4. Sentient Armour
The Sentient Armour came earlier than the S.K.I.N. suit, but I have listed it higher as it took the concept further. There were no computers or onboard AIs sharing control of the suit here; the suit itself was self-aware, sentient, making decisions all its own and developing a ‘personality’. Readers may have thought that Stark should have seen 2001: A Space Odyssey, but if he had, he took no lessons from it.
In the comics, the suit eventually aimed to replace its creator altogether, perhaps a logical conclusion of the programming; after all, Stark had effectively rendered himself far less necessary to the equation. It gave the writers a chance to show Stark relying on his own wits and survival skills, unarmoured, forced to defend himself against what had been his greatest strength– I can’t help but think that this idea is also ripe for film, though admittedly, it would be retreading old sci-fi ground.
