article request by @McGinnis - "Can you do the next one on Iron Man?" Request made on my article of SPIDER-MAN suits which you could read [here]
These are the armors worn by Tony Stark : IRON MAN in the main marvel continuity (616 universe) and the movie versions, I disregarded any alternate universe armors & armors worn by other characters. 1. MK I First Appearance: Tales of Suspense #39 (March 1963) Stark's grey armor was the first iron man armor he built and a prototype for the later models. It was built around an iron chest plate designed to prevent the piece of shrapnel he received in Vietnam from traveling to his heart and killing him. The armor, made from ordinary iron, provided protection from physical attacks, small arms fire, temperature extremes, some energy forms, and acid. Powered by flat linear armature DC motors, the exoskeleton boosted the strength of the wearer by about 10 times, and employed negative feedback for motion sensing. Air pressure jets allowed for extended jumps, but not true flight. Weaponry included a chest-mounted monobeam, a miniature hacksaw that extended from the gauntlet's fingertips, and magnetic turbo-insulators that allowed Stark to magnetically deflect metal projectiles or bring metal objects to him. Sensors consisted of a short-wave radio. All of the armor's devices and functions were manually controlled by the wearer.
2. MK II First Appearance: Tales of Suspense #40 (April 1963) In order to make this armor less frightening to the general public, Stark ditched the gun metal gray and created a gold-colored version with a wide array of improvements over the original. The new armor used the three dimensional, collapsible micro-structure. The chestplate was streamlined so that it could be worn under normal clothing without being noticeable. The suit had a semi-rigid interior with 3D knitted metallic exterior of a lightweight iron alloy, providing the same protection as his old suit did. This was also the first suit to be equipped with a force field generator. The Mk II air pressure boot-jets provided limited flight. Weaponry consisted of the chest-mounted Mk II Monobeam , a sledgehammer, hacksaws extending from the fingertips, hand drills, electromagnets allowing him to pull things to him and push them away, and an electrical field generator. Communications and sensor arrays consisted of a loudspeaker, short-wave two-way radio, radar, and a tape recorder.
3. MK III First Appearance: Tales of Suspense #48 (December 1963) The red and gold armor came about after battling a villain who could control his previous armor. To circumvent the villain's ability, Stark withdrew and constructed a new suit with a significantly different look and a lighter build- thus allowing him to devote less of his own strength to moving the armor and more to fighting the villain's influence.The red and gold armor was composed of an ultra-fine 3-D knit alloy and incorporated motors into the knitting to allow full mobility. While it ran on the same type of power, the power consumption was much more efficient. The boot jets were upgraded to chemically fueled thrusters, which provided a much faster flight speed. Weaponry consisted of the chest-mounted Mk II Monobeam, repulsor rays, a proton gun, and powerful electromagnets to pull metal objects to him or repel/push them away. Communications and sensors consisted of a short-wave radio. Other features included an image reproducer and collapsible roller skates. Most functions were controlled by miniature electronic switches mounted on the insides of various pieces of the armor such as the helmet and the gloves; by pressing various combinations of them, different systems were engaged. The switches in the helmet were enabled by the wearer's tongue; other functions were utilized with wrist-mounted controls.
4. MK IV First appearance: Tales of Suspense #66 (June 1965) The Iron Man armor, especially the models prior to the MK IV, were in a constant state of experimentation and improvement. The MK IV model distinguished itself when a basic helmet design was implemented. The MK III helmet had a horned look. The helmet mask was later riveted on flat. The MK IV model appears to be of a smooth bore motif which led to Iron Man being affectionatly referred to by some of his fellow Avengers as "Shell-Head". The MK IV model also implemented a long time staple of the Iron Man arsenal: Repulsor Rays.
