Iron Man has become remarkably popular since the Robert Downey Juniorfication of the character in 2008’s MCU debut
Here it is in all it’s glory. The Iron Man reading order!
Iron Man Reading Order
Issues: #39 to #57
Iron Man’s first appearance, origins, and original series. There’s also an omnibus
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for collected editions.
Issues: #1 to #4
Avengers #1 occurs after Tales of Suspense #44. Avengers #4 after Tales of Suspense #51. This is Iron Man’s first run with the Avengers as a founding Avenger. As you very well know, Iron Man will continue with the Avengers in and out throughout the next 50-plus years of Marvel continuity (and may he for 50 more!). Much like the Thor reading order, I will not be detailing every Avengers appearance. If you’re jones-ing for Avengers specific reading, there’s always my Avengers guide for that.
Issues: #58 to #99
From Tales of Suspense #58 to #99 the title features Iron Man and Captain America in a shared book. Like best pals!
Issues: #5 to #16
As noted above, this continues Iron Man’s first run as a founding Avenger.
II) Iron Man Enters the 70’s Through Demon in a Bottle
Issues: #1 to #115
Iron Man’s first solo title begins in 1968. 70’s conclude with Iron Man “Demon in a Bottle,” issues #120 to #128, which you’ll see included in the David Michilinie run on Iron Man below. Issue #55 of Invincible Iron Man is notable for the first appearance of Thanos!
Issues: #116 to #157
Marks the first complete run by David Michilinie, Bob Layton, and John Romita Jr. Includes “Demon in a Bottle” (issues #120 to #128) as well as Doomquest
III) West Coast Avengers & Armor Wars
Issues: #160 to #200
Denny O’Neil (of Green Arrow / Green Lantern
Issues: #1 to #4
Iron Man plays a prominent role with the West Coast Avengers, as you’ll see in this initial four issue miniseries (the title would launch again for a more sustained period in 1985). Unfortunately, Marvel Unlimited’s West Coast library is extremely limited.
Issues: #215 to #234
Issues: #258 to #266
IV) The 90’s Were a Weird Time For All of Us / Hulkbuster
Issues: #270 to #275
The Dragon Seed Saga. (See also: the best Mandarin stories)
Issues: #278 to #291
Iron Man issues #278 and #279 are Avengers: Galactic Storm
Issues: #305
I’ll be skipping a big chunk of the 90’s Iron Man for a few reasons, namely I’m not as familiar with these comics and they lead to “The Crossing
Mega Marvel event that sets the stage for…
Issues: #1 to #12
Heroes Reborn happened. This is the Iron Man 1996 to 1998 series in Marvel Unlimited.
V) Iron Man Enters the 2000’s
Issues: #1 to #25
Collected omnibus by Kurt Busiek and Sean Chen.
Iron Man
Issues: #26 to #83
Poorly collected, oft-overlooked Iron Man comics leading up to Avengers Disassembled. In my experience, these aren’t really hidden gems, but there are some interesting concepts at play, such as Tony Stark working as the United States Secretary of Defense (issues #73 to #78).
Issues: #1 to #4
VI) Golden Avenger Shake Up – Disassembled & Extremis
Issues: #84 to #89
Iron Man disassembled during Avengers Disassembled.
Issues: #1 to #6
Breakout story arc following Avengers Disassembled. Iron Man remains a major player in New Avengers throughout the 2000s, you can follow most easily with my Avengers collection guide.
Issues: #1 to #6
Warren Ellis and Adi Granov crafted “Extremis” with their opening 6 issues. It’s one of my absolute favorite Iron Man storylines, and the basis of Iron Man in the MCU and the character as we tend to know him today.
Issues: #1 to #3
For the full House of M reading order.
Issues: #1 to #6
Miniseries that gives full attention to Iron Man’s rogues gallery.
Issues: #7 to #12
The Knauff brothers take on post-Extremis Iron Man in their underrated time on the title.
VII) Iron Man in Civil War and SHIELD
Iron Man is one of the two most important players in Civil War, taking a stand against Captain America and company. In addition to Civil War and the Iron Man tie-ins below, I recommend Civil War: Frontline
Issues: #13 to #14
Civil War tie-in issues. These two issues mark the end of the Iron Man numbering that began in 2004 (ending in 2007).
