Characters & first appearances
What is the first appearance of Iron Man?
Published Sep 14, 2026 · Updated Sep 14, 2026 · 1 min read
Short answerIron Man first appeared in Tales of Suspense #39, cover-dated March 1963, in a story plotted by Stan Lee, scripted by Larry Lieber, drawn by Don Heck, with a cover by Jack Kirby. Tony Stark builds the first, grey armour to escape captivity in Vietnam. The armour turned gold in #40 and became the familiar red and gold in #48 (December 1963), designed by Steve Ditko.
The debut
Tales of Suspense was a science-fiction anthology. Issue #39's 13-page lead story, "Iron Man Is Born!", gives Stark the chest wound, the arc-lit chestplate and the bulky grey suit. Heck's Stark is a Howard Hughes-style industrialist; Kirby's cover shows the grey armour bursting through a wall.
The armour changes
- #39 — grey armour.
- #40 (April 1963) — gold armour, after a character remarks the grey suit is frightening.
- #48 (December 1963) — the red-and-gold armour by Ditko, the design that defined the character.
The Iron Man feature shared Tales of Suspense with Captain America from #59 (November 1964), and the title became Captain America with #100; Iron Man moved to his own book with Iron Man #1 in May 1968.
Collecting Tales of Suspense #39
A major Silver Age key whose demand rose steeply after the 2008 film and has stayed high. High-grade copies are scarce and expensive; mid-grade copies such as the CGC 6.5 in the store are how most collectors own it. Marvel Milestone and facsimile reprints exist.
Other Iron Man keys
- Tales of Suspense #52 (April 1964) — first Black Widow.
- Tales of Suspense #57 (September 1964) — first Hawkeye.
- Iron Man #55 (February 1973) — first Thanos.
- Invincible Iron Man #9 (May 2016) — first full appearance of Riri Williams. See First appearance of Riri Williams.
The Iron Man character page lists current stock.
Written by the Rare Comics Collectors grading team. Spotted an error or have a question this guide does not answer? Tell us.
