30 Best Iron Man Suits Of All Time Ranked

Tony Stark is one of the most iconic Marvel superheroes of all time, and that’s because of his intellectual genius and cool Iron Man suits. That said, he is constantly looking to improve his work by introducing new tech and improvements to his already impressive Iron Man suits. This means that Stark has plenty of Iron Man suits in his arsenal, and he has used a lot of them throughout the course of his career as a superhero. With that said, we are here to rank the best Iron Man suits of all time.

30. MK I

The first-ever armor that Tony Stark ever built is the Mark I, which was a suit that he designed to help him survive instead of fighting crime and evil-doers. In the movie, he built the armor so that he could escape the terrorists that captured him so that he could build weapons for them. Instead, he built this armor so that he could fight and escape his captors.

In the movie, Iron Man MK I didn’t last too long because it got destroyed shortly after Stark escaped the terrorists. But it did serve as the model Obadiah Stane used to construct the Iron Monger. Of course, Mark I also served as the model that Stark used to create his most iconic suit.

29. MK II

Iron Man MK II is arguably one of Tony Stark’s most iconic suits, even though it might not be the most powerful. That’s because this was the first armor that donned the sleek design, which eventually became the standard for most of Tony’s armors. 

Of course, while it might not be the strongest, it was the first to feature some of the most iconic weapons in an Iron Man suit, such as repulsor ray hand-cannons. In the comics, the suit also became quite popular, but it looked too heavy and cumbersome for an iconic superhero. That was when Tony Stark began experimenting with newer suits that weren’t as heavy and as clunky.

28. MK VIII/Silver Centurion

One of the most iconic Iron Man suits in the comics is the Silver Centurion or MK VIII. This was introduced during a time when Marvel decided that Stark needed a costume change, and that was when they changed the streaks of gold in his armor with silver. While the red and gold color scheme eventually returned, the Silver Centurion was a welcome change because of how it allowed Marvel to bank on more Iron Man stories in their comics, as fans were looking to see what the new-look Tony Stark had in store for them.

The armor was mostly used during the Armor Wars in the comics when his enemies were able to get their hands on the tech that he used to create his armor. Of course, we saw the same plot in the Iron Man 2 movie, wherein Stark introduced an armor that looks like the Silver Centurion as well due to how it replaced the gold parts of the armor with silver.

27. War Machine

Technically, the War Machine was hardly ever used by Tony Stark because it was James Rhodes who ended up wearing the suit. Then again, the fact that it was still Stark who created it makes it a part of his arsenal of armor. And while the War Machine started out as a bare armor, it eventually earned itself upgrades that fit Rhodey’s style.

The War Machine armor is more of a heavy weaponry suit compared to Tony Stark’s suits. It still has the basic weaponry that the Iron Man suits have, such as the repulsor beams. However, staying true to his military background, James Rhodes had the armor equipped with automatic weapons, explosives, and rockets instead of the more energy-based weapons that Stark’s Iron Man suit is known for. This makes the War Machine a literal walking tank.

26. MK III

Even though Iron Man MK III isn’t technically the strongest suit that Tony Stark used, it still is one of his most iconic suits because it served as the replacement of the clunkier MK II. Mark III was designed to become an upgrade of its predecessor due to the fact that it had technology that was far better than what the Mark II had without adding bulk to the suit. As such, Stark used this armor for a long time.

The Mark III also features titanium alloy that allows the suit to stay light and agile. This means that it is a lot more durable than the regular steel alloy that Stark used in his previous suits without feeling too cumbersome. And the lightweight design that started with the Mark III became the cornerstone for some of Stark’s most iconic suits.

25. MK V/Suitcase Armor

The Iron Man MK V is also known as the Suitcase Armor because Tony Stark basically wears it by activating a suitcase that he carries around. The basic point of the suit was for Tony Stark to be able to carry his suit around wherever he went because, at that time, he was yet to develop a suit that he could access at any given moment.

That said, he created the Suitcase Armor, which allowed him to travel around without worrying whether or not he was safe because he could instantly access his suit through his suitcase. The MK V, due to its nature as a literal suitcase armor, is lighter and leaner than the other suits that Stark used. That’s why it isn’t the sturdiest armor and doesn’t have the widest range of armaments.

24. Ultimate Iron Man

Ultimate Iron Man actually isn’t from the Earth-616 version of Marvel. But it did appear on Ultimate Marvel Worlds, wherein Tony Stark was taken control by an Infinity Gem. As such, thanks to that, Stark was able to directly interact with his suit’s electronic systems using his mind. This allowed him to have a direct neural bond with the suit.

