13 superheroes that rock red, white, and blue costumes

Cover of Iron Patriot #4 (Image via Marvel)

13. Iron Patriot

I mean, the name alone kind of sounds like some public relations person in the military had to create a superhero. Plus, when you look at the costume — which is basically the Iron Man suit with an American flag plastered all over it — you really start to wonder.

“Iron Patriot” actually refers to a series of people who have used this particular exosuit. Originally, baddie Normon Osborn of Green Goblin fame donned the suit during Marvel’s Dark Reign storyline. Essentially, Osborn thought that slapping on a patriotic paint job would be enough to make people think he was doing good — and he was mostly right.

I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty embarrassed. I still think the armor looks pretty cool, if a little over the top.

The suit was then used as the basis for a few different drones, to the point where an army of sentient drones attack the United States and give me some serious nightmares. Thankfully, the Hulk managed to save the day by just sort of smashing the entire force.

Things aren’t always quite so bad, though. Dr. Toni Ho, an engineer with about a million doctorates and serious engineering skills, currently uses a version of the armor. She’s currently part of an America-themed super team called the U.S. Avengers.