Among the new characters the Marvel Cinematic Universe is introducing in Phase 4 is Riri Williams/Ironheart, who will make her debut in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and some leaked photos of Black Panther 2 merch reveal that her armor looks a lot like Iron Man’s Mark I suit, which makes perfect sense. The MCU’s Phase 4 is introducing a bunch of new characters of which many are starring in their own TV shows, and one that will lead her own series but will make her first appearance on the big screen is Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne), best known as Ironheart.
Riri Williams is a 15-year-old genius engineering student at MIT. There, she designed a suit of armor like that of Iron Man, which she built with material she stole from campus, and she first used it to flee from campus security. Riri later used it to prevent two inmates from escaping the New Mexico State Penitentiary but her suit was damaged in the process, and she worked on improving it at her mother’s house. Upon hearing of her accomplishments, Tony Stark met Riri and decided to endorse her decision to become a hero, and so she became Ironheart. Now, with the MCU branching out to TV/streaming, it can introduce new characters whose stories connect with the movies, and among those is Riri Williams, but her debut will be outside her TV show.
Riri Williams will make her MCU debut in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever before taking the lead in her own TV show, which will premiere on Disney+ in 2023. With Black Panther 2 being the next MCU movie after Thor: Love and Thunder, the marketing campaign for it has begun, but that also means that photos of the merch and more will be leaked, and among those is one that shows Riri’s first armor, which looks a lot like Iron Man’s Mark I.
Will Ironheart Be Iron Man’s Replacement In The MCU?
Leaked merch for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever focuses on the female characters of the story, as are Shuri (Letitia Wright), Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o), Okoye (Danai Gurira), and Riri Williams. The latter is depicted with her Ironheart suit, which is reminiscent of Iron Man’s very first suit of armor, best known as Mark I. This is the one Tony designed and built while being kept captive by the Ten Rings alongside Ho Yinsen. Together, Tony and Yinsen built the suit with the limited resources around them, and it's the armor that helped Tony escape from the Ten Rings. Mark I had flamethrowers under each hand, a limited rocket launcher, and crude jet boots, but due to its rough design, it left different spots without protection. As Black Panther 2 will be Riri’s introduction, and as her first suit of armor was built with material she found at the campus, it makes sense that it looks like Mark I, which also serves as a mirror to Tony’s beginnings as Iron Man.
With Iron Man now gone after sacrificing himself in Avengers: Endgame to save the universe, there’s a lot of speculation on who will replace him in the MCU, and Ironheart is among the top candidates. Riri’s MCU path might have been teased in Captain America. Civil War, where Tony was seen showcasing BARF at MIT, which could have been a big part of Riri’s inspiration and motivation to become a hero herself. Ironheart’s first MCU suit of armor being so similar to Iron Man’s Mark I provides a thematic link between them and can further prepare the ground for Riri Williams to become the next big MCU hero, but she should also learn from the mistakes of the great Tony Stark, both as the man underneath the armor and as a superhero.
