When a slew of new Marvel series was announced as part of future Disney+ programming, there were a few surprises for comic book fans. One of the biggest was Ironheart. The series, described as the story of “the creator of the most advanced armor since Iron Man,” will star Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams.
You may have heard of Riri when she first made waves in the Marvel Universe in 2016 in the pages of The Invincible Iron Man. She counted Tony Stark as her mentor, teamed up with Spider-Man Miles Morales and Ms. Marvel, and even faced Thanos. And now Ironheart will appear in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever before jumping into her own show. In fact, she also features prominently in the film’s trailers.
So let’s catch up with the genius teenager to get an idea of what Disney+ has in store for us.
These are the topics we will cover here:
- Who is Ironheart, aka Riri Williams?
- Ironheart’s origins
- Ironheart’s powers and abilities
- Ironheart’s signature villains
- Ironheart in TV and games
- Riri Williams in Black Panther 2: Wakanda Forever and the MCU
Who is Ironheart, aka Riri Williams?
Discovered at a very young age as a child prodigy, Riri Williams was determined to be an astronaut until an act of violence changed her life forever. When Tony Stark could no longer be Iron Man, Riri stepped into his armored shoes using an advanced, high-tech suit that she built herself.
Ironheart may be just a teenager, but the gifted inventor is following in Tony Stark’s footsteps – and forging her own path.
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Ironheart’s origins
Riri Williams was a brilliant 15-year-old student at MIT when she dared to build high-tech armor like Iron Man. Working in her dorm room with parts borrowed from labs on campus, she soon found success. However, in their first attempt at becoming superheroes, the patchwork suit fell apart around them. Undaunted, Riri continued her work on the reverse engineered Mark 41 armor, eventually catching the attention of Tony Stark himself.
Realizing she needed an artificial intelligence to make the most of the armor, she brazenly asked Stark for one. He was intrigued, but AI was exceedingly expensive. Soon the events of the Second Civil War diverted his attention and Iron Man was incapacitated as the conflict boiled over. Still, Stark, realizing that Riri was a kindred spirit and the future of superheroes, had planned ahead. He had created an advanced AI construct of himself to aid her while he recovered from his coma. Riri finally had the AI she needed and her suit was complete.
The genius teenager was inspired to become an armored hero when her stepfather and best friend were both murdered in a drive-by shooting. Determined to find a more appropriate superhero name than Iron Girl or Iron Maiden, Riri chose Ironheart to honor her fallen loved ones.
Riri acts as Ironheart with the love and support of her Chicago mother, who will never stop caring for the young superhero.
Ironheart’s powers and abilities
Riri Williams is a technical prodigy with a super genius intellect. Her armor is on par with Stark’s own advanced suit, and she had his digitized consciousness as an AI to teach and mentor her on how best to use it.
Thrusters in their hands and feet give Ironheart the power to fly. Explosive repulsor grenades, laser beams, precision missiles and much more lie in their arsenal, designed and built by Riri himself. After her suit was destroyed by Thanos, Riri designed Ironheart 3.0 with a magenta and black design that contrasts with Iron Man’s classic red and gold. She’s constantly tinkering with the tech, adding new tech like an experimental stealth mode and solar panels.
A young team that included Miles Morales and Kamala Khan, the Champions took an early interest in Ironheart. Riri isn’t someone who makes many friends and was initially nervous about joining them, but she quickly fit in. Her adventures as part of the team have taken her around the world, into space and even into another dimension. Her inventions and quick thinking made her an invaluable member of the team.
She briefly went into business for herself and returned to MIT, where she constructed a new AI based on the design of the lost friend. But a new law banning teens from being superheroes brought them back to the champions as they navigated the new normal together.
Ironheart’s signature villains
Riri is relatively new to the crime-fighting scene, but she jumped into rocket-powered feet first. She first faced off against ninjas led by an Inhuman with the ability to control technology. Later, as part of the Champions, she faced formidable foes in Thanos and Man-Thing.
When Ironheart returned to Chicago for her solo adventures, the mystical villain Midnight’s Fire took an interest in her. He offered her a place in the Ten Rings, a global mercenary organization. Riri declined. She tracked Midnightfire with the help of the Unstoppable Wasp, Doctor Strange, and Shuri and Okoye of Wakanda and eventually found him – along with her biological father.
Ironheart in TV and games
- TV: Disney+ won’t be the first time we’ve seen Ironheart on the small screen. She directed Marvel Rising: Heart of Iron, a 2019 animated film that told her origin story in the Marvel Rising universe. She was voiced by Sofia Wylie. She returned a few months later for another animated adventure, Battle of the Bands. In 2020, Ironheart, voiced again by Wylie, appeared in Marvel’s Spider-Man: Maximum Venom on Disney XD.
- Games: Riri has also been in mobile games like Avengers Academy, Marvel Future Fight, Marvel Puzzle Quest and Marvel Strike Force. She was also playable in Lego Marvel Superheroes 2 with the Champions Character Pack DLC.
Riri Williams in Black Panther 2: Wakanda Forever and the MCU
Riri seems poised to take Iron Man’s place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, though it seems she won’t have Tony Stark’s help as a mentor following the events of Avengers: Endgame. Whether she’s part of the multiverse, a fractured timeline, or a new heroine inspired by Tony’s sacrifice, she fits right into the younger roster preparing for Phase 4.
Riri’s appearance in the MCU is a mystery for now, although we do know that Dominique Thorne will play her and she’ll appear in the Black Panther sequel, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, ahead of her own show. And certainly their addition will be a welcome one. Could we even see the champions team in the MCU? The future of Marvel on Disney+ is bright.
This story was updated on October 3, 2022 with the latest information about Ironheart. It was originally released in December 2020.
Kelly Knox is a freelance entertainment writer who also contributes to StarWars.com, DCComics.com, Nerdist and more. Follow her on Twitter at @kelly_knox to talk about Star Wars, Dungeons & Dragons and comics.
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