LA Police are investigating the disappearance of an Iron Man suit thought to be worth a whopping $325,000 (£240,000), AP reports.

The suit was being stored in a prop storage facility in Pacoima, Los Angeles, but it went missing at some point between February and 25 April - yeah, that's quite the window there.

Reporting from outside the storage facility, CBS News reporter Crystal Crews said the owners of the business last remembered seeing the costume back in February, but noticed it was missing when they looked for it on Wednesday. Someone is so getting fired.

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LA Police officer Christopher No said that a police report was filed on Tuesday, adding the suit's hefty estimated value.

KCBS-TV first reported that the investigation was underway, explaining that it was one used in the 2008 Iron Man film starring Robert Downey Jr.

I mean, it's fairly obvious who we can blame for this one...

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Or maybe Tony Stark's stolen it himself so he can zoom off to fight all the baddies and save the world. Seems legit, right?

In all seriousness, it's no surprise that the suit is pretty hot property, given just how iconic the Iron Man franchise has become.

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Speaking to Nerdist, Dan Slott - writer of new Iron Man comic Tony Stark: Iron Man - explained why he thought the character is so widely loved, being a reflection of today's confusing world, where the boundaries of science are being pushed seemingly on a daily basis.

"He wasn't bitten by a radioactive spider. He took his own two hands and built everything he needs," said Slott.

"He's always going to push the boundaries of science and tech to build a world he wants, and that's going to lead to stories that go to insane places."

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It's not just the comic books in which the Iron Man character is popular, of course.

There's also the small matter of those blockbuster films, including the Iron Man series and the Avengers franchise - which Iron Man is crucial to, it seems, with Robert Downey Jr having been recently named the Best Marvel Movie Actor Ever.

According to Ranker, Robert Downey Jr pips James McAvoy, Tommy Lee Jones and Hugh Jackman to the number one spot. Elsewhere on the list, Ryan Reynolds was at number 53 with Deadpool.