After 65 Years, One of Marvel's Oldest Characters Debuts Their First Iron Man Armor

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Published May 2, 2026, 2:00 PM EDT

Shaun Corley is a Staff Writer for ScreenRant, a position he has held for five years. While he enjoys many types of comics and graphic novels, he has a particular interest in the licensed Star Trek titles.

After 65 years, one of Marvel’s oldest characters debuts their first Iron Man armor. Since his introduction over 60 years ago, Iron Man’s armor suits have represented the apex of technology in the Marvel Universe. From the very first armor, cobbled together from spare parts, to the sophisticated Extremis suit, Iron Man goes into any fight well-prepared.

From the very first armor, cobbled together from spare parts, to the sophisticated Extremis suit, Iron Man goes into any fight well-prepared.

In addition to the various upgrades Iron Man has introduced to his armor suits over the years, he has also built specialty suits as well. Some, like the infamous Hulkbuster armor, were designed to handle specific threats, while others were customized for certain environments, such as underwater or in deep space. Iron Man has also designed armor for other Marvel characters, and with the multiverse facing destruction, one of the publisher’s most unlikely characters is about to benefit from Tony Stark’s technology.

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Tony Stark first built the Iron Man armor while being held captive by terrorists, using scrap materials to escape. In the MCU, where was Tony Stark held captive when he built the Mark I armor?

ASiberia BA cave in Afghanistan CA HYDRA base DA Stark Industries lab

✓ Correct! Tony Stark was captured by the Ten Rings terrorist group and held in a cave in Afghanistan. With the help of fellow captive Ho Yinsen, Tony built the Mark I armor from missile parts and scrap metal to blast his way to freedom — the moment that changed everything.

✗ JARVIS says that answer doesn’t compute! The answer is a cave in Afghanistan. Tony was captured by the Ten Rings while demonstrating the Jericho missile. Using scrap materials and sheer genius, he and Ho Yinsen built the Mark I suit to escape captivity.

The Iron Man suit is powered by a revolutionary energy source that Tony Stark miniaturized and implanted in his own chest. What is this power source called?

ATesseract Core BVibranium Reactor CThe Arc Reactor DRepulsor Engine

✓ Correct! The Arc Reactor is the iconic glowing circle in Tony Stark’s chest. Originally built to keep shrapnel from reaching his heart, Tony miniaturized the technology and used it to power increasingly advanced Iron Man suits. It became his defining symbol — proof that Tony Stark has a heart.

✗ JARVIS says that answer doesn’t compute! The answer is the Arc Reactor. The Tesseract is an Infinity Stone, Vibranium is a rare metal from Wakanda, and Repulsor Engine isn’t a real MCU term. The Arc Reactor is Tony’s revolutionary clean energy source that powers the Iron Man suits.

Tony Stark has built dozens of specialized Iron Man armors throughout the comics. One famous armor was designed specifically to fight the Hulk, featuring massive size and additional power. What is this armor commonly called?

AWar Machine BThe Hulkbuster (Veronica) CThe Extremis Armor DThe Bleeding Edge

✓ Correct! The Hulkbuster armor, codenamed “Veronica” in the MCU, is a massive modular suit designed to go toe-to-toe with the Hulk. First appearing in the comics in Iron Man #304, it became a fan-favorite after its epic deployment in Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015).

✗ JARVIS says that answer doesn’t compute! The answer is the Hulkbuster (Veronica). War Machine is Rhodey’s suit, the Extremis armor integrated with Tony’s biology, and the Bleeding Edge uses nanotechnology. The Hulkbuster is the giant armor built specifically to contain the Hulk.

In the MCU, Tony Stark’s AI assistant helps him operate the Iron Man suit and manage his life. The original AI was replaced after being used to create Vision. What was the name of Tony’s original AI assistant?

AFRIDAY BJARVIS CKAREN DEDITH

✓ Correct! J.A.R.V.I.S. (Just A Rather Very Intelligent System) was Tony’s loyal AI companion voiced by Paul Bettany. After JARVIS was used as the basis for Vision in Age of Ultron, Tony replaced him with FRIDAY. JARVIS was more than software — he was Tony’s most trusted ally.

