The Origin of the Iron Man Costume

Did you know that the Iron Man Origin Story originated during World War II? The Invaders of Japan were called the Japanese Steeds. These were a group of people that roamed the Asian continent for almost a century and half. They were called resistance troops. That is why the name “iri,” means resistance in Japanese.

One of the most intriguing things about the Japanese Steeds is that they are the inspiration for the Iron Man suit and, well, the Iron Man suit. When the United States Navy wanted to increase its ability to sink Japanese merchant ships, they needed a better solution. There had to be a way to make the Japanese vessels unable to sail in the Pacific. That’s where the Japanese Steeds were born.

The Japanese had a number of different ideas for solving this problem. Some looked to attach explosives to the underside of ocean going vessels. Others tried attaching iron cages to the engines. Still others came up with a new idea: make the biggest ship they could and attach a tow rope to it!

Of course, as time passed other additions were made to this stepladder race. First came electric eels that could pull boats along the ocean floor. Then came turbines that could power any size of ship and that could also pull them up! Once these inventions were created, man was literally on his way to becoming a multi-decked ship.

Iron Man came to life when Tony Stark constructed a small toy version of himself. This small man with the bright red helmet and incredible strength became an icon. There have been several movies based around the Iron Man and his fighting abilities. A lot of the movies have taken the story line and changed it to make it more entertaining. The actual origins of the Iron Man suit aren’t exactly clear cut either. However, there is one very famous piece of artwork from the Marvel comics that does portray the character clearly.

The above image is from the first issue of the Marvel comic. You can clearly see that the suit that Tony built is very different than the one that we are used to seeing. It features a much sleeker design and a much looser fit. Although he still has the shiny red helmet, the suit is a lot less flashy. Most people would describe the suit as a half-suit or something similar.