IRON MAN: Alternate Mark III Designs Include An Underwater Suit Of Armor And Comic Accurate Versions
Iron Man's first proper suit of armour from the 2008 movie is nothing short of iconic but this newly surfaced concept art reveals that it could have looked a whole lot different (and comic book accurate).
Believe it or not, it's now been ten years since Iron Man hit theaters. The movie essentially gave birth to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and while we didn't know it at the time, it created a multi-billion dollar franchise which has produced hit after hit and a world so large that it's hard to keep track of just how many iconic superheroes now call it home. Needless to say, the movie is nothing short of historic.
So, with Avengers: Infinity War breaking box office records, we're now going back to the beginning and taking a look at alternate designs for the first proper suit Tony Stark wore in the 2008 release.
He donned the Mark III after creating that armour in the cave and then putting on a silver prototype which was a throwback to the comic books. Below, you'll see comic accurate takes on the suit, amazing alternate designs, and a look at how the version which ended up on screen was created. So, to take a look at the full list of rarely seen Iron Man concept art, simply click on the "View List" button below.
This has clearly been inspired by the source material and while it would have looked incredible in live-action, there's also a risk that it could have come across a little cartoonish on the big screen.
A very intricate design, there's a lot about this one which works and the legs in particular definitely remind me of a lot of Iron Man's comic book adventures. It's just the top half which is a tad busy.
Before looking at more "realistic" designs, Marvel was clearly tempted to borrow heavily from the comics but my guess is that Adi Granov's work completely changed their approach to the suit.
A drastically different design to both the comic books and what ended up on screen, this actually reminds me a little of the suitcase armour Tony Stark ended up donning in this movie's sequel.
A fantastic shot of Iron Man blasting into the sky, it's amazing to think that when this piece was made, the Armoured Avenger's big screen adventures were still very much a pipe dream for fans.
Iron Man underwater? While we saw him do that in The Avengers, he wasn't in a specially designed suit and that's a shame because it would have been very cool seeing this brought to life.
What a difference some colour makes, eh? While Marvel has played around with the colour of Iron Man's suits in recent years, this is classic red and blue and seeing that added to the image is great.
I'm not sure whether this is an alternate take on Iron Man or just a vastly different take on Iron Man's armour but it's definitely visually distinctive and would have looked cool in live-action.
Adi Granov coming on board Iron Man was clearly a game changer and here we get to see an in-depth look at the many hidden elements of the suit and where all the weapons come from.
War Machine didn't make his big screen debut until Iron Man 2 but here we see a comic accurate take on his suit and it's fair to say that Marvel ultimately handed his debut pretty damn well.
Another version of Iron Man's suit which feels like it's been influenced by the comics, there's nothing wrong with this design but it ultimately doesn't feel special enough for the hero's big screen debut.
This gorgeous keyframe actually shows Tony Stark toying with the Mark II suit as he takes flight in his lab after figuring out how to use repulsors to take flight and head into action as a superhero.
It's kind of amazing to think that Iron Man once wore an actual helmet, especially as his latest armour in Avengers: Infinity War is made from nanotechnology and actually responds to his thoughts.
These pieces were designed to show Iron Man - in various states of disrepair - in a number of different environments. Apparently, this is actually a scene which was ultimately deleted from the script.
This very interesting piece of concept art shows the thought that was put into how Tony Stark would look when he wasn't wearing the armour and what might be required to keep it powered up.
Iron Man taking flight for the first time is one of the coolest moments in Marvel movie history and this stunning piece of concept art shows some of the thought that was put into making that a reality.
Tony Stark tests the might of his armour against a number of tanks in this rough sketch for the movie and it's a great piece which shows just how cool the character had the potential to look on screen.
The final design, it's fair to say that Marvel Studios and Jon Favreau definitely succeeded when it comes to bringing the hero to life in an effective manner for the first time a decade ago (I feel old).