✗ JARVIS says that answer doesn’t compute! The answer is JARVIS. FRIDAY replaced JARVIS after Age of Ultron, KAREN is the AI in Spider-Man’s suit, and EDITH (Even Dead I’m The Hero) is the glasses-based system Tony left to Peter Parker. JARVIS was the original and most iconic AI assistant.

In the comics, the Extremis armor was a revolutionary upgrade that integrated the Iron Man suit directly with Tony Stark’s biology. What did Extremis allow Tony to do that previous armors couldn’t?

AFly faster than light BStore the armor inside his body and control it with his mind CBecome invisible DTravel through time

✓ Correct! The Extremis storyline by Warren Ellis and Adi Granov fundamentally changed Iron Man. By injecting a modified techno-organic virus, Tony could store the armor’s undersheath inside his body and mentally summon and control the suit. It blurred the line between man and machine.

✗ JARVIS says that answer doesn’t compute! The answer is storing the armor inside his body and controlling it with his mind. Extremis rewrote Tony’s biology to interface directly with technology, allowing him to store the suit’s inner layers in his bones and control everything through thought alone.

Tony Stark isn’t the only person to wear the Iron Man armor. In Marvel Comics, a young genius took over the Iron Man legacy. Who is this character who became Ironheart?

APepper Potts BRiri Williams CShuri DKamala Khan

✓ Correct! Riri Williams is a teenage super-genius from Chicago who reverse-engineered her own Iron Man suit in her MIT dorm room. Tony Stark himself endorsed her, and she took on the name Ironheart. Dominique Thorne portrays Riri in the MCU, debuting in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022).

✗ JARVIS says that answer doesn’t compute! The answer is Riri Williams. Pepper Potts wore the Rescue armor, Shuri is Black Panther’s sister from Wakanda, and Kamala Khan is Ms. Marvel. Riri Williams is the brilliant young engineer who built her own suit and became Ironheart.

In Avengers: Endgame, Tony Stark made the ultimate sacrifice to defeat Thanos using a nano-tech version of the Infinity Gauntlet. What were Tony Stark’s final words before snapping his fingers?

A“Avengers assemble” B“I love you 3000” C“And I… am… Iron Man” D“Whatever it takes”

✓ Correct! “And I… am… Iron Man” perfectly bookended the MCU’s greatest arc. Just as Tony Stark launched the entire franchise by declaring “I am Iron Man” in 2008, he closed it with the same words as he snapped Thanos and his army out of existence, sacrificing himself to save the universe.

✗ JARVIS says that answer doesn’t compute! The answer is “And I… am… Iron Man.” “Avengers assemble” was Cap’s rallying cry, “I love you 3000” was his daughter Morgan’s phrase, and “Whatever it takes” was the Avengers’ time-heist motto. Tony’s final snap callback to his iconic self-introduction was cinema perfection.

James Rhodes (Rhodey) is Tony Stark’s best friend and wears his own version of the Iron Man armor as a military-focused hero. What is Rhodey’s superhero name?

ASteel Soldier BIron Patriot CWar Machine DBoth B and C (he has used both names)

✓ Correct! Rhodey has used both names throughout his career. He’s most commonly known as War Machine, his original heavily-armed identity. In Iron Man 3 and briefly in the comics, the armor was rebranded as Iron Patriot with a red, white, and blue paint job for government PR purposes.

✗ JARVIS says that answer doesn’t compute! The answer is both — Rhodey has used both War Machine and Iron Patriot. War Machine is his primary identity with heavy weaponry, while Iron Patriot was a government-approved rebrand seen in Iron Man 3. Steel Soldier is not a real Marvel name.

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Later this year, Marvel Comics will release the first issue of Godzilla Conquers the Multiverse. This five-issue miniseries, as the name implies, sees Godzilla, who has been forced to bond with Knull, go on a rampage across Marvel’s vast multiverse. Sensing the threat, Doctor Doom assembles a team of heroes from across various Earths to stop the King of Monsters before he obliterates all creation. With a giant monster like Godzilla on a rampage, it makes sense to fight “fire with fire.” Enter: Fin Fang Foom.

