We first met Riri Williams in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, where it was revealed that she'd created a Vibranium detector. That angered the Wakandans and made her a target of Namor and his fellow Talokans.
The movie saw Riri flee from those who sought to capture her by piloting an Iron Man-like armour. Later, with Shuri's help, the teenager created a technologically advanced suit that she was ultimately forced to hand back to the Wakandans.
The Black Panther sequel didn't expand on whether Ironheart has ties to Tony Stark/Iron Man, and it's been obvious for a while that she wouldn't get an AI version of the fallen Avenger to accompany her into battle. Instead, the MCU skips beyond that point in the comics and introduces N.A.T.A.L.I.E., an AI based on the friend she lost in a drive-by shooting years earlier.
Her step-dad, Gary, was also killed, and it turns out that he inspired her decision to create a suit. Gary idolised Iron Man, and after Riri survived the shooting that took her father figure and best friend, she wants to create armours which can he sued by first responders to get to the scenes of accidents much faster.
It's established that Riri respects Tony, but she's by no means setting out to become the new Iron Man in Ironheart.
Talking to Huffington Post, Dominique Thorne said, "Riri is not a billionaire. She is not a mogul. She is not a white man. She is a 19-year-old Black girl from the South Side of Chicago who is dumpster diving to find her parts and building them in her spare time as a full-time student at M.I.T."
"She’s an engineer and a genius, that they do have in common," the actor acknowledged. "But I think it’s easy to want to compare because we know what’s familiar. She’s a new person pursuing a new dream. A different dream for much different reasons, and her existence and ability to create something even remotely similar, despite how different and nuanced and special it is because of the difference, is incredible."
That in itself, she explained, is "a testament to the legacy that Tony Stark left behind. [Tony Stark] inspired millions of people in the MCU and out here in our real little world. So Riri was absolutely one of those people who took something incredible from Tony Stark’s legacy, but at the end of the day, she’s a different person."
Set after the events of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Marvel Television’s Ironheart pits technology against magic when Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne) - a young, genius inventor determined to make her mark on the world - returns to her hometown of Chicago.
Her unique take on building iron suits is brilliant, but in pursuit of her ambitions, she finds herself wrapped up with the mysterious yet charming Parker Robbins aka "The Hood" (Anthony Ramos).
The series also stars Lyric Ross, Alden Ehrenreich, Regan Aliyah, Manny Montana, Matthew Elam and Anji White. Chinaka Hodge is head writer and executive producer; episodes are directed by Sam Bailey and Angela Barnes.
The first three episodes of Ironheart are now streaming on Disney+.