Paula Hammond - Features EditorBe honest now, we’ve all fantasised about it … The Lycra, the cape, the gadgets … Who wouldn’t want to be a superhero? As Robert Downey Jr. steps into that oh so cool Iron Man armour for a third time this week, FilmJuice celebrates the return of Tony Stark with a look at some of the best superhero gadgets and gizmos …
Ring Of Power – Green Lantern
It sounds like something you might get after one too many chicken vindaloos but the Green Lantern’s Ring Of Power is perhaps one of the most awesome superhero gadgets ever. Fashioned by the Weaponers of Qward, the ring’s power is only limited by its user. Put simply: if you can imagine it, then the ring can create it. How dangerous could that be?
Mjölnir – Thor (Main Picture)
Capable of levelling mountains, Thor’s Hammer (Mjölnir) makes even Tony Stark’s armaments look puny in comparison. It also, rather neatly, always returns to its user, which means that even after a drinking session of Asgardian proportions, you’re unlikely to lose it. If the trailers for Thor: The Dark World are anything to judge by, then this November will be Hammer Time!
Memory Cloth Cape – Batman
Stark may have the smarts but Bats has Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman) – the man responsible for rustling up no end of neat super hero kit. Fans may argue about which they’d rather own – the Bat Tumbler or Batpod – but why drive through Gotham’s rush hour traffic when you can fly?
Surfboard – Silver Surfer
It was comic artist Jack Kirby who created the Silver Surfer as a herald for the planet-devouring super villain Galactus – putting him on a surfboard “”because I’m tired of drawing spaceships!” The character went on to be one of Marvel’s most popular, thanks, in no small part, to his faster than light, inter-planetary surfboard which keyed right into 1970s surf culture. It also looks very, very cool.
The Lawgiver – Judge Dredd
OK so Dredd is no caped crusader – just an‘ordinary’ Joe – but his customised handgun would be the pride of any superhero’s arsenal. Originally the comic book Lawgiver had six settings (standard, hot shot, ricochet, incendiary, armour piercing and high-x) but later incarnations even had an “exorcist” bullet for use against supernatural enemies! The 2012 film added even more variations making this gadget one of the deadliest in the comic-book verse.
Iron Man 3 opens nationwide on 25th April.
