When a number of new Marvel series were announced as part of the future slate of Disney+ programming, there were quite a few surprises for comic fans. One of the biggest was Ironheart. The series, described as the story of “the creator of the most advanced suit of armor since Iron Man,” will star Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams.
You might have heard about 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 a 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 is featuring prominently in the trailers for the movie too.
So let’s meet the genius teen to get an idea of what Disney+ might have in store for us.
These are the topics we’ll be covering here:
- Who Is Ironheart, a.k.a. Riri Williams?
- Ironheart’s Origin
- 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, a.k.a. Riri Williams?
Discovered as a prodigy at a very young age, Riri Williams was determined to be an astronaut until her life was forever changed by an act of violence. When Tony Stark could no longer be Iron Man, Riri stepped into his armored shoes with an advanced, high-tech suit she built herself.
Ironheart might be just a teenager, but the gifted inventor is following in Tony Stark’s footsteps—and blazing her own trail.
Ironheart might be just a teenager, but the gifted inventor is following in Tony Stark’s footsteps—and blazing her own trail.
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Ironheart’s Origin
Riri Williams was a brilliant 15-year-old student studying at M.I.T. when she dared herself to build a set of high-tech armor just like Iron Man. Working in her dorm room with parts she borrowed from labs around campus, she soon succeeded. On her first attempt at superheroics, however, the patchwork suit fell apart around her. Undaunted, Riri continued her work on the reverse-engineered Mark-41 armor, and finally caught the notice 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 Civil War II took his attention away, and Iron Man was incapacitated when the conflict boiled over. Still, Stark, recognizing that Riri was a kindred spirit and the future of superheroes, had planned ahead. He had created an advanced AI construct of himself to help her while he recovered in a coma. Riri finally had the AI she needed and her suit was complete.
The genius teen was inspired to become an armored hero when her stepfather and her best friend were both murdered in a drive-by shooting. Determined to find a superhero name more fitting than Iron Girl or Iron Maiden, Riri decided on Ironheart to honor her fallen loved ones.
Riri operates as Ironheart with the love and support of her mother in Chicago, who will never stop worrying about the young superhero.
Ironheart’s Powers and Abilities
Riri Williams is an engineering prodigy with a super-genius-level 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 in how to best use it.
Thrusters in her hands and feet give Ironheart the power of flight. Explosive repulsor grenades, laser beams, precision missiles, and much more are stored in her arsenal, designed and built by Riri herself. After her suit was destroyed by Thanos, Riri designed Ironheart 3.0 with a magenta and black design distinct from Iron Man’s classic red and gold. She is constantly tinkering with the engineering and adding new technology, like an experimental stealth mode and solar power cells.
The Champions, a young team that included Miles Morales and Kamala Khan, took an early interest in Ironheart. Not one to make many friends, Riri was nervous about joining their ranks at first, but she fit in quickly. Her adventures as part of the team took her around the world, to space, and even to another dimension. Her inventions and quick thinking made her an invaluable member of the team.
She struck out on her own for a short time and returned to M.I.T., where she constructed a new AI with a design based on the friend she lost. But a new law prohibiting teenagers from being superheroes led her 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 in 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 encountered formidable foes in Thanos and Man-Thing.
When Ironheart returned to Chicago in her solo adventures, mystical villain Midnight’s Fire took an interest in her. He offered her a place in the Ten Rings, a global mercenary organization. Riri refused. She tracked Midnight’s Fire with the help of the Unstoppable Wasp, Doctor Strange, and Shuri and Okoye of Wakanda and finally found him—along with her biological father.
Ironheart in TV and Games
- TV: Disney+ won’t be the first time we see Ironheart on the small screen. She headlined Marvel Rising: Heart of Iron, a 2019 animated movie that told her origin story in the Marvel Rising universe. She was voiced by Sofia Wylie. She returned for another animated adventure a few months later, Battle of the Bands. In 2020, Ironheart, again voiced 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, although she seemingly won’t have the help of Tony Stark as a mentor after the events of Avengers: Endgame. Whether she’s part of the multiverse, a fractured timeline, or a new hero inspired by Tony’s sacrifice, she’ll fit right into the younger roster gearing up in Phase 4.
Riri’s appearance in the MCU is a mystery for now, though we do know Dominique Thorne will play her and she will appear in the Black Panther sequel, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, before her own show. And certainly, her addition will be a welcome one. Could we even see the Champions team up 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 published 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 Star Wars, Dungeons & Dragons, and comics.
