Iron Man Armor: Mark III

The Iron Man Armor: Mark III was Tony Stark's third Iron Man suit and an upgrade from the Mark II, improving on its previous flaws. It was the first suit to integrate an advanced on-board weapons system and was the first to adopt the classic red and gold color scheme. It was notable worn during the Battle of Gulmira and the Duel of Los Angeles.
==History==
===Perfecting the Design===
Nearly perfecting his Mark II armor, Tony Stark discovered a nearly fatal icing problem in the suit during a high-altitude test flight, so he decided to move on and develop the Mark III suit. Stark solved the suit's icing problem by using a gold-titanium alloy from an earlier satellite design that wasn't prone to freezing. He also opted to integrate a new, miniaturized weapons system that was concealed by the suit's exterior plating. Once the armor was ready for assembly, J.A.R.V.I.S. showed Stark a preview of the finalized design. Stark disliked the armor's new coloring due to the new materials used so he personalized it with a red paint job.
===Battle of Gulmira===
Tony Stark learned that his supposedly discontinued weapons, including a set of his Jericho missiles, were being used by the Ten Rings to terrorize Gulmira, the home village of Ho Yinsen, and watched a news report about it as he worked on the Mark III's repulsors. While doing so, he accidentally discovered the palm repulsors can be used as offensive weapons. Stark donned the armor and went off to fight the terrorists.
Stark arrived at Gulmira and swiftly defeated the Ten Rings that held him hostage before and destroyed all of their weapons. Doing so, however, called the military's attention so they sent two F-22 fighter jets to investigate. Stark tried to evade and lose the jets but accidentally downed one of them after crashing into its wing, prompting the military to step up its assault. However, Stark was able to prove he isn't a threat after revealing his identity to his friend Lt. Colonel James Rhodes and saving the pilot of the downed F-22, whose parachute didn't deploy upon ejecting. The whole incident was later written off to the public as "an unfortunate training accident". Raza Hamidmi al-Wazar noticed the armor and quickly figured it was Stark with an improved version of the armor he used to escape.
===Duel of Los Angeles===
Sometime later, Tony Stark was confronted by Obadiah Stane, who paralyzed him with a Sonic Taser and took the advanced Arc Reactor from his chest in order to power his own reversed-engineered Iron Monger Armor. Stark struggled to retrieve his older arc reactor to save his life and suited up in the Mark III. He flew to the Stark Industries building to confront Stane and save Pepper Potts. Despite having to use the older, weaker arc reactor, Stark was able to hold his own against Stane's heavier, weapons-laden suit as their battle spread to the nearby streets.
In an attempt to trick Stane, Stark flew up into the upper atmosphere with Iron Monger following behind him. However, Stane's suit began to freeze over, having failed to account for the icing problem Stark faced with the Mark II suit, and promptly shuts down and falls back to earth. Stark landed on the roof of the Stark Industries building, running dangerously low on power, but Stane reappeared to confront him. While sabotaging Stane's suit, Stark instructed Potts to overload the larger arc reactor that powered Stark Industries Headquarters. Stark lured Stane over the arc reactor as Pepper detonated it, releasing a massive amount of energy into the atmosphere and killing Stane. Stark was nearly killed, and the Mark III was left in shambles.
===Displayed===
After the fight with Iron Monger, the Mark III was labeled battle damaged and, believed to be beyond repair, was subsequently replaced by the Mark IV suit. It was, however, displayed, still semi-damaged, in Stark's Hall of Armor with his other suits. The Mark III was destroyed when Tony Stark's Mansion came under attack by Aldrich Killian's forces. Damage to the mansion's systems caused the suit to unintentionally detonate.
===Alternate Universe Versions===
====Tested in the Desert====
In an alternate universe, Pepper Potts and Jim Rhodes watched as Tony Stark built and developed the Mark III armor. Stark tested the suit in the desert, and it worked very well. Stark became confident that no one would be able to beat him. Potts sent a warning to the armor's communications system and got attacked, so Stark rushed to fight Iron Monger to rescue Potts. Stark crashed through the ceiling in the armor and pushed Iron Monger away from Potts. The two armors crashed through the floor and the room filled with steam, causing Stark to be unable to see Iron Monger until he was attacked and pushed them both through a concrete wall.
