Iron Man is returning in a new Marvel project on Disney+, and he's not alone. The new animated series Iron Man and His Awesome Friends drops on the streaming service on August 11 and follows a young Tony Stark and his friends as they take on missions around the world. Some of Iron Man's iron-suited friends include Riri Williams (Ironheart) and Amadeus Cho (Iron Hulk), but the series also introduces a furry canine companion for the superhero.
Meet Iron Man and His Awesome Friends introduces Gamma, aka Iron Pup. Gamma is depicted as a brown-furred dog with multicolored blue and brown eyes and is the first time in Marvel history that a canine has acted as a sidekick to Iron Man. Voiced by Fred Tatasciore, she is a core member of the Iron Friends and receives a dedicated short episode in the Disney Jr. series.
The fifth episode of Meet Iron Man and His Awesome Friends, "Meet Iron Pup," introduces audiences to Gamma, who enjoys playing Frisbee with her friends.
However, when Absorbing Man arrives and steals Gamma's flying disc, the Iron Friends assemble to get it back.
The episode reveals that Gamma has her own iron-suit, turning her into an armored canine companion for the group.
Iron Pup's suit is green and purple with an iron helmet that leaves room for her ears and nose. Gamma activates the suit via a button on her collar.
Iron Pup's suit gives her similar abilities to the other Iron Friends. She can fly thanks to the boosters in her suit and also has enhanced speed and strength. One additional power Iron Pup has is an "iron bark," which emits super-sonic sound waves that can repel enemies. This is the key ability that helps the group overcome Absorbing Man and regain the flying disc.
Marvel Studios Animation and Atomic Cartoons produced Iron Man and His Awesome Friends, with Sean Coyle as showrunner. Other Marvel characters appearing in the show include Vision, Ultron, Captain America (Sam Wilson), and Black Panther. The series will premiere on August 11, and several short episodes are available on YouTube now.
Marvel Introduces a Rival Super Dog
Iron Pup's introduction in Iron Man and His Awesome Friends arrives hot on the heels of Krypto the Superdog, who has been stealing hearts in screenings of Superman since the movie opened worldwide. The two canine companions exist in different universes, but it's undeniable they are both core members of their respective teams.
Notably, Iron Pup is not a character from Marvel comics. She seems to have been created exclusively for Iron Man and His Awesome Friends, giving Tony Stark his first canine companion.
The MCU has not explored many animal companions on-screen. However, characters like Jeff the Land Shark from Marvel Rivals, Lucky the Pizza Dog in Hawkeye, and Goose the cat/Flerkin in Captain Marvel are some of the more significant fan favorites. Now that Iron Pup has made her debut in Iron Man and His Awesome Friends, perhaps the door is open for an iron-suited dog to enter the Marvel Studios world as well.