5. MK V First Appearance: Iron Man (vol. 1) #85 (April 1976) Armor structure was improved with 3D knitting. In addition, a force-field helped keep the armor rigid. The armor used solar power and integrated micro-circuitry. A thermocouple was used to handle extreme temperature and convert it to usable power. Repulsors were standard weaponry. The variobeam/uni-beam was capable of various effects. A tractor beam could be used to pull or tow objects. Gyro-stabilizers were used in the boot jets. Power pods were capable of various functions such as boosting other systems or being set to detonate. ECM jamming was used to evade detection. A hologram emitter created multiple images to make the armor harder to target. In addition to the sonic emitter, a voice distorter helped protect Stark's identity and could also be used to duplicate sounds. The armor could travel underground. Freon could be emitted and a built-in fire extinguisher handled internal and external fire. Finger lasers and a "sabresaw" were available for cutting through objects. Life support was improved.
6. Space Armor MK I First Appearance: Iron Man (vol. 1) #142 (January 1981) While based on the same design principles, this suit's matrix was formed non-collapsible to increase its protection from the rigors of deep space. Power was provided by a Mk IV micro-nuclear supply pack, supplemented by solar power converters. Systems were controlled via a cybernetic interface. The suit was designed for extended time outside of the atmosphere. The life support, boot jets and altitude maneuvering were powered by an on-board supply of liquid oxygen. Weaponry consisted of palm-mounted third-generation Repulsors and a chest-mounted Unibeam, and epaulet-mounted concussion-burst cannons. Sensors consisted of radar, sonar, infrared scanners, and radio. Additional features included ECM against radar and sonar, and the fully articulated hands could be fired out on retractable cables for use as long-range grapples. The special armor has an ability to attain escape velocity without aid of an external thruster, however, the nuclear jets which allowed this made the suit bulky, heavy and awkward in Earth's gravity.
7. Stealth Armor MK I First Appearance: Iron Man (vol. 1) #152 (November 1981) The Stealth Armor was designed using current "stealth" technology to allow Iron Man to foil detection devices and slip unknown in and out of restricted areas. This sleek, jet black suit was a polarized metal mesh armor that uses every bit of space for detection and evasion components, and therefore was originally designed with no weapons. Most of this armor used solar power to charge the batteries and run most of the integrated circuitry, though the pods on the sides were batteries that could maintain the suit's functions for a short time. It was able to recharge itself from electrical sources, a thermocouple to siphon power from extreme heat or cold, and solar power. The suit utilized force field technology to render Iron Man electronically invisible- a layer of low density plasma would be held in place by a focused magnetic field, and the tripole waveform reflected radar, along with a wave modifier that bent the radar around it. To quash any detectable infrared signature, the armor's boot-jet exhaust was "washed" by bursts of super-cooled air. The micro-turbines on his jet boots possess assisted air liquification devices; rings of liquid nitrogen.
8. MK VI (Recovery Armor) First Appearance: Iron Man (vol. 1) #191 (February 1985) Tony Stark constructed a very basic armor out of spare parts he asked as payment from the companies he advised. More symbolic than anything, this armor had a strong resemblance to the very first, gray armor. While far more advanced than most earlier armors, it was inferior to the regular model Jim Rhodes was using at the time. It was eventually and unceremoniously destroyed by one of Stane's mechanical pawns. Nevertheless, it served to channel Stark's emotional distress into creative paths and paved the way for the armor that came next.
9. MKVII (Silver Centurion) First Appearance: Iron Man (vol. 1) #200 (November 1985) Stark created the Silver Centurion armor as a method of working out ideas and experimenting. The S-circuit, which uses its energy more efficiently, is an example of the breakthrough developed by Stark, using the armor as a model. The suit had a rigid interior and a 3-D knitted metallic exterior, providing protection from physical attacks as well as acid, heat, cold, most forms of energy, radiation, and electricity. A 3-D knitting pattern on a submolecular construction level gave the armor itself more strength, while allowing for the most comfortable suit interior. By expanding the field that keeps the armor rigid, the armor could encase itself in a protective force field that was effective against most forms of attack.This armor primarily used solar power to charge the batteries and run most of the integrated circuitry. Flight was accomplished via Mk IV boot-jets, supplemented by a booster pack that enabled the armor to attain speeds up to 750 mph in the air and 180 mph in the water.Weaponry consisted of a chest-mounted Mk III Unibeam, palm-mounted Mk III Repulsors, pulse bolts, and a sonic emitter.Sensors consisted of a full band audiovisual transceiver simultaneous images of the armor. It could also be used to generate a "chameleon field" around itself; the computer in the armor would analyze its surroundings and generate a hologram to make it blend in with the surroundings making it effectively invisible visually and to cameras.
