This is the second part of Akatsuki’s Marvel Legends Iron Man Retrospective, the finale to our Iron Mania week. Part 2 covers the Modern Armor Iron Man from ML8 through the First Appearance Iron Men in ML 14.
Marvel Legends 8: “Modern” Armor Iron Man
First Appearance: Iron Man, vol. 3, #73 (2003).
Official Name: Mark XXIV.
If you are like me, you like your action figures not just super-articulated and super-detailed. You like them ultra-hyper-super-articulated and ultra-hyper-super-detailed. That makes the ML 8 “Modern” Armor your favorite. Following quickly on the heels of the ML 7 Silver Centurion Armor, the ML 8 “Modern” Armor is the first Iron Man Marvel Legends figure to abandon the ML 1 Iron Man base body. Rather, ML 8 Iron Man embraced change, featuring more articulation than any prior Marvel Legends figure. Maybe ML 8 Doc Ock could beat “Modern” Iron Man for the overall count, but Doc Ock is cheating. From individually articulated fingers to articulated pauldron armor, this is the action figure to beat for super-articulation. In fact, Modern Iron Man’s unique shoulder design swings in such a way as to give the figure the greatest range of motion I have ever seen in an action figure. Modern Iron Man can flawlessly perform all manners of repulsor blasting poses, hadoken poses, and can easily cross his armors.
In addition, to the articulation, the ML 8 Iron Man figure possesses one of the most intricately detailed sculpts to come out of the Marvel Legends line.
Some people do not approve of ML 8 Iron Man’s thinner physique and muted crimson colors. Aesthetically, these critiques may have a point; however, the armor’s thinner frame and muted colors are comic accurate. During early 2000s, Iron Man’s comic book went through a number of changes. After Iron Man’s Heroes Return Armor became sentient and was destroyed, Tony went through a number of different armors (and artists on his title), with minor fluctuations in armor designs sometimes occurring in every issue. By 2003, Tony Stark was serving as the U.S. Secretary of Defense, and his identity as Iron Man was public knowledge. Tony began adopting a much more armor-plated design for his armors, and the ML 8 Iron Man figure represents one of these heavily armor-plated designs. However, at the same time, Tony Stark himself was often depicted as possessing a much smaller and normal frame, unlike his prior depiction as a 6’1”, 225 lbs. muscular man. This may be part of the reason for the ML 8 Iron Man figure’s smaller build (even then, you might question how a human could fit inside this armor).
One thing to note, this is one of the precursor armors to the Extremis Armor. Although the Extremis Armor shares the ML 8 Iron Man armors armor-plated design, the Extremis Armor did not appear until 2005. Nevertheless, so far the ML 8 Iron Man figure is the closest we have gotten to a 6” scale representation of the Extremis Armor. This resemblance has added even more appeal to the ML 8 Modern Iron Man figure.
The Modern Armor keeps up the trend of all Marvel Legends Iron Man figures featuring a removable faceplate complete with a sculpt of Tony Stark’s face underneath.
Collectors all have different priorities, but to me, ML 8 Modern Iron Man represents the epitome of action figure design.
Marvel Legends Series 9: War Machine (MAX series)
First Appearance: War Machine Max series.
Returning to the pattern set by the previous Marvel Legend Iron Man figures, the War Machine (MAX) figure reused the same bulky base body from ML 1 Iron Man. But like the Silver Centurion Armor, the War Machine armor received several new pieces to distinguish it from the other armor figures. Removing War Machine’s faceplate revealed the face of famed War Machine pilot, James Rhodes.
Rumor has it that James Rhodes was sculpted to resemble Toy Biz (and now Hasbro) employee Dave Vonner. War Machine’s other new parts included new gauntlets featuring his wrist-mounted cannons, new boots, and a new belt piece.
But most importantly, War Machine features a large piece of soft plastic torso armor that fit over the figure’s head and torso. This torso armor included holes for War Machine’s famous shoulder-mounted weaponry to plug into place. War Machine came equipped ready for battle with his standard armament of a missile launcher mounted on his right shoulder, and a powerful gattling gun mounted on his left shoulder. The gattling gun even included a power cord that connected to the back of the armor, as well as an ammo chain. Finally, the back of the torso armor featured a large drum of ammunition. Adding even more detail and fun, Toy Biz gave War Machine a bevy of blast effects to show off War Machine’s heavy weapon systems. War Machine included a cloud of smoke and three fired missiles, the flame from his gattling gun fire, a chain of ammunition, repulsor blasts that could plug into his feet as well as jet boot flames. Altogether, War Machine featured some of the most accessories of any Marvel Legend. And to put it all together, he came with a flying stand that could show off all his equipment in use.
