Heroes have been armored for millennia, since humans started telling stories about brave men and women battling evil in the world. Superhumans were the next evolution of the armored heroes of yesteryear; their armor was their powers, though. However, armor just plain looks cool, so creators would start to populate Marvel Comics and DC Comics with armored heroes and villains. I’m sure you’ve heard of some of them; I think one of them had some kind of big movie success. These armored heroes and villains have become some of the biggest names in pop culture and their armors have played an important role in that.
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Some heroes and villains are defined by their armor, wearing it all the time. Others use theirs more sparingly; however, these armors have played important roles in their stories. They’re more than just weapons and defense; they’ve become an important part of the characters and their narrative, helping define some of the greatest moments in the comic history. These fives suits of armor are the best in comics, each of them helping make iconic characters and stories even better.
5) Wonder Woman’s Kingdom Come Armor
Two suits of armor on this list are here because of the role they play in their stories, each of them defining pivotal moments in the narrative. Wonder Woman in Kingdom Come was an older, more jaded warrior, having watched the men and women she first teamed with give up the fight. She lost her hope, leading her to become more and more violent; she couldn’t understand why everyone hadn’t learned the lesson of peace yet. All of this led to the climactic battle at the Justice League’s Gulag, with Diana donning her now-iconic golden eagle armor.
Kingdom Come is full of amazing moments, but few of them are better than Diana, in her armor, ready to unleash righteous hell on the next generation of metahuman. It’s a symbol for where Diana is in the story – hiding behind her warrior heritage, just as scared of the future as everyone else, cloaking it in beauty and majesty. I think what earns it its spot here is that you can remove it from this moment and it would mean something entirely different. It fits Diana and her world to a tee; in Kingdom Come, it represents the ultimate perversion of Diana’s mission, but you can put it in another story and it’s everything that she represents – a beautiful symbol of peace that makes her better able to defend the weak and lift the spirits of those around her.
4) The Dark Knight Returns Anti-Superman Armor
Batman and anti-Superman armor go together like chocolate and peanut butter nowadays, but there was a time when it wasn’t something in the world had seen over and over again. That’s part of what The Dark Knight Returns #4 such a fantastic comic – the shadowed armor on the front cover begging you to buy the issue and see what the Dark Knight had created to fight the Man of Steel. What we got didn’t look like the most impressive armor in the world; in fact, it looked kind of ramshackle, more Iron Man Mark One than anything else. However, over the course of the fight, we’d see that appearances were deceiving, as the Caped Crusader was able to show the Last Son of Krypton who’s boss.
The armor became iconic right away. It was part of one of the most important Batman stories of all-time, at a time when Batman beating Superman in a physical fight actually meant something. It was a gamechanger in the comic industry and it became the father of the numerous suits of armor we’ve seen Bruce Wayne deploy in his war on crime in the years since. It’s simple and sort of primitive, but it deserves its place among the best armors ever.
3) Lex Luthor’s Green and Purple Anti-Superman Armor
Lex Luthor is DC’s most unhinged genius, using his intellect to become one of the most dangerous villains on Earth. Luthor is a normal human being and he’s made it his mission in life to fight the most powerful superhero of them all. While his schemes involve all kinds of technologies and threats to the Man of Steel, there are times when he wants to take the fight directly to the hero and for that, there’s his purple and green anti-Superman armor. This suit of armor has went through a lot of changes over the years, and it’s become one of the most recognizable in superhero fiction. Everyone’s seen it, even if they don’t remember where they’ve seen it.
It first appeared in Action Comics #544, from Superman legends Cary Bates and Curt Swan and every little kid in 1983, including me, had one of the Lex figures wearing the armor (I also had his vehicle and the Super-Car). In fact, that was the point of the armor – to sell Lex Luthor action figures. It worked and it’s since become one of the most beloved parts of Lex’s history. Numerous artists have given their take on it and it’s about to make a reappearance in Man of Tomorrow, showing that the classics never go out of style.
2)The Iron Man Armors
Iron Man has become one of the most popular superheroes of all-time and his armor has played a massive role in that. Sure, we all love the guy under the mask, but it’s the armor that have made all the adventures possible. Tony Stark needed a way to not only save his life from the shrapnel in his chest but also a weapon to break himself from captivity. The armor killed two birds with one stone and it would become his greatest tool in the days to come, as he set out to fix a world that he helped break for profit. Since then, we’ve gotten numerous versions of the Iron Man armor, as Stark has continually tinkered with it and made it better and better.
Iron Man’s armor has become one of the most iconic visuals in comics. Thanks to the MCU, a whole generation of kids grew up with Iron Man’s armor everywhere. It’s reached a level of cultural ubiquity that no one ever could have imagined. Of course, there’s a simple reason for this – his armor always looks fantastic. Artists have been able to use the various design elements to create some of the best looks in comics, allowing him to become the icon he is today.
1) Doctor Doom’s Armor
For many, Doctor Doom is Marvel’s greatest villain and his armor has always been one of the reasons why. Doom’s armor is the ultimate suit of armor, combining the regal bearing and martial prowess of a warrior-king with the bleeding edge of technology. It looks clunky and primitive, but looks are deceiving, as Victor Von Doom’s tech can match anything Tony Stark thinks up. Everything about his armor is perfect – the green and grey coloration, the heavy metal look, the ominous faceplate, the powerful gauntlets, the massive joints. It exudes old world royalty and danger.
Doom’s armor says it all about him. He’s a man with a code of honor, one who will fight for his people, embodying the strength of his nation. He’ll also fool you into thinking he and his people are simple and old school. It looks low tech and is meant to lull you into a certain sense of security. However, it hides some of the most dangerous weapons and advanced technologies imaginable. It was the perfect visual for the character and it has helped him become the villain he is today, ready to conquer pop culture as the next big Avengers villain.
What’s your favorite comic armor? Any you think you should be here instead? Leave a comment in the comment section below!
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