Iron Man Debuts 'Knullbuster' Armor for First Time Against the King in Black

Published Aug 2, 2026, 8:30 AM EDT Shaun Corley has been with ScreenRant for over 5 years, and is currently the Coordinator for PR and Outreach for the Comics Team. Sign in to your ScreenRant account Warning: contains spoilers for Queen in Black: Defenders of Light and Dark #1! Iron Man just debuted his “Knullbuster” armor, the perfect weapon to use against the King in Black. Knull made a grand entrance into the Marvel Universe, and has become a fan favorite character since. The dark god of the symbiotes, Knull is a primal entity capable of killing gods and heroes alike. Introduced during Donny Cates and Ryan Stegman’s Venom tenure, Knull, also known as the “King in Black,” quickly became Eddie Brock’s worst nightmare. From his lair in deep space, Knull commanded his legion of symbiotes. For two years, Cates and Stegman gradually built Knull into a truly epic threat. Knull, who bore a grudge against the gods, took to killing and enslaving them, which brought him into conflict with first the Silver Surfer and then Thor and finally Earth’s other heroes, climaxing in the King in Black crossover event. Knull is one of the most powerful entities in the Marvel Universe, and the heroes narrowly defeated him. Knull has once again reared his head, and Earth’s defenders must rally to turn him back. Fortunately, Iron Man remembers his last encounter with the King in Black, and has come prepared with what might be his most powerful suit of armor yet. Stark Industries · R&D Division The Official Iron ManArmor Quiz 🔨OriginsMark I 🤖ArmorsSuit up ⚡TechPower 🎥FilmsMCU 💫Legacy3000 SUIT UP! → 01 Tony Stark first built the Iron Man armor while being held captive by terrorists, using scrap materials to escape. In the MCU, where was Tony Stark held captive when he built the Mark I armor? ASiberia BA cave in Afghanistan CA HYDRA base DA Stark Industries lab ✓ Correct! Tony Stark was captured by the Ten Rings terrorist group and held in a cave in Afghanistan. With the help of fellow captive Ho Yinsen, Tony built the Mark I armor from missile parts and scrap metal to blast his way to freedom — the moment that changed everything. ✗ JARVIS says that answer doesn’t compute! The answer is a cave in Afghanistan. Tony was captured by the Ten Rings while demonstrating the Jericho missile. Using scrap materials and sheer genius, he and Ho Yinsen built the Mark I suit to escape captivity. NEXT → 02 The Iron Man suit is powered by a revolutionary energy source that Tony Stark miniaturized and implanted in his own chest. What is this power source called? ATesseract Core BVibranium Reactor CThe Arc Reactor DRepulsor Engine ✓ Correct! The Arc Reactor is the iconic glowing circle in Tony Stark’s chest. Originally built to keep shrapnel from reaching his heart, Tony miniaturized the technology and used it to power increasingly advanced Iron Man suits. It became his defining symbol — proof that Tony Stark has a heart. ✗ JARVIS says that answer doesn’t compute! The answer is the Arc Reactor. The Tesseract is an Infinity Stone, Vibranium is a rare metal from Wakanda, and Repulsor Engine isn’t a real MCU term. The Arc Reactor is Tony’s revolutionary clean energy source that powers the Iron Man suits. NEXT → 03 Tony Stark has built dozens of specialized Iron Man armors throughout the comics. One famous armor was designed specifically to fight the Hulk, featuring massive size and additional power. What is this armor commonly called? AWar Machine BThe Hulkbuster (Veronica) CThe Extremis Armor DThe Bleeding Edge ✓ Correct! The Hulkbuster armor, codenamed “Veronica” in the MCU, is a massive modular suit designed to go toe-to-toe with the Hulk. First appearing in the comics in Iron Man #304, it became a fan-favorite after its epic deployment in Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015). ✗ JARVIS says that answer doesn’t compute! The answer is the Hulkbuster (Veronica). War Machine is Rhodey’s suit, the Extremis armor integrated with Tony’s biology, and the Bleeding Edge uses nanotechnology. The Hulkbuster is the giant armor built specifically to contain the Hulk. NEXT → 04 In the MCU, Tony Stark’s AI assistant helps him operate the Iron Man suit and manage his life. The original AI was replaced after being used to create Vision. What was the name of Tony’s original AI assistant? AFRIDAY BJARVIS CKAREN DEDITH ✓ Correct! J.A.R.V.I.S. (Just A Rather Very Intelligent System) was Tony’s loyal AI companion voiced by Paul Bettany. After JARVIS was used as the basis for Vision in Age of Ultron, Tony replaced him with FRIDAY. JARVIS was more than software — he was Tony’s most trusted ally. ✗ JARVIS says that answer doesn’t compute! The answer is JARVIS. FRIDAY replaced JARVIS after Age of Ultron, KAREN is the AI in Spider-Man’s suit, and EDITH (Even Dead I’m The Hero) is the glasses-based system Tony left to Peter Parker. JARVIS was the original and most iconic AI assistant. NEXT → 05 In the comics, the Extremis armor was a revolutionary upgrade that integrated the Iron Man suit directly with Tony Stark’s biology. What did Extremis allow Tony to do that previous armors couldn’t? AFly faster than light BStore the armor inside his body and control it with his mind CBecome invisible DTravel through time ✓ Correct! The Extremis storyline by Warren Ellis and Adi Granov fundamentally changed Iron Man. By injecting a modified techno-organic virus, Tony