Best Look At Iron Man MCU Successor Revealed in Black Panther 2 Merch

New merchandise for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever reveals the best look at yet at Ironheart, Iron Man's successor. Acting as one of the last major releases in MCU Phase 4, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is set to introduce a new Black Panther following the tragic death of star Chadwick Boseman. The upcoming sequel, which is again directed by Ryan Coogler, is expected to tell the story of Wakanda's struggles with various world powers as the nation mourns the loss of King T'Challa. Although Boseman is not in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the movie does feature a number of returning actors from the first film, including Letitia Wright as Shuri and Angela Bassett as Ramonda.

Details for the Black Panther sequel were hard to come by until Marvel's panel at SDCC when the first trailer for the film was finally released. In addition to acting as a moving tribute to Boseman in itself, the trailer also teases some of the franchise's new characters, including Namor the Sub-mariner (Tenoch Huerta) and Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne). Williams, as fans of Marvel Comics will already know, eventually becomes Ironheart, a hero inspired by Iron Man. Williams only features very briefly in the trailer for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, but one clip does appear to show the character hammering armor, in true Tony Stark fashion.

Although MCU fans have yet to see Williams don her armor in live-action, new Black Panther: Wakanda Forever merchandise provides the best look yet at what Ironheart may look like. Shared by Sergio.TheCollector on Instagram, the new figure, which comes as part of the Marvel Legends Series, shows off Williams' sleek new armor and weapon systems, all in a striking red and black color scheme. The image on the back of the packaging also features Williams without her helmet on. Screen Rant has reached out to Hasbro for comment, and will update this article with more information as it becomes available. Check out the new Ironheart merchandise below:

After the events of Avengers: Endgame and Iron Man's (Robert Downey Jr.) noble sacrifice to defeat Thanos (Josh Brolin), the character's legacy continues to play a role in the events of the MCU. Many questions remain about Williams in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, but the new Ironheart figure shows off just how similar her armor could end up being to Stark's. Although Ironheart's suit boasts a different color scheme, embracing bold black accents throughout, the overall design inspiration is easy to see.

In the first Iron Man back in 2008, Stark's armor was more angular with defined edges, with the suit slowly evolving over time to become more streamlined as he embraced nanotechnology in Avengers: Infinity War. Williams' suit, at least as it's depicted on the toy packaging, appears to draw more heavily from earlier iterations of Stark's suit, which makes sense considering her journey as Ironheart is only just beginning. It remains to be seen how Williams will play into the events of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, but the latest look at Ironheart suggests the hero could become a powerful figure in the MCU moving forward.

Source: Sergio.TheCollector/ Instagram