10. Hydro Armor First Appearance: Iron Man (vol. 1) #218 (May 1987) This armor was designed for salvage missions at the bottom of the deepest seas. The exact composition of the suit is unknown; it is assumed to be composed of the same layered "flex-metal" micro-scale suit tiles fabricated by genetically engineered metal-affinity bacteria which assemble themselves in specific orderly arrays and then expire, leaving behind various metallic deposits which form all the metal shapes and micro-electronic circuits. A new aligned-crystal production process allowed the construction of a large, semi-spherical headpiece, as transparent as glass. This unit possessed several ocean-specific weapons, such as the electric field of an electric eel, a camouflage 'ink cloud' and small 'manta ray' torpedoes. It also comprised an inner "Escape Suit" that could be jettisoned from the main suit in case of emergency. Functions were controlled by cybernetic interface.
11. Stealth Armor MKII (Low Observable Armor) First Appearance: Iron Man (vol. 1) #229 (April 1988) This armor was visually identical to the Mk I Stealth Armor, with two additional features. The first was a camouflage effect, similar to the chameleon effect generated by the Silver Centurion armor. This suit's camouflage effect was entirely manually controlled, providing the wearer with invisibility to visual or camera detection, but only against backgrounds that are mostly of one color. The second addition were palm-mounted Mk IV Repulsors, limited to fire three shots at full power.
12. MK VIII Iron Man (vol. 1) #231 During the Armor Wars storyline, Iron Man found himself facing Firepower, a government-sanctioned armored assassin. The Silver Centurion armor did not stand a chance against this nemesis. Tony Stark designed a new suit specifically to negate Firepower's original advantages, such as a means of disrupting Firepower's targeting systems, a gauntlet-generated energy shield, and more powerful boosters for increased speed. This armor resembled the classic red and gold armor, with some minor cosmetic changes. It was also the first armor to incorporate a beta-particle generator, radically reducing Iron Man's external power needs and boosting his offensive power.
13. Space Armor MK II First Appearance: Iron Man (vol. 1) #278 (March 1992) A new space armor design intended to function for weeks on end without maintenance, recharging or restocking of resources. It was able to evade the sophisticated sensors on Kree and Shi'ar spaceships as well as interface with their technology. It also possessed an extremely powerful self-destruct mechanism via its fusion reactor.
14. Telepresence Armor First Appearance: Iron Man (vol. 1) #280 Due to a bullet near his spine, Tony Stark was paralyzed from the waist down. He then designed an armor which would enable him to walk. While his paralysis was ended by the implantation of an organic microchip, but the biochip turned out to be a parasitic life form, designed to consume his own nervous system and replace it with one that could be controlled from the outside. He now needed the support armor even more to protect himself from the people who controlled his body, since his armor cybernetically responded to his own brain. The cybernetic interface and battle computer were integrated with the Telepresence Neural Net, a more subtle armor he used to simulate his degenerating nervous system. While it was still worn as a suit of armor, the functions and muscle control were carried out by the suit, not by the wearer.
15. War Machine First Appearance: Iron Man (vol. 1) #281 The War Machine suit was designed for all-out warfare, and was also known as the "Variable Threat Response Battle Suit". It was not collapsible, and included far heavier carbon-composite-based armor as well as improved tactical computer systems and automatic targeting. Iron Man's usual weaponry (Repulsors and Unibeam)were removed from the first version of the armor. The shoulder mounted weapons are modular and can be removed and replaced. In the first version, both the double-barreled cannon and the laser blade were fixed (the flamethrower was built over the laser blade casing). In the Rhodes model, the wrist weapons became modular too.
