Following the events in Avengers: Endgame, there are a couple empty iron suits laying in Tony Stark’s cabin somewhere collecting dust. While most fans are still in mourning the demise of Robert Downey Jr’s Iron Man (some even going as far as petitioning his fate), someday in the future we could open our hearts to someone else taking over the Iron mantle.
When Tom Holland, a.k.a. the MCU's Spider-Man, was recently asked about who he’d like to see join the franchise, he pointed to Riri Williams, Marvel Comics’ young female iron lady. In his words:
Her name’s Ironheart; Riri. She’d be a cool person to bring to the big screen … the multiverse opens up so many doors where we can introduce so many cool new characters like Ironheart.
Tom Holland’s comments to Fandom actually come on the heels of Robert Downey Jr’s recommendation for the same character to join the big screen just a couple weeks ago! Contrary to his words, it should be noted that Riri Williams is from the same universe as Peter Parker in the comics... but so is Mysterio, and he's been introduced as part of the Multiverse in the Spider-Man: Far From Home trailers.
Ironheart was introduced to the comics just three years ago in 2016’s Invincible Iron Man #7 by creators Brian Michael Bendis and Mike Deodato before she was refashioned for her own solo series by Eve Ewing and Kevin Libranda.
She’s a 15-year-old genius engineering student attending MIT who figures out how to reverse engineer one of Tony Stark’s suits to build her own. Like many of her fellow superheroes, Riri WIlliams is a character who carries great tragedy with her. Her father dies shortly after she is born and her best friend and remaining family are victims to a drive-by shooting in her Chicago home when she is 13.
In the comics, while Tony Stark is in a coma, she takes it upon herself to continue his legacy and fight in his stead. She also uses an A.I. modeled after Stark’s consciousness to mentor her through the use of the iron suit and crime fighting.
It would be interesting to see Ironheart come to the MCU, potentially inspired by Stark’s sacrifice for the sake of the universe in Avengers: Endgame. Since Tom Holland’s Spider-Man is close to her age, but a little older and with more experience in the field, that could make for some memorable interactions. They could bond over their love of Iron Man! Alright, this actually needs to happen!
Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige was asked about the addition of Riri Williams by BET, following Robert Downey Jr’s comments. Here’s what he said:
I think it’s a great character, and it’s been fun to see how she evolves in the comics. I just saw that quote, too. But again, the future…
Kevin Feige has been a bit of a broken record about not answering questions regarding what’s coming next in the MCU until the release of Spider-Man: Far From Home hits theaters and Phase Three closes out. We can likely expect some big announcements this summer with San Diego Comic Con and D23 soon coming up. At least Riri Williams is on his radar. Maybe it’ll happen sometime in the future!
Would you be excited to see Ironheart on the big screen in the MCU? Let us know in the comments below!
