I Can’t Believe The MCU Totally Wasted Its Iron Man Black Panther Crossover Suit (2024)

The Marvel Cinematic Universe introduced one of its coolest suits almost five years ago, and I can’t believe how wasted it was in its debut. Part of what makes the superhero genre so entertaining to watch is the flashy costumes. The MCU has featured some amazing costumes over the years, from iconic classics like Captain America's star-spangled getup to feats of technology like Iron Man's nanotech suit. Every hero has their individual style, and when you have a franchise that includes brilliant inventors like Tony Stark and the advanced technology of Wakanda, there are bound to be some unique creations.

Marvel has featured so many different superhero suits that it’d be challenging for the MCU to show them all off. The costuming possibilities are endless. On occasion, this leads to collaborations between multiple characters. Tony’s Stark Technology has notably lent a hand to heroes like Spider-Man, creating suits like the Iron Spider and the Civil War Suit. However, one of the MCU’s coolest crossover suits debuted in neither a film nor a television series, but instead in a video game, meaning the majority of fans never saw it.

The MCU's Iron Man & Black Panther Crossover Suits Appear In Avengers: Damage Control

The VR Game Released In 2019

I Can’t Believe The MCU Totally Wasted Its Iron Man Black Panther Crossover Suit (1)

Avengers: Damage Control is a virtual reality experience released in 2019. The players fight alongside the Avengers to save the world from a familiar enemy while wearing a new suit invented by Shuri. The Emergence Response Suit that the player receives is a combination of Wakandan and Stark technologies. While its sleek black design laced with vibranium resembles Black Panther’s suit, its built-in repulsors are taken straight from Iron Man’s design. With the engineering skills of both Shuri and Tony behind its design, the Emergence Response Suit is undoubtedly one of the most powerful that the MCU has ever produced.

With its novelty, I’m surprised that Marvel only utilized the suit in a VR game. The average MCU fan isn’t going to have easy or affordable access to a virtual reality experience. Five years later, the suit has never made its way into any of the main MCU projects, and I still don’t understand why Marvel has limited one of their coolest concepts yet to VR. Considering that Avengers: Damage Control isn’t even an active game anymore, there’s no way for fans to witness the Emergence Response Suit, which is a huge shame.

The MCU's Story Means An Iron Man Crossover Suit Is Almost Impossible To Introduce

The MCU Has Already Concluded Iron Man’s Arc

Marvel Has To Break A Huge Doctor Doom Rule - Or Casting Robert Downey Jr Was A Waste

If Marvel does not want to waste casting Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom, then it may have to break a huge golden rule regarding the iconic villain.

If Marvel had released Avengers: Damage Control before Avengers: Endgame, there would more of a possibility to feature the Iron Man and Black Panther crossover suit in the live-action MCU. It would’ve been a great excuse to see two of the MCU’s brightest minds, Tony and Shuri, work together. Marvel must’ve known that a collaboration like this would go over well with fans, but unfortunately not many fans even know about the Emergence Response Suit because of its obscure sole appearance.

How The MCU Could Still Make A Version Of The Iron Man & Black Panther Suits

Shuri And Riri Could Collaborate On A Similar Suit

Though the Emergence Response Suit likely won’t be recreated for the live-action MCU, I believe there’s still a way for the studio to take inspiration from Avengers: Damage Control. From her superhero moniker Ironheart alone, most fans know that Riri Williams takes great inspiration from Tony and his career as Iron Man. The altered suit that the Wakandans give Rir in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever bears a physical resemblance to the Iron Man suit with its colors and helmet design, making it the closest thing we have so far to an Iron Man and Black Panther crossover suit.

Considering Riri and Shuri’s close working relationship after the events of Wakanda Forever, it would make complete sense if the two collaborated on a future invention. The Ironheart show will feature Riri crafting a new suit because she wasn’t allowed to take home the Wakandan one, though she has free reign to take inspiration from it. Shuri isn’t set to appear in Ironheart, but a potential future collaboration between the two could produce a suit for the MCU that is almost as cool as the studio’s most wasted design.