Ironheart's Most Important Qualities, Shared By Riri Williams Actress

Ironheart star Dominique Thorne breaks down what is at the core of Riri Williams' character and how it impacts her view of the world. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever introduces Riri Williams into the MCU as a 19-year-old MIT student. Riri Williams has truly impressive engineering skills, managing to impress both Shuri and the U.S. government, which uses the technology that she invented.

Ryan Coogler has been integral in shaping Riri Williams as the writer and director of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and executive producer of Ironheart. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever touched on Riri's origins, but Ironheart will dive deeper into her background and how it influences her. During Screen Rant's exclusive interview with Thorne, she talks about how Riri Williams is "first and foremost, a young black girl." Thorne explains how Riri's background shapes her view of the world, making it more interesting when she is confronted with Talokan.

"Honestly, the primary thing—this is probably the one and only thing that I hoped to impart—was that she didn't have to look like a traditional genius or a traditional hero, and that she was neither of those things. She was first and foremost a young Black girl. That's it. That's also everything. Then I think it becomes a much more interesting ride to then see how this young black girl, who is also from Chicago and from the South Side, engages with the mysticism of Talokan. Then it becomes more interesting to see what it's like for someone to confront and enter into those spaces, knowing that is her experience. That's the thing that tethers her through everything, and everything else now just becomes another opportunity for adventure."

What Role Will Riri Williams' Background Play In Ironheart?

An image of Riri Williams using contraptions in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Thorne emphasizes how important it is to her that Riri Williams is first and foremost a young black girl. With this at the core of who Riri is, it informs every other element of her character and how she sees the world. Riri's intelligence, her engineering skills, and her heroism are all shaped by the fact that she is a young Black girl from the South Side of Chicago. Black Panther 2 changed everything for Riri Williams. Shifting her understanding of the world and setting up a compelling character arc in Ironheart.

Riri will continue to be confronted by the more mystical side of Marvel with The Hood, aka Parker Robbins, a magic-wielding Marvel villain, appearing in Ironheart. Riri Williams returns to her life at MIT after learning how expansive the world is and seeing the truth about magic. Being confronted with the reality of the world could lead Riri to try and understand everything she saw with logic and science. She is a technologically based hero that is diving into the world of mysticism and magic, which already sets Ironheart apart from Iron Man.

Coogler has proven his ability to focus on the humanity at the core of superheroes and villains, making these characters more complicated and rich. Thorne and Coogler bring authenticity and depth to Riri Williams in these spaces that are more bombastic and mystical. As she explores these magical elements of the MCU, her view of the world, how she approaches danger, and how she solves problems can all be traced back to that tether to who she is at her core: a brilliant young black girl from the South Side of Chicago.

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