Last month, we reported that there were rumblings that Disney and Marvel Studios were planning to replace Tony Stark/Iron Man with young newcomer Riri Williams/Ironheart.
For those not in the know, she’s a relatively new character in the Marvel Universe, a genius MIT student who reverse engineers Tony’s armor and begins to fight crime in it. Recognizing her skills, intelligence and seeing some of himself in her, Stark agrees to assist her in her superhero career (even going so far as to create an AI version of himself that fulfills the same function as JARVIS).
The news back then was that there was an Ironheart script written by Jada Rodriguez on the famous Black List, which features the best un-produced screenplays in Hollywood. Given the nature of licensed Marvel characters, it’s likely that she was commissioned directly by the studio to write it. While Kevin Feige and co. are being understandably cagey about what Phase 4 of the MCU will look like, most fans conclude that Avengers 4 will be a good time to finish off the decade-long story of Robert Downey Jr.’s take on Tony Stark in favor of some new blood, and Riri might just be the one to replace him.
Though this is far from confirmation of that happening, Marvel Comics have added more fuel to the fire today by announcing that they’re “bringing Ironheart into the spotlight” in a new comic written by artist, poet and playwright Eve Ewing (making her comic book debut) and drawn by Kevin Libranda. We’ve seen examples in the past of how the studio’s tested ideas in the relatively low profile comic book market before committing to them on screen, so what better way to raise the profile of one of the potential future primary heroes of the MCU than to release a comic about her?
When Ewing was asked her opinion on Ironheart and why she’s such a great character, here’s what she shared:
“Ironheart symbolizes what happens when you combine incredible strength and might with a sense of love, care, and a true desire for justice. Not just punishment or showing off or short-term solutions, but real justice. Not to be corny or overly literal, but that’s what it means to combine the power represented by “iron” with the moral compass represented by “heart.”
Riri’s identity and the place where she comes from means she sometimes has a different perspective than some of her peers on how to deal with people who are doing wrong. There’s a reason she doesn’t just go around blasting everybody to high heaven because, to be real, she definitely could do that if she wanted. But she’s a very tender person at her core, and she doesn’t just want to be a senseless weapon.”
Tell us, do you think Ironheart‘s got what it takes to fill Robert Downey Jr.’s shoes? And if so, is Marvel testing the waters here by seeing how fans react to her? Let us know by dropping a comment in the usual place.