Top Ten Armors of Iron Man 3

The attack of the Iron Legion. One of the most fist-pumpingly-awesome moments in the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe. About thirty armors on screen at once, each one with a unique look and function. Well, actually, that’s a bit of a lie. Several armors are variations on the same theme. There are a couple armors with arm attachments, a couple meant for withstanding radiation, a couple meant for stealth, et cetera.

But still, when I first took it upon myself to go through the MCU wiki and look at each and every armor, this was my reaction.

Like my own metallic children

But alas, I have to play favorites. So without further ado, I present to you my Top 10 Armors in Iron Man 3.

10: Mark XV/Sneaky

Because sometimes, the placeholder names stick.

An armor with a working cloaking device. I am absolutely sold on the idea. There were two armors that were supposed to have cloaking capabilities, and I like the look of this one better. In fact, this armor’s unique look is the only reason it’s on the list at all.  The cloaking devices are never used. Dang ol’ Treaty of Algeron.

9: Mark XXII/Hot Rod

A little hot rod red in there.

Flames make everything cooler. Even a prototype for an upgraded War Machine. (Possibly trying to convince Rhodey to abandon the Iron Patriot gear?) The unique paint job puts this otherwise unremarkable armor at the number 9 slot, because it certainly didn’t do much of anything worth ranking it higher.

You have failed us.

8: Mark XXXVIII/Igor

Looks more like Frankenstein.

The Hulkbuster armor is a fan-favorite, and definitely one that people were clamoring to see on screen. So when the brief clip of Igor in the Iron Man 3 trailer came along, people flocked to the internet and used their keyboards to scream “OH MY GOD IT’S THE HULKBUSTER!” To which others replied, “No it’s not. It’s blue and shaped wrong.”

In the end, Igor… is not the Hulkbuster. Its official purpose is heavy lifting, not busting Hulks. But Igor was still the closest thing to the Hulkbuster armor until Age of Ultron brought along the actual Hulkbuster, which I have to admit I like better than Igor. I don’t know, I just like the domed helmet better, and Igor just seems a little too much like construction equipment, rather than armor. Though I guess that’s the entire point.

While I still think Igor was a cool addition, I'm not marking it any higher than this because it was little more than a knockoff of the armor we really wanted to see.

7: Mark XXVIII/Jack

The Jack of one trade.

Out of all the radiation suits Tony built, I like the coloring on this one the best, which makes it look like a biohazard symbol. That’s the kind of goofy thing you’d see in the comics, and I love it.

6: Mark XXXVI/Peacemaker

You got legs, hon.

It's basically the "Red Snapper" armor without the distinctive claws. But... I don't know, I like the idea of anti-riot armor. And I think the armors with the gigantic tools on them like Jackhammer and Red Snapper look a little bit unwieldy, like they’re going to knock something over.

An armor that practically screams “No. You move" with its mighty legs that won't budge.

Although the claims that this was originally an "anti-riot" armor could let one reasonably claim that this was the predecessor to Ultron...? From a certain point of view?

5: Mark XXXIX/Starboost

AKA "Gemini." I don't know why it has two names.

The one that he was going to wear to go visit the Guardians of the Galaxy... according to a false rumor. But even so, it's a sharp-looking armor that draws on our current ideas of what spaceships and spacesuits should look like. And it makes sense that he’d build this armor after his little escapade into space. And it also makes sense that he’d build other armors before it; I imagine Tony built this in the hopes that he could face his fears of space and get some sleep. Then he decided that sleep was for dorks and kept building armors.

4: Mark XXXIII/Silver Centurion

Hello, sweetie.

My favorite armor from the comics, updated well. I’ve always liked the red/silver color scheme, as well as the triangular shoulder pads, so it was really nice to see the classic elements of the armor kept while updating it to fit in with the film’s style.

And the addition of the blade is a really cool way to make it a true "Centurion." So yes, seeing this suit used prominently in the finale to slice off Killian’s hand was wonderful.

I could watch this gif forever.

3: Mark XLI/Bones

"Dammit, Jim, I'm an armor, not a doctor!"

The Mark XLI armor is the one that immediately predates the one he spends most of Iron Man 3 using. As we find out during the big Extremis fight, it was the prototype for Tony's new split-and-combine armor approach, and its barebones look looks really cool. One wonders what sort of mix-and-match armor plans Tony may have had.

2: Mark XLII

I await the inevitable rebuttals.

Mark 42 has no "official" name, but I've seen it referred to as "Mustard Man" by people who dislike the muted gold colors.

But yeah, I'll admit it. I liked the mostly-gold armor. Sure, it’s basically a lemon that’s still in beta, but it’s got a unique color scheme that makes it visually distinct and its break-apart-and-recombine gimmick matches where the armors in the comics started going after the "Extremis" storyline. And its slim design marks a transition in the MCU's armor aesthetic from the bulky, boxy armor of the 2008 comics to the more current “Bleeding Edge” design.

You know, the one that was replaced a while back.

1: Mark XVII/Heartbreaker

Tony Stark broke my heart when he blew it up.

Everybody seems to love the Heartbreaker armor, except for the people sick of the hype. Personally, I think it's an awesome-looking update of my second-favorite comic book armor, the Ultimate Iron Man armor.

This is always the skin I always use in Marvel: Ultimate Alliance.

And other than that, I'm afraid I can't really explain why I like it the best. Aesthetics, I guess? Maybe that it's a happy medium between the armor's usual size and a bulkier version, keeping the classic color scheme and reinforcing the chestpiece to emphasize the unibeam? I dunno. I just like it. A lot.

At least it does something different, unlike the dishonorable mentions....

Least Favorite: Mark VIII-XI

I'm glad they're labeled, because I wouldn't be able to tell them apart otherwise.

Just minor changes with the usual color scheme. Ho hum. On the one hand, I like that they represent how Tony’s descent into building specialized armors happened gradually. On the other hand, they’re over shadowed by the more unique armors in the bunch. As in… all the other armors.

Well, there it is, my Top 10 armors. So what about you? Which armor was your favorite? Least favorite? What do you hope to see from future armors? Roller skates? Liquid metal? Feel free to leave a comment below!