10 Iron Man Upgrades That Changed The Game For Tony Stark in the MCU

The opening scene of 2008’s Iron Man sold the world on Robert Downey Jr. not only being back as a performer, but that he embodied every atom of Tony Stark. His performance in that film would become the bedrock for the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe, taking a character that had been a C-Lister at best in the pages of comics and making him a globally recognized hero. Though everyone has a specific image in their mind when they think about Iron Man, the armors alone didn’t make the hero, as he spent a lot of time creating all manner of upgrades.

Across his ten appearances in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Tony Stark uses a lot of his time on screen trying to be better. Not only is he making moves in his personal journey, but he’s constantly tinkering in a lab or workshop to give himself an edge as one of Earth’s mightiest heroes. There are hundreds of armors, inventions, and ideas that make their way to the surface across all his movies, but these ten are the ones that not only define Tony Stark but actually make him a better hero.

10) Mark II Armor

As far as first models go, the original Iron Man armor (built in a cave with a box of scraps) was a pretty great start for the entire journey. After Tony gets home, however, he can’t help but try to make improvements, and the leap from Mark 1 to Mark 2 may be the absolute biggest. Not only does the second model of Iron Man armor slim down the design itself to be more form-fitting to Stark’s figure, but it also includes two key upgrades that would define every Iron Man armor that would follow: a functioning propulsion system in the hands and feet, and a HUD that gives him key insights about his suit and the battle ahead.

9) Mark III Armor

Another major jump occurs immediately after the Mark 2, with the Mark 3 bringing the iconic Iron Man color scheme to life, but that’s not the most important part. There are once again two major upgrades to Iron Man that happen in this moment, the first is that he overloads himself with brand new (and functioning) weapons like the micromissiles he fires for precision and the, well, slightly bigger missile he uses to eliminate a tank.

The second upgrade is the most important, and it’s one that is maybe not immediately obvious: This armor is the one that proves the heroic concept of the suit, that Tony can pilot it into an active warzone and make a difference. It’s the hard launch of Iron Man as a hero, the lifeblood of the MCU.

8) The New Element

Tony Stark’s arc reactor in his chest eventually developed a problem; the element powering it was slowly killing him. Naturally, if there’s someone equipped to solve this problem, it’s him. Truthfully, as even Tony himself notes, he doesn’t actually discover the new element; his father did. In one of the quirkier moments of Iron Man 2, Tony discovers the molecular map for the new element is hidden in the map of an old Stark Expo. From there he’s able to synthesize it and give himself a clear path forward for powering all of his new toys.

7) Mark VII Armor

The armor found in Marvel’s The Avengers may be the seventh in the line, but it’s the real standard of Iron Man Armors. Not only does the suit give Tony upgrades to the propulsion system with more ways to direct himself, but it also ups his weapon abilities to give him the power to quell an invading alien army. It also correctly brings back the circle on Iron Man’s chest, eliminating the triangle and putting symbolism back on the hero.

6) Mark XLII Armor

Iron Man 3 may have countless armors that are barely even used on screen, but Tony’s new primary armor marks another major upgrade. Previously, Tony’s armors were placed onto him and taken off by robotic arms, even the smaller suits that he could carry in a case or which could fly toward him, were cumbersome and stuck in one giant piece. The Mark XLII armor, however, can fly to Tony and attach itself piecemeal, an upgrade that comes in handy when he finds himself stuck at the bottom of the ocean, being crushed by debris. Furthermore, the Mark XLII breaking down the armor into pieces is a larger reflection of the story itself and Tony’s arc, meaning it’s an armor upgrade and a narrative one for the MCU.

5) The Ultron Program

This may be the only item on the list that not only delivered an upgrade to Tony Stark in the MCU but also caused extensive harm. Yes, the initial idea of the Ultron program isn’t itself flawed, but what it gave way to (a killer robot that wanted to eliminate humanity) is something we can all agree was “not chill.” That said, the creation of the Ultron program led to other upgrades that would define not only Tony, but The Avengers themselves, as the evil bot’s plan for world destruction finally delivered Vision to the MCU.

4) Hulk Buster Armor

Codename “Veronica,” a play on the two love interests from Archie as Bruce Banner’s first on-screen love was named Betty, the Hulkbuster armor in the MCU is an upgrade in two way. Not only does the armor greatly expand the scope of how big an Iron Man armor can be in the MCU, but it also offers the Avengers something that can be used to stop the Hulk if he goes on a rampage. The fight between the Hulkbuster and the Hulk does result in extensive property damage, but as it proves in the final moments of that scene, it works.

3) F.R.I.D.A.Y.

With JARVIS put inside the body Ultron was creating for himself and becoming Vision, Tony needed a new AI helper for his Iron Man HUD (and his lab in general). Enter FRIDAY, the Kerry Condon-voiced program that becomes the new standard not only for Tony in his remaining MCU appearances, but even Spider-Man. FRIDAY has extensive scanning capabilities, delivering insight from inside the armor regarding bodily harm to Tony but also threat assessments on the outside for battle and potential civilians in need of aid that can’t be seen. We’re not saying JARVIS was bad, but FRIDAY is better.

2) Mark L Armor

Tony’s new armor, found in Avengers: Infinity War, arrives on screen within minutes of him first appearing, immediately showing off a major upgrade for the hero: nanotechnology that allowed the suit to form around him within seconds. That’s not the only new ability that it has, either, as the suit gives Tony expansive new weapons that make his (unsuccessful) fight with Thanos a tough one. Though criticism can be levied at the armor for the aesthetic way it appears in the movie itself, all CG and no practicality, from a narrative sense, it’s the apex of Iron Man.

1) Nano Gauntlet

Without a functioning Infinity Gauntlet in their possession, Tony had to improvise. Utilizing his nanotechnology in new ways, he was able to create something that could not only hold all six Infinity Stones but deliver their power down into the user. Being able to create this piece alone is huge for Tony and the Avengers’ mission in the film, but there’s an ace up its sleeve that gives it a leg up over the actual Infinity Gauntlet: the nanotech allows it to steal the stones from Thanos himself. That moment allows Tony to not only deliver the most heroic moment of the MCU, but his final one.

4 Iron Man Armors That Would Have Changed the MCU (Including One They’ll Never Use)