Iron Man's New Symbiote Armor & a Lore Problem

Tony Stark’s Iron Man is poised to receive a visually stunning new suit, featuring sleek armor with a dark, symbiote-inspired twist. However, the reveal of this design has inadvertently exposed a recurring challenge for the Armored Avenger.

The History of Iron Man's Armor

Debuting in 1962, Iron Man initially wore a bulky, gunmetal-gray suit. After experimenting with gold, he settled on the iconic red and gold color scheme, continuously refining the design over the years. Occasionally, Iron Man deviates from incremental improvements, opting for truly unique creations.

Iron Man Unlocks New Symbiote Armor

Marvel’s What If...? franchise, celebrating its 50th anniversary, is known for exploring radical alternate storylines. As part of this celebration, Marvel’s “Stormbreakers” artists were tasked with creating variant covers featuring bold new concepts. Geoff Shaw’s contribution, “What If... Iron Man’s Extremis Was a Symbiote?”, imagines a fusion between the Venom symbiote and Iron Man’s armor.

The Extremis Virus Connection

Introduced in 2004, the Extremis virus can rewrite human genetics, creating designer superhumans. Shaw’s artwork depicts Extremis as an alien symbiote bonding with Tony Stark when he used the virus to alter his body. This concept will appear with select copies of Iron Man #5.

Marvel Already Published This Story

Interestingly, Marvel previously explored a similar storyline during the 2020 King in Black event. Tony Stark bonded the Extremis virus with a symbiote dragon, creating the “Extrembiote” suit. He used this armor to battle Knull and even control a Knull-infected Celestial. The suit was later stolen by Carnage, leading to further conflict.

Fans interested in this earlier iteration can find it in King in Black and the Miles Morales: Spider-Man ‘Carnage Rules’ arc.

Hitting the Ceiling of Cosmic Power

This What If...? scenario highlights a larger issue: Iron Man’s armors are increasingly reliant on immense cosmic power sources. In the upcoming Infernal Hulk #6, Iron Man will wield the Hellbuster armor, powered by the holy spear of the One-Above-All.

A Pattern of Escalation

In recent years, Iron Man has created suits utilizing the powers of Galactus, the Celestials, and now the One-Above-All. With Tony Stark having seemingly exhausted the highest tiers of cosmic power, the question arises: what could possibly come next? The fact that a hypothetical redesign has already been explored underscores this creative challenge.

Iron Man has created armors drawing on the powers of Thor, Galactus, and even half-symbiote designs. While Tony Stark’s ingenuity is a core part of his character, decades of innovation within the Marvel Universe have seemingly limited future possibilities.

Iron Man #5 is scheduled for release on May 13 from Marvel Comics.