Marvel’s Ironheart miniseries on Disney+ cemented the fact that Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne) is a major new figure in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s technological arms race. After building her own Iron Man suit from scratch, and getting one-of-a-kind tutelage from Princess Shuri and Wakanda’s scientists (in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever), Riri took the world-changing leap of not just perfecting her own armor designs (using her own resources), but bridging the gap between technology and magic in order to defeat The Hood (Anthony Ramos).
Now that Ironheart is done, there’s a lot of chat and debate among MCU fans about how Riri stacks against Tony Stark. Granted, not all of that talk is nice, as Ironheart stepping into Iron Man’s legacy seems to be making some (trolls) angry, just on principle. However, more level-headed fans are fairly wondering just how far Riri has come to actually develop armor tech that can rival Tony’s Iron Man suits.
Let’s break down where the MCU armor wars currently stand, after Ironheart.
Power Sources
There’s no denying that Tony Stark’s miniturized Arc Reactor design still stands as the technological heart of the MCU. The output of the reactor, which Stark only refined over time, is second to none when it comes to powering armor suits. And, during the run of the Infinity Saga, there’s no doubt that Iron Man had the dominant technological power on Earth.
However, what Riri Williams has accomplished can’t be understated (even though it has been in the franchise). Riri’s Mark I armor was powered by its own Arc Reactor, which she custom-built herself using Tony Stark’s blueprints. That same power source was both refined and then housed in a Vibranium armor (the Mark II) that was far more advanced than her Stark-based design for the Mark I.
Tech Power Levels
Pausing the conversation right there: it’s already a debate as to whether Ironheart’s Mark II armor, with its Vibranium enhancements, isn’t on par with Tony’s later nanotech armors, like the Mark L from Avengers: Infinity War, or the Mark LXXXV from Endgame. The real question is whether or not the nanites and Stark’s armor were a match for the Vibranium in Riri’s suit. It’s a power level showdown that the MCU got to side-step, since Tony Stark never made it to the nation of Wakanda (that we know of) and never pitted his nanotech armors against any of its warriors (like Black Panther or Shuri).
Likewise, there was no crossover between Riri and Tony in the MCU, so no armor vs. armor fight will be able to settle things. There’s also the fact that Riri’s Mark II armor was left in Wakanda, and the Mark III and IV armors she built at MIT and back home in Chicago (respectively) presumably lack the Vibranium enhancements that would make them on par with Tony’s nanotech.
Magic Factor
The finale episode of Ironheart has made this conversation a bit trickier. Riri Williams opened a whole new door by merging her armor technology with magical energy to power it, so that she could counter the mystical energies of The Hood. Riri’s magical levels only seemed to increase after her deal with Mephisto. So, while the sophistication of Riri’s armor tech may have taken a step back, the magical enhancement has far more power potential. It’s also a form of energy (and potential combat) that Iron Man would necessarily be able to compensate for, at least not initially (Tony can turn anything into a solvable equation, eventually).
Who Is More Powerful: Ironheart or Iron Man?
As it stands right now, with all factors considered, it seems like Iron Heart has pushed further into what kind of power and armored suit can have than Iron Man ever did. Granted, Tony Stark has been dead for years in the MCU, and a major part of Riri’s arc is being the unlikely person who comes from the unlikeliest of places to end up being the one who finally cracks the code on continuing Iron Man’s heroic legacy, despite the obvious disadvantages of financing and resources. That inherently requires that Ironheart be advancing the line of armored power forward, just to have her be a competitor at all. So it’s easy to give her the edge… at least in theory.
Obviously, after just two major battles, Ironheart has not been tested like Iron Man was. Tony largely had to stand alone (or with War Machine) when facing the Iron Monger, Whiplash, Aldrich Killian, and any number of their lackeys. Tony also saved the entire world multiple times over – feats that almost always required the direct contributions of his genius and battle prowess. So, until Riri starts playing on that kind of level, it’s fair for veteran MCU fans to still claim Iron Man as their GOAT.
Iron Man, Ironheart, and Avengers content are all streaming on Disney.
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