Dominique Thorne's Ironheart is now officially part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, thanks to her appearance in Ryan Coogler's Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which landed in theaters over the weekend. And while it's been revealed that next year's Ironheart Disney+ series will be a direct sequel to Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, further details have been almost non-existent.
In an interview with ComicBook.com, the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever star shared that the live-action adaptation of the character will indeed share some parallels with the comics version of the character. However, the star of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever informed them that fans will just have to tune into Ironheart on Disney+ to see if the relationship between the two characters is inside of the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe.
"They definitely are similar, but definitely two independent expressions of this beautiful mind," Thorne says of the comic and live-action storylines. "I think the answer to that is best left to the series next year, so that's where you'll have to come for the truthful answer to that question."
While Thorne has been rather tight-lipped regarding the Disney+ series, she did mention during the interview that both Riri Williams and Tony Stark have very ambitious personalities.
"I think for someone as ambitious as Riri Williams, it's without a doubt something that draws you in and begs your attention. As you can tell from the movie, that ambition will lead where it will lead and this time it's led to her being in line with him by creating her very own suit of armor."
Riri Williams was first created by writers Brian Michael Bendis and artist Mike Deodato in 2016 for Marvel Comics. She debuted in Invincible Iron Man Vol. 2 #7, which was written and drawn by Bendis and Deodato, but her first significant appearance occurred two issues later. She later starred in the third volume of Invincible Iron Man in 2016 as Ironheart, using armor designed by Stefano Caselli.
In the comic books, Riri Williams is a 15-year-old engineering student and the daughter of the late Riri Williams Sr. She has been officially recognized as a super-genius, and as a result, has been awarded a scholarship to attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Riri, working by herself, fashions a suit of armor out of materials stolen from the college campus that is reminiscent of the Iron Man armor. She runs away while still wearing the suit when campus security comes knocking at her door.
Williams' suit sustains damage as a result of her efforts to stop two inmates from escaping from the New Mexico State Penitentiary. Riri does not stop working on perfecting the costume even after she has returned to the home she shares with her mother, much to the chagrin of her aunt.
When Tony Stark learns of Riri's success, he decides to visit her in order to congratulate her. During the course of their conversation, Stark comes to the conclusion that he will support her choice to become a superhero.