could store the armor’s undersheath inside his body and mentally summon and control the suit. It blurred the line between man and machine. ✗ JARVIS says that answer doesn’t compute! The answer is storing the armor inside his body and controlling it with his mind. Extremis rewrote Tony’s biology to interface directly with technology, allowing him to store the suit’s inner layers in his bones and control everything through thought alone. NEXT → 06 Tony Stark isn’t the only person to wear the Iron Man armor. In Marvel Comics, a young genius took over the Iron Man legacy. Who is this character who became Ironheart? APepper Potts BRiri Williams CShuri DKamala Khan ✓ Correct! Riri Williams is a teenage super-genius from Chicago who reverse-engineered her own Iron Man suit in her MIT dorm room. Tony Stark himself endorsed her, and she took on the name Ironheart. Dominique Thorne portrays Riri in the MCU, debuting in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022). ✗ JARVIS says that answer doesn’t compute! The answer is Riri Williams. Pepper Potts wore the Rescue armor, Shuri is Black Panther’s sister from Wakanda, and Kamala Khan is Ms. Marvel. Riri Williams is the brilliant young engineer who built her own suit and became Ironheart. NEXT → 07 In Avengers: Endgame, Tony Stark made the ultimate sacrifice to defeat Thanos using a nano-tech version of the Infinity Gauntlet. What were Tony Stark’s final words before snapping his fingers? A“Avengers assemble” B“I love you 3000” C“And I… am… Iron Man” D“Whatever it takes” ✓ Correct! “And I… am… Iron Man” perfectly bookended the MCU’s greatest arc. Just as Tony Stark launched the entire franchise by declaring “I am Iron Man” in 2008, he closed it with the same words as he snapped Thanos and his army out of existence, sacrificing himself to save the universe. ✗ JARVIS says that answer doesn’t compute! The answer is “And I… am… Iron Man.” “Avengers assemble” was Cap’s rallying cry, “I love you 3000” was his daughter Morgan’s phrase, and “Whatever it takes” was the Avengers’ time-heist motto. Tony’s final snap callback to his iconic self-introduction was cinema perfection. NEXT → 08 James Rhodes (Rhodey) is Tony Stark’s best friend and wears his own version of the Iron Man armor as a military-focused hero. What is Rhodey’s superhero name? ASteel Soldier BIron Patriot CWar Machine DBoth B and C (he has used both names) ✓ Correct! Rhodey has used both names throughout his career. He’s most commonly known as War Machine, his original heavily-armed identity. In Iron Man 3 and briefly in the comics, the armor was rebranded as Iron Patriot with a red, white, and blue paint job for government PR purposes. ✗ JARVIS says that answer doesn’t compute! The answer is both — Rhodey has used both War Machine and Iron Patriot. War Machine is his primary identity with heavy weaponry, while Iron Patriot was a government-approved rebrand seen in Iron Man 3. Steel Soldier is not a real Marvel name. REVEAL MY SCORE → Armor Diagnostic Complete Your Stark Industries Clearance / 8 Are you the genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist — or just the intern? ↻ REBOOT THE SUIT Unfortunately, Iron Man Does Not Get a Chance to Use it Against Knull, But That Moment is Coming In Queen in Black: Defenders of Light and Dark #1, written by Tom Waltz and drawn by Ze Carlos, Tony Stark debuts a “Knullbuster” armor that Marvel is calling in its official solicitations for the issue “Black Metal.” Defenders of Light and Dark is part of the larger Queen in Black crossover event, where Hela has usurped Knull’s title. The ensuing battle between the two threatens the universe, and Iron Man stands ready. Iron Man forms two groups of heroes, one based in the dark to take on Knull and the other, based in light, to confront Hela. Knull now controls the light spectrum, and instead of symbiotes, he has seraphim. The heroes, who also include Cloak, Anti-Venom and Cable, confront the seraphim, and Iron Man’s Black Metal armor is able to repel their attacks. However, despite the great advantages the Black Metal armor gives Iron Man, he does not get to use it against Knull in any way, at least in this issue. Knull’s seraphim keeps Iron Man, Cable and the rest busy while he makes a getaway, but not before killing Cloak at the end of the issue. As it comes to an end, Dagger holds a dying Cloak in her arms. Iron Man Has Built a Suit Capable of Killing a God Fans only get to witness Iron Man’s Black Metal armor in action for a brief period in Defenders of Light and Dark #1, but it is enough for fans to realize Tony may have hit on his most powerful suit yet. In the past, Iron Man has created suits capable of taking down powerful characters, such as the Hulk. Iron Man’s infamous “Hulkbuster” armor has been through several permutations, a testament to how difficult the Hulk is to fight, but also to Tony’s resilience and genius. Yet these suits of armor were made to go up against characters that were ultimately mortal, not gods like Knull. The issue leaves the technical specifics of Iron Man’s Black Metal armor vague, but it was easily able to repel the seraphim’s attacks, and then turn it back on the creature. While fans did not get to see how the armor would fare against Knull himself, it was still an impressive debut, and hopefully Iron Man will utilize its full power in a future issue. Queen in Black: Defenders of Light and Dark #1 is on sale now from Marvel Comics!