Issues: #15 to #18
Civil War changes the status quo for Tony Stark, the world’s new Top Cop. Iron Man retitles to Iron Man: Director of SHIELD, although the numbering continues, starting at issue #15.
Issues: #1 to #6
Tony founds the Mighty Avengers in the wake of Civil War as the Initiative is taking full force.
Issues: #19 to #20
World War Hulk tie-ins here as the Hulk returns for Tony and his pals in the Illuminati. Definitely worth reading World War Hulk for the impact on Iron Man as well.
Issues: #21 to #28 + Annual #1, #29 to #32
Issues: #1 to #6
Issues: #1 to #6
Flashback look at the Mandarin’s early years fighting Iron Man.
Issues: #1 to #4
Rounds out the Iron Man vs. Doctor Doom Camelot trilogy.
Issues: #1 to #4
This feels like a hoax, but a four issue Marvel Knights story from Jon Favreau (director of 2008’s Iron Man) and Adi Granov. First issue cover is basically Marvel U exploitative cheesecake, so if that’s your bag…
Issues: #1 to #7
Matt Fraction and Salvador Larroca begin their four year run on Invincibile Iron Man.
Issues: #1
A “final” Iron Man single issue.
VIII) Iron Man – The Fraction & Larroca Era
Secret Invasion is a game-changer for post-Civil War Iron Man.
Iron Man: Director of SHIELD – War Machine Takeover
Issues: #33 to #35
Iron Man: Director of SHIELD wraps up as Secret Invasion hits and War Machine owns the title for the final three issues.
Issues: #8 to #19
Tony Star is the “World’s Most Wanted” for the duration of Dark Reign!
Issues: #1 to #12
Bewildering and strangely compelling War Machine solo series.
Issues: #20 to #24
Takes you through Siege and up to the Heroic Age.
Indomitable Iron Man Black and White
Issues: #1
Marvel takes a page from DC’s Batman: Black and White, and gives us 48 pages of black and white Iron Man stories.
Issues: #25 to #33, Annual #1, #500 to #502
Believe it or not, the Invincible Iron Man annual is one of the best Mandarin stories of the decade.
Issues: #1 to #4
Elseworlds noir title, most appealing because it comes from Scott Snyder just before he became one of the biggest comic writers in the world with New 52 Batman.
Issues: #1
Issues: #1 to #11
Issues: #1 to #4
Issues: #1 to #4
You can’t have two Iron Man movies without War Machine getting his own spinoff series.
Invincible Iron Man – Fear Itself and Shattered Heroes
Issues: #503 to #511
Iron Man 2.0
Issues: #5 to #7
Fear Itself tie-ins
Issues: Iron Age: Alpha, Iron Age #1 to #3, Iron Age: Omega
From what I can tell, this mini event is not collected in its entirety on Marvel Unlimited.
Issues: #7.1 to #12
Issues: #512 to #527
Invincible Iron Man wraps up in dramatic fashion prior to the launch of Marvel NOW!
IX) Marvel NOW! Iron Man
The Marvel NOW! guide will give you all Iron Man comics from 2012 to 2015. Be sure to also include Guardians of the Galaxy, as Iron Man plays a central role in the early issues. Likewise, Avengers and New Avengers will find Stark back in his Illuminati mode, and are very essential in leading to Secret Wars.
X) All-New All-Different Iron Man
For the full context of Iron Man’s placement in the Marvel Universe you can check out the All-New All-Different Marvel reading order.
Invincible Iron Man Vol. 1: Reboot
International Iron Man Vol. 1
Note that the Bendis & Maleev Iron Man crosses over with Civil War II during issue #4, so you should only read the first three issues prior to the mega crossover event!
Civil War 2 is a major event for Iron Man, with Tony Stark once again leading a faction of heroes, this time against Captain Marvel (Carol Danvers).
Invincible Iron Man: Ironheart Vol. 1
Rebooted Iron Man series with Invincible Iron Man #1 to #6.
Infamous Iron Man Vol. 1
Invincible Iron Man: Ironheart Vol. 2: Choices
Collects: Invincible Iron Man (2016) #7-11
Riri Williams versus A.I. Tony Stark!
