Ironheart is making her MCU debut ahead of the release of her self-titled Disney+ series. Marvel fans got their first look at Riri Williams, a.k.a. Ironheart, in the first official teaser trailer for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
While Riri built her suit of armor using materials taken from around the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.) campus in the comics, the teaser trailer shows the young genius greeting Shuri in what appears to be a lab in Wakanda, and seemingly working on her suit. Dominique Thorne—who plays the superhero in the MCU—told IGN at San Diego Comic-Con 2022 that “the scientific prowess that exists in Wakanda is most certainly in line with Riri and her genius.”
Before she hits both the big and small screens, here is everything we know about Ironheart and her Disney+ series:
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“Ironheart” star Dominique Thorne at San Diego Comic-Con
Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney
Who is playing Ironheart?
Dominique Thorne is portraying Riri Williams in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and the Ironheart series. Thorne’s character is described as a “genius inventor who creates the most advanced suit of armor since Iron Man.”
“I was at home in Delaware and I got a call asking if I would like to play this role,” Thorne previously told Empire. “It was the best phone call I could have ever received.”
“I was so shocked, in fact, that there was a considerable lag in the conversation!” she added. “I was waiting for them to say, like, ‘Oh, we’ll send you the sides’, or, ‘Get your tape over to us.’ But there was none of that. It was just like, ‘Would you like to do this?’ It was probably the most unique experience I’ve ever had because there was no audition at all.”
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Are Ironheart and Iron Man the same superhero?
No. Ironheart and Iron Man are two different heroes … in suits of armor. Robert Downey Jr. played the latter in the MCU. However, his character died at the end of Avengers: Endgame.
In the comics, Riri was “determined to follow in” Iron Man’s heroic footsteps. The teenage super genius reverse-engineered Tony Stark’s “Mark-41 design” and put “her own spin on it.” Per Marvel, Tony took Riri under his wing and provided her with technology, advice and “guidance via the A.I. program based on his own personality.”
Related: Who Is the New Black Panther? What’s Namor’s Deal? All Your Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Questions Answered
Which MCU Phase is Ironheart in?
The Ironheart series will debut in Phase 5, but Thorne’s character will appear in the final title of Phase 4, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
When does Ironheart premiere?
The series is scheduled to begin streaming Fall 2023.
How to watch Ironheart?
The Marvel Studios show will be available on Disney+.
Next, find out everything we know about Marvel’s Phase 5.

