How Marvel Can Set Up Armor Wars’ Villains In Black Widow

Marvel can set up Armor Wars’ villains as early as its first Phase 4 movie, Black Widow. Two classic villains from Iron Man comics – Titanium Man and Crimson Dynamo – could easily be given direct references in the upcoming solo project for Scarlet Johannsson’s Natasha Romanoff.

Titanium Man and Crimson Dynamo are both characters who could wind up appearing in Armor Wars, a Disney+ series that will put the focus on Don Cheadle’s War Machine. The show will be an adaptation of the 1987 Iron Man story arc of the same name. In the comic, Tony Stark jumped into action when he discovered that his armor designs were mysteriously stolen and sold off. Suiting up as Iron Man, Stark made a list of people who may have acquired his armor and started targeting them. The presumption is that the MCU version of the story will involve War Machine trying to preserve Iron Man’s legacy by keeping his friend’s tech from being misused.

Two characters who could have prominent roles in Disney+’s Armor Wars could be namedropped in Black Widow. Because of what Armor Wars is in Marvel Comics, it certainly makes sense that the show will be drawing on armored villains from Iron Man’s rogues’ gallery – and with that in mind, two great candidates for the series are Titanium Man and Crimson Dynamo. The pair are Russian supervillains, who don suits of armor akin to Tony Stark’s and do battle with Iron Man and the Avengers in the comics.

One version of Crimson Dynamo, Anton Vanko, was loosely adapted into the MCU already through Mickey Rourke’s Iron Man 2 villain. However, this character used the weapons of Whiplash rather than the red bulky armor of the Crimson Dynamo. A proper Crimson Dynamo still hasn’t been used in the MCU yet. Plus, there are over ten different incarnations of the character that Marvel can use aside from Anton Vanko. Some are scientists while others are soldiers in the Russian military.

As for Titanium Man, he – like Crimson Dynamo – originated from the Silver Age of Marvel Comics. During the Cold War, he was introduced as a Soviet military officer named Boris Bullski who became Titanium Man, Russia’s answer to Iron Man. A battle between the two was arranged to see which country had the better-armored hero. Iron Man won the fight, but Titanium Man stuck around as a recurring threat. Both he and Crimson Dynamo were among the villains who found themselves in Iron Man’s crosshairs in “Armor Wars”.

The civilian alter egos of the two villains could be worked into Black Widow. The movie’s story revolves around characters who are from Russia, so it’s easy to see there being at least a conversation where people tied to the Russian government or military are discussed. Marvel could go a step further and hint at their interest in obtaining advanced weaponry. Alternatively, they could have something to do with the heavily rumored Iron Man cameo. If this scene does happen, it could be Tony Stark himself who makes a reference to them. After being set up in Black Widow, they can return in Armor Wars as Russian agents who manage to steal Stark’s tech. After evolving into their comic book counterparts, they could become formidable opponents of War Machine.

About The Author