Fin Fang Foom Is Getting His Own Suit of Iron Man Armor

Marvel has released solicitations for its books shipping in July, including Godzilla Conquers the Multiverse #1. Written by Gerry Duggan and drawn by Javier Garron, the book is the next in a line of Godzilla comics published by Marvel. Marvel’s solicitation for the issue reads as follows:

GODZILLA UNLEASHED, nowhere is safe!

An unholy alliance between KNULL and GODZILLA conquers UNIVERSE 616 – and now DOOM, SPIDER-MAN, KANG, EMMA FROST, GHOST RIDER, THE PUNISHER, MAN-THING and more stand on the edge of annihilation! When DOOMSTADT rips across dimensions to capture a kaiju capable of stopping the KING OF THE MONSTERS, the team collides with MECHA FIENDS, MULTIVERSAL KAIJU and a deadly RED SKULL in ADAMANTIUM armor. But as universes burn, an unexpected ally may hold the key to survival. A bombastic, continuity-shaking launch that shreds the Multiverse in TRUE KAIJU-CRUSHING FASHION!

Marvel also released a first look at Juan Frigeri's cover, which sees Mechagodzilla locked in combat with Fin Fang Foom, who is wearing a green suit of armor.

Godzilla Conquers the Multiverse 1 COVER David Marquez

Marvel’s solicitation did not reveal whether Fin Fang Foom or Mechagodzilla will actually appear in the issue. However, the “unexpected ally” who may be able to stop Godzilla could in fact be Fin Fang Foom. Foom truly would be “unexpected,” as the character has not appeared in the Marvel Universe as of late.

Fin Fang Foom is as Old as The Fantastic Four

Over Time, Fin Fang Foom Has Become an Anti-Hero, and a Cult Favorite

Fin Fang Foom is one of the oldest characters in the modern Marvel Universe, having debuted at roughly the same time as The Fantastic Four. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, Fin Fang Foom is an alien monster closely resembling an Earth dragon. At the time of his first appearance, Marvel was still publishing “monster” books, featuring all kinds of creatures with weird names. Foom’s initial story was not intended to be a part of Marvel continuity, but he was later integrated into it, and has become a cult favorite character.

Fin Fang Foom first appeared in Strange Tales #89.

Fin Fang Foom’s arc through the Marvel Universe has brought him into conflict with Iron Man on several occasions, as well as other heroes. The Mandarin, one of Iron Man’s oldest foes, has sent Fin Fang Foom after the Armored Avenger before, but Tony was able to turn the monster back. In later years, Foom was rehabilitated, even leading a team of reformed monsters, called the “Fin Fang Four.”

Fin Fang Foom Has Never Fought Godzilla, Until Now

Although Fin Fang Foom has been around the Marvel Universe since 1961, he has never encountered Godzilla. This is due to the fact that Marvel only recently obtained the Godzilla rights, which it held for a brief period in the late 1970s. Foom was in a sort of limbo at that time. Marvel has brought the classic stories back into print, and pitted the King of Monsters against some of its heaviest hitters, and now it seems Foom’s turn has come around at last.

Godzilla Vs Galactus Permanently Settles Who's Stronger

Godzilla: Infinity Roar #2 is finally out, and it just settled the debate of who would win in a fight, Godzilla or Galactus, in the best of ways.

It is ironic that, in light of the history between Fin Fang Foom and Iron Man, that one would come to the aid of the other, yet that appears to have happened on the cover to Godzilla Conquers the Multiverse #1. Building a suit of armor large enough to fit a giant like Fin Fang Foom might prove to be a logistical headache for Iron Man. Yet with the multiverse’s back up against the wall, he may have no choice. The types of features Iron Man would build into the armor would be a sight to behold as well.

Godzilla Vs Fin Fang Foom is the Kaiju Showdown of the Year

Can Fin Fang Foom Put a Hurting on the King of Monsters?

Hopefully, Marvel gives fans a throwdown between Fin Fang Foom and Godzilla, even if the former is not wearing an Iron Man armor suit. Godzilla is very powerful, and with Knull in the driver’s seat, he might be unstoppable. Entire Earths are falling before this terrifying hybrid. Fin Fang Foom is powerful too, as well as more intelligent than Godzilla. Whether this will be enough for Foom to defeat Godzilla remains to be seen.

Godzilla Conquers the Multiverse #1 is on sale July 22 from Marvel Comics!

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