Top 10 Characters Who Have Worn the Iron Man Suit
For this list, we're looking at the best characters to ever take Iron Man's iconic armor out for a test drive. We're going to let Tony himself sit this one out, and focus on other characters for this list. After all, we all know he'd be number one anyway.
#10: Hal Stark
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This emerald avenger is a denizen of the Amalgam universe, a world populated with mashups of DC and Marvel Comics heroes. Still a billionaire tech wiz, the future Iron Lantern was pulled to the site of a dying alien’s spaceship but sustained life-threatening injuries on the way. After the alien perished, he was able to fashion a suit using technology from the spacecraft like its lantern-shaped power core. This suit not only saved his life and came with all the usual bells and whistles of an Iron Man suit, but granted him the ability to generate energy constructs thanks to the alien battery that powered it.
#9: Squirrel Girl
When this upbeat her learned that Galactus, the all-powerful devourer of worlds, was en route to Earth yet again, she knew it would be up to her to save the day. Obviously beating Galactus would be no sweat, given her track record, but getting to him would be a challenge. With the help of her furry friends, she was able to “borrow” enough pieces of modular armor to put together her own suit, complete with tail, and blasted off to save the day. Her sidekick Tippy-Toe even got a tiny suit of her own. It would have been smooth sailing from there if Whiplash hadn’t gotten in the way.
#8: Norman Osborne
After helping to fight off an alien invasion, the seemingly reformed Green Goblin was made the head-honcho of H.A.M.M.E.R, a brand new government organization meant to police all superhuman and alien activity. Knowing that his days flying around in a goblin suit laughing like a madman might have left a stain on his public image, he re-branded by getting a suit of Iron Man armor painted in the red-white-and-blue. Under the name “Iron Patriot”, he posed as a hero while secretly pursuing his own agendas. What, you didn’t think the guy who threw Spider-Man’s girlfriend off a bridge could be trusted did you?
#7: Mary Jane Watson
It’s been pretty clear ever since her first appearance on Peter Parker’s doorstep that this gal can take whatever life throws at her and then some. This includes having to suit up in a retro-style Iron Man suit, alongside Aunt May as well, in order to break into Doctor Doom’s castle to steal his time machine. When the time came to actually use the suit in a fight, MJ did not disappoint. Yep, we told you, she’s one tough cookie. This was just the first time that the former Mrs. Spider-Man had some time around Stark Tech. More recently, she took a job as Tony’s new personal assistant after a brawl between Iron Man, Doctor Doom and Madame Masque left her latest club in shambles.
#6: Happy Hogan
If there’s one thing harder to find than a reliable driver, it’s a reliable driver who will also occasionally put on a high-tech suit of armor and help you fight supervillains. Iron Man’s longtime chauffeur has had to suit up a couple of times, the most notable one being when he helped lead an entire team of armored heroes to attack the android Ultimo. After being defeated by Ultimo, Tony lay in a coma, forcing Happy to improvise and assemble the Iron Legion, a group of Tony’s allies wearing various armors from years gone by. Thanks to their efforts, Ultimo was defeated and the day was saved.
#5: Pepper Potts
Being Tony Stark’s personal assistant can’t be an easy job, but when you occasionally get your very own customized suit of Iron Man armor, it almost seems worth it. When Stark Industries was attacked by Norman Osborn and H.A.M.M.E.R, his right-hand woman found her own suit of armor and fought back. Taking the name Rescue, she even got to like the hero gig for a while and proved herself worthy of the suit on a few occasions.
#4: Deadpool
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Whenever we’re in a dark place, having a friend there to lend some support can be a big help. Unless that friend is the Merc with a Mouth, that is. During Tony’s struggle with alcoholism, the fourth-wall breaking anti-hero was hired to push Iron Man off the wagon. But rather than just turn down the job, Wade instead knocked Tony out, stole an Iron Man armor decked out in his signature colors and flew around getting drunk. After all, his job was to get Iron Man drinking again, not necessarily Tony Stark. Leave it to Wade to do something awesome, helpful but also kinda horrible all at the same time.
#3: Riri Williams
A certified super-genius who got into M.I.T at just 15, this young woman became Iron Man’s protege after building her very own suit of armor. Recognizing her genius, Tony endorsed her efforts to make her own suit and become a hero, leading her to eventually settle on the name Ironheart. Her first suit may have been a bit on the clunky side, but after getting the bugs worked out she was able to upgrade into a much sleeker, more powerful suit of her very own, one she’s since used alongside fellow teen heroes The Champions. She’s got a pretty bright future ahead of her.
#2: Steve Rogers
In the alternate timeline of the “Bullet Points” mini-series, the would-be Captain America is prevented from becoming the hero he was meant to be when doctor Abraham Erskine, the creator of the super soldier formula, is assassinated before the procedure. Ever determined to serve his country, a still-scrawny-Steve is inducted into the Iron Man program, a previously abandoned project to create mechanical super-suits. While he was able to become Iron Man and helped fight in the war, he had to undergo agonizing surgery that left him sealed inside the suit for years. He would eventually lose his life defending civilians from a raging Peter Parker, who is this universe’ version of the Hulk.
#1: James “Rhodey” Rhodes
There’s only one man who’s spent as much time under the helmet of an Iron Man suit as Tony Stark, and that’s his longtime friend who he affectionately nicknamed Rhodey. A US Marine who befriended Tony just after his first outing as Iron Man, he quickly became the billionaire playboy’s personal pilot and confidante. Years later, when Tony’s battle with alcoholism reached a fever-pitch, Rhodes stepped in and took over as Iron Man. He carried the mantle for nearly four years, battling all of Iron Man’s enemies in his friend’s place. Eventually Tony returned to the role, leaving Rhodey to become War Machine years later when he was needed again.
