Origin
Born in Ukraine, Boris Bullski rose in the ranks of the KGB and eventually was partnered with his fellow comrade Black Widow. When Tony Stark‘s bodyguard Iron Man was shown to the public, the Soviet Union decided to show their superiority to the United States by creating a powered armor of their own. Made from titanium, a stronger substance than iron, the armor was larger than Iron Man’s yet technologically inferior. Bullski used the armor to challenge Iron Man in a one-sided fight, though Stark managed to win.
Creation
Titanium Man was created by Stan Lee and Don Heck in 1965 and first appeared in Tales of Suspense # 69.
Major Story Arcs
Versus Stark
The Titanium Man became a recurring enemy of Stark Industries until Boris was ‘killed’ in Russia by the Crimson Dynamo. Stark was wearing the Crimson Dynamo armor at the time but Boris was killed remotely by the Dynamo’s pilot (who could not wear the armor due to injury).
The second Titanium Man power suit was designed by the mutant known as The Gremlin. The Gremlin’s carrier as the Titanium Man was short. He first aided the Soviet Super Soldiers (now known as the Winter Guard) in trying to apprehend Magneto for crimes against Russia. The Titanium Man was then targeted by Tony Stark who discovered that his technology was used in a recent upgrade to the Titanium Man & Crimson Dynamo. Stark succeeded in negating the Dynamo’s armor but not the Titanium Man’s. Titanium Man had Iron Man in a bear hug and Stark tried to use his boot jets to shake his opponent off in the air. Unfortunately the Gremlin was not paying attention and Stark ignited the Titanium Man’s armor causing it to explode.
The armor was destroyed and the Gremlin was killed in the explosion. A new Titanium Man has made his presence known to Tony Stark. He attacked Stark during a Space Mission which led to his defeat (he was rescued by a Stark-Fujikawa shuttle) and he later attacked during the hearing to discuss the Superhero Registrations Bill. At some point, Boris Bullski returned from his alleged death and joined forces with The Remont Six, the reincarnation of his previous group The Remont Four.
Ends of the Earth
Doctor Octopus was holding the Earth hostage with his satellites equipped with stealth technology so Spider-Man needed help because the Avengers have been captured by the Sinister Six. Spider-Man sent out an emergency call and several heroes from around the world responded including Titanium Man, Union Jack, Kangaroo, Sabra and the team of Big Hero 6. Spider-Man would provide the heroes with the locations of the missile bases that were launching the satellites into space but warned them that Doctor Octopus has hired a number of mercenaries and assassins to protect his operation. Spider-Man asked the heroes to stop the launch if possible and try to retrieve one of the stealth chips from any satellite. Titanium Man would come into conflict with Scorpion when he attempted to stop the satellite launch in Siberia. The satellite missile would launch during their fight so Titanium Man took flight and grabbed onto the missile but was struck down by a swipe from Scorpion’s tail.
In Other Media
Television
- The original Titanium Man appears in The Marvel Super Heroes, voiced by Ed McNamara.
- Titanium Man appears in Iron Man: The Animated Series, voiced by Gerard Maguire. He first appears at the tail end of the episode “And the Sea Shall Give Up Its Dead,” where he is described as an armored cyber-organism created by M.O.D.O.K. to serve the Mandarin. He is quickly defeated by Iron Man and War Machine. In the episode “Enemy Within, Enemy Without,” Tony Stark mentions that the Titanium Man was created by Red Ghost. He returns in the Season 2 episode “Distant Boundaries,” where he partners with Dark Aegis to lure Iron Man into a trap. It is revealed that Titanium Man worked with Aegis in exchange for a powerful new weapon, which he hopes to use to overthrow Russia’s capitalist government and return the country to its former Soviet glory. However, he becomes horrified after learning that Dark Aegis has wiped out the entire population of an alien world. Realizing that Dark Aegis is far too evil to be allowed to roam free, Titanium Man ultimately sacrifices his life to destroy the villain. At the end of the episode, War Machine and Iron Man praise Titanium Man’s selfless actions, and state that he died with honor.
- The Titanium Man armor appears in Iron Man: Armored Adventures, where it is piloted by Justin Hammer.
Video Games
- Titanium Man appears as a boss character in the video game adaptation of the first Iron Man movie, though he does not actually show up in the film itself. He was voiced by Dimitri Diatchenko.
- The third Titanium Man suit appears in Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 as a boss character. Ultimately defeated at the Lincoln Memorial by a group of heroes, having orchestrated an attack in Washington DC and taken some Senators hostage in a subway. He engages the heroes twice before finally submitting and stating their hollow victory due to the Superhuman Registration Act causing rifts between fellow comrades, that they have still lost. He was voiced by Crispin Freeman.
- Titanium Man appears in Marvel Super Hero Squad online, voiced by Yuri Lowenthal.
- Titanium Man appears as a boss character in Marvel Avengers Alliance.
Merchandise
- Titanium Man appears in ToyBiz’s action figure line for the 90s Iron Man animated series.
- Titanium Man was featured in Hasbro’s Super Hero Squad line.
- A 6-inch Titanium Man figure was included in the toyline for the first Iron Man movie, based on his appearance in the video game.
- Titanium Man was featured in the HeroClix figure game.
- Titanium Man appeared in Diamond Select’s Minimates line.
- Bowen Designs produced a classic Titanium Man bust.
- A 6-inch Titanium Man figure was included in Hasbro’s Iron Man: Armored Avenger line.
- A 3.75-inch Titanium figure was included in Hasbro’s line for Iron Man 2.