Iron Man’s most powerful suit of armor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe was never actually worn by Tony Stark himself, but it did thankfully make an appearance in Avengers: Endgame. Robert Downey Jr. played the genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist Tony Stark for eleven years between Iron Man and Endgame. He was one of the MCU’s most central heroes, and became one of the strongest by the end of his superhero career thanks to his continuous upgrades, but he never suited up in his most powerful armor.
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Tony Stark’s Iron Man armors allowed him to operate as a hero even though he didn’t have any innate superpowers. The primary abilities of every Iron Man suit included flight, repulsor blasts, enhanced strength, and access to advanced weaponry. Over the years, the armor underwent many upgrades, including updating the artificial intelligence from JARVIS to FRIDAY, introducing nanotechnology, and including a remote piloting function. There’s one suit that Stark never wore, however, even though it was the most powerful armor yet.
Avengers: Endgame’s Rescue Armor Was Iron Man’s Most Powerful Suit
In almost every way, the blue Rescue armor first seen in Avengers: Endgame is stronger than Iron Man’s own suits, but it was never worn by Tony Stark. First teased during Morgan Stark’s (Lexi Rabe) introduction, which saw her wear the Rescue armor’s helmet, the armor was primarily worn by Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), who joined her husband and superhero friends as Rescue during the Battle of Earth. We didn’t get a very good look at the full capabilities of the Rescue armor in Endgame, but Pepper did pull off some impressive feats.
As well as enhanced strength, durability, and stamina, the Rescue armor gifted Pepper Potts increased speed and agility, and the usual flight and repulsor powers that each Iron Man suit uses. However, the Rescue armor swiftly takes down one of Thanos’ ships with one energy blast, suggesting her beams are stronger than Iron Man’s, and she easily takes down a Leviathan with her powerful lasers, while Stark struggled to bring one down in The Avengers. The Rescue armor is also made from nanotechnology, has energy absorption capabilities, and could even force Thanos to his knees.
While we don’t have an accurate read on just how powerful the Rescue armor is, Tony Stark built it to protect Pepper and Morgan in the event of his demise. Because of this, Stark surely would have made it the most powerful suit yet, ensuring his wife and daughter would be safe. This ultimately made Stark comfortable enough to sacrifice his life to save his family and the universe from Thanos in Avengers: Endgame, implying that the Rescue armor may have protective qualities we haven’t even seen.
Will Rescue Return to the MCU?
Pepper Potts has been at the core of Tony Stark’s career as a superhero since her debut in Iron Man, going on to make appearances in Iron Man 2, The Avengers, Iron Man 3, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame. She only made one appearance as Rescue, however, in Endgame, and hasn’t been seen or heard from in the six years since. Morgan Stark almost returned in Spider-Man: No Way Home, which could have brought Pepper Potts’ Rescue back, too, but there has still been no word on whether Gwyneth Paltrow will reprise the role.
Robert Downey Jr.’s upcoming return to the MCU in Avengers: Doomsday – as Doctor Doom rather than Iron Man – could constitute Pepper and Morgan coming back. This could present the perfect opportunity for Pepper to suit up as Rescue, especially if Doom tracks down his likeness’ family on Earth 616. Gwyneth Paltrow has routinely stated that it’s unlikely she’ll be returning to the MCU, though has never overtly denied the return of Pepper Potts, which leaves the door open for Rescue to get back into action.
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