Iron Spider

The Iron Spider is a fictional powered exoskeleton in Marvel Comics.

Publication history

The Iron Spider armor first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #529 and was designed by Joe Quesada where it was based on a sketch by Chris Bachalo.^[1][2]

Peter wore this suit as Spider-Man's official costume until writer J. Michael Straczynski chose to revert to the older costume. It was used symbolically to show Peter's divided loyalties during the 2006 - 2007 "Civil War" storyline.

Known wearers

Spider-Man

After Spider-Man's newer powers developed in "The Other", Tony Stark (Iron Man) developed a new suit for Peter, which he began wearing in The Amazing Spider-Man #529. Nicknamed the "Iron Spider" costume, it is red and gold: according to Marvel Editor-In-Chief Joe Quesada, "Stark's design, Stark's color!"^[3]

Scarlet Spiders

The Stark armor costume has been duplicated and was used by three clones created out of the deceased MVP's genetic material in the Initiative who identify themselves as "Red Team". War Machine labels them Scarlet Spiders. It is unknown what new powers the team possesses, but they have been shown to be using some of the built-in powers such as the cloaking device, communications, and waldoes which the original costume possessed.^[4] One change is that there are now four waldoes, as opposed to three. These suits have the original's morphing ability,^[5] as well as web-shooters, and wall-crawling capability.^[6]

Mary Jane Watson

Mary Jane Watson later donned the Iron Spider armor in order to help Spider-Man and Iron Man fight Regent. She uses her experience in Iron Man's suit and her brief spider powers that she had back in the Spider-Island storyline to operate the Iron Spider armor.^[7]

Powers and abilities

Supported by a system similar to that of Stark's classic Iron Man design, The Iron Spider armor features many gadgets, including three mechanical spider-arms, or "waldoes", that can be used to see around corners (via cameras in the tips) and to manipulate objects indirectly. Stark describes them as too delicate to use in combat, yet Spider-Man shortly afterward uses them to smash through the sensors in Titanium Man's helmet. Later on during the "Civil War" storyline, he uses them, (reluctantly), during his fight with Captain America.

Other features include short-distance gliding capability, limited bulletproofing, built-in fire/police/emergency scanner, audio/visual amplification (including infrared and ultraviolet), cloaking device, carbon filters to keep out airborne toxins, and a short-range GPS microwave communication system. It grants the ability to breathe under water, and can morph into different shapes due to its "'smart' liquid metal" form. It can also "more or less disappear" when not needed due to reactions to neurological impulses as Tony Stark revealed. The new costume is able to look like other styles of costumes Spider-Man has worn over the years or turn into his street clothes. Part of the costume can detach itself from Spider-Man to cover an object too dangerous to touch, such as a radioactive asteroid. All these features are controlled by a computer system in the chest piece. The suit responds to mental control.^[8]

The Iron Spider armor also has a secret override that can be activated by Iron Man in case of emergencies or if Spider-Man ever switches sides (which he does in Civil War #5). However, unknown to Stark, Peter was already aware of the safety measure and had bypassed it with his own override, Password Surprise. Perhaps most sinister, Stark discovered a way to give his own Iron Man armor a "spider-sense" based on Peter's, and the ability to give Spider-Man's sense red herrings.

Other versions

Contest of Champions

In the pages of Contest of Champions, a variation of Natasha Romanov donned the Iron Spider identity in an unidentified alternate reality where Iron Man used the Reality Gem to rig the Civil War in his favor where he later became President of the United States. She inherited it after Peter defected to Captain America's side and later became a member of the Civil Warriors.^[9]

In other media

Television

• The Iron Spider armor appears in Ultimate Spider-Man. In its debut episode "Flight of the Iron Spider", Spider-Man wears the Iron Spider costume where he has no idea of how to control it. He does manage to get control of it when he, Iron Fist, White Tiger, Power Man, and Nova help Iron Man fight Living Laser. Following the fight with Living Laser, Nick Fury had the Iron Spider armor reworked so that it can also be converted into a backpack when not in use. In the season three episode "The Next Iron Spider", Peter tries to use the armor as a science project for school. The armor piques the interest of one Amadeus Cho, a transfer student and Peter's intellectual rival. Unfortunately, Taskmaster also spies the armor and hatches a plan to control it. Realizing how adept Amadeus is with the Iron Spider armor, Peter bequeaths it to him and invites him to join the New Warriors under the mantle of "Iron Spider". In "Rampaging Rhino", Spider-Man use a variant creation by Dr. Connors called "Iron Spider Hulkbuster" at the time when Hulk was fighting Rhino.
• Amadeus Cho's Iron Spider appearance appeared in Lego Marvel Super Heroes: Avengers Reassembled.

Video games

• The Wii version of Spider-Man: Web of Shadows also features the Iron Spider outfit as an unlockable costume.
• The video game Marvel Ultimate Alliance features this costume as one of Peter's three alternate costumes, other two alternates being a black Venom Symbiote suit, Classic Ben Reilly version of Scarlet Spider.
• The video game Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 features this costume as Peter's only alternate costume. This time, it includes the waldoes and the gold parts are now white. This costume can only be unlocked by choosing Pro-Registration.
• The video games Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions and Spider-Man: Edge of Time also features the Iron Spider armor as an alternate suit for Spider-Man 2099.
• The Iron Spider appears as one of Spider-Man's alternate costumes in Marvel vs Capcom 3.
• The video game Marvel: Avengers Alliance features the "Iron Spidey" costume as Spider-Man's final costume. However, it does not feature the waldoes.
• The Iron Spider suit does not appear in Lego Marvel Super Heroes, but it is referenced during a conversation between Spider-Man and Iron Man during their infiltration in a A.I.M. Submarine. With Stark saying "You know, I could fit you with a rocket-propelled iron suit if you'd like." Spider-Man replies it "sounds heavy."
• Amadeus Cho's Iron Spider form appears in Lego Marvel's Avengers. It is part of the Spider-Man DLC.
• Mary Jane Watson's Iron Spider form appears in Marvel Avengers Academy.

References

External links

• Iron Spider Armor at Marvel Wiki