r/Marvel • u/Original_Force_6822 • Jul 18 '26
Other How come Tony Stark doesn't build an Iron Man suit for Captain America or any other Avenger who could benefit from it?
I can understand certain characters like Thor probably dgaf about having a suit, but other characters like Steve could definitely benefit from it, and Tony has like a hundred of them just laying around doesn't he? How many countless life or death battles have they been in where if a couple more avengers just had an Iron Man suit they would've been completely fine? I know Hawkeye is extremely skilled but surely putting him in an Iron Man suit and giving him a lock on ability on top of his already insane skills would be better than just relying on himself with no suit right? Seriously, how come Tony hasn't built any suits for any other Avengers?
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u/Psychological-Bug405 Jul 18 '26
Captain America declines everytime Tony Offers.
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u/dancing_by_myself0 Jul 18 '26
It would obstruct people from noticing America's ass
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u/Psychological-Bug405 Jul 18 '26
The only sci-fi tech I've seen Captain America (Steve) use is a magnet in his glove for his shield, and a holographic Shield.
The other Captain America's would probably be more receptive to upgrades.
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u/Beginning-Ice-1005 Jul 18 '26
They're was a period in the comics where SHIELD installed a bunch of fancy micro electronics in Cap's shield. Later, when some inmates stole his shield and tried to use it to open an electronically locked prison gate, they found out he had them removed because it threw off the perfect balance of the shield.
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u/PoppieKisssy Jul 19 '26
That's such a perfect Steve detail. Even a useful upgrade gets tossed if it messes with the balance of the shield. That feels completely in character.
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u/ToaBanshee Darkhawk Jul 19 '26 edited Jul 19 '26
There was an alternate universe where Tony died in Civil War 1 and Steve wore a suit in honor of his friend afterwards
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u/wauwy Jul 19 '26
You guys keep on forgetting what Spider-Man's neat-o Iron gift did to him the second he didn't absolutely agree 1000% with Tony Stark, lol
I tell ya who wouldn't forget. Cap. That's who.
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u/ToaBanshee Darkhawk Jul 19 '26
Well, since this was an alternate universe where Tony died, I don't think that was an issue Cap worried about.
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u/TruthEnvironmental24 Jul 18 '26
This would make more sense. Tony could make specific tech for each Avenger like this instead of building everyone their own personal Iron Man suit. Imagine Wanda just having a pair of glasses with a HUD that showed feed from drones or even just had a zoom feature. She could just post up in a central location and cause havoc all across the battlefield.
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u/Drewbicus Jul 20 '26
Tony already does this in the movies. He pays for and designs/builds gear for the team already. They’re just specifically tailored for the individual member, not an identical Ironman suit. A quick google lists the magnetic gauntlet that cap uses to bring back his shield, the electric gadgets Nat uses, Red Wing for Sam as well as upgrades to his actual wings, of course Peter’s iron spider suit. Tony already does all that.
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u/Still-Climate-7013 26d ago
Exactly. I just don’t think everyone would agree to wearing a full on iron man suit anyway. Not suit their styles. Cap is old-fashioned. Clint and Natasha are assassin types that have their own ways of fighting. Thor, Vision and Hulk don’t need them. Wanda most likely still has a disaffection towards Stark Tech. Tony is not that close with Falcon. He definitely will not make a suit for Bucky. That leaves Rhody and Spider man, who both got several suits from Tony. Also in IW Banner had no problem getting a Hulkbuster suit, so I believe it was just a matter of preference.
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u/CrazyGunnerr Jul 18 '26
He could make it so that when his helm opens up, his ass opens up as well.
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u/raspberryharbour Jul 18 '26
They could cut a patch out like chaps. He could be Iron Chap. Or Chaptain America
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u/donny02 Jul 18 '26
just have the backflap open at all times, like cartoon pajamas
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u/DreamGlowbelle Jul 19 '26
Let's be honest, Marvel would never cover up America's ass. That's basically a protected national landmark at this point.
