
First appearance: Iron Man 3
All of the other armors between Mark 7 and Mark 42 also appear, with highlights being Heartbreaker, Deep Space, Godkiller, and Igor.
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Model 48 (2014)
First appearance: Iron Man Vol 5 #24
This armor was built to be worn over another set of armor, and used to fight the Dark Elves of Svartalfheim. The armor takes the character's name to heart, being constructed entirely out of Iron, an element deadly to Dark Elves.
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Hulkbuster Mark IV (2014)
First appearance: Original Sin #3.1
This version of the Hulkbuster resembles a heavier version of the Mark 42, but it is quickly demolished by The Hulk after he learns Tony sabotaged the bomb that transformed him into the monster.
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Model 50 “Endo Sym Armor” (2015)
First appearance: Superior Iron Man #1
Following the events of the "Axis" storyline, Tony creates the Model 50 armor. Designed after symbiotes like Venom and Carnage, the new armor is a liquid smart-metal.
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Iron Man 2099 (2015)
First appearance: Secret Wars 2099 #1
In the Secret Wars event, the section from the far future of 2099 revealed the Iron Man of 2099, a member of the corporate sponsored Avengers. Sonny Frisco is revealed to be behind the armor, with the twist being he is a dwarf.
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Model 51 (2015)
First appearance: Invincible Iron Man Vol. 2 #1
Tony's new primary armor is his most adaptable, capable of changing shape, size, and color to fit the task at hand. When not being used, Tony can store the entire armor on his wrist in a bracelet.
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MCU MARK XLIII (2015)
First appearance: Avengers: Age of Ultron
When Avengers: Age of Ultron begins, Tony has a new set of armor, harkening back to his earlier sets of armor with the color and the circular arc reactor.
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MCU MARK XLIV
First appearance: Avengers: Age of Ultron
Created by Tony Stark and Bruce Banner as a means of containing The Hulk, should that be needed, "Veronica" (a reference to Archie Comics since Banner's previous love interest was "Betty") was used by Tony to subdue Banner in Africa.
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MCU MARK XLV (2015)
First appearance: Avengers: Age of Ultron
Following Jarvis' transition into The Vision, Tony created a new set of armor featuring a new AI named F.R.I.D.A.Y. Tony uses the armor for the film's finale, the Battle of Sokovia.
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Model 52 (2016)
First appearance: All-New, All-Different Avengers #1
This giant version of the armor is also capable of converting into a car for Tony to drive.
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MCU MARK XLVI (2016)
First appearance: Captain America: Civil War
Inspired by the Bleeding Edge armor, Tony wears the armor for his bout with Captain America in Marvel's Captain America: Civil War
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Infamous Iron Man (2016)
In the wake of Civil War II, where Tony Stark was dead to the world (but secretly in a coma somewhere) none other than Victor Von Doom took up the mantle of Iron Man, wearing an armor suit that's a mashup of both Iron Man and his traditional Doom armor.
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Riri Williams
Doom was not the only successor to Tony Stark however, as the new character Riri Williams followed in his footsteps as well after the events of Civil War II.
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Riri Williams
Riri's story begins in Chicago with the conceit of her character being 'What if Tony Stark wasn't a billionaire?' Riri became a student at MIT when just a teenager and reverse engineered her own Iron Man suit from an older Iron Man armor and pieces of other tech she scraped together.
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Ironheart
Tony Stark sought out Riri before his death/disappearance and encouraged her to become a hero. After he was gone, Riri took u the mantle of Ironheart, using a brand new suit of armor equipped with a AI duplicate of Tony
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MCU MARK XLVII (2017)
Spider-Man: Homecoming saw Tony as a pivotal character in the film and sporting a brand new suit, the MK XLVII
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Model 53 aka Squirrel Buster (2016)
First Appearance: Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Beats Up the Marvel Universe! #1 (December, 2016)
This armor bears similarities to the Hulkbuster armors but was designed to take down Squirrel Girl's evil clone. As such it has an adorable face plate instead of the traditional one.
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Model 54 aka Marvel Buster (2017)
First Appearance: Spider-Man Vol 2 #9 (January, 2017)
This armor was created by Tony to take on Captain Marvel during the events of Civil War II. The paint job bearing a similarity to War Machine is also no coincidence given Rhodie and Captain Marvel's romance.
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MCU MARK L (2018)
Avengers: Infinity War saw Tony upgrade his armor in a number of ways. Utilizing nano-technology the suit can now create its own external appendages and even change to increase boosting power.
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MCU Hulkbuster Mark II
In addition, a new model of the MCU's Hulkbuster debuted in Avengers: Infinity War, though it was piloted by Bruce Banner instead of Tony Stark.
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Model 55 (2018)
First appearance: Tony Stark, Iron Man #1 (June, 2018)
This latest model is what appears to be Tony's new go-tog armor, featuring jet boosters on the back like the character had in Avengers: Infinity War.
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Model 56 aka Fin Fang Foombuster (2018)
First appearance: Tony Stark, Iron Man #1 (June, 2018)
Tony created a 20 story tall suit of armor to go up against the dragon Fin Fang Foom when he attacked New York.
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Model 57 aka Nano Iron Man (2018)
First appearance: Tony Stark, Iron Man #1 (June, 2018)
Tony also created a fleet of microscopic armors that could be controlled by him remotely which battled within Fin Fang Foom's own blood.
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Iron Hammer (2018)
As part of their Infinity Warps series, which mashes up heroes, Marvel has revealed that Iron Man and Thor will be smashed together into one new hero, Iron Hammer.
