AmongIron Man’smost underrated foes isthe Latverian-armoured villain known as Dreadknight, and while his original design is a bit obsolete, Marvel decided to give him a much-needed updatewithin the originalUltimate Universe. With this rework, Dreadknight finally received a look that made him appear like he could compete with Iron Man; the only question is, will the villain’s updated design stick and enter the main Marvel Universe?
InUltimate Armor Wars#2, written by Warren Ellis, with art by Steve Kurth, Dreadknight got updated high-tech armor that instantly made him a more comparable threat to the red iron-clad hero.
First appearing inIron Man#101, written by Bill Mantlo, with art by George Tuska, Bram Velsing was a gifted Latverian scientist who was punished by Doctor Doom for defying him, which brought forth Dreadknight’smedieval Doctor Doom-inspired costume. The metallic skeleton helmet and hellhorse made considerable sense for Dreadknight’s origin, however, there was very little tethering Dreadknight to Iron Man, something the Ultimate version course corrected.
Underrated Iron Man Villain Dreadknight Got An Overdue Upgrade In The OG Ultimate Universe
Ultimate Armor Wars#2; Written By Warren Ellis; Art By Steve Kurth; Ink By Jeff Huet & Allen Martinez; Color By Guru-eFX; Lettering By Joe Sabino
Dreadknight still has intriguing attire that comes together with Bram’s nightmarish Hellhorse, but while interesting, his iron mask, accompanied by his metal and cloth armor, is too similar to Doctor Doom’s iconic look. Doom did play a part in creating Dreadknight, as it was Doom who had Bram Velsing’s mask welded to his face as punishment, butas an Iron Man villain, Dreadknight’s suit doesn’t hold a candle to Tony Stark. Dreadknight’s Ultimate redesign gifted him a new high-tech suit that put him on Iron Man’s level, an update he needs in Marvel’s Earth-616 universe.
Ultimate Dreadknight’s armor keeps the skeleton mask and forgoes the medieval armor to instead don a suit imbued with Tony Stark’s own tech that is considerably more menacing.
InUltimate Armor Wars#3, Dreadknight is now shown to be wielding a suit equipped with rocket launchers and lasers, all updated weaponry that allows him to go toe-to-toe with Iron Man.Dreadknight’s new Iron Man suitallows him to compete with Tony Stark, while also coming with a new origin that ties him to Iron Man,as Velsing buys stolen Stark Industries tech, which he uses to build his suit.Ultimate Dreadknight’s armor keeps the skeleton mask and forgoes the medieval armor to instead don a suit imbued with Tony Stark’s own tech that is considerably more menacing.
Marvel Already Gave Dreadknight The Perfect Design, Now Bring It Into Mainstream Continuity
Dreadknight’s Ultimate Universe Redesign Shouldn’t Be Lost To Time
Dreadknight’sUltimate Universe variantsaved the villain from obscurity by giving him a much-needed refresh and granting him a stronger connection to Tony Stark by maintaining the core parts of Bram Velsing’s origins while distancing him from Doctor Doom. Combining more iconic features, such as his winged mask and hellhorse, with hisUltimate Universe’s suit would be a perfect middle ground for the classic but niche villain. ThisDreadknightredesign is begging to be brought into the mainIron Mancontinuity, but it’s up to Marvel whether this update will be brought to fruition.
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