10 Most Powerful MCU Iron Man Armors Introduced After Phase 1
Iron Man has worn some incredibly powerful suits over the course of the MCU, with some standing out for how strong they truly are. Tony Stark was an essential piece of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, kicking it all off with Iron Man in 2008 - and one of the defining traits of Iron Man"s movie arc is how he continued to build upon each suit he wore over the course of the MCU timeline. Never being content with just one suit, Tony created some incredible sets of armor throughout each of his appearances.
Virtually every single new suit that Tony Stark built was an improvement over the previous one, and following Phase 1 of the MCU with The Avengers, he built more pieces of armor than ever, working his way up to 85 iterations before his story concluded in Avengers: Endgame. Some of the best MCU movies featured a number of the greatest sets of armor Iron Man ever built, with some becoming incredibly strong to the point that they allowed the hero to go toe-to-toe with immensely powerful enemies he could have never stood a chance against otherwise.
10 Mark XLV Used In Avengers: Age Of Ultron Close Iron Man had already made significant upgrades to his armor with his first couple of iterations in Iron Man and beyond, but he stepped it up significantly following the conclusion of his trilogy. After fighting Ultron and then the Hulk in Avengers: Age of Ultron, Iron Man equipped himself with another set of armor, the Mark XLV, which he used in the Battle of Sokovia.
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Related Rewatching The Lowest Grossing Avengers Movie Made Me Realize How Important It Actually Is After rewatching the MCU, I realized that the lowest grossing Avengers movie is actually really great, and one of the most important MCU films.
Posts 11 Though the Mark XLV was an upgrade to Iron Man"s first suit in Avengers: Age of Ultron, it doesn"t hold a candle to the Hulkbuster armor he used to subdue Hulk after Scarlet Witch invaded his mind. Still, the Mark XLV armor was the strongest standard Iron Man suit Tony Stark had made up to that point in the MCU, helping him to defeat Ultron and save as many people as possible.
9 Iron Legion Used In Iron Man 3 Close Following The Avengers and Tony Stark dealing with the trauma of the Battle of New York, he came back with a few more tricks up his sleeve in Iron Man 3. Throughout the first two Iron Man films and The Avengers, Tony was constantly improving the suits he made, and when Iron Man 3 finally came around, all of his tinkering led to the Iron Legion - a small army of suits that don"t need anyone to be inside of them to function.
The Iron Legion really gets an opportunity to shine towards the end of Iron Man 3, as Tony calls them to help fight Aldrich Killian and his group of Extremis soldiers. Not every single set of armor in the Iron Legion is that strong, but what makes them effective is that each piece serves its own purpose, and when fighting side-by-side, they are formidable.
8 Mark XLVI Used In Captain America: Civil War Close Following Avengers: Age of Ultron and the Battle of Sokovia, Tony Stark continued to build upon previous iterations of his Iron Man armor. This led to his Mark XLVI armor that he uses in Captain America: Civil War, both in the battle at the airport among heroes and the fight against Bucky and Captain America at the HYDRA facility towards the end of the film.
Iron Man"s Civil War armor was partly based on the Bleeding Edge armor in Marvel Comics, and a later iteration of his suit takes even more inspiration.
Even though it was only one appearance later, it feels like the Mark XLVI was a significant upgrade to his standard Iron Man suit at the end of Avengers: Age of Ultron. Not only did it hold up during the airport battle against some of the strongest members of the Avengers, but he was able to use it again in the final battle. Perhaps the best upgrade Tony Stark made to his new suit was the ability for it to recognize and counter fight patterns, which he uses to great effect in his fight against Captain America.
7 Mark XLVII Used In Spider-Man: Homecoming Close Long gone are the days of just a handful of Iron Man suits over the course of the first few movies. By the time Phase 3 of the MCU was in full swing, Tony Stark had continued to build upon each suit that he created, and it seems like he decided at some point that his Captain America: Civil War armor, Mark XLVI, was the peak model at that moment in time, using almost the exact same design for Spider-Man: Homecoming.
