Iron Man 2 behind-the-scenes images reveal an unused battle suit for Tony Stark. Directed by Jon Favreau, the film was Robert Downey Jr.’s second go as the genius, billionaire-turned-superhero. The film may have not been a critical hit like the first Iron Man, but it did have some cool moments - most of which involved the title character suiting up for a mission/fight.

Much has happened to the MCU and Stark since Iron Man 2. The franchise’s inaugural hero died a heroic death during Joe and Anthony Russo’s Avengers: Endgame as he sacrificed his life to ensure the safety of the universe from the Mad Titan. Over the years, his character progression mirrored the evolution of his suits. However, a specific gear from Iron Man 2 that never made it into the big screen now emerges online thanks to a couple of set images.

In the images shared on Twitter by fan account with the handle Robert Downey Jr FR (via CBR), Downey is seen being fitted with an under suit. It’s unclear when exactly in Iron Man 2 would this armor have appeared, but in a different image shared by Iron Studios where the same garment was worn by a stunt double, they explained that while it was worn during filming, the scene wherein it appeared was ultimately cut. Check out the photos below:

From the looks of it, the undercut seems like what Stark would wear before he started using nano-technology to keep his suits more readily available to him when he needs one. Based on how the events of Iron Man 2 unfolded, the undercut could’ve made its debut late in the film, since the middle-act introduced the suitcase armor during the Monaco fight sequence which was pretty cool. Its next significant evolution then took place in The Avengers where he was able to summon a suit using two bangles, allowing him to free-fall from the Stark tower only to be timely saved by his armor. From then on, he found more crafty ways in accessing his battle gear which made for great moments in the succeeding films he appeared in.

The question is, if this undersuit appeared in Iron Man 2 and it did function that way it’s presumed to, how would its existence affect the development of Iron Man’s armor? This brings him so much closer to the core idea of his nano-tech suit in Avengers: Infinity War and eventually in Endgame, which means everything that came before it would look like a step backwards. In any case, it’s difficult to look at these images and not get a bit nostalgic regarding the MCU. It’s also a great reminder that they did such a great job using practical props back when they were starting - something that viewers would love to see more of again.

More: Um, How Long Did Captain America Live After Avengers: Endgame?

Source: Robert Downey Jr FR (via CBR)

  • Black Widow Release Date: 2021-07-09 The Eternals Release Date: 2021-11-05 Shang Chi Release Date: 2021-09-03 Doctor Strange 2 Release Date: 2022-05-06 Thor: Love and Thunder Release Date: 2022-07-08 Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Release Date: 2022-11-11