War Machine Armor MARK I

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The War Machine MARK I armor(also know as the JRXL-1000 Variable Threat Response Battle Suit) was the stolen MARK II Iron Man armor that was outfitted with weaponry by Justin Hammer and Hammer Industries. Upon arriving at Tony’s birthday party, Rhodes found Stark drunk and recklessly utilizing the his armor to entertain his party guests. To subdue Tony, Rhodes donned the MK2 and demanded Tony to stop, which in turn led to a fight between the two. Following the fight, Rhodes leaves Stark’s Mansion and took the armor to Edwards Air Force Base and turned the armor over to the United States Air Force, although under Rhodes’ direct supervision.

As the MK2 was a flight prototype the armor featured no on-board weapons systems with the exception of the signature Repulsor gauntlets and Unibeam. Once in Hammer’s possession, he upgraded the armor plating, weaponized the suit and renamed it the Variable Threat Response Battle Suit. The built-in weapons included the signature Repulsor gauntlets, M134 7.62mm Minigun, two FN F2000 Tactical assault rifles and the Sidewinder “Ex-Wife” Self-Guided Missile. Rhodes ordered that a Claride Hi-Tec 9x19mm Semi-auto pistol, M24 shotgun and Mikor MGL 40mm grenade launcher be added to the suit but they are never seen in action nor do they appear to be located anywhere on the armor.

Tony arrives at the Hammer Industries presentation at the Stark Expo, after being tipped of Vanko’s looming attack. Stark attempts to get Hammer to reveal Vanko’s location and tries to convince Rhodes to assist him in the coming fight but Vanko takes over control of the War Machine armor and the Hammer Drones. During the ensuing fight, Natasha Romanoff manages to return control of the War Machine armor to Rhodes and he and Stark manage to defeat the remaining Hammer Drones and Vanko in the Whiplash II armor.

Initially following the battle, Stark allows Rhodes to keep the armor. Tony would eventually reclaim the armor and stripe it of all Hammer technology as he found it an insult to have inferior technology on his suit. As the MK2 was stolen, it was never calibrated to Rhodes’ physiology and was a danger for him to use with Stark remarking “You’re lucky it didn’t give you a heart attack” prior to him presenting Rhodes with the War Machine MARK II armor.

Quick Facts

  • Designer – Tony Stark/Justin Hammer
  • User – James Rhodes
  • Code Name – War Machine
  • Armor Class – War Machine Armor
  • Armor Type – Variable Threat Response Battle Suit
  • Armor Color – Dark gray with silver plates
  • Armor Height – 6 ft.
  • Status – Dismantled
  • Power Core – Palladium Arc Reactor Mark II
  • Armor Features – Armor gauntlets, Thruster boots, flaps, stabilizers
  • Armor Systems – Status system, Propulsion systems
  • Weapons – Repulsors, Unibeam, M134 7.62mm Minigun, two FN F2000 Tactical assault rifles and the Sidewinder “Ex-Wife” Self-Guided Missile
  • Armor Composition – Chromium titanium plating
  • Armor Capabilities – Super-strength, Durability, Flight
  • PredecessorMARK II
  • Successor – War Machine Armor MARK II
  • Preceded By – MARK II
  • Followed By – War Machine Armor MARK II
  • First AppearanceIron Man

Weapons

  • Repulsors – a pair of armored gauntlets, each equipped with a Repulsor, that shoots beams of energy when charged. This is the suit’s main weapon but also serve to aid in flight power and stabilization.
  • Unibeam – the suit’s most powerful weapon, capable of immense destruction as it projects a beam of pure energy for a short amount of time.
  • M134 7.62mm Minigun – a six barrel medium-sized machine gun that can fire up to 6,000 rounds per minute. It is attached to the back of suit with a robotic arm and is perched over the armor’s right shoulder. The gun uses an auto-targeting system that allows the gun to fire on its own, even behind the user, allowing for 360 degree coverage.
  • FN F2000 Tactical Assault Rifle – modified to attach to each of the suits forearms, this assault rifles feature extended magazines that allow for the guns to fire for extended periods without needing to be reloaded.
  • Sidewinder “Ex-Wife” Self-Guided Missile – mounted and concealed in the left shoulder, this “Ex-Wife” is a kinetic-kill bunker missile capable of massive damage, although the weapon fails to detonate when fired by Rhodes.

Capabilities

  • Super strength – this suit grants the user superhuman strength. Not only does it allow the user to lift and move heavy objects, it greatly enhances the user combat abilities.
  • Enhanced durability – the suit is near bullet proof and grants the user incredibly enhanced durability while in combat.
  • Flight – due to its thruster boots, Repulsor gauntlets and propulsion system, this suit is a capable of full flight with the ability to achieve supersonic speed.

Systems

  • Status system – an HUD, target scanning, GPS, visuals for power levels and vital signs, manages all of the other suit’s functionalities and systems.
  • Propulsion system – designed to pull energy from the mini-arc reactor and direct it to the thruster boots and Repulsor gauntlets.

Notes

  • The War Machine armor is the only armor to share the same armor with another suit as it was the MARK II before it was the War Machine armor.
  • The MK2 was not calibrated to Rhodes’ physiology and could have had dangerous side effects had he continued to use it.

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Thank you for reading. If you enjoyed this post, you can find more of my thoughts on twitter, @historyofthemcu. Additionally, @bloodybaroness and myself host The History of the MCU Podcast, a weekly podcast that reviews and analyzes not only the Infinity Saga but the new Marvel Studios Disney+ shows beginning with WandaVision. We would love if you gave us a listen and are currently available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podbean, Google Podcasts, iHeartRadio and Amazon Music

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