What helps to separate Mark XLVII from the iteration in Captain America: Civil War is Tony Stark"s ability to pilot it remotely from anywhere in the world - as long as there is Wi-Fi, according to one of his one liners. He uses this feature to rescue Peter Parker during an early scene in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Being able to be anywhere and still pilot the suit is a great upgrade for Mark XLVII, showing that Tony was continually trying to solve every problem he might face in the future.
6 Mark XLIX Rescue Used In Avengers: Endgame Close One of the very last suits that Tony Stark made prior to his death in Avengers: Endgame was the Mark XLIX, better known as the Rescue armor. There is one major difference between the Rescue armor and most of the other Iron Man suits; it was made for Pepper Potts, his former assistant and then wife. Seeing Pepper Potts in the Rescue armor is a nice full circle moment from when she briefly wore Iron Man armor in Iron Man 3.
As for the Mark XLIX, it is one of the finest sets of armor that Tony Stark ever created, and perfect for Pepper Potts during the climactic battle in Avengers: Endgame. It seems very similar to the final design that Tony Stark went with for his own suit in the final battle, but audiences never truly get to see just how powerful the Mark XLIX could be given that Pepper Potts doesn"t get too much screentime in it, with a couple of bigger moments in her appearance.
5 Mark XLVIII Hulkbuster Mark II Used In Avengers: Infinity War Close It should have been obvious that Tony Stark wouldn’t just have one iteration of the Hulkbuster after he initially used it in Avengers: Age of Ultron. It wasn’t until Avengers: Infinity War that the second iteration of the armor was revealed: the Mark XLVIII Hulkbuster Mark II. Unfortunately, Tony would never get the chance to show what it was fully capable of, considering he was not even on Earth when it was used.
Despite being the second iteration, it is unclear how strong it is compared to the original Hulkbuster.
Instead, Bruce Banner pilots the armor that was made to subdue him during the Battle of Wakanda towards the end of Avengers: Infinity War. He uses the Mark XLVIII Hulkbuster because Hulk refuses to emerge after losing badly to Thanos at the beginning of the movie. Despite being the second iteration, it is unclear how strong it is compared to the original Hulkbuster, since it doesn’t seem like Bruce Banner is able to fully utilize its potential.
4 Mark XLIV Hulkbuster Used In Avengers: Age Of Ultron Close Iron Man fighting Hulk is one of the most exciting moments in Avengers: Age of Ultron, and one of the coolest fights in all the MCU. Being such a formidable force, it takes all of Iron Man"s intelligence and skill to even stand a chance, and it is revealed during the events of the film that Tony Stark had actually built armor just to take on Hulk if he needed to. In comes the Mark XLIV Hulkbuster, one of the strongest suits of armor that Tony ever built.
Throughout the course of the fight, the Hulkbuster armor proved to be designed so well, and was able to stand toe-to-toe against Hulk. Even when he destroyed parts of the armor, Tony Stark had the genius plan to have pieces of his suit replenished by an orbital platform that is able to send various parts to Iron Man from up high. It was even able to knock the Hulk out cold by catching him off guard at the end of the fight.
3 Mark L Used In Avengers: Infinity War Close Going into Avengers: Infinity War, Iron Man needed to have some of the strongest armor he had ever created, especially since the Avengers were torn apart following the events of Captain America: Civil War. Tony Stark"s most powerful suit at that point in the MCU is revealed towards the beginning of the movie, as he uses the Mark L armor - another iteration of the Bleeding Edge armor - and it proves to be very resourceful throughout each battle.
What makes the Mark L such a leap forward in strength compared to virtually every set of armor that came before is how it utilizes nanotechnology to help Tony Stark gain an edge. The nanotech in the suit is immensely helpful for Iron Man, especially during his battle with Thanos, as he is able to materialize his suit to protect himself while other parts of it get destroyed. Thanos ultimately proves too much for Iron Man to overcome, but Mark L puts up a valiant fight.
