Dominique Thorne’s character of Riri Williams / Ironheart will make her debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, according to Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige.
Feige told ComicBook.com that Williams, an engineering prodigy who creates an Iron Man-like suit of armor, will make her first appearance in the MCU ahead of the Ironheart Disney Plus series.
“We’re shooting Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, right now, and the character of Riri Williams, you will meet in Black Panther 2 first,” Feige said. “She started shooting, I think, this week before her Ironheart series.”
Thorne’s potrayal of Williams will be the first time Ironheart will be in a Marvel live-action film. The character had previously appeared in animated series such as Marvel Rising: Heart of Iron and Marvel’s Spider-Man.
Feige announced the casting of Thorne, as well as the Ironheart series, in December 2020 during a Disney investor presentation. Similarly to Warner Bros.’ decision to cast singer and songwriter Leslie Grace to star as Batgirl despite relatively few film appearances, Thorne has only two movie credits to her name so far, not including her role in Wakanda Forever.
Thorne portrayed Sheila Hunt in the 2018 film If Beale Street Could Talk, and she portrayed a Black Panther member Judy Harmon in Shaka King’s Judas and the Black Messiah. She will reunite with Daniel Kaluuya, who starred in Judas and the Black Messiah and will reprise his as W’Kabi in Wakanda Forever.
Production for the sequel to Black Panther began in late June in Atlanta. The screenplay reportedly underwent many changes after the death of Chadwick Boseman in August 2020 after a battle with colon cancer.
The fellow cast members for Williams’ Ironheart series nor its release date have been revealed.