The evolution of Tony Stark’s Iron Man suits has been a subplot in itself over the years, and in Avengers: Infinity War, Robert Downey Jr. rocked his most formidable outfit to date.
The nanotech-enhanced Bleeding Edge design may not have been quite enough for our hero to hold his own against Thanos, but it still marked a major leap forward for the character’s ever-advancing tech, and in the new Infinity War artbook, Marvel Studios EVP of Production Victoria Alonso broke down the logic of this latest getup.
“The Bleeding Edge was something that we talked about for a long time,” Alonso said. “We wanted to have something that was tighter to the body, that he could command on the go, that didn’t require him to suite up elsewhere. He could do it just by tapping the RT, and create different weapons that came from the suit itself so he could defend himself — because don’t forget, he’s never had to face someone like Thanos.”
While Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War – The Art of the Movie contains plenty of insight on the designs that did make the movie, it might have even more to offer on the designs that didn’t, with Stark’s protégé Peter Parker, for instance, having pages dedicated to alternate versions of his own nanotech outfit.
And speaking of concept art, we’ve already got a glimpse of what could be next in Iron Man’s ever-extending line of suits thanks to some images that leaked last month. This unusual red-and-silver design has spawned a range of theories on where Stark’s story might go in Avengers 4, be it another trip through space or a journey into the Quantum Realm. Alternatively, some fans have speculated that this new design is actually the “under-armor” to Stark’s classic red-and-gold outfit from the comic books.
Either way, if the popular predictions are anything to go by, next year’s Avengers: Infinity War sequel could see Iron Man don his last suit, though his fiancée Pepper Potts is only just wearing her first. Could a passing of the torch be on the cards? We’ll find out when Avengers 4 hits theaters on May 3rd, 2019.
