Tony Stark never suited up in these game-changing Iron Man armors in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark was the face of the MCU and one of the franchise’s cornerstone heroes between his debut in 2008’s Iron Man and his departure in 2019’s Avengers: Endgame. During his eleven years in the MCU, he suited up in many different suits of armor, allowing him to operate as the superhero and Avenger Iron Man, but there are some from Marvel Comics that we haven’t seen in live-action.
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There are countless Iron Man armors from Marvel Comics that Tony Stark didn’t utilize in the MCU. A handful of these armors would have changed Tony Stark’s place in the MCU and would have had a huge impact on the franchise as a whole. It’s possible that some of these armors could be revisited in the future, should a new actor debut as Tony Stark following Avengers: Secret Wars’ reset of the MCU – though there is still one that will likely never be seen in live-action.
4) Explorer Armor
Introduced to Marvel Comics quite recently in 2022’s Iron Man (Vol. 5) #25, this “Explorer Armor” gave Tony Stark essential life support when he was journeying through Jotunheim on his search for a missing Thor. The armor administered food and water intravenously, extracted nutrients from external sources, had limited shape-shifting capabilities, and, crucially, allowed Stark to survive for over eight days in temperatures of -157°F (-105°C). Stark could have used this armor to find Thor during his absence between Avengers: Age of Ultron and Avengers: Infinity War, especially after Mjolnir’s destruction – which is when he acquired it in Marvel Comics.
3) Future Foundation Armor
The Future Foundation was finally introduced to the MCU in The Fantastic Four: First Steps on Earth 828, but hasn’t yet been heard of on Earth 616. In Marvel Comics’ Ultimate Universe of Earth 1610, Tony Stark helped to found the Future Foundation alongside Phil Coulson and Sue Storm’s Invisible Woman, and he suited up in a purple Iron Man armor which allowed him to fit in with the team’s purple-and-blue uniform. It’s very possible that a new Tony Stark could be a future member of the MCU’s Future Foundation, so this armor could still be seen in live-action.
2) Iron Lantern
Back in the 1990s, Marvel and DC Comics put their differences aside and built a whole new reality together, which included characters that combined aspects of heroes and villains from each publication. In this Amalgam Universe of Earth 9602, Harold Stark – a combination of Hal Jordan and Tony Stark – became the Iron Lantern. The multi-billionaire founder of Stark Aircraft came into contact with the alien Rhomann Sur when his flight simulator took him into space and injured him. Stark used Sur’s technology to create a suit of armor powered by a lantern-like battery, similar to the Green Lantern rings.
With James Gunn now leading DC Studios and the rebooted DCU, it’s possible that a Marvel and DC crossover could take place in the future. This opens the door for an Iron Man and Green Lantern mash-up to actually be seen in live-action, which could bring a new actor as Tony Stark into contact with any number of confirmed DCU Green Lanterns. Nathan Fillion’s Guy Gardner, Kyle Chandler’s Hal Jordan, and Aaron Pierre’s John Stewart could briefly be seen in the MCU, elevating Harold – or Tony – Stark into the cosmic superhero Iron Lantern.
1) Celestial Hulkbuster Armor
During Knull’s invasion of Earth in 2021, Tony Stark used the corpse of a Celestial to create a wormhole generator that could save millions in future attacks. When the Hulk threatened all of reality in 2022’s Thor (Vol. 6) #25, Stark converted this Celestial corpse into a new suit of armor: the Celestial Hulkbuster. The Celestial Hulkbuster armor was destroyed during attacks by the unhinged Hulk and the gamma-transformed Thor. While the Celestials have become more important in the MCU in recent projects, including Eternals and Captain America: Brave New World, we likely won’t see this armor in live-action.
The Celestial Hulkbuster armor gifted Tony Stark unimaginable levels of power that we have never seen in the MCU. This included immense strength and durability, and various cosmic weapons. The armor was capable of interplanetary flight, and could absorb a small amount of gamma radiation – though not enough to withstand the Hulk at his full power. This armor was visually impressive, and would make for a cinematic spectacle in the live-action MCU, but it’s unlikely that Tony Stark would ever convert the corpse of a Celestial into a suit of armor, even if it would be incredible to see.
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