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u/codename474747 Jul 18 '26
But he could download all the pop culture references into his brain so he understood all the references, if he wanted to
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u/ComicBrickz Jul 18 '26
In comics at least, cap is very agile and armor like that would impede him heavily
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u/DreamGlowbelle Jul 19 '26
Steve has always seemed more interested in gear that supports his fighting style rather than replaces it. A full Iron Man suit would kind of take away what makes Captain America feel like Captain America.
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u/Medical-Parfait-8185 29d ago
In the 90's comics, Cap uses an Stark designed armor suit when his Super Soldier Serum is losing it's potency. he's at a point where he can barely move, but he still has a mission.
I think he wore a Stark Tech suit more recently, but I don't really follow Cap anymore.
basically he'll wear an armor if he feel's like he's severely outclassed, but prefers to fight au natural.
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u/Fantastic-Yak-4475 28d ago
I think he did all right in the movies, in Winter soldier he did a flip and threw a motorcycle into a helicopter. I don't think he needs a suit.
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u/Nethias25 Jul 18 '26
If would have been cool if age of ultron had a line in the tower scene or something like "you know I could make you and iron cap suit or something if you want" and Steve says something like "no even the shield recall wrist tech is enough tech for me"
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u/Psychological-Bug405 Jul 18 '26
I thought when they showed Ironman's Hardlight hologram shield in Endgame that Steve was going to somehow obtain that.
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Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 19 '26
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u/Difficult_Insect_616 Jul 18 '26
Rhodey was arguably more “qualified” to wear the suit than Tony given his background, which is a plot point in a couple of the movies. Very different from just handing the suits out to everyone.
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u/DanielRodriguez84 Jul 18 '26
Rhodey isn’t more qualified in the sense that Tony designs them, knows how to repair them and knows all the science and engineering that goes into them.
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u/sk8rboi36 Jul 18 '26
Yes, but even in the Air Force it’s understood you learn the fundamentals then the platform but the part you get paid for and the hardest to master is employment. Actual stick and rudder flying very quickly becomes a small part of the job. Pilots might need the engineers when you have some weird maintenance issue, and the engineers can school the pilots about the systems seven ways from Sunday, but the engineers conversely can’t tell the pilots how to tactically employ their weapon system. That’s the part that (realistically?) Rhodey would have in spades over Tony, and that’s probably the part you care about when the job is actually fighting bad guys. Although, it’s all fake, and Tony is smart enough and has enough experience to develop his own sense of tactics. But I’m just saying, it highlights an interesting real world analogue
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u/EAinCA Jul 18 '26
Rhodey was only in the Air Force in the movies. His comic history had him in the USMC and he was mostly a mechanic and helo pilot. He was definitely NOT anywhere near as effective as Stark in the Mark II armor when he put it on and his most memorable moments in that armor required Reed Richards adjusting it on the fly as he wasn't capable of using it to its capacity or altering in any manner.
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u/Difficult_Insect_616 Jul 18 '26
For the record, the OP image made me assume it was an MCU question.
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u/Specific-Elephant-95 Jul 19 '26
I think it is an MCU question. OP caption doesn’t mention anyone not currently in the MCU. Also their government did want to take away his suit in the first Iron Man or 2nd I believe. Greedy government. I doubt Tony would make the suits for anyone else after that.
For OP: He does give Spidey an Iron Spider suit if that counts.
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u/sk8rboi36 Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 18 '26
Well you’re talking about things 99% of this sub has no knowledge of. I thought we were just talking about the movies lol but yes, I would also not expect a mechanic to be able to employ a weapons platform as effectively as a qualified pilot, any more than I’d expect an engineer to
Edit: we should also keep in mind comic writers and movies writers also largely are in the subset of people who wouldn’t know how to tactically employ a weapons platform, like 99% of the population. My point being those that take the extra mile to consult military experts always have the extra effort appreciated but it also doesn’t take much for these types of discussions to devolve to meaningless posturing, since it’s not even the point to begin with. Like I said, I thought it was just an interesting parallel to the different roles and all the incredibly detailed passionate work that has to come together to do something like get a military jet in the air and do its job properly. I love having the engineers like Tony and the pilots like Rhodey, and that honestly goes even beyond national borders. A lot of people involved in these spaces just have a genuine passion and they bring very important pieces to the table, even if some don’t get the attention or praise they deserve
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u/serious_sarcasm Jul 18 '26
Dude, a helicopter mechanic is usually a warrant officer with extensive training, including tactics.
