Iron Manis one ofthe most powerful members of the Avengers(indeed, he was one of the team’s founders), and the reason why is due in part to Tony Stark’s high level of intelligence and his inherent heroism. But, at the end of the day, Iron Man is able to rival superhumans and gods because of one thing: his suits - and Iron Man has no shortage.
Ever since building his first suit of armor, Tony Stark has been borderline obsessed with upgrading his mortal form by way of increasingly powerful Iron Man models. Sometimes, an Iron Man suit is considered powerful because it fulfills a very specific function perfectly, while other times it’s powerful because of the materials it’s made from. But, of course, true power needs no explanation, as Iron Man also boasts suits that allow him to rival the strongest beings in the Marvel Universe. Here arethe 20 most powerful Iron Man armors in Marvel Comics history, ranked!
19Hulkbuster (Classic and Powerful)
Iron Man #304by Len Kaminski, Steve Mitchell, Phil Felix, Kevin Hopgood, and Ariane Lenshoek
While the Hulkbuster suit isn’t Tony Stark’s first design, it’s famous for a reason.The Hulk is one of Marvel’s hardest hitters, and any armor capable of standing against the green giant has earned its place in the Iron Man Hall of Fame.
The original Hulkbuster had defense against a range of energy-based and physical attacks, so its bulk wasn’t just for show. With shoulder-mounted weapons and enhanced strength, it was a unique armor design for the time and has continued to be modified through the years (and multiple Hulk-tested encounters). It doesn’t always mean Tony wins, but he’s not folding like a sardine can, either.
18The Bleeding Edge, a Product of Marvel’s Greatest Minds
The Invincible Iron Man #25by Matt Fraction, Salvador Larroca, Frank D’Armata, and Joe Caramagna
The Bleeding Edge armor represents a melding of the minds between Tony Stark and Reed Richards, following Tony essentially taking his own brain offline to thwart Norman Osborne. It is “what comes next” following Extremis and Tony physically becoming Iron Man.
The Bleeding Edge suit is a marriage of Tony’s design and Reed’s material. The suit itself is made of nanoparticle bundles, which exist within Stark’s body and form liquid-like armor that can be altered at will. He’s able to pick and choose specific pieces to alter, change the material of the suit for opponents like Magneto, and form weapons. Bleeding Edge is, ultimately, one of the most important steps in his line of nanotech suits.
17The Fin Fang Foombuster (Tony’s 20-Story Armor)
Tony Stark: Iron Man #1by Dan Slott, Valerio Schiti, Edgar Delgado, Joe Caramagna
For the definitive “go big or go home” Iron Man suit, look no further thanTony Stark’s Fin Fang Foombuster. Developed to combat the legendary dragon Fin Fang Foom, Stark designed the Model 57 with sheer size in mind. He meant to go toe-to-toe with a literal behemoth and managed to do it - at least for a little while.
The Fin Fang Foombuster featured powerful electrical charges and repulsor cannons, all included for one single purpose: engage with the dragon as fast as possible. Unfortunately, the Model 57’s extreme size did not come with extreme durability, so it left a major but brief impression.
16Sentinel Buster (Orchis’ Worst Nightmare)
Invincible Iron Man #15by Gerry Duggan, Crees Lee, Walden Wong, Bryan Valenza, and Joe Caramagna
Tony Stark lost everything in World War Orchis, and his tech and designs were twisted from tools for heroism into mutant destroying Sentinels. The Sentinel Buster design is essentially Tony Stark fighting against his own mind.
The massive suit is made of ultra-powerful Mysterium. The integrated weapon system effectively brings down Sentinels, which even Omega-class mutants struggle against. Additionally, it has remote piloting abilities, allowing Tony to fight in his Mark 72 armor while the Sentinel Buster plows ahead. Unfortunately, he had no time to fully develop the power source, despite temporaryintervention from Magneto, so the Sentinel Buster design was short-lived.
15Model 51 Prime (A Marriage of Tony Stark’s Best Ideas)
Avengers Free Comic Book Day #1by Mark Waid, Mahmud Asrar, Frank Martin Jr., and Joe Sabino
Versatility is a major component of many Stark designs, but the Model 51 suit, often called Model Prime, is the true utility knife of Tony’s armor collection. Model 51 piggybacked off Iron Man’s other nanotech armors (like the Bleeding Edge suit) as well as other modular designs, resulting in a suit that can be weaponized and altered in pieces.
