There are many types of superheroes and supervillains in the Marvel Universe, but one that has always been popular is the tech-themed characters, of which Iron Man is the most popular. Iron Man has long been one of Marvel’s most important heroes, his intelligence helping him create all kinds of tech to keep up with the rising power levels from bad guys across the Marvel Universe. Iron Man’s armor is one of the best weapons in the Marvel Universe, an adaptable, amazingly powerful suit that has allowed Iron Man to beat enemies that run the gamut of bank robbers to the Hulk and Thanos. Iron Man’s armor keeps getting better, as Tony Stark works to keep it on the bleeding edge of technology.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Iron Man has had some amazing suits of armor, but he’s far from the only tech-themed character in the Marvel Universe. Over the years, Iron Man has faced enemies who also wear their own powered armor, as well as all manner of AI-controlled robots. Iron Man doesn’t always win, but he always goes back to the drawing board to figure out how to. And this is where the problem comes. Technology in the Marvel Universe is far beyond what we have in the real world, but just like real-world tech, it keeps getting better. It may be hard to get superpowers, but anyone with enough money can have tech that makes them dangerous to superheroes. In the Marvel Universe, technology is the real enemy, and Iron Man is directly responsible for that.
Intriguingly, the same thing is happening in the MCU, if the rumors of incursions leading to Doctor Doom’s arrival and the potential catastrophe at the heart of Avengers: Doomsday are true. After all, technology sent Captain America back into the past, and a line can be drawn back to technology (admittedly magical) from the convergence of the X-Men universe and the main one in The Marvels. And that very much reflects in Iron Man’s story in Marvel’s comics.
Iron Man Is a Capitalist and His Product Is His Technology
In order to understand how dangerous Iron Man’s technology is, we have to go back to the X-Men’s Krakoa Era. The anti-mutant Orchis Initiative was able to take over Stark Unlimited with the help of Feilong and got access to their Stark Sentinel technology. Tony Stark created the Stark Sentinels while under the control of Red Skull, who had become Red Onslaught at the time. Stark Sentinels were way more powerful and durable than regular Sentinels, making them extremely dangerous mutant killing machines. For some reason, instead of destroying the plans after he was free of Red Skull’s control, he saved them, and from there the Stark Sentinel Mark II was created, an even more efficient and durable Sentinel that even an entire team of X-Men, including heavy hitters like Jean Grey, Magik, and Iceman, struggled against, and that was only one of them.
That’s only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to how dangerous Iron Man’s various corporations can be. Tony Stark is a capitalist; he always wants to make more money. The best way to do that is by selling the tech he has created for his armor. Now, obviously, he’s not going to put out the most powerful versions of something like repulsors, but he’s still definitely going to use older models. He doesn’t sell computer and targeting systems as good as the ones he uses in his most current suits of armor, but he definitely sells the older ones, which were still much better than anything out there. He’s not sharing all of his secrets on how he makes his armor so durable or how he can increase the strength of the armor to be able to deal with someone like the Hulk, but he’s definitely selling tech that made him pretty strong back in the day.
While it isn’t all that hard to get superpowers in the Marvel Universe, it’s way easier to get powerful technology. Look at how many scrub villains have high-tech weapons that could decimate the police or the military. A lot of that technology is based on the technology created by Tony Stark. Tony Stark is a chronic tinkerer, which fits an engineer of his stature. He’s always going to make better armor, and then eventually he’ll create a de-enriched version of it for the civilian market, which can almost certainly be modified and enhanced by someone smart enough to do it.
Technology is one of the biggest threats in the Marvel Universe. Just look at how many futures are ruled by AI. Just about every future we’ve seen in the X-Men comics has been ruled by machines. Ultron is constantly trying to destroy all biological life on Earth. While there aren’t as many armored villains as there used to be — remember the Crimson Dynamo? — there is still a load of Stark-created technology out there that can be used against the heroes.
Iron Man’s Chickens Are Going to Come Home to Roost
Iron Man is one of the most important heroes in the world. Not only is he extremely formidable in battle, but he’s always coming up with new ways to save the day. Iron Man is the best of the best, but all of that costs a lot of money. Iron Man monetizes his own technology, and that means that his technology is going to fall into the wrong hands. It already has.
Technology is the most dangerous force in the Marvel Universe. While there are plenty of tech-using superheroes out there, there are way more tech-using villains out there. Some of them were almost certainly inspired by Tony Stark. Some of them have used Stark created technology. And, all of that is before we even think about something like a Stark Sentinel or the various military-grade weapons and technology Iron Man sells that could easily fall into the wrong hands. Technology is the biggest threat to life in the Marvel Universe, and Tony Stark has helped make it even more dangerous.
Do you think that Iron Man’s technology is a force for good or evil? Sound off in the comments below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
Most Viewed
-
Image courtesy of 2th Century Studios -
image courtesy of 20th Century Studios
