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Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Sabretooth: The Dead Don’t Talk #3! Everybody knows that Tony Stark is the original Iron Man, and even in certain continuities where he’s not (like both Ultimate Universes, for instance), that honor just goes to his father, Howard Stark. Except, that’s not actually true, is it? Indeed, Marvel Comics unveils the true first Iron Man, and it’s not Tony (or Howard) Stark – and this is really embarrassing for both of them.
In a preview for Sabretooth: The Dead Don’t Talk #3 by Frank Tieri and Michael Sta. Maria, Victor Creed and his boss/partner-in-crime named Fisk (aka the original Kingpin) are attending a World’s Fair in the year 1909. One particular invention catches their eye, which is a sentiment shared by the rest of the crowd. A man named Mr. Vanko debuts a high-tech suit of armor that offers its wearer super strength and near invulnerability, and that suit of armor is called the Iron Dynamo.
The Iron Dynamo’s aesthetic is reminiscent of the classic Iron Man suit, as if the bulkiness and raw strength of Iron Man’s Mark 1 was merged with the iconic color scheme of his more widely recognized armor – with just a hint of the Iron Monger armor thrown in as well. Plus, the name itself, ‘Iron Dynamo’, sounds a lot like ‘Iron Man’, especially when considering the other similarities. And the best (or, perhaps worst) part is that this armor debuted decades before Tony Stark built his original Iron Man suit, meaning Vanko beat him to the punch.
Why Vanko’s ‘Iron Man’ Armor is Especially Embarrassing for Tony Stark
Mr. Vanko is the Ancestor of Iron Man Villain Anton Vanko aka Crimson Dynamo
Marvel Comics fans should immediately recognize the name ‘Vanko’ as that of Iron Man’s long-time nemesis Anton Vanko aka the Crimson Dynamo. Like Stark, Vanko was a technological genius who invented a suit of armor that had the power to challenge Iron Man. That suit of armor was named the Crimson Dynamo, and throughout the many battles fought between Vanko and Stark, it clearly lived up to its desired function – even if Crimson Dynamo never quite surpassed Iron Man.
In the past, Crimson Dynamo was always considered to be little more than a cheap knock-off of Iron Man. However, this issue reveals that the opposite is true. Indeed, Tony Stark didn’t invent the Mark 1 Iron Man armor until the Vietnam War, when he was held as a POW. That was in the ‘60s, which is decades after Mr. Vanko debuted to the world his Iron Dynamo armor, making Iron Man the ‘knock-off’, not Crimson Dynamo – which is pretty embarrassing.
Marvel Comics Just Made MCU’s Iron Man 2 Even More Interesting
Marvel Doubles-Down on the Idea that the Vanko Family was Ripped Off by the Starks
In MCU’s Iron Man 2, Anton Vanko is adapted into live-action as the original character Ivan Vanko, who wanted to kill Iron Man because he believed Howard Stark robbed his father – and, indeed, the entire Vanko family – of his intellectual property pertaining to advanced technology. Now, Marvel is doubling-down on the idea that the Vanko family was ripped off by the Starks by effectively making it Marvel Comics canon that Mr. Vanko created the first ‘Iron Man’ armor decades before Tony Stark – which retrospectively makes that MCU plot point even more interesting and comic accurate.
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However, beyond the retrospective MCU connection, this revelation is fascinating in its own right. Tony Stark (or Howard Stark) didn’t create the world’s first ‘Iron Man’ armor, as that honor goes to the ancestor of one of his greatest villains, Mr. Vanko, with his ‘Iron Dynamo’ armor, and that is really embarrassing.
Sabretooth: The Dead Don’t Talk #3 by Marvel Comics is available February 26, 2025.
“}]] Marvel’s first Iron Man should make Tony Stark embarrassed. Read More