On the highway, Iron Monger prepared to throw a car at Stark, who used the unibeam on the Mark III armor to knock Iron Monger over. However, Iron Monger recovered and pinned Stark down with a car. Iron Monger then got hit with a fuel truck, and Stark managed to recover. Stark flew the Mark III to the roof of Stark Industries Headquarters and assessed the damage which had been caused, but got attacked by Iron Monger again. Stark managed to blast Iron Monger off of him using the armor, causing Iron Monger to fall to the ground, defeated. Stark stood proud in his armor, ready to fight future battles.Iron Man: A New Hero
====Built by a Series IX CNC Combo====
In an alternate universe, Stark tested his Mark II armor and used the results of the test to design a Mark III armor, which he had a Series IX CNC Combo machine start working on once the design and paint job were approved. Stark took a break to attend a fundraiser hosted by his company, but returned home angry and began working on the armor's gauntlet. He let out a blast from the gauntlet, using it again to destroy his television. Stark then brought the armor to Dubai and threw a party there as a distraction so that he could take the armor to Gulmira and fight the Ten Rings insurgents attacking people there, destroying the Jericho and other weapons built by his company. The village was attacked by one of his company's tanks, so he loaded the schematics into the armor and used them to destroy the tank, firing a missile from the armor.
Stark prepared to fly the armor back to Dubai, but was intercepted by the United States Air Force sending two pilots to check on him. Stark used the armor to evade the pilots and called James Rhodes, admitting that it was him. Stark accidentally crashed into a pilot's F-22 Raptor, causing the pilot to fall. The pilot's parachute did not work, so Stark used the armor to catch up to the falling pilot and fix the parachute. With Rhodes' help, Stark escaped and returned to Dubai and desperately asked Potts to take him back to his mansion.
Stark recovered, but Stane then stole Stark's ARK Reactor and prepared to use it to power his own Iron Monger Armor. Stark placed an older ARK Reactor in his chest and used it to power the Mark III armor and brought the armor to fight Stane. Potts called Stark to Stark Industries Headquarters, where he flew the armor and began fighting Stane. They crashed through the ARK Reactor building, damaging the core and causing it to meltdown. The fight ended up on a nearby highway, where Stark caught a car that Stane threw at him using the increased strength afforded him by his armor. However, once the car hit the ground, the driver hit the gas pedal, dragging the armor along with it. Stark freed himself and resumed fighting Stane, but the armor sustained heavy damage. Rhodes crashed a car into Stane's leg, allowing Stark to return to Stark Industries Headquarters and help Potts to discharge the ARK Reactor's energy and prevent a meltdown. Stark completed the ARK Reactor's circuit, but Stane then appeared and attacked Stark, cracking the Mark III armor. The armor broke off of Stark due to the attacks.Iron Man: Teen Novelization
====A.I.M. Operative Controller====
=====Maggia Weapons Caches Attack=====
In an alternate universe, Iron Man built the Mark III armor and used it to attack several weapons caches which were owned by the Maggia. Stark used the armor to free all civilian hostages and destroy all weapons, then came across a large tank which began attacking Stark. J.A.R.V.I.S. noted that the tank had an electromagnetic pulse which could affect the armor, so Stark worked to stay away from it as he destroyed it. As Stark flew away, he was confronted by the United States Air Force, and Stark used his armor to avoid conflict while contacting the Air Force. Stark brought the armor back to his mansion, where Potts scolded him for using it.Iron Man
=====Maggia Weapons Transport Chase=====
Tony Stark took the armor out to follow a weapons transport to an armory, using his armor to defeat the Maggia forces which were attacking him. Stark was attacked by the leader of the operation, Marc Scarlotti, whose armor prevented Stark from being able to hurt him using the armor. Stark fought Scarlotti hand to hand, defeating him. He then used the armor to fly out of the weapons cache.
Stark then flew the armor to the Nefaria Compound and used it to attack the compound and destroy its resources. He used the armor to break into the compound and discovered a Flying Fortress which he then attacked. Stark destroyed the fortress, ending the Maggia's weapons trade.
