Iron Man once joined the Guardians of the Galaxy, as he sought a new adventure outside the constraints of Earth, leading to one of his coolest suits he’s ever worn. In the 2013 arc, Tony Stark opted to team up with the Guardians and fight some of the galaxy’s biggest threats in a move that gave the longtime Avenger his Model-45 armor.
Marvel Comics launched a brand-new Guardians of the Galaxy Series from Brian Michael Bendis in 2013 that further introduced the team that would star in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning’s 2008 Guardians squad laid the groundwork for the superteam, assembling Star-Lord with Groot, Rocket Raccoon, Drax, and Gamora. Bendis’ run would bring the mostly unknown heroes to the spotlight once again, however, with one big change. In Marvel Now!’s run on the Guardians of the Galaxy, Tony Stark would be introduced to the team – an addition clearly meant to interest fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe to the then-unknown group of heroes.
In Guardians of the Galaxy #1 (2013) by Bendis, Mark Bagley, Steve McNiven, John Dell, and Justin Ponsor, Iron Man decides to join the heroes after wanting to take a break from Earth and the Avengers. Stark wanted a new challenge and that’s what he would get in the arc, facing off against the alien race, the Badoon, while also helping with dealing with Angela. Iron Man sported his Model 45 armor in the series, which was first introduced in Iron Man #5 (2013). The armor features new tech, and even a new artificial intelligence called P.E.P.P.E.R.
Not only is the armor upgraded, but it can travel at a Mach 10 speed, while also being able to call other armors from Earth while deep in space. From an aesthetic standpoint, Iron Man’s Model 45 suit just looks cool. It’s human-shaped, but with bulkier attributes such as pipe-like thrusters which extend out of the back of his armor, while it’s more designed to look like a piece of armor than his other suits. It can also become more defensive, as the “Saturn V” add-on allowed it to hold more energy while becoming bigger and faster when needed.
The Model 45 armor was perfect for Iron Man’s adventures with the Guardians of the Galaxy. It allowed him to travel into deep space safely while giving him an array of upgrades that made the hero faster and stronger. Iron Man’s tech might have become more advanced since the debut of the Model 45 armor, but when he makes his next trip to space, he might want to consider using the suit as it’s one of his safest interstellar designs yet.
