Marvel's Ironheart: Release date speculation, cast, plot and latest news
The Marvel Cinematic Universe continues to expand with the addition of Ironheart.
With the release of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever finally upon us, fans can finally get their first glimpse of the new MCU entrant Riri Williams, AKA the Ironheart (Dominique Thorne).
A promo previously released by Marvel Studios gave fans a look at teenage genius Riri’s Iron Suit, which looks set to rival Tony Stark’s tech.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will set up Ironheart’s MCU future, paving the way for upcoming Disney Plus spin-off Ironheart, which will be a direct continuation of Riri’s story.
Alongside Thorne, Alden Ehrenreich (Solo: A Star Wars Story) will play a mystery role, while Lyric Ross (This is Us) is set to play Natalie, Riri’s best friend.
In addition, Anthony Ramos (In the Heights, Hamilton) and Manny Montana (Good Girls) have also been cast in as-yet-undisclosed roles.
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A first look at Ironheart was unveiled at Marvel’s D23 convention on Saturday (10th September 2022), revealing a few more plot and cast details. The footage was exclusive to the D23 audience, but reportedly showed Ramos playing a villainous role in the series.
His character appears to pay Riri to steal materials from the MIT lab, and is seen donning a cloak that apparently bestows him with some kind of strange magic.
Ironheart will join the ever-expanding list of Marvel Disney originals, which includes Ms Marvel, Secret Invasion and Loki. Read on for everything we know so far about the new Disney Plus series.
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Ironheart release date speculation
Ironheart will be released on Disney Plus in late 2023 as part of Marvel Phase 5.
The release period was confirmed at San Diego Comic-Con 2022.
Dominique Thorne will make her debut as Ironheart/Riri Williams in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, due out in November 2022.
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Marvel's Ironheart cast: Who will star alongside Dominique Thorne?
The following cast members have been confirmed for Ironheart:
- Dominique Thorne as Ironheart/Riri Williams
- Lyric Ross as Natalie
- Alden Ehrenreich as TBC
- Anthony Ramos as TBC
- Manny Montana as TBC
- Shea Couleé as TBC
- Zoe Terakes as TBC
Dominique Thorne has been cast as Riri Williams in Marvel's Ironheart series on Disney Plus, having impressed with her screen debut in awards contender If Beale Street Could Talk.
Meanwhile, Lyric Ross (This is Us) is set to play Natalie, Riri’s best friend, while Anthony Ramos (In the Heights, Hamilton) and Manny Montana (Good Girls) have also been cast in as-yet-undisclosed roles.
RuPaul's Drag Race alum Shea Couleé has been confirmed as being cast in a key role, while transgender and non-binary actor Zoe Terakes has also been cast, according to Deadline.
These castings follow the the LGBTQ+ characters of Phastos in Eternals and America Chavez in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Alden Ehrenreich (Solo: A Star Wars Story) has joined the cast in a mystery role.
A few years ago, Ehrenreich, who played the younger incarnation of Harrison Ford's smuggler in 2018's Solo, was asked about a possible MCU debut by Digital Spy.
He replied: "To me it's always, who's behind it, who's the director? Or in this case, the showrunner? And what sort of role?"
"Because some of these genre pieces, whether it's action, superhero stuff, or horror, or whatever, sometimes have tremendous depth. Is the person who's making it really in love with the thing that they're making?
"Or is it sort of a money thing? And some of these bigger things do feel like they really have this great vision behind them.
"So it's always like, it's hard to categorically know, I take it on a case by case basis."
We also would not rule out appearances from Don Cheadle as War Machine/James "Rhodey" Rhodes or Black Panther characters including Shuri (Letitia Wright), Okoye (Danai Gurira), Ayo (Florence Kasumba) and Nakia (Lupita Nyong'o).
Is there an Ironheart trailer?
As detailed above, a trailer was debuted at Marvel's D23 panel earlier in September 2022, but the footage is yet to be made available online.
We'll update this page as soon as it's available.
In the meantime, there are plenty more upcoming Marvel shows to look into.
Who is Riri Williams?
Riri Williams is a relatively new creation, having made her full comic book debut less than five years ago in 2016's Invincible Iron Man #9.
Nevertheless, the character has become a major player in the short time since, getting involved in the major crossover event Secret Empire and joining the young adult superhero team The Champions, as well as leading her own solo title.
When she was first introduced, Riri was only 15 years old but had already established herself as an accomplished scientist with a full scholarship from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Her advanced intelligence leads her to design and build her own suit of armour similar to that which is worn by Tony Stark – and it isn't long before she gets the billionaire's attention.
He ultimately gives Riri his blessing to keep using the suit, making her a major new ally; of course, this origin will have to be tweaked in the Disney Plus series following Stark's death at the end of Avengers: Endgame.
Marvel's Ironheart plot theories
Riri Williams will make her debut in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and she is seen forging her own suit of armour in the trailer and sharing scenes with Wakanda Princess Shuri (Letitia Wright).
It seems she is in Wakanda and is danger from the film's antagonist, Namor (Tenoch Huerta).
Presumably, Marvel's Ironheart will be a more detailed origin story for Riri Williams first and foremost, but it's possible that the series could connect with another Iron Man spin-off headed to Disney Plus: Armour Wars.
That show will see Don Cheadle reprise his role as James Rhodes (aka War Machine), for a story that explores what happens when Tony Stark's technology falls into the wrong hands.
Riri Williams could easily fit into such a narrative, but there's no confirmation on whether Thorne or Cheadle will collaborate across the two projects.
Ironheart will be released on Disney Plus. Sign up to Disney+ for £5.99 a month or save 15% with the annual plan for £59.99 (savings based on 12 mo. of monthly subscription). Looking for something else to watch? Check out our list of the best movies on Disney Plus and best shows on Disney Plus, or visit our TV Guide to see what's on tonight.
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