The Armor Wars is consistently heralded as one of the best Iron Man stories in comics. Chronicling the desperation of a manic Tony Stark as he attempts to destroy armor based on his stolen designs, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a Top 10 Iron Man comics list without Armor Wars – and for good reason. So iconic is this story that Marvel is adapting it for a mini-series, albeit with Don Cheadle’s James Rhodes replacing Stark (because of Avengers: Endgame‘s ending). And, hell, even the ’90s Iron Man cartoon adapted the story as a two-parter for their second season.
But what are the best parts about the cartoon’s Armor Wars adaptation and why should you watch it? Here’s why you should prepare for the MCU version by watching the ’90s animated adaptation:
10) Iron Man vs. The Government
The best thing about the Armor Wars episode is that while Iron Man fights many enemies, it is clear the enemy is himself. His obsessive mission to destroy armor worldwide that uses his stolen tech makes him an enemy of the US government. This makes the Armor Wars two-parter a nice break within the series’ ‘villain of the week’ framework.
Not only does Tony start a conference to publicly fire and denounce Iron Man, but he eventually fakes Iron Man’s death while making his escape. For this to come to such extreme ends is rather morbid for a kids’ show – even if ol’ Shellhead does indeed return once his name is cleared.
9) Iron Man’s Shock Realization
So fearful is Iron Man that his armor tech will fall into the wrong hands, he even goes up against federal agent Stingray, whose suit he suspects contains his tech. After a quick scrap, Iron Man manages to deal with Stingray and places the negator pack on his unconscious body – only to discover that his info is wrong and that Stingray’s suit isn’t based on his tech after all.
Iron Man’s realization that his info is wrong is a major part of the two-parter episode. Not only is it a sign he’s royally screwed up attacking a US federal officer, but it further amplifies the public’s distrust of him. The moment highlights how crazy and beyond reason Tony has become in his personal vendetta.
8) Julia Carpenter
In a strange move, The Iron Man cartoon’s creative team has Julia Carpenter give up her Spider-Woman identity so she can serve Tony as a public relations officer. This means that, for most of Season 2, she acts similarly to Iron Man’s comic book female characters like Bethany Cabe and Pepper Potts (strong female romantic interests who don’t need an iron suit to kick ass).
Alongside James Rhodes, Julia acts as Tony’s compass of sanity. She constantly tries to talk sense into him, begging him to let her in on his pain. She also feels unfulfilled due to Tony jilting her at the altar in S1. Despite his social withdrawal, she never gives up on him and continuously attempts to bring him back to sanity. Double points for being voiced by the great Jennifer Hale.
7) The Newcasters’ Judging Iron Man’s Actions
The good thing about this two-part episode is that it has the audience see what the world at large thinks of Iron Man. This is expressed through newscasts, where reporters narrate their opinions of Iron Man’s actions. As with the comic story, it’s evident that they are confused as to why this once-hero has gone rogue.
The constant use of newscasts in the narrative gives us a view of Iron Man’s action outside his close-knit circle. Interestingly, it actually makes us question whether or not his actions are justified or not. This is a thought-provoking narrative technique for a ’90s kids show.
6) Voice Acting Is Great
Given that this is a show of the ’90s, the voice acting in Iron Man is pretty damn good. Robert Hays endows Tony with a great sense of humanity. Tonally, he delivers the different aspects of Tony’s personality effortlessly. From Tony’s sarcasm to his anxiety, Hays gives an underrated vocal performance as ol’ Shellhead. He also manages to make Tony sound a little unhinged in his desperation, especially during his fights with Hawkeye and War Machine.
Likewise, Dorian Harewood and Jennifer Hale deliver commendable performances as James Rhodes and Julia Carpenter respectively. Harewood’s delivery of Rhodes’ snark creates some of the most memorable lines in the two-parter while Hale effectively portrays a testy Julia.
5) The Fights Are Good for a ’90s Show
Given that Iron Man is a ’90s cartoon, the animation isn’t half bad. The show’s visual style certainly upgraded significantly between its first and second seasons. Armor Wars is the quintessential visual representation of this. Particularly when Iron Man battles Dynamo, Stilt-Man, et al.
Rather than have Iron Man manually change suits, the show gets around this by giving him the ability to change to ‘different modes’ (i.e. drill mode). It’s ridiculous, even for Iron Man, but it serves to give the fights a sense of fluidity without interruption. Having Iron Man able to change suits on the fly allows for more engaging fight sequences and, if you can suspend your disbelief, you’ll have a lot of fun.
4) The Battle Between Hawkeye and Iron Man
The battle between Hawkeye and Iron Man is an impactful moment in the Armor Wars story. Rumour has it Marvel didn’t allow the show’s creative team to use Captain America in the adaptations of the comic. So, instead, they bring back Clint Barton AKA Hawkeye to confront Iron Man at the federal headquarters.
In hindsight, this is much more effective given the cartoon’s history. In the show’s first season, Tony and Clint fight side-by-side in the superhero team Force Works. Therefore, it makes a greater dramatic impact since the show’s writers use a previously-established ally to fight our armored hero.
3) The Battle Between Tony and Rhodes
The battle between Tony and Jim is emblematic of how far gone Iron Man is in the story. For Jim, jumping in the War Machine suit is a last-ditch attempt to bring Tony to his senses. The fact that Tony’s best friend is willing to fight him to stop his craziness is an impactful dramatic moment.
This is an improvement on the original comic, in which Rhodes basically goes along with Tony’s plans beat-for-beat. When Tony defeats Jim (taking advantage of his friend’s aversion to water), he places a negator pack on his armor, stating “I can’t risk it falling into the wrong hands”. Not only is this moment a heartbreaking fight between two friends it also highlights Tony’s potential loss of sanity. It’s a truly effective scene.
2) Highlights Iron Man’s Flaws
Like the comic, in the cartoon, the world at large begins to distrust Iron Man after seeing his apparent vendetta. But unlike the comic, greater effort is made to explore Tony’s flaws. In particular, his obsessive personality is examined as well as his tendency to push his friends away when it comes to deeply personal matters. Both Rhodes and Julia are frustrated that their friend is keeping them out of the loop.
When Iron Man goes head-to-head with Clint Barton (Hawkeye), his former Force Works ally calls him ‘crazy’. Tony somewhat agrees, reconsidering his own sanity. The cartoon cooly depicts the internal conflict of Tony and his obsessive nature.
1) Iron Man’s Actions Hurt His Relationships
Although Armor Wars is undoubtedly a good comic book story, there’s an issue I’ve always had with it. Jim Rhodes goes along with Stark’s plans willy-nilly and rarely raises any objections. Rhodes is Tony’s reliable sidekick, wordlessly following his bosses’ orders. It makes him somewhat uninteresting.
However, the animated version has Tony’s obsessive mission harm his relationship with both Rhodey and Julia. Both Rhodey and Julia are left confused by Tony’s actions because he refuses to get them involved. This creates a compelling level of conflict that even the original comic story doesn’t.
Do you like the Iron Man ’90s cartoon? What are your fondest memories? And what parts of the Armor Wars story should they critically keep intact for the upcoming MCU series? Let us know in the comments below!