Top 20 Greatest Iron Man Armors

Top 20 Iron Man Armors

With a wardrobe this big, how could we keep it to just 10? Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down the Top 20 Iron Man Armors. For this super-sized list, we’re looking at the 20 best Iron Man armors from both the film and comic book universes.

#20: Bleeding Edge

This extremely sleek and futuristic armor was designed by Tony Stark using state of the art nanotech, making it a massive step forward in terms of its capabilities. For starters, this suit can actually be stored inside Stark’s body when not in use, allowing him to deploy it at a moment’s notice, a far cry from the days when he had to carry his armor around in a briefcase. It’s also incredibly adaptable, able to reconfigure its weapons and systems into any tool Tony may need at a given time. The glowing white repulsor arrays scattered across the suit’s exterior can also function as eyes, giving Tony a 360 degree field of vision.

#19: Telepresence Armor

For a period in the late 80s and early 90s, Tony Stark had become an invalid following a gunshot wound to the spine and extensive nerve damage. In order to continue his work as Iron Man, Tony developed this highly specialized armor, which he could pilot entirely via remote. Due to it not needing to make room for a wearer, the suit has much more room for extra weapons and equipment, giving it an impressive armor. Aesthetically, it also walks a fine line between the classic Iron Man look and something new and original, sporting an updated version of the usual Iron Man aesthetic but with some new touches added like heavier gauntlets and boots.

#18: S.K.I.N Armor

Following an incident in which his previous armor became sentient (don’t ask) Tony developed this new suit out of an experimental alloy. Constructed using Synth-Kinetic Interfacing Nanofluid, the gold portions of this bulky looking armor are able to change its physical properties, becoming malleable or rigid and changing shape entirely as needed. This allows it a greater degree of versatility than previous suits, and the ability to deploy much more quickly than previous armors. While the armor’s biggest visual feature is the massive sloped shoulders, it sometimes appeared in a different form with external tubing and black sections. Black is slimming, after all.

#17: Heroes Return

This armor was worn by Iron Man following the Heroes Reborn event, in which numerous Marvel heroes were reinvented for the modern age in an alternate dimension. Upon returning to the regular Marvel Universe, Tony donned this new suit meant to evoke his classic armor but with some modern touches. Also called the renaissance armor, it’s meant to bring Iron Man into the modern era while still sticking true to his roots. Sadly, Tony was forced to abandon this suit when it was discovered that its power systems were negatively impacting his health. It’s a real shame, because this is still one of the most striking suits in Tony’s wardrobe.

#16: Mark 47

While it only made sparing appearances on screen in “Spider-Man: Homecoming”, this suit still made an impression. Tony used this suit while keeping tabs on young Peter Parker, in one case piloting it via remote control to pull Peter out of trouble after a run-in with the Vulture. The suit looks a whole lot like the one Tony wore in Civil War, but with the important visual distinction of a whole lot more silver on the suit’s torso, arms and legs. This gives the suit a strong visual resemblance to the bulkier armor worn by Tony in Marvel’s Ultimate comics, which presented a more grounded take on the Marvel Universe.

#15: Modular Armor

Versatility is an important aspect of most tools, and this armor takes that concept to a whole new level. Designed to allow Iron Man to swap in different modular components, this suit is meant to be the ultimate Jack of All Trades. In addition to the usual Iron Man essentials like boot jets, repulsors and strength-enhancing servos, this suit can also be equipped with everything from electromagnetic emitters, sonic weapons and even the mighty Hulkbuster add-on, for when Iron Man needs to get the Jade Giant to take a time out whether he wants to or not. Add this versatility to a simple and iconic design and you’ve got an instant classic.

#14: Neo-Classic Armor (Corrected from Matrix)

They say you can’t improve on the classics, but this armor is proof that that just isn’t true. Closely modelled on Iron Man’s classic red and gold suit, this suit was introduced as a new, high-end armor first used to battle the villain known as Firepower during the Armor Wars storyline. With a simple, clean aesthetic, this armor is one of the most iconic on our list, and one of the toughest. It boasts an impressive array of weapons and gadgets, which helped Tony battle everyone from Doctor Doom to Thanos. It was Tony’s mainstay armor for years, and it’s not hard to see why he kept it for so long.

#13: Superior Iron Man

Right off the bat, this suit looks vastly different from anything Iron Man has used before, and there’s a reason for that. After the power of Onslaught was harnessed by the Red Skull, the arch villain reversed the moral axis of several Marvel heroes. This prompted Tony to develop this new suit using a combination of liquid metal and symbiote physiology. This grants the suit a host of new abilities (see what we did there?) like shapeshifting, remote control and extreme resilience. Its white and blue color scheme helps further distinguish it from other Iron Man armors, making for a suit that always stands out from the pack.