Thanks to the direct neural connection between Stark and his suit, what happened was that he could communicate not only with his suit but other computer systems as well. Of course, the suit gave him a lot of different powers, such as superhuman strength and durability. And he also retained all of the other weapons that the Earth-616 Iron Man suit had.

23. MK XLIII

Mark XLIII first appeared in Avengers: Age of Ultron in the MCU. By this time, Tony Stark had already skipped a lot of different Iron Man suit models because he spent a good amount of time back in Iron Man 3 creating different Iron Man models that he used against those who were afflicted by the Extremis virus.

That said, Iron Man MK XLIII has Sentry Mode, which allows it to scan through walls. You could see this mode in action when he used it to scan the entire HYDRA base effectively and very quietly. As such, the armor is great in its own right because it’s amazing for stealth missions

22. MK XL: Shotgun

Speaking of the different suits that Tony Stark created in between The Avengers and Iron Man 3, one such suit is the MK XL: Shotgun. The Shotgun suit was quite prominent because of the fact that it had an extremely powerful chest-mounted laser beam known as the Unibeam. We all know how powerful the Iron Man suit’s repulsor rays are, but the Unibeam takes it to another level, and that’s why the suit is called Shotgun.

While Tony Stark didn’t use the Mark XL suit a lot, it did appear in the final part of the Iron Man 3 movie when it arrived as one of the backup suits that Stark used against the Extremis. It showcased its rapid-fire repulsor rays while also making use of its powerful Shotgun chest ray as well. Sadly, it did get destroyed by Killian, much like most of the other suits that Stark used in the finale of Iron Man 3.

21. MK XLIII: Stealth Suit V3

We already talked about the regular variant of the Iron Man MK XLIII suit. However, the Stealth Suit V3 version is a welcome variant of the regular Mark XLIII due to the fact that it introduced improvements to the already impressive MK XLIII. And what we love about it is that it is a suit that is perfect for covert and stealth missions.

We know for a fact that Tony Stark was never known to be a very subtle person because he usually likes standing out and using suits that tend to showcase his style. However, the great thing about this suit is that it improves the stealth capabilities of the regular MK XLIII by using the same Sentry Mode and by allowing Stark to use non-traditional weapons that allow him to do well in stealth missions. It doesn’t have the sheer firepower of most suits, but it’s one of the best if you want to stay subtle.

20. Extremis/MK XXIX

Both the comics and the MCU films were able to display how dangerous the Extremis virus is. But, being the genius that he is, Tony Stark was able to make use of the Extremis virus to the point that it allowed him to create an armor out of it. And when he started using the Extremis, things got complicated when it came to the technology he utilized in his suits.

Stark used an experimental version of the virus to save his own life, and the same virus allowed him to connect with his armor at a neurological level, such that he was able to instantly connect with his suit and amplify its already impressive capabilities to a much higher level. That’s why, while the suit doesn’t have a lot of different armaments that are different from other suits, the Extremis suit has abilities that are much more powerful than the regular Iron Man armor.

19. Heavy Duty/MK XLIV

We did talk about how dangerous the Extremis virus is, and that’s why Tony Stark created an armor that allowed him to combat those who were afflicted by it. This is where the Heavy Duty armor or the Mark XLIV comes into play because of the fact that it could withstand the power of the Extremis virus.

In the movies, we saw how those who were afflicted with the Extremis could easily tear apart Tony’s suits. However, the Heavy Duty armor is quite sturdy to the point that it could survive an Extremis attack. Of course, it also has a lot of destructive firepower that’s perfect for fighting off those who are afflicted by the virus. And because of how sturdy the armor is, it became the model that he used to first fight off the Hulk and eventually come up with the Hulkbuster armor.

18. MK XLVII

The Iron Man Mark XLVII first appeared in the MCU during the events of Spider-Man: Homecoming when Peter Parker was fighting off the Vulture. What happened there was that the Staten Island Ferry was basically split in half, as the people on the boat were in danger. However, Stark came to the rescue by using his suit to join the two parts together in what was a display of how strong and advanced this suit was.

Of course, if you look at the armor closely, the MK XLVII actually looks a lot like the Ultimate Iron Man armor we talked about. That armor might have been the inspiration for the design of this version of the MCU’s Iron Man suit. 

17. Fin Fang Buster

There is something about Tony Stark creating specific suits that he used against specific opponents, as these suits have armaments that were designed to target the weaknesses of those enemies. And he just simply named the suits after those opponents while adding “buster” to the name.