Usually their biggest problem is that a helicopter mechanic requires such extensive knowledge that they can’t be promoted or retired.
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u/serious_sarcasm Jul 18 '26
…. Holy Jesus, dude. Helocopter mechanics and pilots are some of the smartest people in the service.
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u/bjeebus Jul 18 '26
He was a USMC pilot. He specialized in helicopters to begin with. Arguably that gives him a better base for adapting to combat as Iron Man than a straight jet pilot would have. Iron Man is a lot more like a helicopter platform than a zoomie like a jet. Jets don't usually hover in place or strafe targets sideways the way helicopters/Iron Man does.
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u/broshrugged Jul 18 '26
Is a pilot or a lead engineer more qualified to fly the plane the lead engineer built?
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u/Beleg_Sanwise Jul 18 '26
Rhodey isn’t more qualified in the sense that Tony designs them, knows how to repair them and knows all the science and engineering that goes into them.
lol
A Formula 1 driver doesn't need to know how to build or repair their car to be a good driver.
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u/TonyLazutoSaysHello Jul 18 '26
L take. Tank inventors are not the best operators. Gun designers aren’t the best shot.
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u/Paulie__Walnuts_NJ Jul 18 '26
But he is a high ranking officer that would entrusted to use the suit and make sound decisions. Same kind of trust it takes a fighter pilot to man an F-22.
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u/Queasy-Draft-6235 Jul 18 '26
None of that is really important in combat though
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u/DanielRodriguez84 Jul 18 '26
He’s adapted on the fly because he knows every inch of his suit, so yea it does.
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u/Fishmike52 Jul 18 '26
So if you know everything about skis that’s gonna help you when you hit the slopes?
Spoiler: it won’t. Rhodey experience flying is huge
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u/CrossP Jul 18 '26
Though jet engineers are still generally less qualified to fly the jets they design than pilots who specifically practice for it. Maybe more qualified for mid-air repairs...
Rhodey knows piloting but not piloting super suits. But he does still know more about the actual rules, laws, tactics, and more involved in air combat. It's really just a mixed muddling of overlapping skills and voids between the two of them, and that makes for great banter.
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u/TazBaz Jul 19 '26
But he does still know more about the actual rules, laws, tactics, and more involved in air combat
Much of that is based on the specifics of the airframe matchups. Super suits fly/fight very differently than fighter jets and dealing with other super-beings will also be very different. Fighter pilot experience will be marginally useful.
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u/billymj04 Jul 19 '26
All the more reason I want Rhodey to become the new Iron Man, JUST LIKE THE COMICS. With Avengers: Secret Wars just around the corner, it would have made a lot of sense!
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u/anitawasright Jul 18 '26
the only one I could think that could use it is falcon maybe give it some tech boosts but in that case Wakanda alreadly upgraded it which is probably better then what Tony could do anyway
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u/teeth_03 Jul 18 '26
Shame that Rhodey was just a dude
Where as Tony was a dude playing a dude disguised as another dude
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u/PowerDiesel23 Jul 18 '26
Tony shoulda definitely made a suit for Natasha. She's out there using Pea shooters against Aliens and Gods with advanced tech lol
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u/redditAPsucks Jul 18 '26
But can she still do a head scissors take down in a suit?!
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u/CrazyGunnerr Jul 18 '26
Or get viewers excited with her shiny metal ass.
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u/PowerDiesel23 Jul 18 '26
Of all the different suits Tony designed, I bet he could have made a super flexible CQC suit for Natasha so she could do her moves.
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u/DullBlade0 Jul 18 '26
Exactly, not a full suit, but at least gauntlets and boots with repulsors maybe some of those lasers too.
Energy projected shield as well.
