Inventing Iron Man (3 page)

In addition to these ways in which the armor assists Tony and protects him from external threats, we need to remember that the armor also provides basic support. In essence, we want to combine
the idea of medieval armor with the biological body (
figure 1.1
) shown in the painting by Dutch anatomist Bernhard Siegfried Albinus (1697–1770). Is it really as simple as shown in this figure? Does armor plus body equal Iron Man? Certainly it would produce a man in iron. But that isn't really what Iron Man is all about. The inner workings and seamless connection between the suit and the body are key.

Figure 1.1. Iron Man armor seems to combine a classical view of the anatomy of the human body with the protection and support of medieval armor.
Left
, courtesy Pearson Scott Foresman;
right
, courtesy Historical Medical Books at the Claude Moore Health Sciences Library, University of Virginia.

Dozens and dozens of armors have been used since the character's debut in 1963. These include highly specialized armors like the “Hulkbuster,” which was, not that the name is any giveaway, extra-beefed-up armor designed specifically to fight the Hulk. I have chosen four types of armor to highlight (
figure 1.2
): first, the Iron Man armor in original gray (and its gold successor); second, the classic red and gold and one special type of the red and gold, the NTU-150; and third, Extremis. The fourth is the Iron Monger armor created by Tony's business antithesis and former partner Obidiah Stane and worn by Stane and other villains. While not technically Iron Man armor, the Iron Monger is based upon the original Iron Man suit design and has been an integral part of the Iron Man mythology. It shows clearly the idea of the human inside the suit. As we will see later, Stane's armor is closest to a suit that could actually be made with current technology.

Figure 1.2. Tony's costume has changed significantly over the years. Shown are original gray (
A
), classic red and gold (
B
), Extremis (
C
), and Iron Monger armor (
D
).

The original gray armor made its first appearance with Iron Man's debut in Tales of Suspense #39 in 1963. On the cover of that comic (
figure 1.3
), there are a couple of important things to note. The first is the text that goes with the images: “Iron Man! He lives! He walks! He conquers!” Note the copious use of exclamation points! But more to the point, simply having the ability to walk is considered extraordinary. At his debut, just being able to move around in armor—so, no mention of flying at this time—was seen as something worthy of comment. The second thing to notice is Iron Man's posture. He is a bit hunched over, with his body canted forward and to the side and with his arms and legs splayed open. This is beautiful Jack Kirby art, but it is not really a stereotypically “robotic” or mechanical posture. Instead, this is an animalistic posture of something or someone crouching or otherwise preparing to move. The last thing to look at is the series of three panels shown at the left where someone (Tony Stark, as we learn in the story) has some kind of iron suit that can be taken apart and put on and off with ease. The concept of a modular suit is front and center with this panel. Remember these important things, because, as will unfold throughout the book, much of what was shown back in 1963 with Iron Man's debut in the gray armor comes closest to what is really available now, almost 50 years on.

By the way, the original gray armor didn't last long. At least not in that color. It was only around for one and a half comics. Halfway through Tales of Suspense #40, in a story entitled “Iron Man vs. Gargantus,” Tony Stark turns the gray armor yellow (or golden) with some kind of metal-plating technique, and the Golden Avenger armor was born. Why the change, you may well ask? Was it strategic, or somehow related to camouflage or offensive effectiveness? No. It was used to play off of Tony Stark's persona as a flamboyant ladies' man. Just after being saved by Iron Man, one of Tony's girlfriends (Marion) asks why he wears “such a terrifying looking costume? He actually frightens people! He battles menaces like a hero in olden
times! So, if he's a modern knight in shining armor, why doesn't he wear golden metal instead of that awful, dull gray armor?” And that was pretty much that. All that glitters is gold, I guess. (Yes, I also like Led Zeppelin.)

Figure 1.3. The first time Iron Man armor appeared in the comics was in Tales of Suspense #39 from March 1963. Notice how even at this time the armor is depicted as something that could easily be put on and taken off like clothing. Copyright Marvel Comics.