In the mainstream Marvel Universe (616), the War Machine armor first appeared in Iron Man #281 (1992). Departing from the red coloration that had become a hallmark of the Iron Man armor since the Proto-Classic Armor in 1963, Tony Stark made the Variable Threat Response Battle Suit a.k.a. War Machine, a more somber black and silver. Framed by the villainous businessman Justin Hammer, a gravely injured Stark was on the run from a trio of modern-day armored samurai, the Masters of Silence, who mistakenly believe Stark was guilty of selling faulty equipment. The Masters of Silence unique battle armor proved remarkably resistant to the Iron Man repulsor technology. Spurred by the need to redeem his honor and save his own life, Stark poured all of his ingenuity and determination into the War Machine suit. Armed with a energy blade and flamethrower mounted in the left wrist, cannons mounted on the right wrist, a shoulder-mounted gattling gun, a shoulder-mounted missile launcher, and coated with an extremely durable poly-carbon shell, the War Machine armor managed to overpower and overcome the 3-1 odds against it. Just a couple issues later in Iron Man #284, Tony faked his death and bequeathed Stark Enterprises and the War Machine armor to Jim Rhodes. Rhodes wore the War Machine armor with distinction first as Iron Man, and then under his own title as War Machine. Known for its bulk and massive firepower, the War Machine armor remains one of the most famous Iron Man armors, branching into a unique history all its own.
Marvel Legends Series 11: Hulkbuster Armor Iron Man
First Appearance: Iron Man #304.
Official Name: Mark XIII, Hulkbuster exo-armor.
Hulk: “Something I’ve always wondered: do you design the specialty armors first—or the action figures?” (Iron Man #305).
Capable of lifting 175 tons, the Hulkbuster Armor is an exo-armor built to enhance Iron Man’s Modular Armor. Souped up hydraulics and advanced carbon composite materials gave the Hulkbuster Armor all the raw strength and durability to go toe-to-toe with the Hulk in an even match. However, Hulk possessed the full intellect and calm demeanor of Bruce Banner at the time. Thus, ironically it was a badgered and stressed Tony Stark who was the more bellicose opponent.
Visually one of Iron Man’s coolest and most distinctive armors, the Hulkbuster Armor continues to endure. It appeared in multiple episodes of Iron Man’s animated series in the 1990s, first as Iron Man’s final answer to the Armor Wars, and second as Iron Man’s answer to Hulk. Notably, the Hulkbuster Armor did not fare well in that episode, getting torn to shreds by the end of the show. Still, the Hulkbuster Armor merited a n excellent 5” action figure in Toy Biz’s old Iron Man line.
The Hulkbuster Armor returned to comics in the late 2000s as an independent satellite armor from Tony Stark’s Argonaut Project. The Argonaut Project consisted of specialty armors that Tony could operate remotely via his Extremis communication abilities. The project included a powerful brawling Hulkbuster Armor; a gargantuan Subterranean Armor armed with an anti-metal Antarctic vibranium helmet; a “Space Ghost” stealth armor; an aquatic Submariner-Buster Armor; and an all-out combat “Adamantium Man” armor. When Tony Stark’s mind became corrupted by the son of Ho Yinsen, the Argonaut armors went rogue, spreading chaos around the world. The Hulkbuster Armor found itself in New York City, where it laid waste to the New Avengers. Tony Stark arrived in his Extremis Armor, just in time to save Captain America’s life. Because the Hulkbuster Armor was linked to Tony’s own subconscious, Tony had to electrocute himself in order to finally put the Hulkbuster Armor down for good. Still, the idea of the Hulkbuster Armor continues, as a newer and even bulkier version of the armor appeared in the World War Hulk series.
Despite being one of the largest single-carded Marvel Legends figures, the Hulkbuster Armor was still packed with articulation, right down to its articulated fingers. Interestingly, the Hulkbuster Armor was also the first Iron Man figure to feature a forward ab-crunch. The Hulkbuster Armor featured a nice deep gold color, and a bright red. This red coloration raised some controversy at the time, due to the beautiful deeper metallic reds seen on the Hulkbuster prototypes at Toy Fair; however, for comic accuracy’s sake, the bright red is actually quite appropriate. Flip open the Hulkbuster’s heavy helmet, and Tony Stark’s mustachioed face appears. Technically the Hulkbuster Armor is an exo-armor and thus the Modular Armor’s helmet would have been more appropriate here than Tony’s face, but it still is a great detail.
