If the trailer for Spider-Man: Far From Home hasn’t made it clear enough, there’s a pretty large Iron Man-shaped hole in the MCU right now. Robert Downey Jr.’s quip-loving billionaire playboy philanthropist made the ultimate sacrifice to stop Thanos in the finale of Avengers: Endgame. Now, all eyes are on Marvel to see who will eventually fill the character’s metal boots – and it sounds like if RDJ had a say, it would be Ironheart herself, Riri Williams.
BET recently sat down with Kevin Feige, where they asked him point blank if he knew the Iron Man actor has recently called for Ironheart’s introduction into the MCU. The Marvel Studios president had nothing but praise for the character, but he didn’t sound confident in her live action arrival any time soon.
“I think it’s a great character, and it’s been fun to see how she evolves in the comics. I just saw that quote, too. But again, the future…”
Having first appeared in a 2016 issue of Invincible Iron Man, Riri Williams is a black 15-year-old super genius who designs a suit of high-tech armor to fulfill her own desire to become a superhero. When asked at a recent press junket, Robert Downey Jr. called for an adaptation of the character to take up the Iron Man mantle in the MCU. Tom Holland, whose take on Peter Parker has been pegged as the most likely in-universe replacement for Tony Stark, later shared this sentiment while promoting Spider-Man: Far From Home.
Yet, for the time being, Marvel doesn’t seem like they’re in any rush to replace the character. Instead, Iron Man’s death appears to be the driving force for the future, street level films of the MCU. After all, it’s rumored that Norman Osborn will exploit the need for a Tony Stark-like businessman in Phase Four, which is a very smart and interesting way of introducing one of franchise’s most iconic villains.
Of course, it’s a shame we might not see Ironheart hit theaters anytime soon, but you can be sure that Marvel’s at least considered it, seeing how they have nearly a decade worth of stories all planned out. Here’s hoping we just don’t have to wait that long to finally see her on the big screen.