The original armor was used until a December 1963 story called “The New Iron Man Battles … the Mysterious Mr. Doll!” (Tales of
Suspense #48, 1963), which was the debut of the “classic” red and gold armor. Since the gray armor debuted in April 1963, clearly a lot of progress happened in the evolution of Iron Man in just one calendar year. This newer armor contained many of the elements that have remained with Iron Man. At least so far. A key part of the development of the new armor was that it was more lightweight and efficient. Tony is shown contemplating “how vulnerable Iron Man is! I seem to need recharging more and more often!” and “It's this iron suit of mine! It's too heavy! Saps too much of my energy merely to support the weight!” He also commented upon how all of this had such a straining effect on his weakened heart. Faced with either giving up “the role of Iron Man—forever …!!” or designing “a new Iron Man costume … one which will be lighter in weight … less bulky,” Tony goes with the latter. In fact one caption from this story clearly says “and so the brilliant Anthony Stark works—works—as few men have ever worked before!” His work produces the new armor.

At this stage the armor is still quite modular. The Iron Man suit can be laid out on a table (or carried by Tony in a slightly oversized briefcase, as was often portrayed) and easily put on piece by interlocking piece. An important thing to think about here, since it bears on much of what we will discuss later, is how thin and compact this armor is. Tony even points this out when he describes the torso section as “wafer-thin.” Of particular significance is the headgear, which is a thin, form-fitting face shield. (We will return to the face shield in a discussion of the trials and tribulations of Tony in
chapter 7
.)

One thing that is never fully explained is how the motors to control movement actually work. It appears to be a much more “passive” kind of armor system but is described as a magnetized, motorized, and transistorized suit. In any event, this basic concept of Iron Man as a suit or a “costume” has persisted throughout the character's history, including the recent big-screen incarnations of Iron Man. Two images from a line of action figures sold in conjunction with the 2008
Iron Man
movie are shown in
figure 1.4
. At the left Iron Man in full gear, while at the right the helmet portion is raised and the armor has been removed from the arms and chest. These images (and the figures that were used to make them) closely correspond to how Iron Man armor is depicted in the comics and movies. That is, a thin shielding that is worn very close fitting and that roughly maintains the body shape underneath. So, it is anthropomorphic armor. (We'll see later how far away from current reality this “classic” red and gold
armor is.) In contrast, the original gray armor and the Iron Monger armor are bulky and only loosely represent the shape of the human body. But they are closer to what we actually have for armored exoskeletons right now.

Figure 1.4. Action figure showing how thin the armor was in the Marvel Studios 2008 movie
Iron Man
. This can be seen by the circles and arrows on his figure, particularly on the face plate. It can also be seen looking at Tony Stark's bare arm. This type of armor would allow for limited cushioning of the hard impacts that Iron Man is likely to sustain.

The telepresence armor—actually the “Neuromimetic Telepresence Unit,” or “NTU-150”—represents a unique type of suit for Tony. Many of the different armors were modified for certain uses, like doing battle against certain foes (or sometimes friends). Examples include the Thorbuster or particular armors for use in space or in the deep sea. But, the telepresence armor was a totally new type of armor technology. It no longer just protected Tony's heart and kept him
alive; it also allowed him to control the iron machinery with his mind.

There are a number of versions of telepresence armor. The basic premise, though, is that it was created out of need when Tony was injured and unable to don the real Iron Man armor. Instead he devised what was essentially a remote control armor system. This was fully shown for the first time in “This Year's Model” (Iron Man #290, 1993). The background to the creation of this armor can be found in “Technical Difficulties” (Iron Man #280, 1992). In this story, Tony recounts that he built the first Iron Man suit “in order to survive a damaged heart … but now … the nerve degeneration … techno-organic parasite … is eating away at my body like an artificial cancer.” The upshot is that his nervous system is degenerating. He creates a “neuro-web life support system” to help make up for the deficits in his failing body. (I just want to let you know that I attend the Society for Neuroscience annual research meeting—the largest gathering of neuroscientists in the world—pretty much every year and I have unfortunately never come across such a system. It sounds amazing.) But this invention is not enough. As we read later in Iron Man #290, this “neuro-web” works as an “artificial nervous system designed to maintain the most complex machine yet conceived by nature—a human body.” Tony undergoes some fantastic procedures and when he is in the recovery room he is told “whether you'll ever recover even partial mobility—it's too early to say … if your system does recover, it won't be easy. You'll have to relearn even the most basic functions from scratch.”