The absence of Tony Stark and Iron Man within the Marvel Cinematic Universe has not only been a thematic plot device since Avengers: Endgame, but it has been a mechanical one as well. While we saw the shaping of a new Tony Stark-level intelligence and tinkerer mentality in Peter Parker in Spider-Man: Far From Home, we haven’t had someone who could fill the shoes of Stark in that way.

Black Panther’s Shuri is arguably our closest technical wizard, but another waits in the proverbial wings. The MCU is introducing Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne) in her on-screen debut in the forthcoming Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. From there, we know that Riri Williams will continue her story in her own show, Ironheart, scheduled for debut on Disney+ in Fall 2023.

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And while that might seem a long way off, here’s what we know and expect from the forthcoming series of the genius inventor Riri Williams.

Who Is Riri Williams?

     Marvel Comics

A young character, in terms of comic history, Riri Williams was first introduced in Invincible Iron Man #7, published on March 02, 2016, and only on one page. As the story of Iron Man marched towards the events of Civil War II, her presence would increase and become more integral. Marvel describes Riri Williams as:

Her comics origins go a bit deeper, delving into a similar path of Stark’s by attending M.I.T. at a young age, experiencing tragedy at the loss of her best friend (whom she later honors via naming her A.I. after) and stepfather, and ultimately meeting her hero who mentors her. Like Stark, she’s a super-powerless human with genius-level intellect, which allows her to reverse engineer Stark’s Mark-41 suit design.

William’s character path is very similar to Stark’s, with a lot of tinkering, redesigns, and team-ups. One team-up includes Shuri and a storyline in Wakanda against the Ten Rings. Perhaps it’s that history that could prove instrumental in her cinematic introduction.

Ironheart: The Plot

     Marvel Studios

We know very little about Ironheart at this point, as Marvel’s description is vague:

We can speculate about the nature of the show, given the history of the MCU and where we are within the story of the Multiverse Saga at this point. Given the warm reception that Riri is seemingly receiving from Shuri, it seems entirely plausible that Riri’s origin could be somewhat reworked to be Wakandan. While Wakanda is as technically advanced as Tony Stark ever was – and arguably more so – it seems possible that Riri could be a protege of Shuri.

But, it seems more likely that the origin won’t stray too far from the comics and give us some hint at her M.I.T. years. It could be a design of hers (the early suit?) that catches the attention of Shuri, who brings her to Wakanda. Thanks to some set photos, we know one of the villains will be The Hood, played by Anthony Ramos.

Ironheart: The Cast & Crew

Black Panther director Ryan Coogler’s production company Proximity is part of the creative force behind Ironheart. Marvel and Proximity have tapped Chinaka Hodge as showrunner and head writer. Directors Sam Bailey and Angela Barnes will each direct three episodes of the six-episode series. If Marvel’s She-Hulk has taught us anything, it’s that cameos and utilizing the vast set of characters from within the MCU to populate and connect stories are a fan favorite. But, before we speculate on cameos and other story pop-ins, here is who we know are series regulars.

As mentioned before, Dominique Thorne will be our titular hero. Thorne has a small but impressive set of credits, including If Beale Street Could Talk and Judas and the Black Messiah. Her upcoming appearance in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will be an exciting entrance to the MCU.

Anthony Ramos looks to put a chink in the armor of Riri as The Hood. At the D23 2022 expo, the first footage of the show was shown to those in attendance. Stars Ramos and Thorne were there to tease the show, along with Marvel mastermind Kevin Feige. He described Ironheart in greater detail, especially when discussing Ramos’s role as The Hood, stating:

The show will also feature Lyric Ross as Riri’s best friend. Harper Anthony, Manny Montana, Alden Ehrenreich, Shea Couleé, and Zoe Terakes have all been announced in unconfirmed roles.

Cameos seem likely, or at least continuity appearances. The odds of seeing Shuri from Wakanda are high. And while it seems incredibly unlikely to see Robert Downey Jr. return as Tony Stark, his likeness and image have been used heavily since his finale in Avengers: Endgame, so expect to see some stock footage of the mechanical wizard in some way.

Release Date

Though much of the filming is complete on the series, there is still more to come, including reported filming in Atlanta through mid-October. Fans can expect to see Ironheart debut on Disney+ in late 2023 and be a part of Phase Five of the MCU.