Armor Wars is perhaps the most divisive of all arcs comprising Iron Man, the Golden Avenger. In its limited seven-issue run, Tony Stark has never been more distraught and his Iron Man technology has never been more compromised; he must do everything that he can to reclaim what’s his – honor, armor, and all. And in doing so, the once-favorite superhero of the people becomes the most hated man who despite the odds stacked against him goes on fighting for what he believes in, even if it includes coming to blows with Captain America himself.
Also read: Real Reason Armor Wars Was Turned into a Movie
Marvel’s Discursive Run With the Armor Wars Series
The Armor Wars comic series written by Bob Layton and David Michelinie was published from December 1987 to June 1988 in issues of Iron Man #225-232. It explored the “what if?” possibility of the Iron Man tech falling into the wrong hands and the level of calamity and havoc that would ensue in the aftermath. The seven-issue series follows Tony Stark’s journey as he finds out Justin Hammer stealing and selling the tech to dangerous people and his excruciating battle to reclaim his weapons once and for all.
The limited Armor Wars comic series which was then set to be adapted into the eponymous live-action series was later denounced and modified into a feature-length film instead. The decision came as a surprise and a disappointment to some but was then hailed as a good decision on Marvel’s part. Nate Moore explained in an interview, how a Disney+ show would be more cost prohibitive to the scale of CGI and technology that they planned to explore in the adaptation.
The budget for a movie, on the other hand, would not only support but also do justice to the legacy of Robert Downey Jr.‘s Iron Man by including “some of the beautiful imagery that is from publishing.” Armor Wars certainly consists of an extensive level of Stark tech in action and big-scale fights and showdowns, something that, as Moore explained, would definitely be lacking on the per-episode budget of a Disney+ show.
MCU Plays With the Fate of Armor Wars Once Again
Most recently, the fate of the already discursive Armor Wars film featuring Don Cheadle has been placed under threat – once again. This time, it has been reported that the entire production of Armor Wars could be scrapped in favor of a project involving the Kree-Skrull war. Considering Secret Invasion is already bringing the roiling threat of rogue Skrulls to the surface, an uptake in Skrull’s activities across the universe can be expected. Unfortunately, it should not come at the cost of other promising and potentially great narratives of the MCU since its Phase Four blunder.
According to the Twitter post that first made the claim, it sounds like an entirely different film with a Kree-Skrull war as the plot is in development. And although it sounds like a promising prospect, it still would not explain why Marvel would shelve Armor Wars for a radically different project.
Given Marvel’s growing universe in the coming years, it is understandable that the film might be considered as living in the past with Iron Man’s legacy and an inability to let go of what once made the MCU so great. Armor Wars also essentially does not work without Tony Stark at its front and center. But its live-action adaptation is a perfect narrative in the aftermath of Stark’s death and one that would be an homage and a tribute to his legacy by continuing the story of Iron Man.
Also read: Secret Invasion Trailer Confirms Brie Larson’s $1.13B Captain Marvel Movie Was Utterly Pointless
And after the scale of time and investment that has been put into making Armor Wars a possibility, it is hardly likely that the entire project will be scrapped for something that is far more alien than the homegrown threat. That being said, a film or series investigating the plot of the Kree-Skrull war is a necessary addition to the list, and considering how Marvel has gone Multiversal, it only seems fair that the MCU displays that in its list of carefully curated projects.
Armor Wars is still moving ahead as per Marvel Studios although a release date has not been announced yet.
Source: Twitter
