Who is Riri in Wakanda Forever? Marvel’s Ironheart has a comics origin

Black Panther Wakanda Forever, fans got the chance to meet one of Marvel’s newest and most popular heroes: Riri Williams, aka Ironheart. The character was created by Riri Williams, who has a remarkable origin and intelligence. She also created an unusual, but crucial process that brought it to the Marvel Cinematic Universe six years later than her comic book debut.

Actor Dominique Thorne (Beale Street could talk() is as popular as Riri and holds her own against the older returning cast. Black Panther. You will be seeing her in person again. There are answers.

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

Image: Marvel Studios

Moviegoers meet Riri when her character is thrust into a complicated international incident involving Wakanda, the U.S., and the powerful undersea nation of Talokan; she’s a world-class mind defying her professors at MIT and working carefully on her very own Iron Man-style flight suit.

Marvel fans first met Riri in 2016’s Invincible Iron Man #7. #7. Just like Tony, Riri’s first suit — a twist on his Mark 41 model — was a little rough, extremely chunky, and very powerful. It was a passion project for Riri, something she “dared herself” to do, but it would come in handy when the original Iron Man went missing.

Riri’s life was anything but idyllic. MIT threatened Riri, a 15-year old super genius, with an arrest for theft. They claimed that her salvaged materials belonged technically to the university. Tony was saved by Rhodey, but the Iron Man found Riri and pulled her from trouble. He was just as impressed as readers.

In the inaugural issue of the renumbered, Riri made her debut under the official superhero name Ironheart. Invincible Iron Man. The solicit for the issue exclaimed: “From the violent streets of Chicago, a new armored hero rises!” which sums up some of the more stereotypical aspects of her original backstory. Riri was a Marvel new icon because of her solo 2018 series, written and drawn by Eve Ewing, Luciano Vecchio and Geoffo.

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

With her gorgeous suit, Ewing built out Riri’s world, bringing her own experience growing up in Chicago to the young hero’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. But most importantly Ironheart #9 took Riri from Wakanda to set the stage for her MCU debut. Ewing and the team brought Riri and Shuri’s first meeting to life in dynamic and charming fashion, establishing a vibrant pairing ripe for adaptation.

Assemble herself with the women Wakanda Forever: Black Panther makes sense for Riri’s introduction into the MCU. The MCU’s introduction of Riri into the comics will be a great opportunity to tap into her most innovative and entertaining parts. It also aligns her with Shuri, who has the rare ability of balancing her intellect with hers.

With Tony Stark dead after defeating Thanos, Marvel’s movies need a new Iron Man, and who better than the young woman that Tony himself saw fit to take up his comic book mantle. Riri is back on Disney Plus. Ironheart, currently slated for fall 2023; and while she hasn’t been confirmed for the film, it’s a safe bet that she’ll also join War Machine in Armor Wars, Marvel’s as-yet-undated movie starring Don Cheadle’s Rhodey Rhodes.