Iron Man 3 Mark 42 Helmet

One of  Stark’s most impressive armors, and the centerpiece of Iron Man 3, is the Mark 42 armor.

Tony calls it his “prehensile suit” and it’s based on a comic book variation that could literally be called to him with a thought.  The movie explains that there are implanted circuits in Tony Stark’s arms which allow the pieces of the armor to jet across large or small distances to finally assemble on his body.

But we’ll get back to that later on with a video that demonstrates the Mark 42 in action.

Mark 42’s helmet design is both familiar and distinct, with the well known red and gold color scheme.  But the sides are sleeker with less protrusion of the ear coverings.

In addition, there is more decorative scalloping of the gold face plate than with previous versions which were more smooth.  The design actually reminds one of the Mark V suitcase armor which came together in many small pieces with visible lines on the face plate.

Of course, this one also comes apart in pieces, but not as many as the Mark V.

In Iron Man 3, we see the Mark 42 helmet in a few different stages:

• Helmet on and fully closed
• Helmet on and face plate slid open
• Helmet on without face plate

It’s up to speculation whether there are other positions, but these are the ones known about currently.

Getting back to seeing the Mark 42 in action, here’s a clip where we get to see Tony call his armor to him piece by piece in battle, culminating with the face plate.

Amazing stuff, what a world we live in where a concept like this can believably be brought to the big screen!

The Iron Man 2 Mark V suit up scene was a tough act to follow in terms of sheer coolness, but they really did it with the Mark 42!

Next, we’ll talk a bit about the different designs Stark has in his arsenal in the 3rd movie- another billion dollar movie from Marvel Studios.

More Iron Man Helmet Variations

Tony Stark has the tools, the talent and the funds to make his own personal army of Iron Man suits.  In the movie, we get a glimpse of many of these armors, but they do flash by pretty quickly.

Here’s a selection, although far from exhaustive, of some of the variations seen in the film (Click images for larger versions):

Mark 17: This is the heavy artillery version nicknamed “Heartbreaker”- it’s one of the heavy hitters seen in the last part of the film.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mark 33: A fan favorite, this enhanced energy suit is nicknamed “Silver Centurion”, recalling the popular comic book armor from the 1980’s.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mark 35: Code named “Red Snapper”, this rescue specializes in rescue and bomb disposal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mark 38: Code named “Igor”, this suit is designed for heavy lifting and comes in handy for supporting a collapsing structure in the film.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mark 39: This suit is designed to be used in space and is code named Gemini, after the space craft of the 60’s.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mark 40: Got a need for speed? Then you’ll love this high velocity armor code named “Shotgun”!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If there was a disappointment in the entire film, it was most likely the lack of the fan favorite armor variant known as the Hulkbuster.  This is the suit Stark built to take down the Incredible Hulk when he loses control of his rage.  But, there’s always the next Marvel movie and this is indeed a very small quibble!

I hope you enjoyed this article and learned lots about the various Iron Man helmet and armor variations that appeared in the blockbuster Iron Man 3!