Iron Man's armor is the fictional powered exoskeleton worn by the fictional Tony Stark when he assumes his superhero role of Iron Man. The first version of the armor was created by Stark with the help of Ho Yinsen.
The appearance of Stark's armor has radically changed over the years, either as a result of modifications made by Stark or specialized armors created for specific situations.
Though Stark's wide array of armors have many different abilities, they are alike in that they are made of incredibly strong fictional materials bolstered by a force field. Every suit has a self-contained environment, assorted onboard weapons systems, enhanced strength, flight, and various communications arrays and sensors (such as radar and radio). Furthermore, they typically have multiple power sources including a secondary solar energy collection function in the event that conventional recharging methods are unavailable. Older versions of the armor could also fold virtually flat, allowing Stark to store them in his bullet-proof briefcase.
The defining abilities of Stark's armor are the jets situated in the boots and the repulsors situated in the gloves. The repulsors originated as a hand attachment, but have since become the armor's most important standard armament. They have been referred to as being magnetic, a blast of charged particles, and as a force beam. In the 2008 movie, the repulsors are a form of propulsion and (as hand units) steering jet, though they can be used offensively. A later variation on this is the Pulse Bolts, bolts of concussive energy that actually gain energy the further they have to travel, up to a limit of roughly three football fields (about 329 meters).
Another defining trait is the chest-mounted "uni-beam", also known as the variobeam, and tri-beam (in the 2008 film, Tony commands J.A.R.V.I.S. to divert power to his "chest RT," or chest repulsor transmitter). Originally a spotlight and "proton beam," it has grown to accommodate a number of other weapons, primarily light and force-based.
