All sites need a top ten list, so here’s mine: Kyle’s Top Ten Iron Man Armors.

So how’s that for topical? New trailer, new toys-general human race attention span briefly shining on all things Tony Stark…..Never say we here at 10mfh don’t latch onto the fads of the youth.

Now onto the fun.

The following are MY favorite armors that the bastards has sported in his nearly 50 (!) years. Which, of course, means everyone is liable to call BULLSHIT! To which I say bite me and let’s see your damn list. This goes for my compatriots on this site-I expect to see you lists posted in the following days. Hell, we have to have daily content somehow right?

So alright, onto the show…

10. Modular Armor- Not much to say about this one. Main reason it even remotely ranks is because I came into comics in the early 90's. So in essence, this is my generations Iron Man. It appeared both on the animated series of the time and the Capcom fighting games. It's a cool enough look, dig that it lacks an open mouth and the modular concept was pretty cool. But it's 10 for a reason, it's decent and nostalgia alone gets it on here.
9. Do I really need to explain this one? It's Iron Man! With a NOSE! Oh and roller blades. Fuck me the Silver Age of comics was one batshit time.
8. Iron Man 2020- Proving that the Silver age wasn't the only source of crazy in the comics world. We have this beauty of an eyesore has what amounts to the 'classic look. Except with an angry face.....and shoulder gears. Damn,I don't envy the artist for this one. The armor first popped up in 1984, proving that comics can't tell the future for shit (we only have ten years and I don't see this happening)
7. Heroes Reborn armor - Heroes reborn, Marvel's attempt at making the classic characters 'cool,' by rehiring a bunch of quitters. It's true, the stable of artists Marvel hired for this (Liefield, Lee) QUIT Marvel comics a little over five years prior, man I wish this happened when I quit a job. As it stands this was really the first of the hyper-detailed armors (meaning no goddamn metal spandex!) and seeing as it was drummed up by then and still superstar artist Jim Lee you should expect it to look badass. Which it does, in many ways it's like a preview of what the Iron Man armor would become in the 2000's.....except a little crazier looking.
6. Y2k armor - Really, I should hate this armor. See, never been a fan of his 'classic' look, the metal spandex look I understand it's existence (as it'd likely been a nightmare to draw this way back when and the art wasn't THAT detailed then either) but that doesn't mean I particularly like it. Known by many as the 'Y2K armor' since it was involved with the first memorable story of Stark's in the 21st century- where his suit goes nuts during 1/1/00, gets some AI and then goes all stalker/HAL on Stark. Have to love insane obsessive suits of armor. The look stands out, in that it is very classically styled (especially when you consider that this directly followed the 'Reborn' armor) the suit still has enough going on to make it visually interesting. Especially nice is the LED lighting on the collar and helmet.
5. Mark 2 (film) - I don't think I've said this yet, but I really hate the red and gold look that Stark has cultivated over the years. More of a personal preference I think, not a fan of gold at all really (is there a more gaudy color? The answers is NO) but I accept that it is part of what makes Iron Man...well Iron Man. Wait, no it isn't. As this suit shows. What is really just the standard Iron Man armor but without paint.
4. Silver Centurion armor - another entry in the 'silver is better dammit!' category. I love comics in 80's. Between tearing apart superheroes, more adult stories, they even found the time to actually update their outfits! Sadly this would backfire in the 90's when this happened every other hour, and all it amounted to was the same suit. But in black and with sharp edges everywhere, oh and the ANGRY FACE! (maybe Iron Man 2020 was only off by the date...hmm)
3. Hulkbuster armor - You have to face the Hulk, and it's the 90's. You have a toy line, and dozen's of other 'event' books running about, and you know the writer is a sick bastard and may in fact write the Hulk to be even more absurdly powerful. What do you do? Stage team-up? Different guy wears the suit to be pummeled? Rely on the faith that the newly minted suit you JUST INTRODUCED NOT EVEN A YEAR AGO will be technologically able to withstand it? FUCK, NO. Instead you head out in a suit that looks almost identical to your current suit....if said suit took Bane's Venom formula (how's that for a comic reference?) The results will be both absurd and fuckin AWESOME.
2. 1st appearance armor - After all this and the second is THAT? Yes it is, and I'll tell you why. It's far from the most advanced piece of hardware (it's powered by TRANSISTORS! DAMMIT! EGGPLANT!) but tell me this hunk of rusty assplating just doesn't scream 'COOL.' First and foremost Stark built it in a CAVE all while dying from a hunk of shrapnel in his chest. This suit not only declares itself awesome, but fucking BADASS to boot. Do I even have to mention it's clunky as all hell and looks like something that could actually be built? No I think not. My favorite armor, or it was until they decided to not only bring it back....but make it better.
1. Mark 1 armor (film)- I'm not wasting time repeating myself, see the above to get the gist about my slight man-crush on Stark's first dabbling in the armor market. All that but add on the slight steam punkish vibe this one carries (and steam punk is always cool. Don't argue) This bad boy was a lurching death mountain that might not have lasted long, but kicked ass all the while and managed to take a previously awesome suit and tweak it for modern times. Bravo Hollywood, bout damn time you get something right.

About kylethoreau 146 Articles
KyleThoreau is a time-traveling axe murderer from the 1800’s. He stopped in the 2000’s because he ran out of the secret time-travel juice that the cyborg clone of Abe Lincoln gave him. He must now find the clone of Abe to return to his time-travel duties. In the meantime he has decided to report on geeky news and read comic books.

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