As the Marvel Cinematic Universe expands in scope, so does its cast and the type of stars it attracts as RuPaul’s Drag Race star Shea Coulee has joined Ironheart.
Ironheart, and the character of Riri Williams, is making her MCU debut in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and it looks like this verison may be Wakandan as opposed to being an MIT graduate who grew up in Chicago. A recent addition to the Marvel canon, Ironheart first appeared in 2016 during the Invincible Iron Man run and later saw her take on the mantle formerly held by Tony Stark.
The upcoming Disney Plus series has swooped for the Drag Race-winning star in a secret role, according to a new report by Deadline. With the secrecy around Marvel projects, it’s likely we won’t know for a good while who exactly she’ll be. The cast so far for Ironheart has been kept mostly under wraps, with Coulee joining Dominique Thorn as the titular hero, Anthony Ramos, Manny Montana, and Han Solo star Alden Ehrenreich.
Marvel is very much pushing for characters to take on the legacies of its previous heroes: Sam Wilson as Captain America, Jane Foster as Thor, and Shuri as Black Panther. It’s a way to keep the stories going and allow for actors to join and leave the Disney production train as they wish.
Ironheart is scheduled to premiere on Disney Plus in late 2023, with the series currently filming in Atlanta and Chicago. The character will get their first look in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, due in cinemas Nov. 11.