Definitive Cinematic Iron Man

[Tomato]

So, a ways back I did a Poll for Definitive Cinematic Iron Man. Given what happened in Endgame (no spoilers) and the wealth of armors we've seen in between films, I wanted to see where everyone's opinion stands now (at the time Avengers 2 wasn't even out yet).

Same rules as before, cutting out non-major and specialty armors (Mark V is still cool, but it's not one of the primary film armors) and leaving the major armors seen in each film.

Spoiler

[BentonGrey]

I guess that the original one is what I'll always think of when I think of movie Iron Man.  That seems like the definitive one to me.  Whatever it is, it's definitely not the papier-mache one from Iron Man III. 

[Panther_Gunn]

Is it just me or are the images you've supplied for 46 & 50 exactly the same?

While 85 is probably the closest to the iconic comics Mk V color scheme, it just feels too "smooth".  42 & 43 are just too busy.  If I had to narrow it down, I'd probably prefer one of the first four.

[Podmark]

Definitive? I suppose I'd go with the Mark III.
But considering the MCU has Stark constantly changing his armor I don't believe there is a definitive design. He never wears one long enough to qualify. The definitive seems to be change.

As for my favourite, that would probably be VI or VII. I also like the nanite ones from Infinity War/End Game, L and LXXXV.

[Tomato]

The images are fixed now. I made the mistake while putting that together and didn't notice it until a day or so after I'd posted. And frankly, that's my issue with 45, 46, and 50. They are too simple. too smooth and too similar to each other that, at a glance, I can't tell which is which. Admittedly, a part of that is because I have more familiarity with the earlier armors, but I have not cared for the smoothness of the armors since AoU.

On a personal level... while I don't mind the 43 and it's stuck around on my shelf because it was the last version I liked... yeah, the earlier armors are just better representatives of the character.

As for which one I'd go with... hrm. I get why Benton likes the III, but I don't like the darker red. Later armors use a brighter red (unlike Cap whose outfit became a darker blue over time) and I prefer that.  It also shares an issue with the mark 4 where there's a bit too much red. Overall, I really like the VI because it has a better gold/red balance (the legs and arms specifically) but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't put off by the triangle chestpiece. The VII is iconic, being THE armor for Avengers, but MAN do I hate the silver on the legs so much.