====Hunt for A.I.M.====
Tony Stark continued to use the Mark III armor to fight through A.I.M.'s forces as he realized that A.I.M. had been using his weapons. He prevented A.I.M.'s attempt to rob a Russian nuclear facility, using the armor's radiation shield to protect him from the open dry casks and Titanium Man's radioactive armor. He then took the suit to a hijacked ship owned by the United States Air Force and used the armor to retake the ship.
A.I.M. attacked Stark Industries Headquarters in hopes of stealing the Mark III armor, but Stark used the armor to fight them. Obadiah Stane called the armor and claimed responsibility for the attack. Stane arranged for Pepper Potts to get kidnapped, so Stark used the armor in his rush to rescue her. Stark became newly determined to take down A.I.M., so he used the armor to attack their island base. Stark's armor took heavy damage from the island's defenses, so Stark had to avoid direct hits. However, Stark managed to destroy A.I.M.'s Proton Cannon and defeat Bruno Horgan. Stark then used the armor to attack A.I.M. Headquarters and end their operations.
====Duel of Los Angeles====
Tony Stark brought the Mark III armor back to his workshop and fixed the damage to it while he tried to convince Obadiah Stane to stop his mission. However, Stane refused to listen and revealed that he had kidnapped Pepper Potts. Stark put the armor back on and attacked Stane and tricked him into getting his own armor deactivating, using the Mark III armor to defeat him. Stark then returned the armor to the workshop and reflected on Ho Yinsen's words to him while looking at the helmet. Meanwhile, Potts looked at the rest of the armor.
==Capabilities==
The Mark III included a number of advancements from the previous Mark II. Tony Stark was able to solve the icing problem, which was the biggest design flaw of the Mark II, as well as integrate on-board weapons within the control surfaces.
*Superhuman Strength: The armor increases the user's strength. It allows Stark to easily break concrete walls with a single punch, throw people single-handedly, and lift cars.
*Superhuman Durability: The suit is very durable as the shell is constructed from a gold-titanium alloy which allows it to prevent itself from getting covered in ice like the Mark II armor. It can effectively withstand firearm bullets, tank shells, and a collision with an F-22 Raptor. Stark was hit by a tank while flying at 130 miles per hour and crashed to the ground, but came up unharmed. Despite this, the suit still took damage from bullets and created noticeable bullet holes.
*Superhuman Speed: The suit allowed Stark to quickly fly from Los Angeles to Afghanistan. Furthermore, as he was fighting the Ten Rings in Gulmira, Stark was able to quickly navigate the area and move at approximately 130 miles per hour. He was able to surpass the speed of sound while fleeing from two F-22 Raptors.
*Superhuman Agility: The suit gave Stark the ability to recover from a strong missile blast throwing off his balance.
*Superhuman Stamina: The armor gave Stark the ability to fight terrorists without expending energy. He successfully killed all of the Ten Rings operatives in Gulmira, and did not show fatigue when talking to the group of civilians he had saved. However, this was limited, as by the time he was done in Gulmira, Stark was noticeably out of breath.
*Superhuman Reflexes: The suit helped the timing of Stark's reactions. He was able to dodge a tank shell easily, doing so in time to avoid getting hit.
*Heads Up Display (HUD): The suit contains a heads-up display within the helmet that can display various metrics and includes a targeting system used during combat situations. The interface is managed by Stark's personal AI, J.A.R.V.I.S. It displays contact information of the person that the suit's wearer is on the phone with, as well as information about the speed the person is flying at relative to the speed of sound. As Stark engaged new features, a display would inform him.
*Self-Contained Life-Support System and Environmental Protection: The armor was able to provide life support for its user, even on low power in extreme conditions. Stark used this to his advantage to fly high into the atmosphere, pursued by Obadiah Stane, allowing the life support systems to prevent him from feeling the thinning of the atmosphere.
*Cell Service: The user is able to make phone calls in the suit. Much like any other phone call, it can be hard to hear during high noise scenarios such as flight.
*Flight: The suit is capable of flight by integrating Stark's proprietary repulsor technology. The repulsors in the palms and the bottom of the boots can produce considerable amounts of thrust. The suit is capable of traveling at supersonic speeds. The gold-titanium alloy construction also makes the suit impervious to icing at high altitudes. According to the suit's HUD after dispatching several terrorists, it was recorded at flying at Mach 0.17% (130.44 miles per hour).