One of Model Prime’s most extraordinary features is its shape shifting, which allowed Tony to break it down into something as compact as a bracelet, shift into full powerhouse mode, or operate for stealth. Model 51 is the best of many worlds, and thus one of the most powerful Iron Man armors in the roster.
14The Dragon Slayer Armor is Made For Symbiote Battle
Miles Morales: Spider-ManVol. 2 #7 by Cody Ziglar, Federico Vicentini, and Bryan Valenza
On the surface, there may not be much to distinguish the Dragon Slayer armor from other standard Models, aside from some fantastic visual flair on the helmet and shoulders, more befitting a suit of fantasy armor than military-grade tech. And the same is true in terms of power.
But there’s something to be said for a specialized weapon, and this suit was crafted explicitly to take on the like of Carnage, Venom, or the Extrembiote armor. Sporting sonic weaponry powerful enough to obliterate a symbiote, it was the reveal of its deployable hard light sword and shield inCarnage Reigns Omega#1 that puts it on this list of the best of the best.
13Iron Man’s All-Time Most Powerful Armor (Which Has No Name)
Marvel Universe: Millennial Visions- “Iron Man: The Final Days” by Ariel Olivetti
“Iron Man: The Final Days” is a short story accompanied by an image featuring an agedTony Stark wearing his supposedly ‘most powerful Iron Man armor ever’. The story details the rise of a villain called Shogun in the not-too-distant future of the Marvel Universe. This villain has created their own armor rivaling that of Tony Stark, which prompts the now-retired Avenger to build something even better.
While fans don’t get to see this suit in action, the story specifically says it’s Iron Man’s most powerful armor to date, and given that “The Final Days” takes place at the end of Tony Stark’s life, that includes every god-tier suit he’s made up until that point. That’s a bold claim, one Marvel Comics still needs to provide evidence of before it can be hailed as his legitimate ‘best’.
12Tony’s ‘Ultronbuster’ Armor Turned Into A Living Nightmare
Tony Stark: Iron ManVol 1 #16 by Dan Slott, Jim Zub, Valerio Schiti, and Edgar Delgado
Tony Stark was slight on details when he first unveiled the suit of armor he was finalizing before taking on a returned Ultron, but it made an impact immediately. Appearing with extended limbs and concealed weaponry in the chest, it might have been forgettable among other ‘Buster’ variants.
Unfortunately for Tony, this was the very suit of armor that sawIron Man fused into a man/machine monstrosity, making it the only suit on this list that actually became a part of Tony’s living flesh. A horrifying distinction, but a rare one nonetheless.
11The Nano Particle Suit, Worn by Tony Stark’s Successor
Iron Man: The Endby David Michelinie and Bernard Chang
WhenTony Stark is at the end of his rope, he picks Nick Travis as his successor, and they build an immensely powerful suit together. This suit is formed of liquid metal which allows it to quickly shift between models, going from being armor with supersonic travel capabilities, to having Hulkbuster-level strength.
The suit is made even better when nano particles are introduced, allowing the suit to invisibly hover around the wearer at all times before hardening into whatever model of armor the wearer requires for any given mission.
Nick Travis makes this suit his main Iron Man armor, which cements Tony Stark’s legacy, as this suit is one of the most technologically advanced armors he’s ever developed.
10Iron Man’s Future Hologram Armor (Which Augments Reality Itself)
I Am Iron Man#1 by Murewa Ayodele and Dotun Akande
In an alternate future shown inI Am Iron Man, Tony Stark has developed armor that’s more than just a suit, but an entire augmented reality system that traps Iron Man’s enemies within a virtual city as he fights them - and they have no idea.
When it was introduced, this suit seemed like kaiju-sized energy-based armor, with Tony Stark controlling it from its center. However, as the issue progressed, it was revealed that the suit was entirely virtual, as was the ‘Tony Stark’ in its chest.
In actuality, the real Tony Stark was sitting in a chair a good distance away from the enemy he was fighting, completely hidden within the hologram city manifested by this decidedly unique - and immensely powerful - Iron Man suit.
