Warning! Spoilers ahead for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever star Dominique Thorne discusses Ironheart's connections to Tony Stark/ Iron Man. Acting as the conclusion to Phase 4 of the MCU, the recently-released Black Panther sequel has earned generally positive reviews from both audiences and critics. In addition to seeing a new character take up the mantle of Black Panther in the wake of T'Challa's (Chadwick Boseman) death, the film also introduces several new heroes into the MCU. Among the film's new characters is Thorne's Riri Williams, a genius college student/ inventor, who builds two advanced armor suits and is expected to serve as Iron Man's MCU replacement.

In a recent interview with Comicbook, Dominique Thorne goes in-depth into how her new Black Panther: Wakanda Forever hero, Ironheart, is similar to Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark/ Iron Man. While teasing that the additional connections between the two heroes may become apparent in the Ironheart Disney+ show, which is slated to release late next year, Thorne reveals that both characters share a similarly strong sense of ambition. Check out Thorne's full comment below:

"I do think in Riri's creation of this suit, or pursuing a build like that, I think that there's an inherent acknowledgment of what Tony Stark did by creating this suit of armor. I think for someone as ambitious as Riri Williams, it's without a doubt something that draws you in and begs your attention. As you can tell from the movie, that ambition will lead where it will lead and this time it's led to her being in line with him by creating her very own suit of armor."

Related: How MCU's Ironheart Is Different From Marvel Comics' Version

What Riri Williams' Iron Man Similarities Could Mean For Ironheart

Ironheart early suit in Black Panther Wakanda Forever

Little is known about the upcoming Ironheart show, but Thorne's comment does hint at what types of storylines her character could be involved with in the future. While Stark's advanced intelligence and strong ambition led him to become Iron Man, those same qualities also caused a number of problems within the MCU. Stark's desire to create "a suit of armor around the world," for example, led to the creation of Ultron, the villain of Avengers: Age of Ultron, when his AI technology took on a life of its own. Ironheart is still very early in her tenure as a superhero, however, and it's unclear whether she shares some of Stark's ideologies regarding the best ways to protect the Earth from major threats.

Stark's abilities also resulted in him becoming a celebrity of sorts, who was instantly recognizable around the world. This rise to fame was made easier by the fact that he was already a tech billionaire on people's radar, but it's possible that Williams could have a similar trajectory. Williams' early scenes in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever features the character revealing that there's already an entire YouTube channel dedicated to sightings of her, meaning public interest in Ironheart is likely only to increase as she grows into her role as a superhero. With Stark having been such a notable public figure, Ironheart is probably going to be compared to the hero in-universe as well, which could mean struggling to emerge from his giant shadow following his Avengers: Endgame sacrifice.

It remains to be seen how Williams will affect MCU events moving forward, but Ironheart is slated to explore the character on a deeper level following her introduction in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Iron Man remains one of the most beloved MCU superheroes of all time, and it will be interesting to see how fans respond to his successor. With Ironheart's role in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever being so well received, however, the future is looking bright for Thorne's new MCU hero.

Next: Ironheart's Black Panther 2 Role Shows Her Biggest Iron Man Difference

Source: Comicbook

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