2 Mark LXXXV Used In Avengers: Endgame Close Over the course of Iron Man"s time in the MCU, he built 85 iterations of his iconic armor. The Mark LXXXV was the final suit that he would wear, and the one he wore during his death in Avengers: Endgame. Not only is it his last suit, it is the strongest piece of armor that he personally wore, which tries its best to protect him from the power of the stones when he uses them.
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Related 10 Oldest Avengers In The MCU Ranked By Age The Avengers are made up of heroes of various ages, but some are older than others, and even a few that are much much older than everyone else.
Posts 4 The Mark LXXXV is similar to the Mark L armor that Iron Man used in Avengers: Infinity War, but proves to be even stronger, as it still utilizes nanotechnology, but is still more armor focused like his earlier suits. This gives him incredible durability, strength, and flexibility, helping him overcome Thanos and his army alongside the rest of the Avengers in Avengers: Endgame.
1 Mighty Avenger Used In What If...? Close Every Avenger Who Combined Into Mighty Avenger
Captain America
Red Guardian
Moon Knight
Winter Soldier
Shang-Chi
Nakia
Monica Rambeau
Every once in a while, Marvel Studios puts out a project that features an iteration of Iron Man armor that Tony Stark himself never actually wore. This happened multiple times throughout the multiverse-focused animated series, What If...?. During the first episode of the third and final season, another set of armor was introduced, and it is arguably the strongest armor in the overarching MCU, while also being incredibly unique among the rest of the suits.
During the events of "What If... The Hulk Fought the Mech Avengers?", each of the Avengers pilots a mech made as a "bigger Hulkbuster" to take on the Hulk"s mutated army, and these eventually combine into one giant mech, called the Mighty Avenger. Similar to the Power Rangers" Megazord, each individual Avenger mech plays a specific role in the Mighty Avenger, and when they all combine, they become much stronger than ever before, making it the strongest armor in the MCU.
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Marvel Cinematic Universe $28 $35 Save $7 The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a multimedia superhero franchise that began in 2008 with Paramount's Iron Man starring Robert Downey Jr. The franchise quickly grew in popularity, with Disney eventually buying out Marvel Entertainment in 2009. The MCU consists of dozens of movies and TV shows, most notably Avengers: Endgame, WandaVision, and Loki.
Created by Kevin Feige First Film Iron Man Upcoming Films Deadpool & Wolverine , Captain America: Brave New World , Thunderbolts* , Blade (2025) , The Fantastic Four: First Steps , Avengers: Doomsday (2026) , Avengers: Secret Wars First TV Show Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Upcoming TV Shows Agatha: Coven of Chaos , Ironheart , Daredevil: Born Again , Wakanda , Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man , Marvel Zombies , Wonder Man , Vision Quest Cast Robert Downey Jr. , Chris Evans , Scarlett Johansson , Samuel L. Jackson , Jeremy Renner , Chris Hemsworth , Mark Ruffalo , Edward Norton , Paul Rudd , Tom Holland , Tom Hiddleston , Anthony Mackie , Cobie Smulders , Brie Larson , Chadwick Boseman , Sebastian Stan , Chris Pratt , Dave Bautista , Zoe Saldana , Bradley Cooper , Vin Diesel , Pom Klementieff , Josh Brolin , Karen Gillan , Clark Gregg , Paul Bettany , Don Cheadle , Benedict Cumberbatch , Evangeline Lilly , Simu Liu , Aaron Taylor-Johnson , Angelina Jolie , Kit Harington , Salma Hayek , Richard Madden , Barry Keoghan , Gemma Chan , Ma Dong-seok , Brian Tyree Henry , Kumail Nanjiani , Lauren Ridloff , Lia McHugh , Jonathan Majors TV Show(s) Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. , Agent Carter , Inhumans , WandaVision , The Falcon and the Winter Soldier , Loki , What If...? , Hawkeye , Moon Knight , Ms. Marvel , She-Hulk: Attorney at Law , Secret Invasion , Marvel's Echo Expand $28 at Amazon See at Target See at Walmart Upcoming MCU Movies![]()
Captain America: Brave New World
Release Date February 14, 2025![]()
Thunderbolts*
Release Date May 2, 2025![]()
The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Release Date July 25, 2025![]()
Avengers: Doomsday (2026)
Release Date![]()
Spider-Man Homecoming 4
Release Date July 24, 2026![]()
Avengers: Secret Wars
Release Date May 7, 2027
Virtually every single new suit that Tony Stark built was an improvement over the previous one, and following Phase 1 of the MCU with The Avengers, he built more pieces of armor than ever, working his way up to 85 iterations before his story concluded in Avengers: Endgame. Some of the best MCU movies featured a number of the greatest sets of armor Iron Man ever built, with some becoming incredibly strong to the point that they allowed the hero to go toe-to-toe with immensely powerful enemies he could have never stood a chance against otherwise.