*Repulsors: The repulsors on the palms are capable of firing blasts of energy as an offensive measure in addition to providing thrust and stability during flight.
*Unibeam: The Arc Reactor can be overloaded, resulting in a concentrated beam of energy being blasted from the chest piece. This beam, even with limited armor from an early version of the Arc Reactor, was strong enough to push back the Iron Monger Armor.
*Missiles: The suit contained a small set of anti-tank missiles.
*Smart Micro-Guns: This included a set of mini-guns concealed in the shoulders of the suit that could fire a total of 12 shots. Each gun contained 6 shots and was capable of firing at individual targets simultaneously.
*Flares: The Mark III also contained a set of flares used for defensive countermeasures. The flares are contained in two cylindrical drums located at the knees.
==Alternate Versions==
Origin 	Status 	Creators 	Owners 	Users
Australian Resident Thor 	Active 	Tony Stark	Tony Stark 	Tony Stark
Iron Man: A New Hero 	Active 	Tony Stark	Tony Stark 	Tony Stark
Iron Man: Teen Novelization 	Damaged 	Tony Stark	Tony StarkObadiah Stane †	Tony StarkObadiah Stane †
Iron Man 2: 2-in-1 Novel 	Active 	Tony Stark	Tony Stark 	Tony Stark
Iron Man: I Am Iron Man! 	Active 	Tony Stark	Tony Stark 	Tony Stark
Iron Man 	Damaged 	Tony Stark	Tony StarkObadiah Stane †	Tony StarkObadiah Stane †
Iron Man: Security Measures 	Active 	Tony Stark	Tony Stark 	Tony Stark
Stark Weapons Smuggling Conspiracy 	Active 	Tony Stark	Tony Stark 	Tony Stark
A.I.M. Operative Controller 	Active 	Tony Stark	Tony Stark 	Tony Stark
Tech Suits Ambush 	Active 	Tony Stark	Tony Stark 	Tony Stark
Fortified Ten Rings Base 	Damaged 	Tony Stark	Tony Stark 	Tony Stark
Iron Man: Armor Design Center 	Active 	Tony Stark	Tony Stark 	Tony Stark
Iron Man: Aerial Assault 	Active 	Tony Stark	Tony Stark 	Tony Stark
Ultimo Transformation 	Active 	Tony Stark	Tony Stark 	Tony Stark
Imprisoned Black Widow 	Active 	Tony Stark	Tony Stark 	Tony Stark
A.I.M. Russian Technology Sales 	Active 	Tony Stark	Tony Stark 	Tony Stark
Hammer Industries Monopolization Scheme 	Active 	Tony Stark	Tony Stark 	Tony Stark
Whiplash Badlands Battle 	Active 	Tony Stark	Tony Stark 	Tony Stark
Ultimo Badlands Battle 	Active 	Tony Stark	Tony Stark 	Tony Stark
Iron Man 2: Iron Man Fights Back 	Active 	Tony Stark	Tony Stark 	Tony Stark
The Avengers: Iron Man Mark VII 	Active 	Tony Stark	Tony Stark 	Tony Stark
Iron Man 3: The Junior Novel 	Destroyed	Tony Stark	Tony Stark 	Tony Stark
Iron Man 3: The Movie Storybook 	Destroyed	Tony Stark	Tony Stark 	Tony Stark
Marvel's Phase Two Video Games 	Active 	Tony Stark	Tony Stark 	Tony Stark
Iron Man 3: Iron Man Fights Back 	Active 	Tony Stark	Tony Stark 	Tony Stark
Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase One Book Boxed Set	Active 	Tony Stark	Tony Stark 	Tony Stark
==Appearances==
Appearances for the Iron Man Armor: Mark III
==Trivia==
*The Mark III Iron Man Armor was included as an unlockable outfit for Iron Man in the video game, . The game included both helmed and unhelmed variants of the armor.
==References==
==External Links==
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Iron Man Armor: Mark 003
Iron Man Armor: Mark 003
Iron Man Armor: Mark 003
Iron Man Armor: Mark 003
Iron Man Armor: Mark 003
Iron Man Armor: Mark 003
Iron Man Armor: Mark 003
Iron Man Armor: Mark 003