Solo: A Star Wars Story star Alden Ehrenreich is introduced as Joe McGillicuddy in Ironheart's opening episodes, only to soon be revealed as Ezekiel Stane. Yes, Stane, as in the son of Jeff Bridges' Iron Man villain, Obidiah Stane.
Ezekiel seeks to escape the shadow cast by his late father, but if he's anything like his comic book counterpart, we'll see him receive a series of cybernetic upgrades and become a living weapon, outfitted with bionics.
Talking to Screen Rant, Ehrenreich finally got to break his silence on playing a character with such a huge link to the wider MCU. "Well, it's nice to be a part of something that relates back to the whole legacy of the story, especially because that character was in the first real Marvel movie that started all of this."
"And I had just worked with Robert Downey Jr. [on Oppenheimer] when I got this part, and so I got to talk to him about it and that was nice," the actor continued. "I just FaceTimed with him, and I was like, 'So this has come my way, and this is the role — what do you think?' And he was like, 'Yeah, do it.'"
Rumours that Ehrenreich was playing Ezekiel first surfaced a couple of years ago, courtesy of now-MIA scooper @CanWeGetToast. You'll recall that the unnamed insider vanished after Marvel Studios sent lawyers after them because they leaked material from Captain America: Brave New World.
In a separate interview with TV Line, Ironheart Head Writer Chinaka Hodge explained her decision to include Ezekiel in Riri Williams' story.
"It's a gem of a 'hanging chad' in the Obadiah Stane story," she shared. "One of the best things about the MCU is how things connect, but I think so many of the throws have been forward or to other MCUs or alternate universes, and it’s so much fun to reach back."
Looking to the future, Hodge said she's excited to see where Ezekiel's story goes next. "Alden’s so great in the role and the character is so much fun. I expect, as a fan, it will live a long time."
Without getting into spoilers for the remainder of Ironheart, we've heard that the original plans called for Ezekiel to be named as the one responsible for outfitting the Serpent Society with their weaponry in Captain America: Brave New World. Ultimately, the group of villains was cut as was any mention of Ehrenreich's character.
Does Ezekiel have an MCU future beyond Ironheart? We'll have to wait and see, but with Armor Wars likely no longer happening, it might be tricky for Marvel Studios to find a place for him.
The first three episodes of Ironheart are now streaming on Disney+.