16. Telepresence Armor NTU-150 First Appearance: Iron Man (vol. 1) #290 (March 1993) The NTU-150 incorporated the new SE Telepresence technology, enabling the unit to be operated under full Virtual Control. This unit was not a wearable suit of armor; rather, it was a fully articulated device controlled by the mental impulses of the user via a remote headset apparatus. The remote headset transmitted commands to the active unit in much the same way as the human brain transmits commands to the central nervous system. Similarly, the visual, aural, and tactile information collected by the NTU-150 could be interpreted by the user's brain in the same way as normal sensory data. The primary difference is that the sensory data collected by the NTU-150 includes a full range of electromagnetic spectra and computer-processed data normally unavailable to humans, while the active devices contained in the unit includes not only analogues to the human body, but weaponry, data collection and processing hardware as well, all under autonomic and voluntary nervous system control. In contrast to traditional robotic devices, the NTU-150 contains no mechanical framework to mimic the action of the human body; the unit's outer shell is articulated by a multiprocessor-controlled structural integrity field which allows for a much greater range of movement.
17. MK XI (Modular Armor) First Appearance: Iron Man (vol. 1) #300 (January 1994) This unit is a drastic departure from all of the previous armors. Instead of a single cohesive unit, each piece of the armor is a stand alone subsystem that can be interchanged at will. As such, while the overall unit is still referred to as the Mark XI, the actual configuration at any given time will vary. The shell was composed of layered "flex-metal" which could condense itself like a 3-dimensional accordion pleat. Micro-scale suit tiles were fabricated by genetically engineered metal-affinity bacteria, which assembled themselves in specific orderly arrays and then expired, leaving behind various metallic deposits which form all the metal shapes and micro-electronic circuits.
18. Hulkbuster Armor First Appearance: Iron Man (vol. 1) #304 (May 1994) The Hulkbuster armor is a heavy-duty exo-frame (an add-on to the Mk. XI Modular Armor) designed for maximum strength amplification at the cost of reduced versatility and mobility. As its name suggests, it was specifically designed for hand-to-hand combat with the rampaging Hulk. The armor was rated with a lift (press) capacity of 175 tons. During its maiden run, the armor enabled Stark to hold his own in sustained physical combat with the Hulk.
19. Arctic Armor First Appearance: Iron Man (vol. 1) #318 (July 1995) Information about this armor is sparsed; it is used to travel to an Arctic bunker. It is hypothesized that the armor may have special thermal units for added wearer insulation. It also looked very striking, being blue and silver in color, and possessing a unique hexagonal chest beam.
20. "The Crossing" Armor First Appearance: Iron Man (vol. 1) #319 (August 1995) He did away with the still perfectly serviceable MK XI Modular Armor and constructed a much more specialized armor designed for combat. Possibly designed to take down the Avengers.Its appearance was simpler, sporting rivets as its only decoration. Bulky gauntlets housed more powerful repulsors on top of the wrist instead of in the palm of the hand.
21. Retro Armor First Appearance: Iron Man (vol. 1) #325 (February 1996) This armor's design history is unknown; it stands out because it, out of all the other armors in the armory, was picked by "Teen Tony," a Tony Stark who had been plucked out of an alternate time stream many years in the past to help fight his present-day self .
Teen Tony Armor donned other armors:First appearance: Iron Man volume 1 #326 (March 1996)MARK 1 (Iron Man volume 1 #326):Not a full armor, but only a chest plate to keep the young Tony’s heart beating. Was soon upgraded with a pair of gauntlets.MARK 2 (Iron Man volume 1 #327):A chestplate and gauntlets, but more powerful and with superior shielding against energy attacks.MARK 3 (Iron Man volume 1 #328):Based on the mark 2, this was the first full-body armor constructed by the young Tony Stark – out of bits and pieces cobbled together on a moment’s notice. It was created to fight the super-cold villain Frostbite and therefore particularly geared at manipulating heat and cold.MARK 4 (Iron Man volume 1 #329):Finalized armor, like a streamlined, upgraded version of the mark 3, with design elements of model 16. It only partly consisted of solid metal; parts of the limbs’ armor were holographic force-fields (which were visually indistinguishable from the original golden armor).