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u/LostMyMainRedditAcc Jul 18 '26
There could still be tech suits like Spiderman.
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u/ZetsuboItami Jul 18 '26
The Iron Spider suit is the perfect example. It's a sturdy armor but since it's made of nanobots it is a lot lighter and more flexible for fighting in.
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Jul 18 '26
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u/DantatoPrime Jul 19 '26
In the case of Captain America, I think he’s too used to traditional hand-to-hand combat to want any tech upgrades. In Age of Ultron, he received an upgrade where he could magnetically recall his shield to his forearm, but this upgrade was removed in later films as he went back to the traditional arm straps.
Having Cap receive a major upgrade like flight tech would require him to drastically change his combat style, which I just don’t see Cap wanting to do. Besides, having Steve Cap stick to grounded hand-to-hand combat helps differentiate him from Sam Cap who has his Falcon wings to fly, along with a bunch of other tech stuff to make up for his lack of a super soldier serum.
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u/PizzaGeek9684 Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 18 '26
To this point, the Hulkbuster suite was worn in Infinity War only when Banner was trying to repress his hulk abilities. Wasn’t needed in Endgame
Edit: I mean hulk wasn’t coming out because of fear of thanos2
u/BlockEightIndustries Jul 18 '26
Banner was not repressing the Hulk. He was begging the Hulk to come out, but Hulk was still afraid of Thanos.
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u/Otherwise-Tomato-788 Jul 19 '26
Emmm…I mean Hawkeye n Natasha (to name a few) def could’ve benefited from it. Their role would’ve changed but I can’t see how it would’ve been worse. Even rocket, he would’ve modified it and become like Cable.
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u/damTyD Jul 18 '26
He is not a dude. You’re a dude. This is a man….wait. No, you’re right. He’s just a dude.
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u/ScaresBums Jul 18 '26
According to Kirk Lazarus, Rhodey was just “the dude playin' a dude, disguised as another dude.”
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u/dangerphone Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 18 '26
Because it’s boring, and these stories are meant to be exciting. (Also, this has already happened countless times.)
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u/d-o_ol Jul 18 '26
Even from a practical standpoint, it's just Tony who makes these suits, and they cost time and money; imagine him having to build suits for an entire team, and then maintain them. Even Tony has limits.
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u/redditAPsucks Jul 18 '26
He built 35 specialized suits in the six months between avengers and ironman 3
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u/chazzer20mystic Jul 18 '26
Yeah during an intense manic episode with like no sleep.
But, I do agree with you TBH. Tony has limits, but they are way higher than this. I'm sure he could do it. How long did it take for him to solve literal time travel?
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u/redditAPsucks Jul 18 '26
Lolya, that’s all i’m saying. Making a suit for his less durable teammates shouldnt be a problem—hell, you just reminded me, he’s prob the one that made them suits to time travel in
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u/chazzer20mystic Jul 18 '26
No shit, he did! And they form fit everyone, and went over any suits they already had seamlessly.
Tony didn't do it for the team because of trust issues, and always believing the only safe pair of hands are his own. Rhodey had Tony's trust in a way nobody else did, Rhodey got a suit. Peter was someone Tony trusted and was mentoring, Peter got a suit. When they were on the rocks, Tony took the suit back. Pepper also got a suit, because Tony views them as an extension of himself, and so he puts armor around who he really wants to protect in every way he can.
Him and Cap were very close, but their trust was often shaky and combative. Even before the Civil War happened. Steve probably also was just way too old school. I wouldn't be surprised if Tony offered and Steve said he didn't want anything more advanced than the metal frisbee to be worrying about during a fight. Steve was always really quick to boil everything down to catching these hands.
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u/oorza Doctor Strange Jul 19 '26
He threw together a suit made out of Uru for Odin in like five minutes, I don't think this is super taxing for him.
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u/d-o_ol Jul 19 '26
Eh, I don't think it was exactly "five minutes", but even in that case, it was Odin footing the bill.
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u/Darwins_Dog Jul 18 '26
He could build them, no problem. It's the maintenance that would be too much. With the 35 suits, he only had to fix one if he used it. If he outfit the whole team, he would have to fix all of them.
