Thread by @EpistemicHope

The most unrealistic thing about an iron man suit?

The fingers!

There's not that much space between your digits. It would be uncomfortable and impractical to put layers of metal in those gaps. And if you did, they would be too thin to provide much protection.

And the fingers a also have to bend, which means you have even less space for material, and even less protection.

It would make much more sense if the gloves of the iron man suit were like mittens, with all the fingers in one chunk. Then you can put strong layers of metal around all the fingers at once.

On a related note, when I first saw this clip, I was credulous.

It seemed pretty convenient that the suit's glove was built to retract like that, exposing the hand, so that the bad guy could use his melting powers, without needing to take off the glove.

But on further consideration, it actually makes a lot of sense!

You don't have much dexterity with your hands in an ironman gauntlet. Punching through walls in one thing, but it's probably super annoying to open a door, much less something like type on a keyboard.

I mean, I take off my woolen winter gloves to use my phone! Being inside an iron man must be worse than that.

If there's any part of the suit that you want to be easily retractable, it would be the hands, so that you can do fine motor tasks.

It's even more important than having a retractable faceplate.

So I think the movie was right and I was too quick to judge.

@threadreaderapp unroll

Ok. Later in that same scene he does fire a handgun while wearing the suit, which in my model, would be pretty uncomfortable, if the index finger could even fit in the trigger guard at all (I think it shouldn't be able to).

*incredulous