Photos By Gail

Tony Stark, as Iron Man, sacrifices himself to save the universe from the super villain Thanos in Avengers: Endgame (USA, 2019), directed by Anthony Russo and Joe Russo. The gems encased in the exterior of this gauntlet represent the Infinity Stones, formidable weapons with the ability to manipulate mind, power, reality, soul, space and time.

The nanotechnology of the Iron Man suit enables Stark to harness the stones combined capabilities in order to defeat Thanos, but their activation simultaneously causes him fatal harm. This armored glove was worn by Robert Downey Jr. on the set as a reference for the visual effects–generated gauntlet seen on screen.

The suit worn by Downey in the Iron Man movies was primarily designed by Adi Granov and Phil Saunders. Adi Granov is a comic book artist whose sleek, modern redesign of the Iron Man armor in the Extremis comic series heavily influenced the look of the suits in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Director Jon Favreau specifically brought Granov on board for the first Iron Man film to help adapt his design style for the big screen. Phil Saunders is a concept artist who worked on refining the suit’s look for live action, balancing Granov’s comic aesthetics with real-world practicality. Saunders continued to evolve the designs through subsequent films.

Additionally, the practical suits (used for close-up shots and on-set reference) were built by Stan Winston Studio, famous for their work in practical effects and animatronics. Later films leaned more heavily on CGI, mainly by Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), for the suits in action scenes.

In Endgame, the suit paid homage to classic comic designs — it had more gold, bolder panels, and mixed the futuristic nano look with old-school armor vibes. The shift from mechanical realism (first film) to sci-fi magic tech (nanotech in later films) mirrors Tony Stark’s character arc — from hands-on builder to cosmic-level inventor.

Photographed in the Academy Museum in Los Angeles.