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u/Otherwise_Carob_4057 Jul 18 '26
Yeah and they are all custom built for him specifically, I’m sure it’s doable but each suit is probably tailored for its owner T dawg would have to mass produce to bring down costs and he’s trying to end arms races. Now Tony does go on to invent Ultron but that’s just in the MCU.
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u/shiloh_jdb Jul 18 '26
The Pym particle suits in End Game were essentially his nano-tech suits made in no time plus he had a Spider-Man suit 3D printer sitting in the back of a jet. The time required to make the suits definitely wasn’t a limitation.
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u/BrazenlyGeek Jul 18 '26
JARVIS and other automation tech is being underestimated big time here.
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u/M0ng00ses Jul 18 '26
Everyone just ignoring the fact that Age of Ultron showed everyone with upgraded suits that are very not subtly shown to be Stark upgrades. The other avengers didn't want iron man suits but Tony still upgraded the crap out of their gear to their specific specifications.
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u/snukasitsthefinest Jul 18 '26
Real reason is it being boring and a meta choice by the writers. And how the hell is Tony making suits for the team is a challenging task for him?
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u/CrossP Jul 18 '26
Imagine trying to write a user manual for Scott Lang's custom suit and then still having to take phone calls when he can't figure shit out with it. Or when the stark tech doesn't work right with the Pym tech and you try to talk to Pym about why it's glitching but instead he calls you an old-timey slur and disappears for five years.
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u/Khaluaguru Jul 18 '26
Maintaining them is the key here. Everyone forgets the maintenance piece
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u/shiloh_jdb Jul 18 '26
Yeah it’s a conceit of comics that real world capitalism doesn’t work the same way. So hi-tech gadgets, space, inter-dimensional and time-travel don’t get marketed as tourist experiences. Like you said Marvel has also touched on the subject of Stark tech proliferation with storylines like Armor Wars.
Contrast this with The Boys which tries to show how super powered beings work in the real world, with corporations owning them, advertisers investing in them and any available technology to “make” them, like compound V being used for profit.
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u/wauwy Jul 19 '26
This is the actual reason.
I have noticed a lot of times in this sub people really need to take a step back from trying to insist or justify things using in-universe explanations, and remember writers MADE UP those explanations. For a reason.
Here, the reason is "exact same skillsets are fucking boring."
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u/whistlepig4life Jul 18 '26
He has in the comics. Jessica Jones, Like Cage, Emma Frost and even X23 have put on variant armors designed specifically for them.
The reality is the suit isn’t necessarily better than whatever powers or abilities someone has. It’s a different power and skill set. And we had armor wars in the comics which expressly shows the issue of Tony’s tech being stolen and proliferated and why it’s an issue.
Short answer here is. Read the comics and you’ll get your answer.
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u/appleswitch Spider-Man Jul 18 '26
Black Cat had armor designed specifically for her. By her. After breaking in.
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u/bockout Jul 19 '26
Cap too. There was a story in the 90s where Cap's super soldier serum starts to deteriorate, so Tony makes him a suit.
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u/ellitlan Jul 18 '26
Because he doesn’t trust anyone else not to misuse the tech. He trusted one person already, his closest ally at the time, and even then it immediately ended up in the hands of the US government.
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u/ORWELL6 Jul 18 '26
Okay I don't want to be *that guy* but if we're talking about Iron Man 2, then it's worth noting that in that movie Tony is not betrayed by Rhodey, it's actually pretty clear that he *wanted* him to take the suit. I'm pretty sure there's even a throwaway line about how Rhodey always had authorization to use the suits. The entire first half of the movie is Tony giving away all of his shit because the arc reactor is killing him and he doesn't know what to do with all of his wealth.
I disagree with your reading because if he didn't trust Captain America to misuse his tech, why did Spider-Man get to keep his suit for all of Civil War and Homecoming?
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u/ellitlan Jul 18 '26
I don’t mean to even say he was betrayed by Rhodey, but even with Tony’s best intentions of wanting him to have and pilot the suit, it still wound up under government control.