In that regard, the Fin Fang Buster is one of the classic buster suits that Tony Stark created. This was designed to defeat Fin Fang Foom, one of the classic villains in the Iron Man comics. And because this enemy is basically a giant dragon, he designed an odd-looking Power Rangers robot that was able to fight on par with a dragon due to its sheer size.

16. Hulkbuster 2.0

Of course, the Hulkbuster armor has to make an appearance on this list because it’s one of the few suits that can withstand the sheer power and strength of an angry Hulk. The suit first appeared in the MCU during the events of Age of Ultron when Wanda mind-controlled Hulk into a rampage. As such, Tony Stark had to equip the Hulkbuster on top of his regular Iron Man suit to fight on par with the green giant while losing a few parts and limbs in the process.

An improved version of the Hulkbuster made an appearance during the events of Avengers: Infinity War when Bruce Banner used it against Thanos’s army when he was having performance issues with the Hulk. It’s similar to the regular Hulkbuster but was made to be stronger and more durable.

15. Cold Iron

Normally, the Cold Iron armor, which is also called Model 48, isn’t actually that powerful because there aren’t a lot of differences between it and the regular Iron Man suit. However, what makes it one of the best suits is that it was actually designed for Tony Stark to interact with dangerous magical realms that he normally couldn’t survive in. And this suit was created so that he could survive in the world of the Dark Elves.

That said, the Cold Iron suit was designed with a bit of magic involved, and this makes it one of the most out-of-this-world suits that Stark has ever made. Simply touching a Dark Elf with this armor weakens them, and that’s why it was made specifically to counter these creatures. As such, while it isn’t too different from a regular suit, the fact that it is lethal against a Dark Elf makes it a great armor to use against them.

14. MK IX With Excalibur

There was a point in the Iron Man comics wherein Tony Stark’s story was more supernatural than technological. That said, the Iron Man MK IX actually bonded with the Excalibur sword. Yes, the very same legendary sword said to have been held by King Arthur himself. That may sound odd, but the fact is that Stark was just as powerful as he ever was due to the sword. 

In its regular form, the MK IX isn’t really that powerful. But because of the fact that the magical properties of the Excalibur were able to bond with the armor and make it more magical than technological, it became a lot more powerful. On top of that, the armor was also invulnerable, and that means that Stark was almost invincible while wearing this suit. 

13. Thorbuster

Again, Tony Stark has a thing for developing suits that were designed to combat specific opponents, and that’s why he has one that was designed to fight Thor himself. This armor was developed when Stark had a run-in with the god of thunder back when Thor was overpowered by the Odinforce and couldn’t control his power.

Using the special crystal that Thor gave him to create a clean supply of energy, Stark used it to create the Thorbuster to supply the armor’s source of power and so that he could absorb whatever power the god of thunder was going to throw at him without causing damage to the suit or to himself while he was wearing it.

12. MK L

The Iron Man Mark L’s debut in the Avengers: Infinity War movie was one of the most amazing parts of the film, as we were introduced to a whole new level of Iron Man suits. By just pressing on the housing unit on his chest, Tony Stark was able to equip himself with an entirely new suit that looked leaner but just as powerful and as durable as any of the suits he has ever created. And this was thanks to nanotechnology.

This nanotech suit allowed Stark to basically walk around with an Iron Man suit hiding on his chest. This means that this is the most portable suit he had in his arsenal at that time. And while the suit may be portable, it was a lot more powerful than any of the suits he used in the past, as seen from the fact that he actually was strong enough to draw blood from Thanos.

11. MK LXXXV

The final suit that Tony Stark ever used in the MCU is the Iron Man Mark LXXXV, which is the amalgamation of all of the capabilities of his previous suits. This means that it still used nanotech but is an upgrade of MK L because of the advanced weaponry that it had. One of the most impressive things that the suit could do was that it could actually absorb energy from Thor’s lightning to fuel strong waves of energy beams.

But the most impressive part about this suit was the fact that it had a makeshift Infinity Gauntlet that allowed Stark to use the Infinity Stones. And he did so when he was able to snap Thanos and his army out of existence at the cost of his own life at the end of the Endgame film.

10. Bleeding Edge

One of the strongest suits that Tony Stark has ever used in the comics is the Bleeding Edge armor, which was an upgrade of the Extremis armor that he created. With the help of Reed Richards, the world’s smartest man, he was able to develop this armor using the Extremis virus and nanotechnology.

The suit became so powerful that it outclassed all of the suits that Tony Stark used in the past by a long shot. However, Stark was forced to destroy the armor because the government thought that it was too strong and too dangerous to keep around.

