Ironheart is one of several upcoming Disney+ Marvel series. Like The Falcon And The Winter Soldier with Captain America, Ironheart will likely explore the legacy of Iron Man and Tony Stark. There are several comic book storylines it could draw on to do so.
There are plenty of reasons to be excited about the series but one of them is the way the comics featuring Riri Williams already lay the groundwork for her story in the MCU. She is in many ways the heir apparent to Iron Man in the comics and seems like she will be on screen as well.
The War Machines
The debut of Riri Williams comes in the pages of Invincible Iron Man, in a storyline called "The War Machines" in 2015. She only makes sporadic appearances in the six-issue run, but her brief scenes lay the groundwork for her emergence as a superhero.
Riri is a brilliant student at MIT working on her own kit-based suit of Iron Man armor. The focus is really on Tony Stark and James Rhodes, the War Machine, but the seeds are planted for her breakout as a major player in the Marvel Universe.
Civil War II
Riri Williams doesn't have a long comic book history, which makes all of her appearances consequential. Among the most important storylines in all of Marvel Comics is Civil War II, also from 2015. This is where she makes her superhero debut in her DIY set of armor.
It's also where she first meets Tony Stark. He becomes very interested in her intellect and engineering prowess, leading to a mentor/mentee relationship that won't play out the same in the MCU, thanks to the unfortunate circumstance of Tony's death.
Ironheart
The MCU might have a way around that, though. Though Iron Man is a mentor to Riri in the comics, it's through a unique method. Tony Stark is left in a coma at the end of Civil War II, but his digital consciousness appears as a hologram in the Ironheart storyline from 2016.
Riri is now Ironheart, in a new set of much more advanced armor similar to Iron Man's many MCU armors. It's possible the MCU leverages this to bring back Tony Stark as a hologram. He did appear briefly as one at the end of Avengers: Endgame.
The Absolution Of Doom
Doctor Doom is one of the greatest - and worst - villains in Marvel Comics. He was also one of the first serious threats that Ironheart faced. But their encounter didn't play exactly as fans expected. Instead of meeting a villain, Riri Williams met a hero trying to atone for his crimes.
With Tony Stark still out of commission, Doctor Doom takes on the mantle of Iron Man with his own suit of armor in "The Absolution Of Doom." He is also trying to make up for his past mistakes. Ironheart may be a great place for Doom to appear in the MCU, but the circumstances are likely to be different.
Choices
Her journey with Victor Von Doom takes an unexpected turn when Riri becomes the Queen of Latveria, one of the most important fictional countries in Marvel Comics. She doesn't do it through marriage, as the Scarlet Witch nearly did in one of the strangest Fantastic Four romances.
Riri serves as queen in "Choices" while also ruminating over other choices in her life, like joining the Champions superhero team or going back to MIT. Her ultimate decision leads to major consequences for her and likely also signals future developments in the MCU.
Champion For A Day
Riri Williams joins the Champions, a teen superhero team that is slowly coming together in the MCU with her arrival as well as the imminent debut of Kamala Khan, Ms. Marvel. In issues #16-18 of Champions in 2016, Ironheart joins up with the team.
The team also includes Kid Nova, Viv Vision, the synthezoid daughter of The Vision from the 2016 The Vision comic book mini-series that inspired WandaVision, and Miles Morales as Spider-Man. Riri's time with the team would take her life in a completely new direction.
Northern Lights
Things may have gone fine with Doctor Doom, but against Thanos, Ironheart suffered one of her greatest defeats. The "Northern Lights" storyline also from 2016 throws Riri into the fire right away. She and The Champions take on Thanos at the North Pole and it ends in disaster.
She's very nearly killed by Thanos, one of the most powerful Marvel characters. Her armor is destroyed and her choices are thrown into doubt as she's left wondering what the next step is after a very fast initiation as a superhero.
Weird War One
Riri recovers and builds a new set of armor in "Weird War One," but her life is still pretty complicated. The Champions end up in Weirdworld, a magical area of Battleworld, which was the amalgamation of many different worlds in the Secret Wars crossover event.
It's also in this story that Viv Vision finally makes her romantic feelings for Riri known. Though Riri doesn't feel the same way, the two remain friends, even if the journey there is a little rocky.
Ten Rings
"Ten Rings" from 2019 could very easily tie into the MCU. Ironheart has to battle with a zombie attack set off by the criminal organization. Ten Rings are also set to be the villains in the upcoming Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings movie.
The story could tie into another upcoming MCU series, the World Of Wakanda, as Riri Williams goes to Wakanda as part of her mission. There, she is able to commune with her father, who had passed away many years before.
Outlawed
The most current and perhaps most significant storyline involving Ironheart and the Champions is "Outlawed." This story came about after a major battle left Ms. Marvel seriously injured. The American government passed a law, called 'Kamala's Law," banning underage superheroes from fighting.
They also created the C.R.A.D.L.E. (Child-Hero Reconnaissance And Disruption Law Enforcement) agency to prevent them from acting. Ironheart and the other Champions end up on the run and fighting to help others, even if it lands them in jail.