10 Mark XLV Used In Avengers: Age Of Ultron Close Iron Man had already made significant upgrades to his armor with his first couple of iterations in Iron Man and beyond, but he stepped it up significantly following the conclusion of his trilogy. After fighting Ultron and then the Hulk in Avengers: Age of Ultron, Iron Man equipped himself with another set of armor, the Mark XLV, which he used in the Battle of Sokovia.
Related Rewatching The Lowest Grossing Avengers Movie Made Me Realize How Important It Actually Is After rewatching the MCU, I realized that the lowest grossing Avengers movie is actually really great, and one of the most important MCU films. Posts 11 Though the Mark XLV was an upgrade to Iron Man"s first suit in Avengers: Age of Ultron, it doesn"t hold a candle to the Hulkbuster armor he used to subdue Hulk after Scarlet Witch invaded his mind. Still, the Mark XLV armor was the strongest standard Iron Man suit Tony Stark had made up to that point in the MCU, helping him to defeat Ultron and save as many people as possible.
9 Iron Legion Used In Iron Man 3 Close Following The Avengers and Tony Stark dealing with the trauma of the Battle of New York, he came back with a few more tricks up his sleeve in Iron Man 3. Throughout the first two Iron Man films and The Avengers, Tony was constantly improving the suits he made, and when Iron Man 3 finally came around, all of his tinkering led to the Iron Legion - a small army of suits that don"t need anyone to be inside of them to function.
The Iron Legion really gets an opportunity to shine towards the end of Iron Man 3, as Tony calls them to help fight Aldrich Killian and his group of Extremis soldiers. Not every single set of armor in the Iron Legion is that strong, but what makes them effective is that each piece serves its own purpose, and when fighting side-by-side, they are formidable.
8 Mark XLVI Used In Captain America: Civil War Close Following Avengers: Age of Ultron and the Battle of Sokovia, Tony Stark continued to build upon previous iterations of his Iron Man armor. This led to his Mark XLVI armor that he uses in Captain America: Civil War, both in the battle at the airport among heroes and the fight against Bucky and Captain America at the HYDRA facility towards the end of the film.
Iron Man"s Civil War armor was partly based on the Bleeding Edge armor in Marvel Comics, and a later iteration of his suit takes even more inspiration.
Even though it was only one appearance later, it feels like the Mark XLVI was a significant upgrade to his standard Iron Man suit at the end of Avengers: Age of Ultron. Not only did it hold up during the airport battle against some of the strongest members of the Avengers, but he was able to use it again in the final battle. Perhaps the best upgrade Tony Stark made to his new suit was the ability for it to recognize and counter fight patterns, which he uses to great effect in his fight against Captain America.
7 Mark XLVII Used In Spider-Man: Homecoming Close Long gone are the days of just a handful of Iron Man suits over the course of the first few movies. By the time Phase 3 of the MCU was in full swing, Tony Stark had continued to build upon each suit that he created, and it seems like he decided at some point that his Captain America: Civil War armor, Mark XLVI, was the peak model at that moment in time, using almost the exact same design for Spider-Man: Homecoming.
What helps to separate Mark XLVII from the iteration in Captain America: Civil War is Tony Stark"s ability to pilot it remotely from anywhere in the world - as long as there is Wi-Fi, according to one of his one liners. He uses this feature to rescue Peter Parker during an early scene in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Being able to be anywhere and still pilot the suit is a great upgrade for Mark XLVII, showing that Tony was continually trying to solve every problem he might face in the future.