Infamous Iron Man Vol. 2: The Absolution Of Doom
Collects: Infamous Iron Man (2016) #7-12
Heroic Victor von Doom versus the evil Reed Richards of the Ultimate Universe, the Maker!
Tony Stark plays a prominent role during the 2017 Marvel event.
Collects: Generations: Banner Hulk & Totally Awesome Hulk #1, Generations: Captain Marvel & Captain Mar-Vell (2017) #1, Generations: Captain Marvel & Ms. Marvel (2017) #1, Generations: Hawkeye & Hawkeye (2017) #1, Generations: Iron Man & Ironheart (2017) #1, Generations: Miles Morales Spider-Man & Peter Parker Spider-Man (2017) #1, Generations: Phoenix & Jean Grey (2017) #1, Generations: Sam Wilson Captain America & Steve Rogers Captain America (2017) #1, Generations: The Unworthy Thor & The Mighty Thor (2017) #1, Generations: Wolverine & All-New Wolverine (2017) #1
Riri and Tony get a special moment out of time and space to celebrate their generational legacy. More of the Tony as Future Sorcerer Supreme story.
Collects: Marvel Legacy (2017) #1, Marvel Legacy Primer pages, FOOM Magazine (2017)
The mystery of Tony’s comatose body begins here!
Marvel Two-In-One Vol. 1: Fate Of The Four
Collects: Marvel 2-In-One (2017) #1-6
Infamous Iron Man accompanies Thing and the Human Torch on a multiversal quest for their missing family members!
Marvel Two-In-One Vol. 2: Next Of Kin
Collects: Marvel 2-In-One (2017) #7-12, Annual #1
Out in the multiverse, Doom begins the backslide to his villainous ways.
Invincible Iron Man: The Search For Tony Stark
Collects: Invincible Iron Man (2016) #593-600
Tony’s body goes missing (or does it?) as the Bendis era concludes.
Marvel Fresh Start – Iron Man Comics
Tony Stark: Iron Man Vol. 1: Self-Made Man
Collects: Tony Stark: Iron Man (2018) #1-5
Tony’s back in charge! The Dan Slott era begins here! For the full view of where Iron Man comics fit with, say, the Avengers, check out Comic Book Herald’s complete Marvel Fresh Start reading order.
Tony Stark: Iron Man Vol. 2: Stark Realities
Collects: Tony Stark: Iron Man (2018) #6-11
The Controller returns as Tony battles on a new virtual realty platform: The eScape!
Ironheart Vol. 1: Those With Courage
Collects: Ironheart (2018) #1-5
Riri gets her own solo series!
Collects: Tony Stark: Iron Man (2018) #12-16
Featuring guest writer Gail Simone on War Of The Realms tie-ins!
Collects: Ironheart (2018) #6-11
Guest starring the Unstoppable Wasp, Dr. Strange and more!
Latest Additions:
Tony Stark: Iron Man Vol. 4: The Ultron Agenda
Collects: Tony Stark: Iron Man (2018) #15 to #19
Collects: Iron Man 2020 (2020) #1 to #6
Black Cat (2019) Vol. 3: All Dressed Up by Jed MacKay
Collects: Black Cat (2019) #11 to #12, Black Cat Annual (2019) #1, FCBD 2020 (Spider-Man/Venom) #1
Iron Man Vol. 1: Big Iron by Christopher Cantwell and Cafu Cafu
Collects: Iron Man (2020) #1 to #5
Iron Man Vol. 2: Books of Korvac II — Overclock by Christopher Cantwell and Cafu Cafu
Collects: Iron Man (2020) #6 to #11
Iron Man Vol. 3: Books of Korvac III — Cosmic Iron Man by Christopher Cantwell and Cafu Cafu
Collects: Iron Man (2020) #12 to #19
Iron Man Vol. 4: Source Control by Christopher Cantwell and Cafu Cafu
Collects: Iron Man (2020) #20 to #25
Check of CBH’s full King in Black Reading Order!
Collects: Dark Ages (2021) #1 to #6, FCBD 2020 (X-Men/Dark Ages) #1
Shang-Chi Vol. 2: Shang-Chi vs. The Marvel Universe by Gene Luen Yang and Dike Ruan
Collects: Shang-Chi (2021) #1 to #6
Collects: The Darkhold Alpha (2021) #1, The Darkhold: Blade (2021) #1, The Darkhold: Wasp (2021) #1, The Darkhold: Iron Man (2021) #1, The Darkhold: Black Bolt (2021) #1, The Darkhold: Spider-Man (2021) #1, The Darkhold Omega (2020) #1
Death of Doctor Strange: Avengers
Check out CBH’s full Death of Doctor Strange Reading Order!
