Iron Man Armor: Mark IX

Iron Man Armor: Mark IX
Creator	Tony Stark †
Made	2012
Users	Tony Stark † J.A.R.V.I.S. Pepper Potts (right arm)
Status	Destroyed by Pepper Potts
Appearances
Movie	Iron Man 3
Preceded by	Mark VIII
Succeeded by	Mark X

The Mark IX Armor was Tony Stark's ninth Iron Man suit and the second suit created after the Battle of New York. The Mark IX was one of the first in a series of Iron Man suits created during a period of rapid development that led to the creation of the Iron Legion. It was destroyed by Pepper Potts.

History

Following the Battle of New York, during which Tony Stark helped repel alien invaders alongside the Avengers, Stark gained a greater awareness of the rising threats around him and began creating more Iron Man armors that could collectively help him respond to threats both on or beyond Earth. During this period, Stark prioritized developing and testing a variety of new features and components that would lead to specifically specialized suits that could more appropriately respond to any potential scenario. The Mark IX introduced external design elements that were later used in the Mark XXX: Blue Steel, Mark XXXI: Piston, and Mark XXXIII: Silver Centurion Armors.

The Mark IX was called, along with the rest of the Iron Legion, to help Tony Stark and James Rhodes during their fight against Aldrich Killian and his Extremis Soldiers. Near the end of the battle, after Tony Stark destroyed the Mark XLII in a failed attempt to kill Aldrich Killian, Mark IX appeared and targeted Killian and Pepper Potts, since both of them showed Extremis heat signatures.

Pepper Potts destroying the Mark IX

Pepper managed to destroy the armor with a punch through its arc reactor and used its arm repulsor to shoot at a rocket she kicked toward Killian, finally killing him in the explosion.

Capabilities

The Mark IX aiming at Pepper Potts

The Mark IX has more weapon systems than any of the past Iron Man suits. This suit adapted from the designs of the Mark V and Mark VII, allowing its various parts to collapse and allow its user to step in and out of it seamlessly, as well as ejecting the user on command. Additionally Tony Stark had biometric implants embedded under his skin to allow this suit to remotely connect and establish contact with him from virtually anywhere in the world, making it the most important upgrade of the Mark IX. This upgrade would be notably carried on to and improved upon with the Mark XLII and its successors.