22. Prometheum Armor First Appearance: Iron Man (vol. 2) #1 (November 1996) During the Onslaught event, Tony Stark was one of the heroes who sacrificed himself to defeat the menace, and consequently was shunted into a newly created pocket universe by reality-altering mutant Franklin Richards.In the new universe, every person had a new, but complete history- including a childhood, youth and adulthood- and no memory of their original universe. So Iron Man had to be reborn- and he was, this time not as a result of a booby trap in the Far East, but a direct encounter with the newly born Incredible Hulk. His chest pierced by shrapnel from a crashed helicopter, Tony Stark had no choice but to don an experimental exoskeleton (Project: Prometheus Rising) which had cost the life of one of his closest friends before. He had to keep wearing the chest plate constantly to keep his shredded heart beating thereafter.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, and, oddly enough, the color scheme, remained similar. Its sensors seemed somewhat more advanced. It remained cloaked when not worn, but could join up with the chestplate in seconds when called.
23. Experimental Safe Armor First Appearance: Fantastic Four (vol. 3) #15 (March 1999) Experimental armor incorporating safe power systems, necessary when it became apparent the constant exposure to the powerful energy fields inside the Iron Man armor were harming Tony's health.
24. Sentient Armor First Appearance: Iron Man (vol. 3) #26 (March 2000) Incorporated 'safe' power systems, which insulated the wearer. It transforms into a compact, flight-capable module. It became sentient due to the Ultron Imperative. As a sentient unit, it was a superior fighter to Iron Man, but its artificial nature rendered it fairly predictable when Tony was forced to fight it on a desert island, allowing him to set up elaborate traps to confront it while it was occupied with a signal from the Avengers. It possessed a strong desire to be with Tony Stark, an apparently initially sincere affection which soon grew into possessiveness and deadly obsession. In the end, however, the armor, which had intended to replace Tony altogether, sacrificed itself to save his life when he suffered a potentially fatal heart attack, ripping its own cybernetic heart out and shunting it into his creator's body.
25. Outer Atmospheric Armor First Appearance: Iron Man: Bad Blood (miniseries) #4 (December 2000) A completely new space armor design. It requires a booster rig for takeoff, and has therefore been trimmed down to reduce weight. While it offers less protection than previous models, it is also stealthier and far more maneuverable in space, using anaerobic jets for propulsion. It contains a special compression gel to protect the wearer from G-forces, and automatically seals any leaks. To accommodate re-entry, the unit possesses a massive, expanding solar sail.
26. S.K.I.N. Armor First Appearance: Iron Man (vol. 3) #42 (July 2001)(prototype); Iron Man (vol. 3) #44 (September)(finished design) This armor's main difference from its predecessors is its sheer size; the torso and shoulders in particular are massive. Its development, starting from scratch, resulted mainly from Tony's fear that an innate factor had resulted in his previous armor developing sentience. Its appearance also differed markedly from the Sentient Armor, perhaps to make it seem as different as possible: it possessed a circular chest beam, a greatly altered overall configuration and a restyled helmet.The armor is powered by a Beta Particle Generator and solar power converters and controlled by a Cybernetic Interface and Battle Computer to enhance reactions when in combat. It can absorb directed energy attacks as well as massive non-directional energy discharges. It also possesses a new force field.The golden sections of Iron Man consisted of S.K.I.N (Synth-Kinetic Interface Nano-fluid), a liquid alloy that can be manipulated to conform to any desired shape. It is lightweight but has immense structural integrity, being harder than titanium and approaching low-grade adamantium. S.K.I.N. can be contracted to fit into a small container or stretched/shaped into another form. Tony had set up the S.K.I.N. of his armor to be stored in a small container. On his command, the S.K.I.N. spilled out and assumed its default armor configuration.The larger size of the armor accommodated storage of several new systems, including an improved sonic array, upgraded chameleon field, energy blade, missiles and even a number of grapefruit-sized, spherical drone units which could hover and fly autonomously, and serve as scouts or remote-controlled weapons.
