Iron Man Gives War Machine a Samurai Redesign as WAR MONGER

Iron Man and War Machine get all-new samurai-styled upgrades in the pages of I Am Iron Man... including their own laser katana!

WARNING! Spoilers ahead for I AM IRON MAN #3 Iron Man's partner and friend Jim Rhodes recently got an upgrade to his War Machine armor: the War Monger suit, a samurai redesign so cool, it's going to need its own freezer before long.

The new suit makes its debut in I Am Iron Man #3 by Murewa Ayodele, Dotun Akande, and Joe Caramagna, in which Iron Man and War Machine infiltrate Mojoworld to save a young boy's mother in a scenario designed to play out like a samurai adventure. Iron Man dons the Iron Shogun armor, giving Rhodey his own similarly samurai-themed suit dubbed the "War Monger." Both suits have their own segmented plates like traditional samurai armor, with each possessing its own elaborate kabuto helm with horns and stylized crest. Most impressive of all is the pair of lightsaber-esque laser katana each suit is outfitted with, which Tony and Rhodey use to eviscerate their enemies to stunning effect.

The two all-new designs play into the idea of Iron Man and War Machine being modern-day knights in shining armor, so having the pair don specialized suits of samurai armor isn't too much of a stretch. Iron Man himself has had various toys depicting him as a samurai, perhaps most notably in an especially hilarious design in the 1990s Toy Biz action figure line. Given that the I Am Iron Man series acts as a love letter to the Iron Man comics of the nineties in particular, it totally fits the theme of the series to pay homage to that toy in particular.

Of course, Iron Man's been changing up his look since he made his debut in a bulky gray suit of armor. Further stories saw the armor's color change to gold, before it was streamlined into the classic red-and-yellow suit designed by Steve Ditko that has been the basis for almost every armor Tony Stark has worn ever since. Artist Bob Layton would design several new suits of armor for Iron Man throughout his run in the eighties, including the much-loved Silver Centurion Iron Man armor Stark wore in 1985. Funnily enough, Layton was given instructions from editor Mark Gruenwald to make the all-new red and silver armor more samurai-like - an influence which can be felt most in the pointed, stylized shoulder pads.

Whether or not the Iron Shogun or War Monger suits make a reappearance any time soon remains to be seen, but it's nice to know that Iron Man and War Machine have yet another armored option in their incredible arsenal.

I Am Iron Man #3 is available now from Marvel Comics.