Digital Series
Published August 9, 2019

Get the Inside Story Behind Adam Savage's Iron Man Suit

It really flies! Earth's Mightiest Show asks Savage how he did it!

Adam Savage is well-known for his builds and experiments that try to prove that the fantastical can happen in real life. This time around, for the premiere episode of his show Savage Builds, Savage went all-in and built a real, working Iron Man suit. ("Working" meaning: It flies! No repulsor rays or military-grade weapons.) Earth's Mightiest Show talked to Savage to find out how he did it!

According to Savage, the entire suit is 3D-printed in titanium, a process that actually makes the titanium stronger -- "can withstand bullets" stronger -- and lighter. The whole suit weighs just 20 pounds. He also had full permission of Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige to make the suit, basically giving him the freedom to play in the same playground as Tony Stark. (The 3D printer who provided the materials also covered the $250,000 price tag.)

What drove Adam Savage to try this? He explained: "It comes from my obsessions. It comes from the things I can't stop thinking about. I see an object that compels me from a narrative that's compelled me, and I want to feel like I'm in that narrative. So I will make the object feel real enough to me to inject me into that fantasy, if even for a second."

You can watch the making of the suit on Savage Builds on DiscoveryGo!

Watch the full episode of Earth's Mightiest Show below!

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