26. Stealth Armor MK III First Appearance: Black Panther (vol. 2) #44 (July 2002)
Similar to Stark's earlier Armor, the Mark III Stealth unit was also specifically designed to combat the Black Panther's anti-metal vibranium claws – it is composed entirely of advanced composite ceramics and experimental bio-neural gel-pack circuitry, fused with a kevlar-like polymer and backed by optical fiber networks; all of which comes down to an armor which was invisible to electronic detection systems as well as the naked eye, even the Black Panther's. Although the development of Stark's new cloaking technology for the Mark 25 "S.K.I.N." armor probably rendered the Mark III unit's stealth technology obsolete, the Stealth armor is nevertheless an effective weapon against opponents such as the Black Panther and Magneto because of its plastic/ceramic design.
27. Tin Man Armor First Appearance: Iron Man (vol. 3) #50 (March 2002) Tony once again redesigned the armor from scratch. Improved scanning included GPS and a particle mist that could be used to 'mark' targets. The armor, which went through various evolutions, had originally a generally segmented, almost insect-like appearance; later, it became heavier, more industrial, and the ultimate form of this armor made Tony sigh, "It's difficult to believe I used to be able to fit this inside a briefcase".Carbon dioxide provides underwater propulsion; immediate satellite uplinking even from miles underwater was possible.Repulsors were improved with a 'crowd control' setting. The armor could also release a "deflector pulse", a shaped force field blasting outward from various points on the suit. Armor could also release a devastating "blockbuster" blast utilizing uni-beam and repulsors in concert, but more potent than either.When commanded, the armor could also adopt a hovering, non-humanoid, autonomous combat mode, equipped with energy and projectile weapons.
28. Thorbuster First Appearance: Iron Man (vol. 3) #64 (March 2003) The Thor-Buster armor was designed by Tony Stark as a precaution against Thor, in case his good deeds went bad. The power source for the armor was a mystical Asgardian crystal, originally part of a new type of power generator that Thor left Tony Stark to possibly use as a new energy source for mankind. Outwardly, it resembled the Asgardian Destroyer. It was destroyed by Thor, its power source undone.
29. Ablative Armor First Appearance: Iron Man (vol. 3) #71 (October 2003) This prototype armor possessed armor made up out of three-inch (76 mm) , honeycomb-shaped tiles, piled several layers thick. Each tile was made of high-impact polymer. The suit used repulsor-tech force fields to position new tiles, produced in a "polymer kiln" on its back. It could also create a "storm cloud" of thousands of orbiting tiles around itself to act as "chaff". This armor was originally designed to be used in space, where micrometeoroids provided an impact-rich environment, but was ultimately used to defend against a parasitical alien life form which infected organisms and altered them to suit its needs.
30. Armor Model 29 First Appearance: Iron Man (vol. 3) #72 (November 2003) This armor uses standard weaponry including repulsors, uni-beam, sonics, concussion blasts, Zero-point energy. Via voice command, the armor could adopt an autonomous, robotic Battle Mode. If separated by magnetism, it could reform and return to Stark. Defensively, a repulsor shield could be extended to protect the armor and allies. Security was enhanced by upgrades to anti-tampering devices
31. Anti-Radiation Armor First Appearance: Incredible Hulk (vol. 2) #72 (July 2004) The armor is designed to attract radiation into the armor where it is converted into usable power. This greatly enhances its strength. Through absorbing ambient radiation the armor is able to decontaminate irradiated areas. It also possesses repulsors and a unibeam.Banner's addition was "RG-27," a special compound that neutralizes gamma radiation. Since it is most effective in liquid or gas form, a series of tubes were built into the armor for irrigation. This enables the armor not only to withstand radiation, but also allows it to decontaminate areas. To expose a government conspiracy, the two faked a quarrel over some of their designs. Stark unveiled a finished version of the suit to battle the Hulk. However, Stark seemed to be acting strangely while wearing the suit. A problem with the irrigation system was discovered. The Hulk was able to help Stark shut it down before gamma poisoning set in.