6 Mark XLIX Rescue Used In Avengers: Endgame Close One of the very last suits that Tony Stark made prior to his death in Avengers: Endgame was the Mark XLIX, better known as the Rescue armor. There is one major difference between the Rescue armor and most of the other Iron Man suits; it was made for Pepper Potts, his former assistant and then wife. Seeing Pepper Potts in the Rescue armor is a nice full circle moment from when she briefly wore Iron Man armor in Iron Man 3.
As for the Mark XLIX, it is one of the finest sets of armor that Tony Stark ever created, and perfect for Pepper Potts during the climactic battle in Avengers: Endgame. It seems very similar to the final design that Tony Stark went with for his own suit in the final battle, but audiences never truly get to see just how powerful the Mark XLIX could be given that Pepper Potts doesn"t get too much screentime in it, with a couple of bigger moments in her appearance.
5 Mark XLVIII Hulkbuster Mark II Used In Avengers: Infinity War Close It should have been obvious that Tony Stark wouldn’t just have one iteration of the Hulkbuster after he initially used it in Avengers: Age of Ultron. It wasn’t until Avengers: Infinity War that the second iteration of the armor was revealed: the Mark XLVIII Hulkbuster Mark II. Unfortunately, Tony would never get the chance to show what it was fully capable of, considering he was not even on Earth when it was used.
Despite being the second iteration, it is unclear how strong it is compared to the original Hulkbuster.
Instead, Bruce Banner pilots the armor that was made to subdue him during the Battle of Wakanda towards the end of Avengers: Infinity War. He uses the Mark XLVIII Hulkbuster because Hulk refuses to emerge after losing badly to Thanos at the beginning of the movie. Despite being the second iteration, it is unclear how strong it is compared to the original Hulkbuster, since it doesn’t seem like Bruce Banner is able to fully utilize its potential.
4 Mark XLIV Hulkbuster Used In Avengers: Age Of Ultron Close Iron Man fighting Hulk is one of the most exciting moments in Avengers: Age of Ultron, and one of the coolest fights in all the MCU. Being such a formidable force, it takes all of Iron Man"s intelligence and skill to even stand a chance, and it is revealed during the events of the film that Tony Stark had actually built armor just to take on Hulk if he needed to. In comes the Mark XLIV Hulkbuster, one of the strongest suits of armor that Tony ever built.
Throughout the course of the fight, the Hulkbuster armor proved to be designed so well, and was able to stand toe-to-toe against Hulk. Even when he destroyed parts of the armor, Tony Stark had the genius plan to have pieces of his suit replenished by an orbital platform that is able to send various parts to Iron Man from up high. It was even able to knock the Hulk out cold by catching him off guard at the end of the fight.
3 Mark L Used In Avengers: Infinity War Close Going into Avengers: Infinity War, Iron Man needed to have some of the strongest armor he had ever created, especially since the Avengers were torn apart following the events of Captain America: Civil War. Tony Stark"s most powerful suit at that point in the MCU is revealed towards the beginning of the movie, as he uses the Mark L armor - another iteration of the Bleeding Edge armor - and it proves to be very resourceful throughout each battle.
What makes the Mark L such a leap forward in strength compared to virtually every set of armor that came before is how it utilizes nanotechnology to help Tony Stark gain an edge. The nanotech in the suit is immensely helpful for Iron Man, especially during his battle with Thanos, as he is able to materialize his suit to protect himself while other parts of it get destroyed. Thanos ultimately proves too much for Iron Man to overcome, but Mark L puts up a valiant fight.
2 Mark LXXXV Used In Avengers: Endgame Close Over the course of Iron Man"s time in the MCU, he built 85 iterations of his iconic armor. The Mark LXXXV was the final suit that he would wear, and the one he wore during his death in Avengers: Endgame. Not only is it his last suit, it is the strongest piece of armor that he personally wore, which tries its best to protect him from the power of the stones when he uses them.
