Iron Man 3: 10 Moments We Probably Won't Get To See

8. The Invincible Plug-In Man

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In order to save his life, as well as break free from his captors, Tony Stark designed a miniature arc reactor to keep the shrapnel from entering his heart, and that same reactor powers the Iron Man armor. Surely, this was something from the comics, wasn€™t it? Actually, not quite. Back in the old days, the suit was powered by a combination of transistors and solar energy. And instead of the arc reactor, Tony needed the entire chest plate in order to survive. And even though the original Iron Man armors were pretty bulky, apparently the chest plate managed to stay flat enough when inactive for Tony to hide it under his shirt. How is this possible? Works on the same principle as radiation giving people superpowers and the uniforms made of unstable molecules. I could explain it, but you€™d need a PhD in Theoretical Superhero Physics to even begin to understand it, so just trust me on this. The problem with these transistors is that they needed to be recharged. So in the early days of Marvel, it was very common to see Tony sitting by the wall, a simple power cord connecting him to the socket, and evidently pantsless (in the Stark home, it€™s no pants, no problem). Likelihood: Not very high. With the arc reactor capable of generating its own power, Tony doesn€™t really need to plug himself in anymore. And thank god for that, because who wants to see a pantsless Downey plugged into the wall? I feel like I've just dared the Internet.
Contributor
Contributor

Percival Constantine is the author of several novels and short stories, including the Vanguard superhero series, and regularly writes and comments on movies, comics, and other pop culture. More information can be found at his website, PercivalConstantine.com