32. High Gravity Armor First Appearance: Iron Man (vol. 3) #83 (July 2004) Designed to withstand high gravity environments. The design was bulky, for the wearer to be able to survive long-term exposure to at least 50 G; the wearer had blood artificially forced to body parts which would otherwise suffer from the extreme gravity.
33. Model 30 (Extremis Armor) First Appearance: Iron Man (vol. 4) #5 (March 2006) Stark injected his nervous system with a modified techno-organic virus to save his own life. This fused Stark's armor to his body, allowing him to store the inner layers of the Iron Man armor in the hollows of his bones as well as control it through direct brain impulses. The Extremis enhancement has turned Stark into a cyborg, whereby the usage of his existing lockchip is directly integrated into his nervous system.The new armor is lightweight and less complex and has much faster response time since it effectively functions like Stark's second skin.He is also able to remotely connect to external communications systems such as satellites, cellular phones, and computers through the PAN interconnect. Because the armor's operating system is now directly connected to Stark's nervous system, its response time has been significantly improved.Another major departure from the previous armors is expansion of repulsor technology. The "repulsor flight system" provides lift and positive flight control, while the usual rocket boots provide the armor with thrust. The same repulsor technology allows the individual pieces of the armor to levitate and assemble themselves, by modulating what Stark referred to as "vectored Repulsor fields".Furthermore, the Extremis process has endowed Stark with a 'healing factor' and possibly even enhanced physical abilities. It was later stated that the Extremis enhancement speeds up a person's repair process and hence the body's cells died and regenerated at a faster rate. This effectively made Tony Stark immune to cancer and gave him his 'healing factor'.Iron Man armor has the ability to self-heal and self-repair, presumably through the use of nanotechnology. The armor is also able to store power throughout its structure, indicating that instead of having main batteries mounted around the waist as in the older Iron Man armors, the Extremis armor incorporates distributed and decentralized energy storage.
34. Argonauts Sometime after the Extremis transformation, Tony Stark realized he could command several armors at once. Building on this, and realizing the world was becoming an increasingly dangerous place, he decided to construct a "team" of Iron Men—hyper-advanced drones that would be under his direct mental command, just as his own armored body. They included:"Space Ghost": space-flight capable, could reach low Earth orbit under its own power; nearly impossible to detect espionage model; possibly intended as a satellite-killer."Submariner": streamlined for great speed underwater; capable of using the ocean itself as a weapon, it apparently unleashed several tsunamis, and was able to overpower Namor, the Submariner, under water - an incredible feat."Adamantium Man": equipped with practically indestructible "Stark-Chobham" armor, an experimental composite of carbon nanotube-reinforced ceramics, laced with adamantium."Digger": enormous drone, possibly over a hundred tons; equipped with (shielded) Antarctic Vibranium (which dissolves any metal) helmet dome and a specialized repulsor/unibeam system which allowed it to tunnel at incredible speed."Hulkbuster II": also a massive drone, ostensibly designed mainly for raw power and toughness, to take on the Hulk. It proved entirely capable of taking on the Avengers. Like its predecessor, Hulkbuster II bore a distinct resemblance to Juggernaut.
35. Modern Hydro Suit First Appearance: Wolverine (vol. 3) #45 (August 2006) During the Civil War arc of Wolverine solo series, Wolverine borrows Stark's armor to pursue Namor who is undersea in New Pangea. A new hydro suit is used by Wolverine which reflects the style of the Extremis generation Iron Man suit.
36. Hypervelocity First Appearance: Iron Man: Hypervelocity (January 2007) This new iteration of the armor possesses enhanced repulsors, housed not in gloves but in high-strength manipulator waldoes; multiple-mode bootjets that can operate both with and without oxygen intake; improved structural integrity for the armor; an improved "chameleon mode" and a "supercavitation spike", projecting upward from the back, which apparently creates a sort of "bubble" so that the armor can travel underwater at near-supersonic speeds. A massive amount of electrical energy is stored in a spinning, superconductive capacitor ring on the back.Radical feature of this armor is its vastly increased computing power allows it to make a "back-up" of Tony's own mind, so that in the event of critical injury of the wearer, the armor can act as him, with all his knowledge, insight and experience. The effect is so complete that the armor, thus activated, referred to itself as "Tony 2.0."
