Different Goals
Tony Stark has studied the various technologies of the Knight Armor System. Although it belongs to the same category of Mechanical Exoskeleton devices as his Iron Man suit, its core design is fundamentally different.
His Iron Man suit was designed based on human clothing. Even the Mark 0.1 version, which was only made to meet the military's requirements, had very sophisticated shock absorption and damage reduction systems, protecting the wearer to the greatest extent possible. It could be said that the presence of human wearers completely hampered the performance of the Iron Man suit (well, although the possibility of his Iron Man suit malfunctioning is not high, just in case, he'll still add a parachute).
The same applies to the Mark III and subsequent models he designed specifically for himself, which prioritized aesthetics, safety, and comfort. The Mark III and subsequent models, including those still on paper, were designed entirely to satisfy his enjoyment. They even included a built-in cleaning and filtration system, allowing him to urinate freely during long-haul flights without having to wait for the robotic arm to remove his Iron Man suit upon arrival and then frantically search for a toilet.
Rather than calling his Iron Man suit suit a high-tech weapon, it's more accurate to describe it as a high-tech prosthetic limb equipped with weapon systems. The weapon modules were sacrificed for the pilot's experience; if this part were removed, the Iron Man suit would be even more powerful.
The Osborn Group's Knight System was developed entirely for war. All designs were geared towards combat, maximizing performance as much as possible. Comfort was never even a second in the designers' minds, so you can imagine how much burden it placed on the wearer.
Just like when Fuwa Isamu forcibly transformed his sister's Japanese Wolf Extinction Progrise Key into Orthosvalkan, his sister, being a robot, could withstand greater pressure. Her Progrise Key didn't need to consider the wearer's feelings, nor did it need to consider life support systems. For Fuwa, who was made of flesh and blood, the transformation itself was extremely painful.
Even the best weapons are still used by people. The developers of the Knight System also considered the shortcomings of their product. Without taking measures, the wearer could basically be treated as a consumable. So the designers took a different approach to make up for this shortcoming: to perform enhancement surgery on the wearer, making them strong enough to bear that heavy load.
Or perhaps, in his arrogance, he didn't see the flaws in the Knight System as flaws at all. He simply believed that the wearers, and even humanity itself, were too weak to be worthy of his creation. In his eyes, the wearers were merely components that enabled the Knight System to function; the Knight System was the one that truly played its role.
After adopting the other person's way of thinking, Tony Stark felt that the developers of the Knight System most wanted to use death row inmates as wearers, welding the Knight armor directly to lock the wearer inside—the biggest problem troubling the developers was not legal or ethical issues, but how to solve the wearer's excretory needs.
Iron Man suit embody the style of high-precision electronic technology and precision mechanical engineering of the United States, representing the pinnacle of science and technology in a free nation; while the Knight System is a legacy inherited from the CCCP, rugged and extremely demanding on its users, yet possessing their unique artistic style. It would probably only be welcomed in a country where pilots still drink a couple of sips of vodka before flying a fighter jet.
After leaving the hospital, Tony Stark extracted all the footage of the night Abomination caused havoc on Fifth Avenue, analyzed it repeatedly, and finally came to a very sad conclusion.
Even with current metal materials and machining capabilities, no matter how much he upgrades the Iron Man suit, and even if he actually invents and manufactures that New Element based on the information left by his father, he still cannot match Abomination.
On the other hand, Wei Xiuming's side, whether it's Reginald or the suit he wore when he personally went into battle, is no less powerful than Abomination.
Like a medieval craftsman, his skills as a craftsman have reached their peak. The crossbow he makes can fire multiple arrows in succession like a machine gun, with each arrow having the best accuracy and range. But that is the limit of the crossbow as a weapon, and it cannot be improved any further.
At that moment, someone placed a Gatling gun in front of him. Needless to say, the power of this weapon is immense, and the significance of gunpowder is even more extraordinary. It would not be an exaggeration to describe it as the key to unlocking a new era for mankind.
The Knight Armor System was that Gatling gun, and he was the craftsman whose progress was hampered by the times. The other party's completed technology was only a reference for him, who was proud. What really mattered was how the other party manufactured it.
Now that the developers of the Knight System are right in front of him, this is a great opportunity for technical exchange. Scientific research is not something that can be done behind closed doors. In addition, having been hurt by his father's legacy, Tony Stark's arrogant attitude softened slightly.
"Please go ahead, I'd love to hear your advice... J.A.R.V.I.S., take notes."
Wei Xiuming said, "First, you need to solve the problem of assembling the Iron Man suit. Your current Iron Man suit is all installed by robotic arms, which is very troublesome. You can't build an operating station every time you go to a new place."
"I've already considered that," Tony Stark interrupted Wei Xiuming. "I've already designed the Mark IV Iron Man suit, which can transform into a briefcase and is manually deployed, eliminating the need for a robotic arm. Then there's the Mark V Iron Man suit, which uses the latest laser-guided deployment system and requires no external mechanical assistance."
With a casual wave of his hand, J.A.R.V.I.S. captured Tony Stark's command and, based on keywords extracted from their previous conversation, projected the three-dimensional structure of the two Iron Man suit, demonstrating their basic transformation and deployment capabilities. As for the deeper details, they certainly wouldn't be revealed due to secrecy.
Compared to the extravagant approach in the original comics, where an idea would lead to the creation of an Iron Man suit, Tony Stark, who had been slow to make breakthroughs in research on New Element, devoted himself entirely to the development of New Element. In his spare time, he would simply refine his plans at the blueprint level as a pastime, and after numerous checks and corrections, he had basically addressed all the issues that needed to be considered.
Of course, the research on the New Element was slow to yield results, partly because Tony Stark lacked the spur of a villain – Ivan Vanko, who hadn't even had a chance to become Whiplash, had already been dealt with by Nick Fury, the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.. Without someone of equal intelligence and skill to give him a jolt, even though Young Master Stark quickly mastered the information left by Howard Stark, he ultimately lacked a sense of urgency.
In the original timeline, Tony Stark had already made preparations for his death, which is why Nick Fury took out Howard Stark's belongings. Now, in order to give humanity a stronger military force, Black Eggplant voluntarily handed them over.