Tony Stark's Iron Man receives an unusual upgrade in an upcoming episode of the MCU's What If...? Season 2 series on Disney+.
What If...? Season 1 ended on a high note after an epic finale featuring the Guardians of the Multiverse.
However, a confusing scene was included in Episode 9 as the Watcher drops by a universe where fans can see Iron Man wearing a new suit of armor alongside Gamora, who is donning Thanos' armor.
Iron Man's Special What If Armor Gets the Spotlight
Hot Toys released a new look at Iron Man's Sakaarian armor from the MCU's What If...? animated series.
Tony Stark's new armor is quite bulky and it is expected to be filled with tricks and toys from Sakaar. Given that Sakaar is described as a trash planet, Tony could've literally built and upgraded his armor with a box of scraps.
This official new What If...? Iron Man figure was initially set to be part of the show's marketing for its debut season.
However, in October 2021, What If...? head writer A.C. Bradley eventually confirmed that the Iron Man and Gamora crossover episode was supposed to be in Season 1, but it was pushed back to Season 2 due to the pandemic:
"... due to the COVID pandemic, one of our animation houses was hit incredibly hard, and the episode needed to be pushed into Season 2, because it would not be finished in time. Given everything that we’ve all went through over the past two years, pushing an episode of television is absolutely nothing in comparison. And we understood."
Bradley also teased that "everyone's going to be surprised by the way Gamora gets [Thanos'] armor:"
"We hope fans enjoy the ride next year... I think everyone’s going to be surprised by the way Gamora gets that armor, and how her relationship with Tony evolves, because they’re obviously good friends in that bit that we see. So, it will be a fun universe to see, hopefully, next year... It is a promise of more stories to come."
How Did Tony Stark Upgrade His Armor on Sakaar? (Theory)
Given that Tony Stark is known for being resourceful, it isn't surprising that he managed to upgrade his Iron Man armor while on a distant planet like Sakaar.
Based on the design, it's possible that Stark used his charm and wit to outsmart Jeff Goldblum's Grandmaster, with him potentially earning the trust of Sakaar's leader.
As a result, he could've gained access to the Grandmaster's ships, resulting in a boost in the various parts of his armor.
On the flip side, Stark could've worked with Gamora to steal some of the Grandmaster's belongings in order to improve his armor.
Hopefully, What If...? Season 2 will push Stark's resourcefulness into the forefront.
What If...? Season 2 has no release date yet.
