Tony Stark has come a very long way since his time cobbling together pieces of scrap metal in the caves of Afghanistan.
In the decade since Jon Favreau’s Iron Man, fans have seen the Iron Legion, War Machine and the Mark XLIV Armor – better known to you, I, and Bruce Banner as the famous Hulkbuster – but with Avengers: Infinity War fast approaching its May 4th release date, Marvel Studios is about to bring us a Tony Stark at the very peak of his abilities.
How do we know that? Well, because last weekend’s epic Super Bowl spot for Infinity War – a spot that has naturally been picked apart to within an inch of its life already – featured our first true glimpse of the Model-Prime Armor (Mark LI), which seems to blur the line between man and machine.
Given the entire teaser was just under 30 seconds long, it only provided a fleeting peek at Stark’s flagship creation, but now, we’ve got another look at the bleeding-edge suit thanks to some tie-in merchandise, which can be seen in the gallery down below.
Those of you who familiar with the comics will know that the Model-Prime Armor comes to be shortly after the introduction of Riri Williams, a whip-smart 15-year-old who pushes Tony Stark into upping his game. And so, Iron Man’s greatest suit is born, though we’ll likely have to wait until May 4th before we discover all of its many bells and whistles.
Of course, the team leader won’t be the only one getting an upgrade, as Avengers: Infinity War will open up a whole new arsenal for many Earth’s Mightiest Heroes – be it the aforementioned Model-Prime armor, Cap’s dual shields, or the fearsome Jarnbjorn, Thor’s Dwarven-forged battle ax that looks set to replace Mjolnir.
This is surely good news for the gang, as they’ll need all the help they can get in the fight against Thanos, and we can’t wait to see them put their upgraded gear to use in just a few short months.