Marvel's Doctor Doom is one of the greatest villains around. There are a lot of reasons for this- his histrionics, his magic powers, the fact that he's an evil monarch who lives in a cool castle, and that he's one of the most intelligent people on the planet. A big factor in this is his armor- not only is it technologically advanced, but it has a bulky, intimidating and almost medieval look.
It's also one of the most powerful suits of armor in existence, although it has some steep competition- Iron Man's armor. Tony Stark has spent years perfecting his armor, making it more and more powerful. Both suits of armor are great but only one can be the best. Let's take a look at both.
10 Doom's Armor: The Intimidation Factor
Doctor Doom doesn't mess around. It's pretty much rule one for him- as one of the most intelligent people around who is also a powerful sorcerer, he likes to make sure that everyone knows who they're dealing with and how great he is. Doom loves to intimidate everyone and the armor is a big part of that.
There's just something about it that lends itself well to this. It's a metallic grey, not embellished by any other colors, reminding people of its unyielding nature. The mask has an industrial feel to it, with obvious rivets and such that make it seem bolted to his face. There's something about it that is reminiscent of a knight's suit of armor, making it look like it was made to go into battle.
9 Iron Man's Armor: Bleeding Edge
One of the best things about Iron Man's armor is that Stark is always tinkering with it, always making it better. Tony Stark's vast intellect makes him restless with its design- he'll come up with something new and want to incorporate it or think of a way to streamline the design or just decide that it's time to start all over again.
This means that Iron Man's armor is never anything less than the bleeding edge of technology. Its functionality is always evolving and changing as technology increases and as new methods of creating things are thought of.
8 Doom's Armor: An Unparalleled Weapon
Doom has created many things over the years, from time machines to Doombots, robots so advanced that many can't tell the difference between him and a Doombot. However, his armor is made for one purpose and one purpose alone- as his greatest weapon. While it's equipped with all manner of hardware and software, its main function is as battle armor.
It can take massive amounts of damage and keep him alive, enhances his strength so he can punch it out with the Thing, and fire off powerful energy blasts. It has allowed him to fight many heroes to a standstill; when Doom enters the battlefield, all but the heaviest hitters quake in fear.
7 Iron Man's Armor: It Looks Great
So, while Tony Stark likes to keep the armor's tech on the bleeding edge of technology, he also likes to make sure it looks great as well. The armor's look has evolved as much as he has as a person over the years, Stark changing the armor's aesthetic so that it looks as cutting edge as the tech it contains.
The red and gold color scheme is great as well, catching the eye and giving him a heroic look that another color scheme might not have. The suit's arc reactor looks great, placed over his heart and glowing with power. Newer models of the armor look more like a second metallic skin than armor, as well, adding to its modern aesthetic and making sure Iron Man is one of the best looking heroes on the field.
6 Doom's Armor: It's All He Needs
Iron Man's armor is great but he often needs specialized armors for specialized threat, like his Hulkbuster armor for fighting the Hulk or his stealth armor for sneaking around. It's a merchandiser's dream come true but it's also not the best way to do things- he has to change armors, sometimes mid-battle and this is something that is fraught with peril.
Doom's armor, on the other hand, is always ready for all comers. Packed with all manner of powerful weapon, Doom doesn't need to change his armor when a powerful foe appears- it's always ready for any enemy that shows up.
5 Iron Man's Armor: More Than A Weapon
Iron Man's armor has a variety of features. While most people think of things like the repulsor beams or the boot jets, it also can do all kinds of other things as well. For starters, it's always connected to Stark's database, its onboard AI always ready to help out and give Iron Man any info he needs.
It can also hack enemy systems, allowing Stark to pilfer their information or take control of them. On top of that, he can use it to help him build all kinds of things, especially the armors that are equipped with nanotechnology, which is most of the newer ones. Superheroes do more than fight and Iron Man has ensured that his armor is adaptable for situations where brute force isn't required.
4 Doom's Armor: The Solution To And Cause Of His Torment
Doom began wearing his armor not because he wanted to use it to destroy his enemies but out of vanity. His face was scarred when the machine he had created to wrest his mother's soul from Mephisto backfired. He went and had the armor made for himself by some Tibetan monks and demanded the face mask be put on him before it was fully cooled, to hide the scar, which just made the whole thing worse.
From then on, he would be forced to constantly wear the armor, both because of his vanity and because of its weapon systems. It would always be a reminder, though, of the wreckage of his face that lay beneath it, a source of both power and pain.
3 Iron Man's Armor: It Saved His Life
When Tony Stark first created his armor, it was a life or death situation in more ways than one- without it, he would have died of the shrapnel embedded in his chest if his captors didn't kill him first. For years afterward, it would be the only thing that kept him alive, keeping the shrapnel out of his heart and later keeping his heart going.
Iron Man's armor was made to save lives and the first life it saved was Tony Stark's. This set the precedent for the armor- it kept saving lives for years to come.
2 Doom's Armor: It's Allowed Him To Become A God
Doom's armor has all kinds of equipment in it, but it's most useful is a power siphon. This power siphon has allowed Doom to drain power from some of the most powerful beings to have existed, like the Silver Surfer, a rogue Watcher, and the Beyonder. As impressive as this is, what's more impressive is that the armor was able to handle the types of energies Doom absorbed from ultra-powerful beings.
This device allowed Doom to gain godlike on more than one occasion, something that no other armor in the Marvel Universe has ever been able to do.
1 Iron Man's Armor: Versatility
For Iron Man's armor, versatility is the name of the game and that's a very big deal when it comes right down to it. Iron Man faces all kinds of threats and his armor has to be ready to deal with them. It has to be able to deal with powerful enemies, their lackeys, and all manner of technology. It's not just a weapon, but a tool, one that Tony Stark uses to save lives and make the world a better place.
Iron Man has made sure the armor reflects the kind of man he is- one who knows that he has to be ready to fight, but also has to be able to help out in a myriad of different situations. It's the armor of a hero.