Marvel Legends Series 14: First Appearance Iron Man:
First Appearance: Tales of Suspense #39 (1963).
Official Name: Mark I.
“My brain still thinks! My heart still beats! But, in order to remain alive, I must spend the rest of my life in this iron prison!” Tales of Suspense #39 (1963).
Starting with Marvel Legend series 9 Grey Hulk, Toy Biz began including First Appearance versions of its most iconic characters. Tony Stark’s turn came in series 14 with the original grayish-silver armor. Iron Man has always been a politically charged character, taking cues from the politics, social concerns, and technology of his times. Thus, Iron Man began as a vision of American capitalism gaining a strong moral center to harness American ingenuity to battle the evils of communism. A billionaire weapons designer, Tony Stark found himself in the jungles of Vietnam, supervising the testing of one of his newest weapons. However, an attack by Communist guerilla fighters led by Wong-Chun, left Stark fatally injured by shrapnel moving ever closer to his heart. Captured by the Communist agents, Stark was forced to build weapons for his captors. A fellow captive, Ho Yinsen was a famed physicist and one of Tony’s former mentors. Yinsen managed to scratch-build a chestplate that could generate an electromagnetic field to prevent the shrapnel in Tony’s body from causing fatal damage to Tony’s heart. Working together, Tony and Yinsen increased the power of the chestplate’s electromagnetic abilities via the miracle power source of micro-transistors to power a suit of makeshift battle armor. Yinsen sacrificed his life in order to give Tony sufficient time to activate the armor, but out of Yinsen’s death, Iron Man was born. For years, Tony would have to wear the chestplate at all times in order to keep his heart beating.
In 2005, Extremis retcon of Iron Man’s origin made our hero politically relevant yet again. Now testing weapons in Afghanistan, Tony Stark was the victim of terrorists, who were using weapons of his own design. Just as the Iron Man of old was the constant enemy of communism, the Iron Man of today is the enemy of global terrorism.
The First Appearance Armor was meant to be crude and fearsome in its design. The stark grayish silver and riveted metal panels evoke a kind of golem-like version of the Tin Woodsman. Armed with the ability to manipulate magnetism and power other gadgets, the First Appearance Armor allowed Tony Stark to overcome his captors and escape. For example, the armor could power air-pressurized jet boots for leaping, and the gauntlets included suction cups and a miniature buzz saw. In addition, Iron Man could reverse the magnetic charge in his equipment in order to repel magnetic objects, such as bullets or guns. The armor was also completely bullet-proof against small arms fire.
In its new origin in the Extremis arc, the First Appearance armor featured a crude version of Iron Man’s trademark repulsor technology in its right hand, and a devastating flamethrower in its left palm, as well as some kind of laser in its chest-mounted uni-beam.
Recreated in Marvel Legends, the First Appearance Armor looked like it stepped right out of the comics, including the armor’s somewhat bottom-heavy proportions. The First Appearance armor perfected the Silver Centurion’s and Modern Armor’s attempts to have Tony Stark’s face and eyes line up with the holes in the figure’s faceplate. The faceplate gives this figure a wonderful sense of realism. Note the twin sculpted circles over the armor’s abdomen that look like power outlets—they are in fact power outlets, which Tony Stark could use to recharge the armor from any household electric outlet.
The armor is quite well-articulated for what appears to be such a clunky design; however, some problems have occurred in the right shoulder joints of some figures. Despite some sticking articulation issues, the First Appearance Armor figure remains one of the most comic accurate Marvel Legends, and it’s an essential part of any Iron Man collection.
Marvel Legends Series 14: First Appearance Iron Man (Gold)
First Appearance: Tales of Suspense #40 (1963).
Official Name: Mark I.
Following in the footsteps of ML 1 Gold Iron Man, First Appearance Iron Man received a gold variant as well. More accurately, this variant could be called Second Appearance Iron Man. Realizing that his dark metallic armor instilled as much fear in the general American public as the criminals he battled, Tony Stark used “untarnishable” paint to make his armor a dazzling gold. Tony also added lower torso armor, sometimes referred to as his “ golden skirt” armor. Iron Man’s Gold Armor featured improved strength and power, granting the armor enhanced flight capabilities, as well as more powerful magnetic abilities. Tony Stark later wore this Gold Armor when he founded The Avengers!
In figure form, the variant gold armor is entirely a repaint of the basic First Appearance Armor. With the exception of the omission of the golden skirt armor, the repaint nature of this variant is completely in keeping with the way the armor appeared in the comics. This gold variant figure is just as essential to the history of Iron Man as it is to the history of The Avengers.
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