Who Is Ironheart? Wakanda Forever's Riri Williams Explained
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever seems to be quite the cinematic event. As the The first Black Panther movie since the passing of the king of Wakanda, Chadwick Boseman, the film looks to be an emotional release for the cast, crew, and fans alike. There are plenty of new additions to the MCU, which promises to welcome mutants and tech-savvy heroes alike.
Along with our new Black Panther and Namor, is a character that fans spotted in the film's first trailer - carving out a heart from a metal sheet. That's right, before her series debut in Ironheart, Dominique Thorne's Riri Williams will be making her debut in Wakanda Forever - as our new super-suited friend (sans the billionaire playboy philanthropist moniker). But who exactly is Ironheart, and what does Riri Williams mean for the MCU?
Who Is Ironheart in Marvel Comics?
Click to enlargeRiri Williams, or Ironheart, was created in 2016 by Brian Michael Bendis and Mike Deodato - appearing in Invincible Iron Man Vol. 2 #7. This 15-year-old engineering student lives in Chicago and designs a suit of armour a lot like that of Tony Stark's Iron Man. Impressively, she does it using only her genius-level intellect.
The suit is built of stolen parts from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology campus, and when security comes knocking, she flees in her creation. Hearing of Riri's brilliance, Tony Stark meets her and offers her his endorsement to become a superhero. Who knew that becoming a hero existed on a who-you-know basis?
Who Is Ironheart In Wakanda Forever?
Click to enlargeAs of right now, we don't know much about the version of Thorne's Riri Williams that we'll be seeing in Wakanda Forever, but there are going to have to be some big changes made to her origin story.
For one, Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark isn't around anymore for Ironheart to receive blessing from, so it's likely that she'll be working alongside the Wakandans to become a true hero. From the trailer, it also looks like Ironheart will be building her suit alongside Letitia Wright's Shuri, and possibly out of Vibranium.
Beyond a fleeting glimpse of Ironheart in the Wakanda Forever trailer, we can't be sure of who she will be, or who she will become. Thankfully, there will be plenty of time for her to find that out in the upcoming Ironheart series.
When Will Ironheart Release On Disney+?
Click to enlargeAlongside the likes of Loki, WandaVision, She-Hulk, and more, Ironheart is part of a push into live-action MCU TV series. Chinaka Hodge has created the series as the 11th Disney+ series, and in classic MCU style, it will be a who's who of returning faces and newcomers.
Joining the cast is A Star Is Born's Anthony Ramos as Parker Robbins/The Hood, while Captain America: Civil War's Jim Rash reprises his role as the Dean of MIT. Elsewhere, This is Us' Lyric Ross, Solo's Alden Ehrenreich, and RuPaul's Drag Race's Shea Coulee will round off the cast. Apart from confirmation the show is coming in Phase 5, we don't have a solid Ironheart release date. With filming underway, the six-episode series is set to air in late 2023.
