Tony Stark: The Genius Costume Maker

By Ayush Kudesia

"Big man in a suit of armor. Take that away, what are you?"

"Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist."

Who doesn't remember that third degree burn Tony Stark gave Captain America back in The Avengers (2012)? This scene made me realize that it is possible to love Tony Stark more. And why not? Not many characters have a wit as to their costume. The way RDJ brings the character of Stark to life, its like he was born to play this role.

We all know Tony Stark as a witty inventor, but today instead of the signature wit (thanks to Robert Downey Jr. for that!) let's focus on his costume making skills.
Here is a breakdown of some of my favorite Iron Man costumes by Tony Stark from recent live action films.

Mark 46

Tony Stark has had quite a few costumes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but this one is my personal favorite - the latest Mark 46 costume which Tony wore while he and Captain America went head to head against each other in Captain America: Civil War (2016). This modern version of the classic Iron Man costume uses the F.R.I.D.A.Y. operating system just like its predecessor. Stark built Mark 46 after Mark 45 was damaged in the Battle of Sokovia, probably a little before the forerunner of Civil war. It resembles the Bleeding Edge Armor from the comics. This armor's most impressive capability is the unibeam that emits from the Arc Reactor. It is so insanely powerful that it completely ripped Winter Soldier's metal arm from his body. Needless to say, it is the most advanced armor made yet, which makes it a must have Iron Man costume.

Mark 2: War Machine

The costume is the one piloted by Stark's friend, James Rhodes. You know it as the War Machine Armor, but originally it was named as Mark 2. It was featured in Iron Man 2 (2010). You know that Stark didn't happily donate his armor to Rhodes - let's just say that Rhodey didn't take away the costume prototype without a few bruises to both him and the costume. Justin Hammer modified the costume to have it command his Iron Man inspired Hammer Drones, and that itself provided the subtle differences to the design from a traditional Iron Man costume. And the dark and light grey hues don't look too shabby on the costume either!

A.I.M.: Then Iron Patriot

The third one is what we came to know as the Iron Patriot costume. It was seen just once in Iron Man 3 (2013). It is the same War Machine armor painted in red, white and blue colors to pay homage to the U.S. National Flag, along with modifications in the design and weaponry department. It was made slimmer and more adaptable than the War Machine armor. The armor was renamed by Advanced Idea Mechanics (A.I.M.) as Iron Patriot in response to Mandarin killing a man as a part of a lesson for The President. Iron Patriot, piloted by James Rhodes was sent to find and eradicate Mandarin's reign of terror. It is undoubtedly the most eccentric armor, mainly because of its distinctive colors, which make it a costume that stands out in the whole collection of the Iron Man costumes.

Mark 44: The Hulkbuster

The final one is the mighty Hulkbuster costume. I bet you loved this armor featured in Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015). Initially named as Mark 44, it is basically a huge armor extension for the Mark 43 armor created by Tony Stark and Bruce Banner together. Why the main armor needs an armor? Well, as the name suggests, it needed to be robust enough to give Hulk a run for his life in unruly scenarios. And we did get to see an incredible duel between Hulkbuster and Hulk. The color schemes are pretty similar to the standard Iron Man costumes. It has its own storage satellite Veronica which contains spare pieces of armor in case it is damaged during the battle. It is the largest and heaviest armor in MCU till date, being 24ft. tall. Obviously, the costume is not going to be 24ft. tall, if it were, how would you walk in it? But that doesn't mean you cannot have the luxury to be the Hulkbuster by putting on this compact sized costume. You need not to think twice before adding this to your Iron Man costumes' collection.