Summary
- Years after George Costanza and Jerry Seinfeld sat at Monk’s debating what Tony Stark wore underneath his armor, Marvel finally revealed the answer: boxers with Iron Man’s face on them.
- Tony Stark’s embarrassing moment in
Unbeatable Squirrel Girl
#48 settled Jerry and George’s Seinfeld debate – with Jerry ultimately being proven right. -
Unbeatable Squirrel Girl
#48 provided a satisfyingly hilarious answer to the long-debated question raised by the classic ’90s sitcom, within the context of the humor that was characteristic of the comic during its run.
Of the many aspects of pop culture that Seinfeld dissected over the course of its run as a staple of ’90s television was the pressing question of what exactly Iron Man is wearing under his armor when he rockets into battle. The uncertainty lingered for decades, but finally, Marvel offered a definitive – and hilarious – answer to Jerry and George’s query.
Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #48 – written by Ryan North, with art by Derek Charm – featured Iron Man coming to the aid of the eponymous Marvel superhero, only to have his armor disabled and hijacked. Left suddenly vulnerable, Tony Stark was shown to be wearing nothing more than boxers under his suit.
“I clearly wasn’t planning to leave the suit today,” Tony notes, as Squirrel Girl and her assembled group of supporting characters looking on in surprise at the reveal, which settled George Costanza and Jerry Seinfeld’s longstanding debate.
Jerry and George debated what Tony Stark wears underneath his Iron Man armor in Season 9, Episode 2 of
Seinfeld,
“The Voice.” The episode is most famous for the plotline featuring Kramer’s assistant, Darrin, played by Jarrad Paul.
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He Wears Iron Man Briefs
For Tony Stark, it’s am embarrassing moment that effectively plays counter to his “cool guy” image. For readers familiar with the
Seinfeld
joke, this moment is extra satisfying.
The Iron Man reference in Seinfeld comes as a throwaway joke, as Kramer’s assistant offers him a quick recap of the argument he missed, when he briefly left their table at Monk’s Café. As he explains, the friends briefly debate what Tony Stark wears under his armor – with Jerry’s position being that he wears underwear, while George believes he wears nothing at all. Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #48 ultimately vindicated Jerry. In doing so, Marvel delivered an appropriately amusing pay-off to Seinfeld’s set-up.
Iron Man
Anthony “Tony” Edward Stark, AKA Iron Man, is a Marvel Comics superhero who has enjoyed several years of the spotlight and has become a mainstay in several Marvel media franchises. After suffering a critical injury, Tony creates a specialized armored suit powered by an arc reactor, which keeps him alive. Egotistical but good-hearted, Tony utilizes his super intellect and inventions to fight to protect humanity from various threats, eventually becoming a founding member of the Avengers. In 2008, the Marvel Cinematic Universe was kicked off with the film Iron Man, which starred Robert Downey Jr. as the superhero.
With his armor suddenly ripped off, Tony Stark was left standing in nothing more than boxers – with the funniest detail being the fact that he was depicted as wearing underwear with Iron Man’s face on it. As Stark explained:
Before you say anything: First, it’s comfortable. Second, I clearly wasn’t planning to leave the suit today.
For Tony Stark, it’s am embarrassing moment that effectively plays counter to his “cool guy” image. For readers familiar with the Seinfeld joke, this moment is extra satisfying. At the same time, it encapsulates the characteristic humor that made Unbeatable Squirrel Girl such an underrated Marvel series.
Iron Man Says It’s “Comfortable” In The Iron Man Suit
Stark Tech Remains A Mystery
While [
Unbeatable Squirrel Girl
] offers a satisfying answer to Jerry and George’s debate on
Seinfeld
, a precise understanding of what it feels like when Tony is inside the suit remains elusive.
It’s also worth noting, as Tony did in Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, that had he planned to exit his suit, he would have dressed accordingly. This indicates that he wears different things under the suit at different times – meaning George’s theory that he gets in the suit entirely in the nude could still plausibly be accurate, in certain circumstances. An even more interesting question raised by this moment comes from the fact that Tony says it is “comfortable” being inside his armor without clothes, though the exact mechanics of this are uncertain.
Of course, this moment in Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #48 was intended as comedy, and therefore, expectations for it to have larger lore implications should be limited. That is to say, while it offers a satisfying answer to Jerry and George’s debate on Seinfeld, a precise understanding of what it feels like when Tony is inside the suit remains elusive. Various writers have offered brief descriptions, certainly, but suspension of disbelief continues to be important to the idea that Tony could effectively operate in the Iron Man suit with getting hurt – especially wearing nothing but boxers.
Unbeatable Squirrel Girl
#48 is available now from Marvel Comics.
Seinfeld
Seinfeld stars Jerry Seinfeld as a stand-up comedian whose life in New York City is made even more chaotic by his quirky group of friends who join him in wrestling with life’s most perplexing yet often trivial questions. Often described as “a show about nothing,” Seinfeld mines the humor in life’s mundane situations like waiting in line, searching for a lost item, or the trials and tribulations of dating. Co-starring is Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Jerry’s ex-girlfriend and current platonic pal, Elaine Benes; Jason Alexander as George Costanza, Jerry’s neurotic hard-luck best friend; and Michael Richards as Jerry’s eccentric neighbor, Kramer.
Source: r/seinfeld
