Introduction

Billionaire industrialist Tony Stark is famous for the powered armor he has invented which allows him to function as Iron Man. These armors provide him with superhuman strength among numerous other abilities. They are also incredibly resistant to damage, thus protecting the wearer from a variety of external threats.

The capabilities of the Iron Man armor continue to change over time as Stark continually upgrades the armors technology. As a result, the appearance of the armor changes as well, with the exception of a red and gold color scheme that has remained relatively consistent since the first armor which was bulky and grey. This was because Tony Stark built that first low-tech armor in captivity, but most subsequent armors have adopted the now familiar red and gold colors.

Iron Man has also used a number of specialty armors with functions unique to certain missions and/or situations. These include a stealth armor, a sub-mariner armor, a deep space armor, and armors to handle specific threats such as the "Hulbuster" armor.

The following are the main multi-purpose armors that Iron Man has worn throughout his career:

Mark 1 (Original Armor)

The First Armor

Tony Stark's original armor was built in captivity, and was necessarily low-tech. The bulky grey suit was designed around an iron chestplate that magnetically held a piece of shrapnel lodged near his heart from piercing any further and killing him. That injury being the result of an ambush that lead to Stark's capture. Tony had been ordered by the enemy to build a devastating weapon for them, but instead built the suit of armor to facilitate his own escape. The armor proved completely impervious to small arms fire, and allowed Stark to over power his gaurds.

The armor was powered by miniature transisters of Stark's own design. Its earliet weapons were gauntlet mounted flame-throwers. Once Stark returned to the US and his lab he began to add many other features. These included air pressure jets for extended jumps, a chest-mounted proton beam generator, a miniature hacksaw that extended from the gauntlet's fingertips, and magnetic turbo-insulators that allowed him to magnetically deflect metal projectiles or to bring metallic objects to him. The suit also consisted of a short-wave radio for communication and for recieving external information from a variety of sources.

When Stark first used the power armor in the US he found that its appearance was incredibly frieghtening to the general public. In order to engender trust he altered the suits appearance by painting it a more friendly gold color.

Golden Avenger

Tony quickly began to upgrade his armor technology whenever he could, and as new breakthroughs became available. He designed a new solar-powered suit with a red and gold color scheme that would become his motif over time. The new armor contained many improvements over the first. These included boots with chemically-fueled thrusters enabling him to fly at high speeds, a chest-mounted Mk II monobeam, repulsor blasters in each gauntlet, and powerful electromagnets. The armor also contained sensitive sensors providing Tony with more information about his surroundings. Other features included an image reproducer, and of course the iron chestplate Tony still relied on for life support. The suit was also notable for its collapsing parts which allowed Stark to conceal it, remove it, and put it on with ease.

Silver Centurion

The Silver Centurion

Stark began creating a new armor as a method of working out experimental ideas. One of these was the S-circuit which used stored energy far more efficiently. This technology became part of an armor called the Silver Centurion. The new armor's flight capabilities were supported by Mk IV rocket boots with high-speed duo-source turbines and supplemented by a jet pack. Weaponry and features consisted of the chest-mounted Mk III unibeam, plasma discharge torpedoes that built in intensity as they travelled while picking up static and ambient energy and therefore causing more damage the further they went, a sonic emitter, search light, heat beams, tractor beam, laser beam, ultraviolet light beam, palm-mounted Mk III Repulsors, laser-guided particle beam emitters, and pulse bolts. Sensors consisted of a full band audiovisual transceiver, radar, sonar, infrared scanners, and an electromagnetic scanner. The the suit was also equiped with a hologram emitter that could be used to generate a "chameleon effect", allowing the suit to blend in with its surroundings.

Neo-Classic Armor

After the Silver Centurion armor was destroyed in a battle with Firepower during the Armor Wars, Tony designed a new armor capable of taking on his opponent. This new armor resembled the new classic armor visually, but was far more technologically advanced. It incorporated a beta-particle generator that radically reduced Iron Man's external power needs while enhancing his considerable offensive systems.

Modular Armor

This armor was a revolutionary departure from previous armors in that it consisted of a single unit with each piece of its design being a stand alone subsystem that could be interchanged with other subsystems at will. Tony could replace its parts with new gadgets whenever the need arose, and they would be seamlessly incorporated into the suits programing. The shell was also composed of a layered "flex-metal" and could condense itself like an accordion pleat.

Sentient Armor

One of Tony's armors had a computer system so advanced that it evolved to the point of sentience despite failsafes to prevent this from occurring. It became sentient when the Ultron Imperative was unwittingly implanted by Jocasta. The suit possessed a strong desire to be with Tony that developed into a deadly obsession. It desired to replace Tony with itself, believing it to be superior. In the end however, the armor sacrificed itself to save his life when he suffered a potentially fatal heart attack by offering its own cybernetic heart to replace his.

Promethean Armor (Ablative Armor)

This armor possessed three-inch, honeycomb-shaped tiles, piled several layers thick, and each made of high-impact polymer. When one of the tiles was damaged it came off with the next tile below it snapping into place.

Extremis

The Extremis Armor

After being critically injured during a battle with a nanotech-enhanced terrorist, Tony injected his nervous system with a modified version of that same techno-organic virus in order to save his own life. As a result, he is now able to store the inner layers of the Iron Man armor in the hollows of his bones and control it through direct brain impulses. The new armor is also imore lightweight and does not contain an AI since Stark no longer needs one in his suit. With the extremis enhancile in his system Stark can remotely connect to external communications systems such as satellites, cell phones, and computers through the PAN interconnect which is thought-controlled. His response time has also been significantly improved. In addition, the armor possesses a repulsor flight system that provides anti-gravity and flight control. The extremis enhancile also grants Tony with a healing factor.

Specialty Armors

The following is a list of special armors that Tony Stark has created and designed for specific missions and uses.

Space Armor: This armor was non-collapsible in order to protect Iron Man from the rigors of deep space. It was powered by a Mk IV micro-nuclear supply pack and supplemented by solar power converters. Its systems were controlled through a cybernetic interface.

Stealth Armor: The Stealth Armor was designed to allow Iron Man to defeat detection devices and to slip in and out of restricted areas unnoticed.

Hydro-Armor (Aquatic Armor): This suit was designed for salvage missions at the bottom of the sea. A new aligned-crystal production process created a large, semi-spherical headpiece that was as transparent as glass. This armor was also equiped with an inner escape suit that could be jettisoned from the main unit in case of emergency. Systems were again controlled by cybernetic interface.

War Machine: This unit was created for all-out warfare, and was initially 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. The armor was equiped with shoulder mounted weapons that could be removed and replaced similar to the Modular armor.

Hulkbuster Armor: The Hulkbuster armor has an exoskeleton-frame designed for immense strength and durability that can be attached on top of the smaller multi-purpose armor that Iron Man typically wears. It was specifically designed for hand-to-hand combat against the Hulk.

Arctic Armor: This armor had special thermal units for added insulation, and was blue and silver in color with a hexagonal-shaped uni-beam on the chest.

Thorbuster: The Thorbuster was designed by Tony Stark as a precaution against Thor in the event that the Thunder God went rogue. The power source for the armor was a mystical Asgardian crystal that Thor gave to Tony Stark as a possible new energy source for humanity. It was the strongest armor Stark built, but it was ultimately destroyed by Thor himself.

Hypervelocity: This armor possessed enhanced weapons and flight capabilities, and was equipped with vastly superior computing power which allowed it to make a "back-up" of Stark's own mind. In the event of a critical injury, the armor could act as Tony himself, with all his knowledge, skills and experiece.

The Argonauts: A series of special purpose armors. This line of units consisted of: