Iron Man is one of the most popular MCU characters of all time, and is instantly recognizable by his iconic armored suit, often sporting red and gold colors. As fans will know, underneath the armor is none other than Tony Stark, the billionaire played by Robert Downey Jr. in the MCU. Downey Jr. received great praise in his eleven years in the role, particularly for bringing a comedic tone and balancing that with a significant emotional weight.
Over the course of his iconic run in the MCU, Iron Man wore several different pieces of armor, including a few that unique in their color scheme (and even some controlled by AI). Across nine films, including a solo trilogy, four Avengers team-ups, and a supporting appearance alongside Spider-Man, here is every Iron Man armor worn by Tony Stark in the MCU.
Iron Man: Mark I, Mark II, Mark III
As an origin story, the first Iron Man film shows the evolution of Tony Stark from a cocky young billionaire to a hero through and through. At the same time, there’s a clear progression of his Iron Man suits as he becomes more comfortable with the new technology and building new suits for himself.
In this first film, Tony wears three different armored suits: Mark I, Mark II, Mark III. The first two are distinctly unique because of their relative lack of color; the first is a collection of silver metal parts (something that Tony used to escape capture and get away from the cave he was being kept him), and the second also features a silver color scheme, albeit much more sleek and elegant.
Mark II, the shiniest of the pair of silver suits, was designed after he returned to his California home and is the first of Tony’s many models to have the slimmer shape and casing that Iron Man was known for. Mark I, of course, was much broader in its design.
Meanwhile, this evolution to the classic comic armor was complete in the first film with Mark III. Tony Stark implemented the classic red and gold color scheme that he would later retain for almost every model after this, and his transformation into a full-fledged superhero was complete with the finishing of this particular piece of armor. In this suit, Tony defeats a group of terrorists wreaking havoc on innocent civilians in the Middle East and his former mentor, Obadiah Stone/Iron Monger.
Iron Man 2: Mark IV, Mark V, Mark VI
One of the core elements of Iron Man as a hero is his frequent transition to new armor, something that truly began in Iron Man 2 as Tony Stark wore a few distinct suits, including one particularly memorable one on the Formula 1 racetrack.
The first of these is Mark IV, a suit that doesn’t have any major differences from the one that came before it. The red is certainly brighter, and the suit was built because of the fact that Mark III was destroyed in the final battle of the first film, but it ultimately featured only minor updates.
Next up is Mark V, which is the most memorable of the three suits in this film. The suit up scene, in which Tony seamlessly puts on the armor (with the help of the AI technology), is a big reason for why this sequence has stuck with fans for so long. This has become known as Iron Man’s suitcase suit, due to the fact that it was the first to be fully transportable, a big step forward for the hero. The red and silver design is also a clear step in a different and unique direction from the previous iteration’s color scheme.
The Avengers: Mark VII
The same suit as he wore in the final battle of Iron Man 2, Tony’s Mark VII is the first to feature a triangular arc reactor. There were certainly some issues with the original reactors at the center of the suit, so this was another big technical step forward for the hero. He is ultimately able to go face to face with Whiplash in the second solo film and, perhaps more impressively, fights Chris Hemsworth’s Thor in The Avengers using this suit. There are more weapons and artillery as a result of the enhanced arc reactor, hence why Tony was able to up his fighting game so significantly.
Iron Man 3: Mark XLII, Iron Legion Armors
Iron Man 3 features, by far, the most number of suits for the lead hero. The most notable of these is Mark XLII, which has a more subdued gold/beige color that features primarily over the red. Technology wise, this is the first suit that flies onto Tony and assembles itself (an idea that took a few tries in some humorous moments in this film).
Iron Man 3 also features the array of other Iron Man suits that are eventually used as Tony protects his friends and family in the final battle. Guy Pearce’s villain is certainly a worthy adversary, especially as Tony needed to use several of these suits, including one of the fastest pieces of armor he ever created, Mark XL.
Avengers: Age of Ultron: Mark XLIII, Mark XLIV, Mark XLV
Many assumed Iron Man 3’s ending to be a conclusion to Tony Stark’s time in the MCU, but Robert Downey Jr. continued on with Avengers: Age of Ultron. This second team outing, with self-created Ultron as the main villain, was unique in that Tony returned to a more familiar color scheme for Mark XLIII and the rest of his suits here. XLIII serves as an updated design of the classic armor because of this.
The most unique suit in this film is the Hulkbuster, aka Mark XLIV. Tony designed this suit as a precaution in the event that Hulk would turn against him and the rest of the Avengers. Hulk is a bigger part of this story than the previous Avengers outing, including an arc about trying to control his gamma-ray powers. The Hulkbuster needed to be used in what was ultimately a memorable sequence and fight between the two.
Finally, Age of Ultron has Mark XLV, a suit that features more red than any of the others. The yellow and gold are contained to the face and side areas, with the red dominating throughout. This suit is also a shinier and brighter version than previous designs. The most notable aspect of this suit is the presence of Tony’s new AI, FRIDAY, who replaced JARVIS (who turned into Vision in this film).
Captain America: Civil War: Mark XLVI
Civil War marked the beginning of the end of Tony Stark in the MCU in many ways, particularly as this film saw the destruction of the relationship of between Tony and Steve Rogers. This film also featured just one Iron Man armor, with no switching or swapping, something that was a rarity at this time. The only armor here is Mark XLVI, which was influenced by the Bleeding Edge suit from the comic book source material.
Spider-Man: Homecoming: Mark XLVII
Tony Stark has a supporting role in the first solo Spider-Man film in the MCU, serving as a mentor to young Peter Parker. Mark XLVII has some unique features, such as the ability to be on autopilot without Tony in it, as evidenced by his phone call conversation with Peter. The armor also sports a heavy amount of silver throughout.
Avengers: Infinity War: Mark L
Arguably the biggest technological advancement in Iron Man’s suits in the MCU is in Infinity War, as Mark L is the first to be made with nanotechnology. There’s seemingly unlimited bullets, missiles, rockets, and weapons to use in a suit that has the ability to reshape itself significantly.
Avengers: Endgame: Mark LXXXV
Tony’s final suit in the MCU is the Mark LXXXV, which is the armor that most closely resembles the classic look of the character from the comic books. The design of the face in particular highlights the similarities between this movie suit and the look of Iron Man in Steve Ditko’s work. This is almost certainly Iron Man’s strongest suit, particularly as he’s able to fight off Thanos during the final battle, as well as dealing with the villain’s many soldiers and allies.