Several other characters have joined Tony Stark in donning an Iron Man-style suit of armor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man was the first on-screen hero in the MCU, despite not having any innate superpowers of his own. His gifts are given to him by his technologically-advanced armor, which many characters have tried to replicate or acquire in the 17 years since 2008’s Iron Man. This has made way for a number of armored heroes sporting iron suits in the MCU.
Most characters in the MCU have some sort of naturally-occurring or chemically-enhanced abilities, but there are many others who need assistance to operate as superheroes alongside these innately-powered individuals. Suits of armor developed by Tony Stark or based on the Iron Man suit have elevated 11 MCU characters into formidable heroes and even more terrifying villains, , including Iron Monger, War Machine, and the Iron Spider-Man, culminating in the evolution of Riri Williams’ Ironheart suit in her 2025 Disney+ series.
Currently, no armored heroes have been confirmed to be returning in Avengers: Doomsday or Avengers: Secret Wars, so it’s unclear what the future holds for Iron Man’s legacy. After Ironheart’s finale, it’s very likely Riri Williams will return, while it’s possible that Robert Downey Jr.’s appearance as Doctor Doom – who is expected to sport armor of his own – could open the door for an Iron Man variant to also show up. Any number of these former Iron Man-style characters could return in the MCU’s Phase 6.
11) Tony Stark’s Iron Man
2008’s Iron Man opened with Tony Stark being attacked and taken captive by the Ten Rings in Afghanistan, who urged him to create weapons for them. Instead, Stark and his fellow prisoner, Ho Yinsen (Shaun Toub) forged a miniaturized arc reactor and the first Iron Man suit, which allowed Stark to escape. Since then, the Iron Man suit went through many variations, each more powerful and impressive than the last, which helped to cement Tony Stark as the face of the MCU and one of the franchise’s most formidable and dedicated heroes.
Tony Stark’s Iron Man made his final appearance in Avengers: Endgame in an armored suit capable of withstanding the combined energy of all six Infinity Stones. Stark really outdid himself when creating this armor, as holding all six Infinity Stones was no mean feat. Even so, it’s possible Avengers: Doomsday or Secret Wars could introduce variants of Tony Stark with even more powerful suits – perhaps armor capable of traveling the multiverse. Variants of Tony Stark have sported many brilliant suits in the animated What If…? series, too, but Stark’s live-action armors are the MCU’s most iconic.
10) Obadiah Stane’s Iron Monger
The MCU’s first movie didn’t only debut an armored hero in the form of Iron Man, but also introduced a similarly-armored villain – Obadiah Stane’s Iron Monger. Jeff Bridges delivered a brilliant and memorable performance as Stane that has recently been given new life with the debut of his son, Alden Ehrenreich’s Ezekiel Stane. To become Iron Monger, Stane developed his own armor from the scraps left behind by Tony Stark, but he was ultimately bested and killed by the titular hero, as Stane hadn’t worked out all the kinks of the Iron Man armor that Stark had.
9) James “Rhodey” Rhodes’ War Machine
Originally played by Terrence Howard, then later and more prominently by Don Cheadle, Rhodey was introduced as Tony Stark’s best friend and Stark Industries’ liaison in the United States’ Air Force’s Department of Acquisitions. In 2010’s Iron Man 2, Rhodey stole an early Iron Man armor, which was kitted out by Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell) with all sorts of weapons, turning him into War Machine. Rhodey has operated as War Machine ever since, but has never been given the limelight. He’s supposed to appear in the MCU’s Armor Wars movie, but news on the project has been scarce for years.
8) Pepper Potts
Gwyneth Paltrow’s long-running love-interest to Tony Stark, Pepper Potts, first donned an Iron Man suit in 2013’s Iron Man 3, where Stark put the suit on her to protect her during Aldrich Killian’s (Guy Pearce) attack on Stark’s Malibu mansion. It wasn’t until 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, however, where Potts suited up in an armor of her own. This blue suit of armor allowed Pepper Potts to fight alongside the Avengers against Thanos and his armies as Rescue, taken straight from the pages of Marvel Comics, but Potts hasn’t been seen in the years since Stark’s demise on the battlefield.
