It was evident way before its release that Black Panther: Wakanda Forever would change the state of the Marvel Cinematic Universe forever. From the naming of a new Black Panther to the introduction of a few new heroes and villains, Wakanda Forever personifies the continuing growth and evolution of the MCU as a whole. The addition of one heavily anticipated Marvel character has left fans on the edge of their seats. The debut of superhero Ironheart, aka Riri Williams, in Wakanda Forever has been long awaited, and many are questioning what her role will continue to be in the MCU.
So, who exactly is Ironheart? Does she have any connection to the iconic Iron Man? If you’re new to the MCU, here’s the breakdown on all things Ironheart, and what we can expect to see from her in the future. Spoiler warning: Spoilers for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever follow.
- Ironheart is a young genius inspired by Iron Man.
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In the original Marvel comics, Ironheart is more commonly known as Riri Williams. In the MCU, she’s portrayed by Dominique Thorne. Her name does include the word “iron” in it, and you guessed it — she sports a super armored suit just like Iron Man’s. It’s also key to mention that Riri as a character in the comics is extremely inspired by Tony Stark himself, eventually gaining his seal of approval to carry on the Iron Man legacy.
But, how did her double life as Ironheart come to fruition? To start, Riri is a young genius who went on to attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) at the mere age of 11 (yes, you read that right!). While at school, she develops her own iron suit that she ends up using to fight crime like a true superhero, when she meets Tony Stark himself. He ends up backing the Ironheart mission, and she even fights alongside him in some of the comics.
© 2022 MARVEL. - She is a part of The Champions (aka the Young Avengers) in the comics.
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Yes, there are many discrepancies between Marvel comics and movies, that’s for sure. In the comic series, we see a group of young superheroes band together to form The Champions, which later on becomes the Young Avengers. As a teen super genius, it’s no surprise that Riri aka Ironheart would be a member of the group that has had a historically rotating makeup. How this will play out in the MCU, though, is uncertain, since Riri’s story is just getting started.
- How does Ironheart fit into Wakanda Forever?
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Wakanda Forever serves as Ironheart’s on-screen debut in the MCU. In the movie, Riri is around 19 years old, and we catch glimpses of her using the advanced technology prevalent in Wakanda with Shuri’s help. The film shows Riri testing out and creating her advanced Ironheart suit, which she uses to work together with Shuri to defend Wakanda.
Riri is also at the heart of the film’s central conflict. Since the vibranium detector she created for a class has now gotten into the hands of countries searching for vibranium, villain Namor’s underwater city of Talokan (the only other city besides Wakanda with access to huge amounts of vibranium) is now at risk. Namor wants Riri captured and killed, but the Wakandans vow to keep her safe.
- What can we expect from Ironheart in the MCU?
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Get ready, because it looks like Ironheart isn’t leaving the MCU for quite some time. In December of 2020, it was announced that Marvel Studios’ original series Ironheart would feature Thorne as the leading role. The series is set to hit Disney+ in 2023 as a sort of sequel to Wakanda Forever, amongst many other original series that have debuted from Marvel on the platform.
The series trailer showcases Riri testing out her iron suit that she developed with the help of Wakanda’s advanced technology. We even see a reappearance of the one and only Nick Fury (the Avengers founder, hello!) introducing himself to the young genius, explaining that Stark left his Iron Man legacy in her hands.
While Stark isn’t mentioned at all throughout the duration of Wakanda Forever, it’s unclear if Riri has ever met him, but that question will soon be answered. In the Ironheart trailer, we get a glimpse of Robert Downey Jr. as an AI version of Stark that has everyone contemplating if we’ll see his return to the MCU.
Little is known about the plot that will follow the Ironheart series, but it’s clear that we’ll be seeing much more of Thorne playing the role of Riri in the future. Who knows, maybe we can even expect a potential Young Avengers movie to come in the years to come?
