Although this early suit is almost comical compared to the tech we’ve seen Stark use in the movies, elements from the very first Iron Man comics can still be found in the MCU. In “Iron Man 2,” Tony has Happy carry around a briefcase containing an emergency suit, though one way more advanced than in the early comics. “Iron Man 3” sees Tony’s suit assembling itself one independent piece at a time, much like his segmented comic suit. And Tony’s ability to keep this suit on him at all times via the use of physics-shifting technology is a crude, early precursor to the nanotech suits we see Stark and his fellow Avengers wear in later MCU movies.
Nowadays, seemingly every MCU hero can conjure their suits out of nowhere with just the push of a button, but “Tales of Suspense” #40 was one of the earliest examples of a Marvel hero constantly being ready for battle by having a miniaturized version of their costume on them. Even Ant-Man’s shrinking abilities were a fresh idea at the time, with the character having just debuted the previous year in “Tales to Astonish” #27.
Tony Stark’s early attempts at an Iron Man suit may not impress by today’s standards, but they did lay the foundation for countless upgrades over the years. And while the suit may no longer need an extension cord, the influence of its earliest models’ designs can still be seen today.
