MCU fans can agree that Ironheart is Iron Man's most worthy successor, and they can't wait for the new Disney+ show starring Dominique Thorne.
There were many exciting announcements from Marvel Studios at Disney’s recent Investor Day, from a Fantastic Four reboot directed by Spider-Man: Homecoming’s Jon Watts to a Christmas special for the Guardians of the Galaxy. One of the most tantalizing new projects to be confirmed was an Ironheart series for Disney+, with Dominique Thorne starring as Riri Williams.
Riri may not be as widely known as Tony Stark or Natasha Romanoff yet, but she’s about to be. Initially created by Brian Michael Bendis but turned into a modern icon by Eve Ewing, Ironheart has quickly become one of Marvel Comics’ greatest characters.
In the comics, when Tony Stark found out about Ironheart and saw her technology, he endorsed her as his successor. Similarly, after Avengers: Endgame was released and Robert Downey Jr. was asked to name his own replacement, he endorsed Ironheart to take the reins of the franchise.
Both on-screen and off, Iron Man has given Ironheart’s blessing to take his place. She may not lead the next generation of Avengers, but she’ll surely lead the MCU’s heavily teased Young Avengers team.
Ironheart was created by Brian Michael Bendis, but his initial run was criticized for not accurately reflecting the young women it sought to represent. He stepped down from the series and Marvel tapped Eve Ewing, an African-American sociologist, poet, author, and artist, to revamp the character with Kevin Libranda.
Ewing’s run has massively improved the character. Since Ewing took over, Ironheart has quickly become one of Marvel Comics’ most beloved new characters.
The MCU has been pretty transparently setting up the Young Avengers for a few years, with the stage set for Kate Bishop, Ms. Marvel, Wiccan, Speed, America Chavez, and Stature to all join the franchise.
Riri Williams is another one of the young heroes being introduced into the MCU, and she’ll undoubtedly take a spot in its line-up — and maybe even lead the team.
At Disney’s Investor Day event, it was announced that a young actor named Dominique Thorne has been cast to play Riri Williams in the MCU.
She doesn’t have many film credits yet, but Thorne gave a memorable supporting turn in Barry Jenkins’ If Beale Street Could Talk and she’s set to have a larger role in Shaka King’s Fred Hampton movie Judas and the Black Messiah.
Riri Williams has all the genius and ambition and drive of Tony Stark, but she doesn’t have his billions of dollars, so she’s much more relatable. Riri doesn’t have a state-of-the-art lab in her basement; she had to break into a university to build her first suit.
It’ll be exciting to see the MCU’s next chapter tackling a character who’s very similar to Iron Man, but with a unique obstacle in her way.
Gwyneth Paltrow has said that she wanted to leave the MCU after Avengers: Endgame and that she was stepping away from acting in general, but she may return for Ironheart if the show’s producers want to stay true to Riri’s relationship with Pepper Potts.
In the comics, Pepper acts as a sort of mentor figure to Riri. She funds her research and encourages her to continue developing the Ironheart armor.
Everyone deserves to see themselves represented on the big screen. It took the MCU 10 years to give a movie to a non-white superhero and even longer to give a movie to a female superhero, while Avengers: Endgame’s blink-and-you’ll-miss-him gay character was a shallow attempt to pander to LGBTQ fans.
The MCU is finally starting to diversify with the introduction of characters like Shang-Chi, Kamala Khan, and Phastos, and Riri Williams’ debut will contribute to that.
In the MCU, intelligent characters are often used as an excuse to introduce technology beyond our wildest imaginations with very little explanation, like when Tony Stark invented time travel overnight, and the audience is willing to suspend their disbelief because vibranium and nano-tech might be ridiculous, but they’re fun concepts.
The genius intellect of Riri Williams rivals that of the MCU’s smartest characters, like Shuri and Bruce Banner, so she could lead to the introduction of some wild concepts in the coming phases.
It’s unlikely that Robert Downey Jr. will return to appear in the Ironheart series because he’s repeatedly said that after Avengers: Endgame’s perfect ending, he’s done with the character.
But if Tony left behind a recorded message for his ironclad successor or programmed his personality into an A.I. like in the comics, Downey could make an appearance in Ironheart.
Marvel has yet to announce any of the specifics about how Riri Williams will fit into the wider MCU and which storylines her show will explore, but she’s been a part of some fascinating arcs in the comics.
From taking part in the second “Civil War” to becoming the Queen of Latveria, there are plenty of exciting storylines for Riri’s MCU outings to choose from.
