Curious about Marvel’s upcoming new Ironheart series? While some details are still locked away, news has dropped about cast members, the directors and when we can expect to meet teen genius Riri Williams, aka Ironheart.
The Disney Plus series stars Dominique Thorne as Williams, “a genius inventor who creates the most advanced suit of armor since Iron Man,” according to Marvel. That logline doesn’t reveal a ton, but the comics offer plenty of hints about what the series might entail.
Marvel Comics
What’s Marvel’s Ironheart about?
In the comics, Riri Williams is a teen genius who’s offered a scholarship to MIT at just 11 years old. While she’s a student, she steals materials from around campus and uses them to build an Iron Man-esque suit of armor. (The teen is a big admirer of Tony Stark, and reverse-engineers one of his suits).
Williams quits school after being confronted by MIT for stealing. While testing out her suit, she apprehends two inmates fleeing from prison, but her suit gets damaged and she returns home to fix it. That’s when none other than Tony Stark drops by, giving her his blessing to become a superhero.
When Riri is still a student, her best friend and stepdad die in a drive-by shooting. The name Ironheart is inspired by “the armor that Riri has been trying to build around herself ever since, both literally and figuratively,” Marvel says.
Who’s directing and in the cast?
Sam Bailey and Angela Barnes will direct the series. Bailey worked on the Netflix show Dear White People and the Emmy-nominated web series Brown Girls. Blindspotting, Mythic Quest and the upcoming fourth season of Atlanta are among Barnes’ credits.
Ironheart will be produced in part by Ryan Coogler’s production company, Proximity. Coogler directed Black Panther and the film’s upcoming sequel, Wakanda Forever, which will feature Williams. More on that below.
As mentioned, Ironheart stars Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams. The actor appeared in the 2014 film If Beale Street Can Talk and 2021’s Judas and the Black Messiah.
In the Heights star Anthony Ramos confirmed in an Instagram post that he too would join the Ironheart cast in a yet-to-be-disclosed role. This is Us star Lyric Ross and newcomer Harper Anthony have also joined the cast. Ross will play Williams’ best friend, and Anthony’s role is still unknown.
When will Marvel’s Ironheart premiere?
While the release date for Marvel’s Ironheart hasn’t been revealed, we know we’ll have to wait at least until Black Panther 2 drops on Nov. 11, 2022.
Dominique Thorne will make her debut as Williams in the sequel, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige told ComicBook.com.
How many episodes will there be?
The first season of Marvel’s Ironheart will consist of six episodes, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Chinaka Hodge will serve as head writer.
Will Ironheart have superpowers?
Riri Williams does not have any superhuman abilities in the comics, but she is incredibly intelligent, engineering her own complex armor. Eventually, that suit provides her with flight, superhuman strength and the ability to fire energy blasts from her gloves.
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