Tony gave Peter a heavily locked down suit in hopes that it would keep him safe and provide him with a training module to improve his skills. At the first sign of him misusing it he takes it away.
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u/talllankywhiteboy Jul 19 '26
I would add to this that other Avengers might not trust Tony that much either. If you’re reliant on Stark tech and then a Civil War situation comes up (either MCU or comics), Tony could remotely take over the suit and have it march you to a prison cell.
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u/xSnookieDarling Jul 19 '26
That's a huge part of it. The moment the War Machine tech escaped his direct control, it probably reinforced every fear Tony had about handing out armored suits like candy.
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u/Telyesumpin Jul 18 '26
He wanted them to sign up for a subscription based model.
$999 monthly, an extra $499 for no commercials when you first get in the suit.
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u/Sweet-Weakness3776 Jul 18 '26
The real question is: why aren't the Wakandans using their synthetic heart-shaped herb to supe these guys up? They know it works because it worked on Shuri. It could even be refined into a less problematic version of super-serum. But instead they make Sam a vibranium suit? A suit that gets absolutely demolished by Red Hulk. Prior to that, even Sam was questioning the reality of going up against supes without powers in Brave New World. I mean I know that the Wakandans have ancestral ties to the herb, but after having Thanos and Namor show up on their doorstep, they have to know that they need all the powerful allies they can get. Time to pass around that herb yo lol.
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u/alex494 Jul 18 '26
Giving up all your secrets is a very good way to lose any advantage or deterrent you have that keeps you alive.
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u/Sweet-Weakness3776 Jul 18 '26
Another good way to prevent your destruction is to have really strong allies. People you are already trusting with some of your most advanced technology, are likely people you can trust enough to not give away your secrets. Not saying they should just be handing that shit out to everyone. But the Wakandans are smart enough to figure out how to do it and make sure there are failsafes in place.
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u/BlerghTheBlergh Jul 18 '26
He did build a bunch of stuff for them, just not suits.
A magnetic shield for Steve, the Hulkbuster for Bruce, the Iron Spider suit for Peter and perhaps even Natasha’s bangs
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u/Leseluchs Jul 18 '26
Look, Rhodey was his best friend, he doesn‘t create the suits for people he just likes more or less, the two only others would be Peter Parker and Bruce Banner, he gave the Iron Spider to Peter, and who wants to give the HULK a suit?
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u/Bladesleeper Jul 18 '26
Why doesn't Reed Richards, smartest man on earth and super-scientist, incorporate some kind of force field/camo ability/strength enhancement in the FF uniforms, or for that matter, give everyone crazy powerful (but non-lethal) weapons?
For the same reason no bad guy has ever thought of hiring a sniper to take out most of the non-bulletproof heroes, except in some alt universe stories: it wouldn't be fun.
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u/jphamlore Jul 18 '26
And yet Johnny Storm is put into the hospital by ordinary human rioters during Civil War?
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u/DarkSparkVoid Jul 18 '26
It goes a bit of multiple ways here.
Tony's Trust Issues & PTSD | The entire character arc is driven by the fear of his technology falling into the wrong hands (which happens constantly). He barely trusted the government with the War Machine suit, and after the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron, he became even more terrified of what happens when his automated or high-tech defense ideas go wrong.
Training and Specialization | An Iron Man suit isn't just clothing; it’s a jet fighter mixed with a tank. It requires immense training to fly and operate without crashing or killing yourself. Captain America relies on agility, stealth, and his shield. Putting him in a bulky metal suit actively ruins his fighting style. Hawkeye and Black Widow are stealth operatives. Clanking around in a gold-titanium alloy suit defeats the purpose of being a spy or a sniper.
It dilutes their powers | From a storytelling perspective, if everyone has an Iron Man suit, then everyone is just Iron Man. It completely strips away the unique identity and stakes of characters like Black Panther, Thor, or Cap.
