10 Reboots That Changed Comic Books Forever
3. Iron Man - V4
Tony Stark's Iron Man is another character who has evolved since he first appeared. When he started, he had a clunky suit of armor built out of necessity, but that armor evolved into the skin-tight nanotechnology he uses today (and in Avengers: Infinity War).
Of his many relaunches and retoolings, the fourth volume of his series released in 2005 has had the most impact compared to any others. When it came out, it updated his origin, but also introduced the Extremis Virus, which fundamentally changed Iron Man from that point forward.
When it comes to comics, it was successful and had a positive impact on the character and the industry, but the real impact had everything to do with what it inspired.
The art, stories, and character changes present in Iron Man Vol. 4 were used as inspiration for a little film that came out in 2008. That movie, Iron Man, was the launching title for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Had it not succeeded, we wouldn't be sitting on nearly 20 MCU films today in what is financially the most successful film franchise in history. And it's all thanks to Warren Ellis' launching of Iron Man vol 4, #1 in 2005.