Who is Riri in Wakanda Forever? Marvel’s Ironheart has comic book origins

in the Black Panther: Wakanda forever, fans got the chance to meet one of Marvel’s newest and most popular heroes: Riri Williams, aka Ironheart. Her down-to-earth origins, intelligence, and unusual but important process of creation brought the character into the Marvel Cinematic Universe just six years after her comic book debut.

Actor Dominique Thorne (If Beale Street could talk) steals scenes like Riri and holds its own among the more experienced returnees of Black Panther. Where will you see her again and how did this character come about? We have answers.

[Ed. note: This piece contains a few spoilers for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.]

Image: Marvel Studios

Moviegoers meet Riri as her character becomes caught up in a complicated international incident involving Wakanda, the United States and the powerful undersea nation of Talokan; She is a world-class ghost who defies her professors at MIT and painstakingly works on her own Iron Man flight suit.

Marvel fans first met Riri in 2016 Invincible Iron Man #7. Originally envisioned by Brian Michael Bendis and Mike Deodato, fans met the MIT student as she… built her own Iron Man suit. Just like Tony, Riri’s first suit – a variant of his Mark 41 model – was a little rough, extremely clunky and very powerful. It was a passion project for Riri, something she “dared” to do, but would come in handy once the original Iron Man disappeared.

All was not well for Riri. MIT threatened to have the 15-year-old supergenius arrested for theft, claiming her recovered materials technically belonged to the university. But after Rhodey sacrificed himself to save Tony, the original Iron Man sought out Riri and pulled her out of a tight spot. Like the readers, he was impressed.

Riri debuted under her official superhero nickname, Ironheart, in the first issue of the re-numbered Invincible Iron Man. The issue’s advertiser exclaimed, “From the violent streets of Chicago rises a new armored hero!”, summing up some of the more stereotypical aspects of her original backstory. It was her 2018 solo series written by Eve Ewing and drawn by Kevin Libranda, Luciano Vecchio and Geoffo that would establish Riri as the new Marvel icon.

Image: Eve L. Ewing, Kevin Libranda, Luciano Vecchio / Marvel Comics

With her gorgeous suit, Ewing expanded Riri’s world and brought her own childhood experience in Chicago to the young heroine’s solo title. The series expanded Riri’s scientific knowledge and impact as she shared her inventions with the world, and built on Tony and Riri’s relationship. Most importantly, heart of steel #9 brought Riri to Wakanda and set the stage for her MCU debut. Dynamic and charming, Ewing and the team brought Riri and Shuri’s first meeting to life, creating a vibrant pairing ripe for adaptation.

Allies with the women of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever makes sense for Riri’s introduction to the MCU. It takes one of the most inventive and fun parts of her comic canon and aligns her with Shuri, one of the few people who can go toe-to-toe with her wits in the entire franchise.

With Tony Stark dead after defeating Thanos, Marvel’s movies need a new Iron Man, and who better than the young woman Tony himself saw fit to take his comic mantle. Fans will meet Riri again in her very own Disney Plus series. heart of steel, currently planned for autumn 2023; and while she hasn’t been confirmed for the film, it’s a safe bet she’ll be in War Machine as well arms warsMarvel’s undated film starring Don Cheadle’s Rhodey Rhodes.