With
Marvel Studios’ Phase 2 now completed, the opening chapter of the next
phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Anthony and Joe Russo’s
Captain America: Civil War,
has the attention of countless movie fans – fans who are very curious
to see how the highly anticipated comic book movie will introduce new
versions of both Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Tom Holland) and
T’Challa/Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman), while also juggling a big dispute between Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) and Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.).
With
Iron Man and Captain America taking different sides on just how much
the government should be involved in the heroes’ challenging work, their
fellow Avengers – both new and founding members – will decide whether
they want to support Iron Man or Captain America – or avoid the conflict
altogether. As Iron Man is forced into potentially fighting his fellow
superheroes (and
Captain America may battle Spider-Man),
speculation has begun that Stark will step into a brand new armor for
the conflict – an armor that might be taken straight from the comics.
Over on
Heroic Hollywood, a picture taken from the
Civil War
set in Germany reveals Iron Man wearing what could be the Bleeding Edge
Armor. The advanced piece of technology made its debut in Matt Fraction
and Ryan Meinerding’s
Invincible Iron Man #25. Coming after the popular (and powerful) Extremis armor – which inspired parts of
Iron Man 3’s
story – the Bleeding Edge is a fluid substance which is kept inside of
Tony Stark. On his command, it forms around him, providing him all of
the usual abilities (e.g., flight, repulsor blasts, superhuman strength,
and durability). The armor also boosts his already impressive
intellect, gives him the capability to craft new weapons, allows him to
see all around himself, and his gauntlet can even create an energy
sword. (“I like to keep this handy… for close encounters.”)If
true, Stark undergoing yet another upgrade makes sense, especially
since he’s at odds with Captain America and several other heroes. Yes,
Iron Man (in the armor, of course) is stronger than Captain America and
his durable suit offers flight and a variety of projectiles, but Captain
America isn’t someone who should ever be underestimated, and that’s
something Stark most certainly knows (even if his ego may prevent him
from admitting it). Captain America may not have the ability to zip
across the sky or unleash repulsor blasts, but his impressive
physicality (remember him throwing a motorcycle in
Age of Ultron like
it’s no big deal?), stunning talent with a virtually unbreakable
shield, and sharp tactical mind makes him someone that even the
tech-savvy Stark could have troublE
While a cinematic
version of the Bleeding Edge armor likely wouldn’t be as powerful as its
comic book counter-part, the movie has the potential to put several of
its upgrades to good use. Having a 360 panoramic view is a feasible
upgrade, as it the energy sword. (It’s safe to say Iron Man, with
an energy sword, clashing with Captain America and his shield could be a
blast.) However, having the fluid armor
inside of Stark would
take the character in a whole new direction and make him even more
dangerous. This would prevent his enemies from using his technology
against him and, as seen in
Age of Ultron, it’s clear
Tony wants to keep pushing his technology forward.
In the comics, the Bleeding Edge armor comes after the events of
Civil War
and, prior to its creation, Norman Osborn/Green Goblin attempted to get
his villainous hands on Tony’s technology, as well as the classified
information that came out of
Civil War (i.e., heroes’ true identities). Now that Marvel is working with Sony to create a new version of
Spider-Man
and his world, it’s more than likely the studios are, at the very
least, discussing what they could do with Osborn. Making him a
power-hungry and evil businessman who takes advantage of the
Civil War’s aftermath would certainly be a new way to use Spider-Man’s iconic foe on the big screen.
At
any rate, although none of this is confirmed, it does present some
intriguing possibilities that go beyond Tony’s super-heroic attire, and
may offer some insight into his
Civil War frame of mind. It
seems reasonable to think Stark might create the armor in an effort to
step up his abilities as he squares off against other strong, skilled,
and formidable heroes. Additionally, the events of
Iron Man 3 may have made Stark realize the best way to upgrade is to make sure he
is Iron Man at all times, by having his armor as a part of him, and not just something he can step into.
Ant-Man is currently in theaters.
Captain America: Civil War opens in theaters May 6, 2016;
Doctor Strange – November 4, 2016;
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 – May 5, 2017;
Spider-Man – July 28, 2017;
Thor: Ragnarok – November 3, 2017;
The Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 – May 4, 2018;
Black Panther – July 6, 2018;
Captain Marvel – November 2, 2018;
The Avengers: Infinity War Part 2 – May 3, 2019; and
Inhumans – July 12, 2019.
Source:
Heroic Hollywood
Imagine if there was a technology that could modify your