Ironheart star Dominique Thorne explains how the impact of Tony Stark’s death will be felt in the upcoming MCU TV series. Speaking with SFX magazine, Thorne opened up about the character dynamics at the heart of the show, as her Riri Williams will cross paths with a new antagonist in the form of The Hood. The actress explained that coming off the events of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Riri is in a unique position to figure out a way to use her abilities to help the world. Understanding her shortcomings, the prospect of working with the Hood becomes very intriguing for Riri.
“We know that The Hood couldn’t be farther apart from Riri in terms of her being a very logical ‘show me the facts and run me the numbers’ person,” Thorne said. “Coming off the heels of this super vulnerable experience, with her having been imprisoned, that vulnerability presents a very tender opportunity for Riri to make a real and impactful decision about how her genius will impact the world around her. How will it affect the people that she loves? How can it affect her own goals and ambitions?”
She continued, “There’s a clear understanding that she’s not Tony Stark. She does not have a billion dollars at her disposal. She does not have the resources… she doesn’t have the mentorship, or the guidance. And so what does it look like for someone like The Hood to enter her sphere now, where she is vulnerable and reflecting? It does set the stage for a very interesting journey ahead to see the people who pop up as she’s working to get those answers and what the scale of their influence can be, if any?”
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Executive produced by Ryan Coogler, Ironheart is set to have a three-episode premiere in late June. The miniseries runs for six episodes. It marks Riri Williams’ second appearance in the franchise, following the character’s debut in Wakanda Forever. That movie established Riri’s penchant for designing Iron Man-style suits, basing her work off of old Stark blueprints.
With a little over a month to go until Ironheart arrives, Marvel Studios finally unveiled a trailer earlier this month, setting up the general outline of the story. The footage underlines Riri’s desire to create something “iconic,” with The Hood offering her the resources necessary to accomplish that goal. Based on the preview, Ironheart will deal with moral ambiguity as people close to Riri start to question The Hood’s true intentions.
In the comics, Tony Stark is the one who helps Riri on her journey to becoming a superhero. While Thorne has Robert Downey Jr.’s endorsement, her version of Riri won’t be fortunate enough to get an assist from Iron Man himself. By the time Ironheart picks up, Stark has been dead for many years, so Riri is essentially trying to wing it on her own as she follows Stark’s footsteps. It’s easy to see why she’d be susceptible to The Hood’s methods. Without having Stark there as a mentor figure to guide her, Riri would willingly partner up with anyone offering to make her dreams a reality. It seems like The Hood sees Riri as an easy target to exploit given her vulnerable state of mind and desire to serve the greater good.
By the time Ironheart ends, Riri will likely realize the error of her ways and look to stop The Hood, but it should still be interesting to watch the story play out, setting Riri on the course to become the hero she’s destined to be. Perhaps the show will lay the foundation for her return at a later point in the MCU. Thorne is not one of the many actors confirmed for Avengers: Doomsday so far, but Marvel is planning to reveal more casting announcements at a later date. Maybe once Ironheart is properly established in the franchise, the studio will be open about how she fits into the Multiverse Saga moving forward.
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