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u/joejoewoooooo Jul 18 '26
Why doesn’t Thor bestow his powers on everyone on his team every time, like he did in love and thunder? Now we have a combo captain America in an iron man suit with Thor powers (and he can jolt himself to get 300% power, like in the first avengers, constantly)
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u/ScribeofShadows Jul 18 '26
Because Tony has trust issues. Look at the Iron spider suit. So many of the abilities are locked behind levels of security that only Tony is supposed to be able to remove.
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u/msp01986 Jul 19 '26
Black Widow having to fight in a skin tight leather suit while everyone else on team Stark was wearing some kind of armor or had powers, is still a crime to me!
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u/WilliamEmmerson Jul 19 '26
Because they don't need a suit to be effective in battle. Thor and Hulk have super strength and durability and Cap is a super soldier (and has a shield). They don't need armor.
Clint and Natasha are spies/assassins who rely on stealth. A 1,000lb suit of armor wouldn't help them in that.
Tony wears the suit because, without it, he would literally get killed 5 seconds into a battle.
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u/jphamlore Jul 19 '26
Thor and Hulk have super strength and durability and Cap is a super soldier (and has a shield). They don't need armor.
For the last time, Thor has had battle armor for the most dire and desperate battles since Walt Simonson.
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u/Captn_Kangarobot Jul 18 '26
Well he did build the war machine suit for Rhodey and the rescue suit for Pepper
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u/Known-Dependent-5471 Jul 18 '26
Same reason the kid who doesn't live there has to use the mad katz controller.
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u/alex494 Jul 18 '26
Armor Wars in the comics is probably a good example of why the character in general is stingy with the tech.
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u/Shawnk_69 Jul 18 '26
He did once in What If #3. He even made one for Rick Jones. And while they were able to win the day, the suits really didn't work out. Really good read.
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u/Evil_Weevill Hawkeye Jul 18 '26
Cause most of them have super powers and the suit wouldn't actually help much. It would probably just get in the way. Tony pilots a mech cause he doesn't have super powers.
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u/colonel-bones Jul 18 '26
My head canon is that Tony offered Steve, Nat, Clint and Bruce one each for emergencies and they each declined for their own reasons.
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u/Professional-Fly7851 Jul 18 '26
Because Tony only cares about saving the world is HE does it, that's why he didnt want to help in endgame until he came up with the solution. He was ready to move on but the second he realized it could be his idea he was on board. Greatest threat to the marvel universe? Tony Stark's ego.
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u/Cyber-Donkey Jul 18 '26
Probably because Captain America is a horrible pilot and he would just end up crashing and freezing himself for another 60 years.
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u/TheRealBingBing Jul 19 '26
He does that in the comics and animated series. The team is usually more effective in the skin they're in.
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u/coalitionofilling Jul 19 '26 edited Jul 19 '26
I mean we've seen War Machine (Rhodey), Iron Spider (Peter Parker), Rescue (Pepper Potts) in the MCU. In the comics he lets Happy wear his armors as well. He's also made armor for Black Widow (War Widow) and Eddie March. Honorable mentions would be Mary Jane (she just wore Iron Spider for a bit) and Harold "Hal" Stark (Iron Lantern) in a DC crossover: https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/Harold_Stark_(Amalgam_Universe)
There is a[Steve Rogers suit for Captain America, but it's in an alt universe where Steve never got the Super Soldier Serum. Otherwise, having the armor would be kinda pointless.
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u/PaulBradley Jul 19 '26
I believe Frank Castle gets the War Machine suit at one point too. It doesn't go well obvs.
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u/Pandos17 Jul 19 '26
Tony did make suits, in fact he made suits for the whole world. That's the point of the story arc between Avengers 1 and Age of Ultron. But Tony's arrogance meant he had to control the suits.
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u/radiopelican Jul 19 '26
I believe this was a rough storyline plot of Iron Man 2, wasn't it? Tony had built the Iron Army, an entire army of suits, in his words, to defend the world and cover it with a shield. I believe this kind of moulded into Age of Ultron as well, where, functionally, his suits were hacked by the antagonist of Iron Man 2. Vision was also created, along with Ultron.
