While Iron Man is Marvel's most famous armored hero, he has faced off with quite a few armored villains over the years that have gained their own levels of notoriety, which includes the East's counterpart to Tony Stark's Iron Man, The Soviet/Russian armored soldier known as Crimson Dynamo.
Like Stark's ever-growing Iron Man armory, there have been quite a few different versions of the Crimson Dynamo armor that have appeared over the years, though there have been even more pilots than armors that have made called themselves Crimson Dynamo over the years. Today we are going to take a closer look at the Crimson Dynamo armors to see which was the deadliest.
10 Anton Vanko Created The First Crimson Dynamo Armor That Was Repurposed Multiple Times Over The Years
The original Crimson Dynamo armor was created by Anton Vanko, who was a specialist in electromagnetism. This carried over to his armor's designs, as the suit was able to control and manipulate energy through the powerful Vanko generator. Vanko operated as Crimson Dynamo and focused on proving his Eastern superiority over Iron Man.
However, his armor was stolen and worn by Boris Turgenov, and the ultimate battle between the Dynamos killed both of them and destroyed the armor. Modified versions of the original armor would be used by the Supreme Soviet's armored soldiers and a Russian sleeper agent who appeared in The Order before his armor failed him.
9 Levi Appeared Once As A Short-Lived Crimson Dynamo In Upgraded Armor Alongside A Titanium Man
A new Crimson Dynamo appeared in a land skirmish between Latveria and Transia that occurred in Fred Van Lente and Steve Kurth's Iron Man Legacy, though not much was revealed about the character beyond the name of Levi.
The new Crimson Dynamo was working with a new Titanium Man, though their armors were being remote-piloted by the Kremlin in Moscow. The new Dynamo armor seemed to be a significant upgrade from previous versions, though it was no match for an army of Doombots powered by Stark's Iron Man technology and he wasn't seen again.
8 Alex Nevsky Designed The Upgraded Crimson Dynamo Armor Mark III That Was Also Worn By Yuri Petrovitch And Dimitri Bukharin
Nevsky was one of Vanko's assistants who followed Vanko to the states after his death so he could rebuild the Crimson Dynamo armor and take revenge on Iron Man, who he blamed alongside the Soviet government for Vanko's defection and death.
Nevsky's new armor shared similar capabilities as Vanko's though added increased offensive weaponry like a rocket launcher and smokescreens and electrothrust force bolts. Nevsky joined with Titanium Man and Radioactive Man as the Titanic Three before his assumed death at the hands of the KGB, and his armor was used by both Yuri Petrovitch and Dmitri Bukharin.
7 Boris Vadim Wore A Tinkerer-Enhanced Crimson Dynamo Armor To Fight Skrulls With The Winter Guard
Russia and the former Soviet Union had a number of government-sponsored teams over the years, though the Winter Guard has been the country's primary superhero team for years. Crimson Dynamo has been a long-standing member of the Winter Guard and other Russian teams, though there is a high turnover rate.
Boris Vadim was introduced as a new Crimson Dynamo in the country's war against a Skrull invasion, though he was later killed by the Presence in Hulk: Winter Guard. Vadim's armor was enhanced with modern technology but retired after his death.
6 Crimson Dynamo XIII Wore The Mark VII Armor In His One And Only Appearance
Given the frequently rotating pilots of the Dynamo program and the leaked plans for the armor on the black market, there are still a few unknown characters that have operated as the Crimson Dynamo for both the Russian government and as independent mercenaries.
Crimson Dynamo XIII wore the Mark VII version of the armor in a mission against Domino, who was attempting to steal the helmet from the original Crimson Dynamo armor. This version of the Crimson Dynamo was never seen again and his armor failed to impress.
5 The Tenth Crimson Dynamo Got His Suit On The Black Market Before He Was Killed By The Punisher
While not much is known about the man under the mask of the tenth Crimson Dynamo who first appeared in the pages of Daniel Knauf, Charles Knauf and Patrick Zircher's Invincible Iron Man, the origins of his armors were revealed to have come from the black market.
The armor's plans leaked which resulted in an increasing number of Crimson Dynamo armors in the Marvel universe, though this particular version was easily defeated by Iron Man and then taken out by The Punisher after a weakness in his armor was exploited by Daredevil.
4 Galina Nemirovsky Wore The Dire Wraith Enhanced Ultra-Dynamo Armor
Following the death of Boris Vadim, a new Russian recruit was chosen to replace him named Galina Nemirovsky, who wore a bulked-up version of the Mark III armor as the newest Crimson Dynamo on the Winter Guard, though she was ultimately removed from the team and the Dynamo program.
However, she was able to steal components from the armor that she later combined with alien Dire Wraith technology provided by the Mandarin to create the Ultra-Dynamo armor, which greatly enhanced the weapons systems of the original Crimson Dynamo armor. A version of the Ultra-Dynamo was further enhanced by the Tinkerer after the Latverian Secret War.
3 Dimitri Bukharin's Mark IV Dynamo Armor Was Later Enhanced By Diablo's Alchemy
While the Russian government had a dedicated Dynamo program for training new cadets, Dimitri Bukharin was a highly trained KGB agent before he took on the duties of the Crimson Dynamo. Bukharin wore the Mark III armor after Yuri Petrovich only lasted for one mission, though he would soon get his own Mark IV armor that would become one of the most recognizable versions.
The seventh unknown Crimson Dynamo would also wear the Mark IV armor, though his version was alchemically enhanced by the villain Diablo to make it even more powerable, requiring both Iron Man and Thor to defeat him.
2 Gennady Gavrilov Found Anton Vanko's Powerful Experimental Crimson Dynamo Mark II Armor
Prior to Anton Vanko's death, the creator of the original Crimson Dynamo armor had secretly invented a Mark II prototype that he kept hidden. he also kept the helmet separate as it was capable of remote controlling the powerful armor. Young university student Gennady Gavrilov discovered the helmet and activated the armor, which rampaged through Russia as it returned to the helmet.
This armor was much bulkier than the original design and capable of building a deadly electromagnetic charge that required special gauntlets to contain. Gavrilov took on the Russian military as Crimson Dynamo in John Jackson Miller and Joe Corroney's self-titled series, though he decided to hide the armor and it hasn't reappeared since.
1 Valentin Shatalov And Tony Stark Both Wore The Advanced Mark V Dynamo Armor
One of the most advanced Crimson Dynamo armors was created using Vanko's designs with upgraded technology wand was initially worn by Valentin Shatalov, though it was worn by Tony Stark on a couple of occasions as well. Stark and Shalatov once traded bodies after a freak accident, though after they switched back he was imprisoned for the crimes Stark had committed as Shatalov.
Shatalov would then ask Stark to wear the Crimson Dynamo armor for him in a battle against Titanium Man after he was injured to help him save face for his country. The Mark V armor featured enhanced strength, a wrist-mounted Gatling gun, missiles, and a chest-mounted fusioncaster that ultimately killed Titanium Man, much to the surprise of Tony Stark.