Never-Before-Seen ‘Iron Man’ Mark I Concept Art Released

Tony Stark has introduced plenty of Iron Man suits to the MCU, but the Iron Man Mark 1 holds a […]

September 5, 2017, 1:49pm

Tony Stark has introduced plenty of Iron Man suits to the MCU, but the Iron Man Mark 1 holds a special place with fans. The suit was the first get-up Tony ever made, and its bulky design separates the Mark 1 from Iron Man’s other suits. And, now, fans can get a detailed look at the classic suit thanks to some concept art.

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Over on Instagram, artist Ryan Meinerding shared a never-before-seen piece of concept artwork he did of the Mark 1 suit for Iron Man. The piece was posted to honor Iron Man’s co-creator Jack Kirby on what would have been the artist’s 100th birthday.

You can read what Meinerding had to say about the stunning piece of artwork below:

“In keeping with my Mark I/Kirby post here is the back view of my Mark I design. It’s fun trying to figure out how things could work and looking for and finding inspiration in a variety of places. I actually studied Industrial Design at Notre Dame before heading west to California for art school so I’m sure my days there came in handy for these early MCU designs. And of course I also had awesome guidance in the form of @adigranov who already had history with the character and @philjdsaunders who came from a car design background. I was in very good company. Those early days working for @jonfavreau on Iron Man are still some of my fondest memories.”

In keeping with my Mark I/Kirby post here is the back view of my Mark I design. It’s fun trying to figure out how things could work and looking for and finding inspiration in a variety of places. I actually studied Industrial Design at Notre Dame before heading west to California for art school so I’m sure my days there came in handy for these early MCU designs. And of course I also had awesome guidance in the form of @adigranov who already had history with the character and @philjdsaunders who came from a car design background. I was in very good company. Those early days working for @jonfavreau on Iron Man are still some of my fondest memories. #dreamteam #ironman #conceptart #adigranov #philsaunders #markI #marvel #marvelstudios #conceptart #conceptdesign #jackkirby100 #jackkirby #marvelcinematicuniverse
A post shared by Ryan Meinerding (@ryan_meinerding_art) on Aug 29, 2017 at 2:26pm PDT

As you can see in the artwork, the Mark 1 design is deceptively complex. Iron Man did not get a chance to layout the suit’s innards, but Meinerding’s work shows how complicated the piece really is. The film showed off the suit’s frontside on a few occasions, and this throwback art confirms its back was as detailed as its front if not more so.

Iron Man’s aesthetic has certainly changed a lot since the hero made his MCU debut in 2008. The next time fans will see Tony suit up will be in Avengers: Infinity War next year, so it is nice to take a look back at where the billionaire’s alter-ego got started.

Avengers: Infinity War premieres May 4, 2018. If you are excited for the film, then give it your personal anticipation ranking below!

As the Avengers and their allies have continued to protect the world from threats too large for any one hero to handle, a new danger has emerged from the cosmic shadows: Thanos. A despot of intergalactic infamy, his goal is to collect all six Infinity Stones, artifacts of unimaginable power, and use them to inflict his twisted will on all of reality. Everything the Avengers have fought for has led up to this moment – the fate of Earth and existence itself has never been more uncertain.