Related 10 Oldest Avengers In The MCU Ranked By Age The Avengers are made up of heroes of various ages, but some are older than others, and even a few that are much much older than everyone else. Posts 4 The Mark LXXXV is similar to the Mark L armor that Iron Man used in Avengers: Infinity War, but proves to be even stronger, as it still utilizes nanotechnology, but is still more armor focused like his earlier suits. This gives him incredible durability, strength, and flexibility, helping him overcome Thanos and his army alongside the rest of the Avengers in Avengers: Endgame.
1 Mighty Avenger Used In What If...? Close Every Avenger Who Combined Into Mighty Avenger
Captain America
Red Guardian
Moon Knight
Winter Soldier
Shang-Chi
Nakia
Monica Rambeau
Every once in a while, Marvel Studios puts out a project that features an iteration of Iron Man armor that Tony Stark himself never actually wore. This happened multiple times throughout the multiverse-focused animated series, What If...?. During the first episode of the third and final season, another set of armor was introduced, and it is arguably the strongest armor in the overarching MCU, while also being incredibly unique among the rest of the suits.
During the events of "What If... The Hulk Fought the Mech Avengers?", each of the Avengers pilots a mech made as a "bigger Hulkbuster" to take on the Hulk"s mutated army, and these eventually combine into one giant mech, called the Mighty Avenger. Similar to the Power Rangers" Megazord, each individual Avenger mech plays a specific role in the Mighty Avenger, and when they all combine, they become much stronger than ever before, making it the strongest armor in the MCU.
Your changes have been saved
Email is sent
Email has already been sent
Marvel Cinematic Universe $28 $35 Save $7 The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a multimedia superhero franchise that began in 2008 with Paramount's Iron Man starring Robert Downey Jr. The franchise quickly grew in popularity, with Disney eventually buying out Marvel Entertainment in 2009. The MCU consists of dozens of movies and TV shows, most notably Avengers: Endgame, WandaVision, and Loki.Created by Kevin Feige First Film Iron Man Upcoming Films Deadpool & Wolverine , Captain America: Brave New World , Thunderbolts* , Blade (2025) , The Fantastic Four: First Steps , Avengers: Doomsday (2026) , Avengers: Secret Wars First TV Show Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Upcoming TV Shows Agatha: Coven of Chaos , Ironheart , Daredevil: Born Again , Wakanda , Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man , Marvel Zombies , Wonder Man , Vision Quest Cast Robert Downey Jr. , Chris Evans , Scarlett Johansson , Samuel L. Jackson , Jeremy Renner , Chris Hemsworth , Mark Ruffalo , Edward Norton , Paul Rudd , Tom Holland , Tom Hiddleston , Anthony Mackie , Cobie Smulders , Brie Larson , Chadwick Boseman , Sebastian Stan , Chris Pratt , Dave Bautista , Zoe Saldana , Bradley Cooper , Vin Diesel , Pom Klementieff , Josh Brolin , Karen Gillan , Clark Gregg , Paul Bettany , Don Cheadle , Benedict Cumberbatch , Evangeline Lilly , Simu Liu , Aaron Taylor-Johnson , Angelina Jolie , Kit Harington , Salma Hayek , Richard Madden , Barry Keoghan , Gemma Chan , Ma Dong-seok , Brian Tyree Henry , Kumail Nanjiani , Lauren Ridloff , Lia McHugh , Jonathan Majors TV Show(s) Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. , Agent Carter , Inhumans , WandaVision , The Falcon and the Winter Soldier , Loki , What If...? , Hawkeye , Moon Knight , Ms. Marvel , She-Hulk: Attorney at Law , Secret Invasion , Marvel's Echo Expand $28 at Amazon See at Target See at Walmart Upcoming MCU Movies
Captain America: Brave New World Release Date February 14, 2025
Thunderbolts* Release Date May 2, 2025
The Fantastic Four: First Steps Release Date July 25, 2025
Avengers: Doomsday (2026) Release Date
Spider-Man Homecoming 4 Release Date July 24, 2026
Avengers: Secret Wars Release Date May 7, 2027
