How Old Riri Williams Is Gives Her A Major Iron Man Advantage

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever introduced new characters to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, most notably Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne), best known as Ironheart. Riri is the official replacement of Iron Man in the MCU, and her age is giving her a major advantage over the hero that inspired her to become one. Although it took the MCU some time to recover from Tony Stark’s (Robert Downey Jr) death in Avengers: Endgame, it’s finally moving on and focusing on other, younger characters that will surely take this connected universe’s lead in the near universe, and among them is Riri Williams.

The MCU’s version of Riri Williams is an MIT student and genius inventor who developed a vibranium-detecting machine that, unbeknownst to her, was putting Namor’s (Tenoch Huerta) underwater kingdom, Talokan, in danger. However, Riri’s biggest achievement was a suit of armor inspired by those of Iron Man that allowed her to fly and fight like a superhero, and after testing it a couple of times around the city, she used it when she, Shuri (Letitia Wright), and Okoye (Danai Gurira) were being pursued by the FBI and Namor’s warriors. Riri, then, is now the MCU’s Iron Man replacement, and she has a big advantage over the beloved genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist: her age.

Riri Williams Is A Superhero At A Much Younger Age Than Tony Stark

riri williams kang the conqueror variant

Riri Williams in the MCU is slightly older than her counterpart in the comics, but she’s still one of the MCU’s youngest heroes. Riri is 19 years old and she’s already a superhero, though her path as one is just getting started. It’s unclear how long Riri had been testing her Ironheart suit around the city and if she helped anyone while wearing it, but she officially became a hero when she didn’t hesitate to join forces with Shuri and Okoye and did her best to protect them from the FBI and the Talokanil. Riri and Tony Stark are similar in a couple of ways, most notably both being geniuses and attending MIT, but Riri has become a superhero at a much younger age than Tony.

What held Tony Stark back from becoming a superhero earlier was his ego and his many inner demons, as he struggled with a lot of trauma from being the son of Howard Stark and the many expectations that came with it, the death of his parents, the pressure of taking over Stark Industries, and a lot more. It wasn’t until Tony was kidnapped by the Ten Rings that he went through a necessary change and realized how much damage he and Stark Industries had done, prompting him to become the superhero everyone knows as Iron Man. Of course, it wasn’t an easy transition and Tony continued to struggle with trauma and his mental health after becoming Iron Man, and he had to learn how to be a hero. Riri will also have a lot to learn, but as she started a lot younger than Tony, time is on her side.

Could Ironheart Be An Even Greater Hero Than Iron Man?

Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man and Dominique Thorne's Ironheart juxtaposed in a custom image.

Although Riri Williams and Tony Stark have some similarities, it’s unlikely she will be a greater hero than Iron Man – but she will definitely be a different one. In just one appearance in the MCU so far, Riri has already made a couple of mistakes reminiscent of those of Tony Stark, but she has also avoided some key ones and shown that she’s more mature than Tony in some areas. Riri has shown more emotional intelligence than Tony and more openness to working with others (something Tony struggled with throughout his whole MCU journey), and her transformation into a superhero comes from a genuine interest in helping others rather than from a traumatic experience that forced her to rethink her life and choices. Based only on her performance in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, it’s unlikely Riri Williams will end up being the leader of the MCU like Iron Man, but she can be one of the brightest and bravest young heroes in the MCU.

Next: Riri Williams' Next Ironheart Armor Will Break An MCU Iron Man Trend