7) Eric Savin
Eric Savin (James Badge Dale) was Aldrich Killian’s right-hand-man during his terrorism campaign and creation of the Mandarin. He was enhanced by Extremis, which worked successfully for him while unpredictably destroying other subjects, but Savin also gained the enhancement of the Iron Patriot armor – formerly War Machine – in Iron Man 3. He stole the Iron Patriot armor and used it to kidnap President Matthew Ellis (William Sadler), before being killed by Tony Stark thanks to him firing a repulsor blast through the bully Savin’s chest, obliterating his heart entirely.
6) President Matthew Ellis
Matthew Ellis was one of the few individuals in the MCU to wear an Iron Man-like suit of armor and not actually put it to any use as a hero or a villain. Ellis was kidnapped by Savin and brought to Killian’s oil tanker in the Iron Patriot suit, where he was strung up and prepared to be killed in front of the world audience as a symbol and the fabricated Mandarin’s final attack. Rhodey saved Ellis and reacquired the Iron Patriot armor, allowing him to help Tony Stark’s Iron Man take down Aldrich Killian and his Extremis soldiers.
5) Peter Parker’s Spider-Man
First teased at the end of 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming, Tom Holland’s Peter Parker finally suited up in the Iron Spider-Man costume in Avengers: Infinity War only a year later. This fortified suit of armor, made from Stark’s favored nanotech, gave Spider-Man even more abilities, including helping him breathe at high altitudes, giving him protection against attacks, and gifting him extra limbs that allowed him to save Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and be a huge asset in the fight against Thanos. Peter Parker has since gone back to basics, and will have his homemade suit in 2026’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
4) Bruce Banner
Even though the Hulk refused to emerge to help during the battle against Thanos (Josh Brolin) in Avengers: Infinity War, Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) wasn’t so quick to back down from the fight. In order to obtain the Hulk’s power without actually transforming, Banner suited up in the Hulkbuster armor in Wakanda. This armor was first seen in 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, which saw Stark wear it to fight the Hulk in Johannesburg. Banner’s appearance in the Hulkbuster armor was brilliant given his friendship with Tony Stark, and a great stepping stone in the hero’s evolution.
3) Steve Rogers’ HYDRA Stomper
The animated What If…? series might have introduced a number of Tony Stark variants, but the Multiverse Saga show also debuted other armored heroes. The first of these was Steve Rogers (Josh Keaton), who suited up in the Howard Stark-created (Dominic Cooper) HYDRA Stomper armor during World War II after Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) became a super-soldier. Copying Bucky Barnes’ (Sebastian Stan) Winter Soldier storyline, Rogers’ HYDRA Stomper returned in the present day of Captain Carter’s timeline as a soldier of the Red Room. This put a fantastic twist on the typical Iron Man story.
2) Justin Hammer’s Hulkbuster
In What If…? season 2, episode 3, “What If… Happy Hogan Saved Christmas?,” Sam Rockwell made his much-anticipated return to Marvel to voice Justin Hammer, who attacked Avengers Tower in a Die Hard-style storyline, hoping to acquire a vial of Bruce Banner’s gamma-irradiated blood. It’s Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau) who is injected with the blood, turning him into Freak, but Hammer opposes him by suiting up in the Hulkbuster armor. There have been calls for Justin Hammer to return to the live-action MCU, and after his appearance in What If…? season 2, this prospect is even more exciting.
1) Riri Williams’ Ironheart
Dominique Thorne made her MCU debut as Riri Williams in 2022’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, where she suited up in two different versions of the Ironheart armor. One of these was created with vibranium, which made it remarkably powerful, but was kept by the Wakandans when Riri returned home. 2025’s Ironheart series gave Riri Williams new powers, however, as she went through two more suits of armor before landing on her final Ironheart design. She used this suit – empowered by Zelma Stanton’s (Regan Aliyah) magic – to battle Parker Robbins (Anthony Ramos), ultimately claiming the mystical Hood for herself.
The final moments of Marvel Television’s Ironheart saw Riri Williams make a deal with the demonic supervillain Mephisto (Sacha Baron Cohen), and kitted out her Ironheart armor with the Hood, which has already started to corrupt her. The series finale, “The Past Is the Past,” consequently debuted perhaps the most powerful suit of armor in the MCU’s history, but also the most dangerous. It’s unclear when or if Riri Williams’ Ironheart will return to the MCU, but it’s exciting to think about what abilities her upcoming suits of armor will have now she’s working with Mephisto and using the Hood.
Who are your favorite armored characters in the MCU? Let us know in the comments!
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