10 Best Iron Man Suits of Armor, Ranked

If there’s one thing about Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) that Marvel fans love, it’s the variety of suits of armor that he’s built. Over the years, the Iron Man armor has evolved exponentially and become far more than just a simple suit or costume. By Iron Man 3, Tony Stark had built dozens of suits of armor since The Avengers, opening up the floodgates for the kinds of armor Tony could wield (even if just for that movie).

The enjoyment people get from the evolution of the Iron Man armor is the numerous different things each one can do. Fans know that when a new armor makes an appearance in a film, it’s not just some new cosmetic job. Every new suit always features something new that makes it more powerful than the last. This list will rank the Iron Man suits of armor based on not only their look but also their abilities and role in whichever movie they appear in.

10 Mark I

“The Origin Armor”

Although it’s nowhere near the power of what future suits of armor would become, the first-ever Iron Man armor that Tony Stark built in a cave with a box of scraps needs to be given its roses. It may not be as powerful, but the meaning behind the Mark I is so important. It was the first time that audiences truly got to see how much of a genius Tony was.

It’s also the only armor to feature flamethrowers in the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe. Tony used them to break out of a terrorist compound and destroy millions–maybe even billions–of dollars worth of warheads. On these facts alone, the Mark I deserves a spot among the best of the best, even if nostalgia also plays a huge role in its inclusion here.

9 Mark XXV

“Striker”

Among the many armors featured in the House Party Protocol, one of the coolest is Mark XXV, also known as “Striker.” It is very unique compared to the other armors featured here due to the two giant jackhammers that make up his two hands. During the final battle of Iron Man 3, Striker uses its two arms to catapult two Extremis soldiers into the air.

It does so by plunging its two arms into the ground, creating a shockwave that shoots them upward. This also makes the Mark XXV a very lethal armor in a way that other armors are not. Receiving a punch from those hammer hands would most certainly destroy anyone it hits. Honestly, where was this armor in the battle against Thanos (Josh Brolin)?

8 Mark XXXIII

“Silver Centurion”

Most fans can agree that one of the all-time favorite armors from the Marvel Comics mythos is the “Silver Centurion.” It was pretty much the main armor used in the ’80s era of Iron Man comics, which has added to why it’s so popular among the Marvel fan base. The color scheme is also different from the typical armor, being silver and red rather than the classic gold and red.

The Silver Centurion featured in Iron Man 3 has a bit more than the typical weapons on a standard Iron Man armor, unlike how it is in the comics. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Silver Centurion has hidden blades that can extend from its arms; everyone loves a good arm blade! They would make a return in the armor in Avengers: Infinity War, so clearly, they were quite effective.

7 Mark L

“Bleeding Edge”

Another popular suit from the Iron Man mythos is the “Bleeding Edge” armor. It gets the “bleeding” part of its name from the fact that it forms over his body like liquid metal, creating an undersuit that looks like real human muscle. By the time Avengers: Infinity War came out, it was far too late to introduce the technology behind the armor in the comics, but the movies got around it with new technology introduced in Black Panther.

The nanotech featured in the Marvel Cinematic Universe iteration allowed the billionaire to do something similar, with the technology allowing Stark to form anything he desired.

They adapted the liquid metal look by making the suit with nanotechnology. The suit in the comics had a plethora of uses, adapting to many scenarios and making it one of Iron Man’s most versatile and widely recognized suits of armor. The nanotech featured in the Marvel Cinematic Universe iteration allowed the billionaire to do something similar, with the technology allowing Stark to form anything he desired, which was very helpful when facing off with the powerful Thanos on Titan.

6 Mark XLII

“Prodigal Son”

The primary suit worn in Iron Man 3 was called the “Prodigal Son.” In the Marvel Comics continuity, after Tony Stark took the Extremis serum (long story), he gained a power he seldom used: the ability to mentally connect with his suit and pretty much any technology surrounding him. He could also remotely pilot his suit with the help of the Extremis power.

These abilities are somewhat featured in Iron Man 3 through the Prodigal Son, but not with the aid of Extremis. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Tony could call on the armor thanks to microchips he injected into his body at the beginning of the film. Throughout the movie, the armor is in a testing phase, so it isn’t the most reliable. Still, it can be seen at its (almost) full effectiveness in the scene in which Tony Stark’s house is blown to bits. At full performance, this suit is pretty handy.

5 Mark XLIV

“The Hulkbuster”

Easily one of the most iconic Iron Man armors in both the comic and film continuities is what is known as the “Hulkbuster.” The intention of the armor is pretty self-explanatory: in both continuities, Tony Stark (and sometimes with the help of Bruce Banner) built the Hulkbuster as a way to fight the Hulk and/or other characters with similar size and strength.

This armor is chunky and powerful, being a titan in size. Not only does it star in great action sequences in both Avengers: Age of Ultron and Avengers: Infinity War, but its visuals provide a plethora of spectacle. Fans love the Hulkbuster so much that when it was featured in the trailer for the second The Avengers installment, the internet freaked out.

4 Mark V

“Briefcase Suit”

Known simply as the “Suitcase Suit,” the fifth iteration of the Iron Man armor is one of the most iconic in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The debut of this suit was the first time Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark had a suit-up outside his typical routine in his garage. The suit emerged from a small briefcase and blew everyone’s minds, becoming one of the most iconic Tony Stark scenes in the franchise.

It’s consistently looked back upon as one of the armored Avenger’s best scenes, and it’s also the first time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe that Iron Man sported the Silver Centurion color scheme. Aside from the graduation from the Mark I to the Mark III in Iron Man, the debut of this suit in Iron Man 2 was the first major advancement of the legendary armor in the franchise.

3 Mark LXXXV

“Endgame”

The final suit the billionaire would wear in the Marvel Studios films is about the closest he got to his classic comic book armor. The original comic book costume features full-gold arms and legs. While most armors have gold accents on the arms and legs, the suit from Avengers: Endgame embraced the gold coloring the most, with pretty much the entirety of its arms and legs colored in gold.

The suit is also the most functional of any Iron Man armor. In the years between Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, Tony Stark took his Bleeding Edge armor and improved on everything that made it great. The Mark LXXXV is quite literally the ultimate armor for the hero. It makes sense why it was used to mark the end of his tenure in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

2 Mark VII

“Armored Avenger”

After getting the Mark VI absolutely destroyed in the first two acts of The Avengers, Tony Stark is thrown from Stark Tower by Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and forced to deploy the next suit, the Mark VII. The debut of this armor is spectacular and, much like the Briefcase Suit, became one of the best suit-ups in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. A midair suit-up is about as cool as it gets when it comes to spectacle.

It’s the first suit in the armor lineup that was able to deploy automatically and form around Stark without assistance from him. It carried him through the Battle of New York through the abundant amount of upgrades he made compared to the Mark IV. All these enhancements made him more than worthy of standing alongside the other Avengers, improving the suit’s reputation.

1 Mark III

“The Iron Man”

There is no armor more iconic than Iron Man’s very first Hot Rod red and gold. Whether it be his first official suit-up or becoming the armor that every following suit would base themselves on, the Mark III is the Iron Man suit everyone knows and loves the most. This suit kicked off the Marvel Cinematic Universe and changed the world forever.

When someone thinks of Iron Man, more often than not, they think of this suit. This armor changed the world forever and ushered in a whole new age of superhero cinema. If it wasn’t well executed, it could have genuinely deteriorated from fan perception of the first film, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe may not have grown to become everything it has. So, thank you, Mark III; it might not be the most powerful Iron Man armor, but it sure is the most iconic.

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