Captain America/Iron Man: The Armor & The Shield by Landy & Unzueta
Collects: Captain America/Iron Man (2021) #1 to #5
Collects: Iron Cat #1 to #5
Collects: Secret Invasion (2022) #1 to #5
Invincible Iron Man Vol. 1: Demon In The Armor by Gerry Duggan and Juan Frigeri
Collects: Invincible Iron Man (2022) #1 to #6
Invincible Iron Man Vol by Gerry Duggan and Juan Frigeri
Collects: Invincible Iron Man (2022) #7 to #14
No collected volume yet as of 11.13.23
I Am Iron Man by Ayodele & Akande
Collects: I Am Iron Man #1 to #5
Collects: Ultimate Invasion #1 to #4
Check out CBH’s full Ultimate Invasion Reading Order!
View Comments (11)
Was looking for superior iron man?
Where does Superior Iron Man fit in all of this?
Iron Age is Unlimited right now. It's just called "The Iron Age" on there.
Great list! Really helpful!
But you missed Tales to Astonish #82 after Tales of Suspense #80
Like other old, grouchy Iron Fans here I've got to stand up for Len Kaminski's run. Though a lot of comic fans gloss over it ask any Iron Man fanatic and they'll probably tell you it was one of their favorite stretches in the comic's history. You've got War Machine and the Hulkbuster on the big screen these days, both created by Kaminski and Kev Hopgood who are nowhere to be found in comics today. Dudes get no respect because they got into the industry in the wrong place at the wrong time.
For me anyway, it was one of the best comics of that awkward period in the 90's. If you liked the War Machine and Hulkbuster issues you should read the rest because it's all great. So few writers handle the technology and business side of the character so well. He really got into Tony Stark's head.
But yeah then The Crossing and Heroes Reborn happened to ruin everything for the next several years until Kurt Busiek pulled Tony and the rest of the Avengers out of the ashes.
Hey!! First off, I am ecstatic that I have stumbled upon your site. Great work! Thanks for taking the time to construct so many easy-to-follow guides for lost individuals such as myself!
I'm relatively new to actually reading the comic books, so I just have a curiosity question for you, likely followed by many more in the future! :)
Given the fact that I haven't read the Marvel Comics Timeline as a whole, is it okay to start with individual characters, such as Iron Man? Or do you recommend starting with the whole Marvel timeline??
Any input would be GREATLY appreciated! Thanks!!
You probably went and figured your own way out already, but yeah, it's fine to just read a single character. But I'd say figure out what characters and writers you like so when it comes to events, you can decide what tie-ins you want to read.
Woohoo! Thanks, Dave!
And echoing RJA's sentiments, the Kaminski issues are actually pretty decent. Much better then the concurrent Avengers issues under Harris. But then afterward comes Terry Kavanagh's run leading up to Heroes Reborn which is just bad.
It's funny- after a rough start in the 60s/70s, Iron Man really has one of the better runs of consecutive quality writers of the big Marvel books (Michilinie, O’Neil, Michilinie, Bryne, Mr. Kaminski).
Nice, I will need to check out the Kaminski era more thoroughly!
I know it was meant tongue-in-cheek, but the 90s were not "a weird time for us all". A lot of my favorite Marvel comics came out from 1990 to 1994. And the Len Kaminski run on Iron Man (he left just before the regrettable Crossing tie-ins; IIRC, his last issue was 319 or 320) has a lot more going for it than just War Machine or the introduction of the Hulkbuster armor. He brought back Bethany Cabe, for one thing. Iron Man 280-300 in particular are favorites of mine. I know you said you're not familiar with most of Kaminski's run, so I hope you will give it a fair chance in the future.
Totally fair, I really do need to give this time period more attention. I actually love a lot of what I've read from here, and almost nothing makes me happier than back issue ads for early 90's NBA Gameboy games.
The "weird time" bit is much more targeted to the 'Heroes Return' issues towards the end of the section. I really like those Hulkbuster issues :)