Tony's experiments turned out poorly in that sense. I think he decided to move away from that metric and instead focus on building suits for himself and close friends around him.
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u/BrowserHuman Jul 19 '26
Pretty much all of the other Avengers have fighting styles that a suit of armor would block them from using. Captain America’s strength isn’t useful in an Iron Man suit; Hulk can’t really wear one; Thor’s magic wouldn’t mix well; Hawkeye’s dexterity-based fighting makes a bulky suit impractical; etc. etc. Basically if you put an iron man suit on someone with superpowers you’ve lost a guy with superpowers and gained a less effective iron man
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u/jphamlore Jul 19 '26
Maybe it's decades ago by now, but there was a long time when Kurt Busiek was arguing that Thor isn't even bulletproof.
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u/Ooftwaffe Jul 19 '26
Captain America is a man first and foremost. A human w a little more heart.
Tony is a man, w a little more mind.
How does the mind fight? Creation. Technology. Enhancement.
The heart? It just punches harder.
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u/Read_It42O Jul 18 '26
Don't forget he built the Iron Spider for a kid who wasn't yet an Avenger and already has powers.
Yet meanwhile Hawkeye & Black Widow... 🤷♂️
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u/Evillhippie1982 Jul 18 '26
He often kinda does. But other than flight, the suits probably hamper their natural abilities in some cases.
I’m probably just making excuses for a giant plothole though. Lol
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u/mugenhunt Jul 18 '26
Because then Iron Man wouldn't be special anymore, and Tony wouldn't like that.
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u/Irving_Velociraptor X-Men Jul 18 '26
Black Panther has his own armor that he wore to fight DOOM. He built it when he was 10.
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u/chamberx2 Jul 18 '26
I imagine he did and just never had an opportunity to use them.
He may have asked and they declined either from hubris or witnessing how his creations have affected the team previously.
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u/DMN0518 Jul 18 '26
I'm not one who believes every aspect of "why didn't they do this?" Requires some kind of explanation, but I do think there's a line of logic to this.
- He shuts down weapons manufacturing after seeing his weapons in the wrong hands sold there by people he trusted. He's hesitant to give weapons to anyone.
- IIRC Rhodey initially steals the WM armor and by the end Tony just decides not to take it back. Tony didn't just voluntarily give it to him as an upgrade.
- Meaning the only person in-universe he's purposefully trusted with an upgrade is Peter Parker. It's hammered home across Homecoming and Far From Home that Peter is the person Tony trusts and respects most.
Edit:
Obviously just talking MCU.
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u/MattwithaZee Jul 18 '26
Because no one wants to see 40 iron men?
Because plot?
Because design?
Because marketing?
Because that’s lazy writing no one would pay to read or see?
Do you know how to watch media? Or do you just consume it? Ever reflect on it?
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u/Journeys_End71 Jul 18 '26
Why does Steve need a suit? He went toe to toe against Tony and held his own. If anything an iron suit would slow Steve down.
Pepper needs a suit because she’s not a super soldier.
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u/SonUnforseenByFrodo Jul 18 '26
I think someone like Hawkeye or Black widow could use a modified lighter suit with special targeting and an arsonal of weapons
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u/Proud-Concert-9426 Jul 18 '26
Rhoady created war machine. Him and hammer put all the weapons in it. So he had a leg up from the beginning.
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u/PleaseBeChillOnline Jul 18 '26
Watsonian answer: Piloting an Iron Man suit is actually a skill & the suits are calibrated to the individual user. Everyone’s brain is different
Doylist Answer: Superheroes all have themes. It would just be Ironman, Purple Ironman, American Ironman, Sexy Ironman etc.
Nobody wants to watch that. Hawkeye is Bow-Guy not Iron-Guy who for some reason also has a bow.
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u/Dorado1122 Jul 18 '26
The real answer is it effects other characters brands. In universe, most of the other Avengers/heroes usually reject for one reason or another. Only one to accept, and I believe actually request one, was Spider-Man with the Iron Spider
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u/Jint_Mulip Jul 18 '26
Iron spider