9. Endo-Sym/Model 50

The Endo-Sym armor or the Model 50 was designed by Superior Iron Man when a spell that had gone wrong turned around the polarity of the world’s heroes and villains such that the heroes became the villains and the villains became the heroes. While the spell was fixed, Stark found a way to spare himself from the reversal of the spell and was still an evil psycho.

This evil version of Tony Stark found a way to make use of symbiote technology by creating a suit that was basically a part of him. The Model 50 was designed to bond neurologically with the wearer and was actually resembles the same liquid form that symbiotes are known for. And because of how the symbiote tech strengthens the user, this is an extremely powerful armor that only one of the worst villains on the planet could use.

8. Deep Space

There was a point in the comics when Tony Stark teamed up with the Guardians of the Galaxy so that he could understand space better. That was when he had to build the Deep Space armor, which was strong enough to allow Stark to do all sorts of crazy things while he was in space.

The crazies thing that the Deep Space armor could do was that it allowed him to travel at warp speed so that he could easily travel from one planet to another. And the fact that he was in space also meant that he wasn’t on Earth to protect it, and that’s why he could also use his deep space armor to remotely control his suits back on his home planet.

7. Iron Lad

Technically, the Iron Lad armor wasn’t worn by Tony Stark because it was made specifically for Nathaniel Richards, who traveled back in time wearing this advanced armor so that he could work with the Young Avengers as their Iron Man.

Due to the fact that it came from the future, the armor was as advanced as any armor that Tony Stark was ever able to create. It could be mentally controlled by the user and has the ability to hack through any security. And that meant that this is one of the most amazing suits ever seen in the comics.

6. Uru

You probably know how strong Thor’s weapons are to the point that they are basically invincible. And you probably have seen how powerful the Destroyer was in the events of the Thor movie. Imagine Tony Stark using the same metal that Thor’s weapons and the Destroyer use to create his armor.

The Uru armor, which is also called the Destroyer armor, is a suit that was built from the Bleeding Edge and was enchanted by Asgardian magic and then covered with Uru metal to become very strong. Stark basically became a walking and talking Destroyer while wearing this impressive suit of armor that stands as one of the strongest suits he has ever created.

5. Godbuster

When the armor is called the Godbuster, you would instantly know how powerful it is, as Tony Stark was able to develop a suit that allowed him to muster enough power to destroy powerful cosmic beings. That’s why it stands as one of the strongest suits that Stark has ever built.

The weapon that made the Godbuster so dangerous was the massive cannon on its back. This cannon allowed him to basically destroy all sorts of cosmic entities with a shot. And that’s why Stark had to destroy the armor after he was able to destroy the threat that required the services of the Godbuster.

4. Iron Herald

The Iron Herald armor is a regular Iron Man suit that was enchanted with Galactus’s cosmic powers. This armor appeared when Stark became the Eater of Worlds’ herald, a position once held by the Silver Surfer.

If you know how powerful the Silver Surfer is, you would know how powerful the Iron Herald armor is. The Surfer’s power is at a cosmic level and is only a notch below his master’s power. So, imagine that kind of power in an Iron Man suit worn by Tony Stark.

3. Godkiller MK II

The first Godkiller armor was actually an armor made by an ancient alien race to fight the Celestials, as Stark used that armor briefly. Stark used this armor as the inspiration for the Godkiller MK II, which is his own version of the god-killing armor.

It is the fact that this armor was meant to kill Celestials that makes it quite powerful. Stark used this armor when he fought a Dark Celestial in the comics. But he was eventually forced to destroy the armor when the Celestials saw that it was a threat to their existence.

2. Sorcerer Supreme

There was a What If? Marvel comic book that showed Tony Stark as the Sorcerer Supreme instead of Doctor Strange. In that regard, it only follows that Stark would use his genius intellect and magical skills to create an armor that is actually imbued with the powers of the mystic arts and is equipped with some of the most amazing magical artifacts in the world.

Vishanti provided Stark with the materials he needed to construct the suit. He also enchanted the armor using the Eye of Agamotto, which is on the suit’s chest plate. And with his armor, Tony Stark was powerful enough to fight an interdimensional god-like being such as Dormammu.

1. Prime Model

The Prime Model armor might not have the same god-killing capabilities that some of the other suits that Tony Stark created. However, it is the pinnacle of everything that Stark has implemented in all of the other suits he created, as the Prime Model is the successor of the Bleeding Edge suit, which was already impressive.

Stark’s Prime suit includes all of the different features in most of the non-enchanted armor that he created. That means that it is based on nanotech, is complete with a lot of different weapons, and has invisibility, shapeshift, and stealth mode. It really is the pinnacle of Tony Stark’s technological brilliance, and that’s why the Prime Model is his best Iron Man suit.