Avengers: Age of Ultron is hitting this weekend, and with it a whole mess of plot points and secrets are spilling out onto the internet. With those tid bits comes a lot of questions over even the smallest details. Luckily, we’re here to help you.
Spoilers for Age of Ultron ahead.
Over the course of Avengers: Age of Ultron‘s first half, Tony Stark makes many references to “Veronica,” which culminate in the film’s African throw-down.
So, what the heck is Veronica?
Veronica is, put simply, Tony’s Hulkbuster protocol. If you noticed, when Tony had to fight the Hulk (who was going nuts thanks to Scarlet Witch) he called down “Veronica,” an apparatus suspended in Earth orbit. “Veronica” pinpointed Tony’s exact location in Wakanda and trapped the Hulk in a makeshift field cage, giving Tony just enough time to change into his Hulkbuster exo-skeleton.
During the course of the fight, “Veronica” hovered over the area like a UAV, mapping the terrain and providing Tony with replacement parts for his armor.
Why is it named “Veronica”?
Most of us think it’s a reference to Betty and Veronica from the Archie comics, as Betty Ross is the name of Hulk’s love interest in the comics and the Incredible Hulk film.
So, what’s the origin of this Hulkbuster armor?
Its first appearance was in Iron Man #304, published on May 1994. Designed as a modular addition to the regular Iron Man armor, it added extra protection and strength (with a bench press of 170 tons) at the cost of agility. In the comics, the Hulkbuster armor required 7 arc reactors to function.
It quickly became a fan favorite, which is most likely why they wanted to use it in Age of Ultron.
One Comment