Iron Man stealth suit design by Carlo Pagulayan

By Ben Morse

As the foremost futurist of the Marvel Universe, Tony Stark takes pride in staying ahead of the curve, so it should come as no shock that when he encounters adversity, the erstwhile Iron Man adapts the best way he knows how: with new, cutting edge armor!

Indeed the Golden Avenger will debut not one but two specialty suits coming this December in IRON MAN #3 and #4 as part of Marvel NOW!

“In the first and second issues, we go and see the modular nature of the suit,” explains IRON MAN writer Kieron Gillen. “The ultra-high tech joust of the second issue is especially a showcase for the ‘Ooh, I think I'll have that arm, with the fancy UV Laser’ style of storytelling.

“But sometimes you can't just fiddle with the details. Sometimes you have to commit to a problem, and that's what the suits in issues three and four are showcasing.”

First up, in issue #3 to take on his old foes Firebrand, Vibro and Living Laser, Iron Man upgrades an old favorite, going subtle with a new stealth armor.

“The stealth suit [is] shown here in tasteful black, though its chameleonic tendencies can move that in any direction he wants,” shares Gillen. “It maxes out its light-bender, includes lots of holograms, lots of hacking and still keeps a little repulsor and strength if needed.

Iron Man heavy duty battle suit design by Carlo Pagulayan

“Also, it looks great.”

Then, when Iron Man storms Paris in issue #4, he adopts one of his most powerful weapons on all-time: the heavy duty battle suit.

“[Issue #4] showcases the sort of suit which starts where War Machine leaves off,” Gillen boasts. “Frankly, if I was asked to re-launch Power Pack, I'd somehow manage to work a mini-gun in there, so it's no surprise that there's some manner of Gatling device attached to this genuinely brutal piece of machinery.”