Like
Like Love Haha Wow Sad Angry

Real Iron Man Helmet Info on the The Mark I

It all started with an explosion.  The beginning of Tony Stark’s redemption, whether you prefer the comic book or movie universes, was put into placeReal Iron Man Helmet Info on the The Mark I by one of his own weapons.

Creator Stan Lee loves stories of redemption and a generous helping of ironic (no pun intended) twists of fate and his story in 1963’s Tales of Suspense #39 is no exception.

Real Iron Man Helmet Design

Cobbled together from an assortment of parts, Tony’s very first Iron Man armor carried a distinctive air of industrial necessity.  Since necessity is the mother of invention, Stark used what was at hand to facilitate his liberation from his captors.

His first Iron Man helmet was very basic, with open eye holes and mouth for breathing.  The inside is merely a mask with no high tech head up display or on board artificial intelligence.  This was a purely functional real Iron Man helmet and armor that only had one real purpose.

The sheer thickness of the steel used to make the Mark I meant it was heavy and unwieldy in certain situations.  This suit was a true example of function following form and was only capable of limited operation.

The Printed Page

In the comics, the Mark I Iron Man helmet was smooth and had a silver- ish sheen to it that really recalled the look of a modern knight in shining armor.  It’s a good thing that it was made of such sturdy stuff, because Tony’s escape meant the armor would take a big beating from his terrorist captors.


In the real world, openings for the eyes would not be a great idea- just one perfectly aimed shot or some shrapnel would take down Stark’s alter ego in a flash.  The rest of the suit was perfectly sealed and also functioned as a way of keeping him alive.

The electromagnet in the suit kept the bits of metal in his chest from piercing his heart.  And, of course, subsequent iterations of his armor would employ the same method.

Real Iron Man Helmet Info: Movie Magic!

It’s not easy to translate a good comic book story into a great or even good movie.  

Real Iron Man Helmet Info on the The Mark IWitness Joel Schumacher’s butchering of the first Batman series of movies that killed the hero’s movie exploits until Christopher Nolan produced a much different reboot with Batman Begins.

But we’re here to talk about Iron Man’s armor so let’s get right down to it.

In the movie, careful consideration was given to make sure that the Mark I paid tribute to the design in the comic books but also looked like something that a person could make given the time, tools and talent.

And they succeeded in grand fashion, as fans embraced Marvel’s first lone production- and this is no mean feat, since comic book fans can be some of the harshest critics.

The movie’s real Iron Man helmet version of the Mark I helmet looked very much like it was made from the materials given to Stark by his captors.  The audience readily accepted the fact that such a thing was possible for a billionaire genius inventor.

Visible seams and exposed superstructure, along with hastily performed welds outlined the urgency with which Stark and his fellow captor Ho Yinsen assembled their means of escape.

*This YouTube account has a couple of good real Iron Man helmet and armor projects*

Real Iron Man Helmet Info on the The Mark I: Summary

Both the comic book and movie versions of Tony Stark’s Iron Man Mark I helmet and armor represented a new beginning for Tony as well as fans of the iconic comic book and now movie series.

My next article will discuss what the changes were between the Mark I and Mark II armors, see you then!

Like
Like Love Haha Wow Sad Angry

Real Iron Man Helmet Info on the The Mark I

by Mark V time to read: 3 min
0