37. Hulkbuster Armor MK II First appearance: World War Hulk #1 In the World War Hulk event, Stark designed a new Hulkbuster armor, in order to battle the Hulk upon his return from space. He does so in World War Hulk #1, and initially was able to hold his own against his foe. The new armor was built as a large exoskeletal shell which fits around his normal armor and is equipped with rocket-boosted gauntlets, capable of punching the Hulk back several miles. It is also equipped with adamantium-tipped injector needles, which Stark used in an attempt to suppress the Hulk's power with S.P.I.N. Tech nanites.
38. Bleeding Edge Armor First Appearance: Iron Man (vol. 5) #25 (June 2010) Tony creates a new armor which is integrated to his now-posthuman biology - it is stored inside Tony's body in its entirety, "manifesting" itself when mentally commanded.The nano-machines that make up the suit can now be commanded to form any type of structure upon Stark's skin. The nano-machines can even mimic the appearance of clothes, and then dissociate to transform into the Iron Man armor whenever Stark wishes. The armor and Stark's own transhuman body are powered by the high-yield arc reactor mounted in his chest. The high output of the arc reactor has greatly augmented Stark's intelligence and provided him superhuman-level multitasking and learning capabilities. Unlike earlier armors, this new armor does not appear to rely on motors and servos for motion. Instead, the nano-machines create a secondary artificial musculature over Stark's body, upon which additional rigid structures are assembled. This also enables the armor to self-repair and be almost invulnerable, as the armor is capable of transforming and healing itself as long as the power output from the arc reactor isn't interrupted or terminatedThe new armor consists of iron/platinum nanoparticle fibers which arrange themselves according to the wearer's commands, even forming large, complex structures such as weapons. It is extremely thin, weighing a total of less than twenty-five pounds, and can store inside the hollows of Stark's bones in its entirety.The suit's repulsors also now function as cameras -- "eyeballs" -- which afford Stark a 360-degree panoramic view around himself. Several small repulsors are situated around the knuckles, chest, back and legs of the Bleeding Edge armor, as well as in the traditional palms-beamers.
sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_Man_armors : http://www.republiquelibre.org/cousture/bd/IRNMN4C.HTM :http://marvel.wikia.com/Tony_Stark_(Earth-199999)
MOVIE VERSIONS 1. Mark I ~ Iron Monger The MK I armor appeared in the first Iron Man movie. Similar to the comics Tony Stark built this from scraps in a cave and used it to escape from his captors. The MK I Armor was the basis for the Iron Monger suit.
2. Mark II ~ War Machine After Tony's escape he came up with another armor more advance from his previous suit, this became the Mark II armor. In Iron Man 2 this armor was upgraded and became the War Machine armor.
3. Mark III For the final showdown in the Iron Man movie. Tony Stark donned the Mark III armor.
4. Mark IV Iron Man 2 started with the Mark IV armor. This is a slight update of the Mark III armor of the previous film which was badly damage.
5. Mark V The Mark V armor integrated a classic element of the comics iron man armor, and that is the suitcase but adding a twist that the suitcase itself is what transforms into a suit for Iron Man. The color for this suit invokes the Silver Centurion armor.
6. Mark VI The Mark VI sports an upgraded arc reactor which gives the suit its distinguished triangle shape chest design. The suit utilizes a "new" element instead of the palladium he uses on the previous armors which was slowly poisoning him.
For me Iron Man will always be interesting to watch because he will always evolve, and adapt with the times. Note: Any error in the above article blame it on my humanity. Be sure to check the comment section, any error I made will surely be pointed out and corrected by bigger geeks (because there will always be a bigger geek out there).
-This has been PollMaster inviting you to the geekside.
This is the 4th article in my Comic Book History series. Any requests and suggestions for an article for this series write it down in the comment section.