#12: Mark V

As cool as they are, the suits from the first Iron Man movie seem like a real hassle to get in and out of. Tony evidently had this problem in mind when he developed this suit, which can be compacted into a metal briefcase for ease of transport. It’s also able to deploy onto Tony’s body without external equipment for emergency situations. Tony used this suit to battle Whiplash when the villain made his dramatic first appearance in Monaco, leading to one of the film’s standout sequences. The suit sadly hasn’t been seen since, as Tony continued to develop armors with quck-deployment capabilities. We’re guessing Happy was glad he didn’t have to lug that thing around anymore.

#11: Armor Model 1

Sometimes you just can’t beat the classics. The very first armor ever created by Tony Stark, this bulky suit of armor helped him escape captivity after being captured in the field. While it may not be the sleekest armor in Tony’s armory, this is the suit that put Iron Man on the map, and he was seen sporting a repainted version when the Avengers were first formed. It may look low tech now, but the suit has a wide variety of features including flamethrowers, strength-enhancing servos and a powerful heat ray. Believe it or not, it can also be folded up like clothing, allowing it to be stored in something as small as a briefcase.

#10: Anti-Radiation Armor

A little gift from Bruce Banner, this armor was made to turn radiation of any kind into energy and enhance the wearer’s strength, which kinda handy when one of your friends is literally made up of gamma rays. However, it’s not exactly the safest of suits, as a technical glitch nearly saw Tony die of radiation poisoning.

#9: Hydro Armor

With so many of Marvels heroes, villains and enemies living at the bottom of the ocean, it was inevitable that Iron Man would have to see some undersea combat sooner or later. Able to function at depths of up to three miles, you’ll be needing this if you ever want to visit Atlantis.

#8: Stealth Armor

One piece of armor that is constantly getting remodeled and improved, the Stealth Armor was created so that the human tank could be sneaky once in a while. Able to distort radar and sonar signals, you won’t him coming before it’s too late.

#7: Mark VII

Robert Downey Jr’s Iron Man gets himself into trouble on a daily basis, but luckily he always manages to suit up at the last moment. The best example of this is when Loki tosses him out of the window, leading to the unveiling of a new set of armor, now completed with extra thrusters to take care of all those pesky aliens.

#6: Silver Centurion

While your armor is getting fixed up, it’s always good to have a back-up. Originally made for James Rhodes, this suit was used by Tony during skirmishes with the Iron Monger and a few battles against other armor users, in what came to be known as the Armor Wars. Aside from a few mentions here and there, this suit is now something of a relic.

#5: Extremis Armor

There’s being Iron Man, and then there’s taking it to the next level. After being injured during the Skrull invasion, Tony injects himself with an experiment super-soldier serum known as Extremis. The result doesn’t only make him stronger, but enables him to bond with his armor at will. Among other abilities it granted him, such as being able to mentally access any network, this armor ensured Tony Stark and Iron Man were one.

#4: Hulkbuster

Most would shy away from a fight with an enormous green rage monster, but not Iron Man. Adding a hell of a lot of extra padding, this suit can not only take a punch from the Hulk, he can dish one out. It may be simple in its design, but when your goal is beat up the Incredible Hulk, that an achievement in itself.

#3: Mark L

Tony busted out his sleekest suit yet for the penultimate chapter in the “Avengers” series, a cutting-edge suit developed using nanotech. With a much smoother, more organic appearance than previous suits in the MCU, it’s obvious just from looking at it that this suit is a cut above the rest. And when Iron Man brings its power to bear on Thanos and the Black Order, its capabilities prove to be quite fearsome. The suit is able to deploy onto Tony’s body almost instantly, and can reconfigure itself to bring new and powerful weapons to bear on Iron Man’s enemies.

#2: Mark II

It may have only been in the film for ten minutes, but it both wowed us and made us breakdown laughing. After being rescued and brought back to America, Tony immediately begins to work on a new set of armor, one that’s much more high-tech than the prototype he used to escape capture. Here, we see him fly for the first time and get a glimpse of the spectacle that would be the Iron Man franchise. It also notably get’s stolen by Captain Rhodes in the second film, and turned into the firepower enhanced War-machine suit.

Before we suit up for our number one pick, here are some honorable mentions:

Model Prime


Bones

Mark 42

#1: Armor Model 2

This was the template for the iconic Iron Man image. This trademark look came about after his second set of armor (one that was completely gold) was bested by a villain known as Mr Doll. After making the armor more streamlinde and throwing in a little hot rod red, IronMan not only took down the villain, but set the trend for the superhero we know today.