Marvel sequel Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will introduce several new characters to the already stacked MCU, one of them being Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams, aka Ironheart. Speaking with EW, Thorne has discussed what drew her to the role of Riri, offering some insight into what audiences can expect from the latest Marvel superhero.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever director Ryan Coogler meanwhile revealed details of the influence that Ironheart will have on some of the more familiar Marvel faces, particularly that of Shuri, played by Letitia Wright.
“I love the fact that she is just fully herself. She’s definitely not the typical or traditional superhero. She’s very much Riri Williams, the 19-year-old student first, and then there’s this whole Ironheart business that she has to figure out.”
Created in 2016 by writers Brian Michael Bendis, and artist Mike Deodato, Riri Williams is a teenage engineering student and certified super-genius who crafts a suit of armor similar to that of Marvel legend Iron Man. Due to be portrayed by If Beale Street Could Talk and Judas and the Black Messiah star Dominique Thorne, Riri will make her debut in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever before launching into her own Disney+ series.
“She brings a different type of energy, but she also has some similarities to characters that we’ve seen in this universe before. The film deals with a lot of things, but one of them is foils — people who exist in contrast, but there’s a thread of similarity. In this film, we get to see Shuri meet someone who has some things in common with her but is also very, very different.”
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
Coogler explained why the introduction of Ironheart is so important to the MCU, comparing the character to Miles Morales aka Spider-Man.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is Due for Release in November
Marvel Studios
Marvel Studios’ Black Panther: Wakanda Forever takes us back to the once-secret nation, where Queen Ramonda, Shuri, M’Baku, Okoye and the Dora Milaje, must fight to protect Wakanda from intervening world powers in the wake of King T’Challa’s death. As the Wakandans strive to embrace their next chapter, the heroes must band together with the help of War Dog Nakia and Everett Ross and forge a new path for the kingdom of Wakanda after they find themselves invaded by a threat from beneath the sea.
“I remember when Riri was invented in publishing, and there was a level of excitement around her coming up. It was similar to when Miles Morales was invented. Having lived with these archetypical characters for so long, it’s always exciting seeing somebody come up and take on the moniker with a different background.”
Directed by Ryan Coogler, who has co-written the screenplay with Joe Robert Cole, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever stars Letitia Wright as Shuri, Lupita Nyong’o as Nakia, Danai Gurira as Okoye, Winston Duke as M’Baku, Florence Kasumba as Ayo, Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams aka Ironheart, Michaela Coel as Aneka, Tenoch Huerta as Namor, Martin Freeman as Everett K. Ross, and Angela Bassett as Ramonda. Additionally, the rest of the supporting cast will include Isaach de Bankolé, Dorothy Steel, Danny Sapani, Mabel Cadena, Alex Livinalli, Kamaru Usman, and Richard Schiff.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is scheduled to be released in the United States on November 11, 2022, as the final film in Phase Four of the MCU. The Ironheart series, meanwhile, is scheduled to premiere on Disney+ in late 2023, and will be part of Phase Five.
