Dominique Thorne’s Ironheart will debut inBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever. Previously, it had been announced that Thorne would be playing the role of Riri Williams in an upcomingIronheartTV series for Disney+. Prior to her appearance on the show, the character will first make her Marvel Cinematic Universe debut on the big screen in the anticipated sequel toBlack Panther, as confirmed by Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige.
“We’re shootingBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever, right now, and the character of Riri Williams, you will meet inBlack Panther 2first,” Feige told ComicBook.com in an interview promotingShang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. He went onto say aboutDominique Thorne, “She started shooting, I think, this week before herIronheartseries.”
Riri Williams first appeared in Marvel Comics lore in 2016 when she was created by Brian Michael Bendis and Mike Deodato, making her debut inInvincible Iron ManVol. 2 No. 7. She is a 15-year-old engineering student and super-genius who constructs her own suit of armor similar to the Iron Man Armor which she uses to fight crime. In the comics, Tony Stark meets with Riri and endorses her decision to become a superheroine I, though given the events ofAvengers: Endgame, that probably won’t happen in theIronheartseries.
Black Panther: Wakanda Foreverrecentlystarted shooting in Atlanta with Ryan Cooglerback in the director’s chair. As original star Chadwick Boseman passed away last year, the movie won’t feature T’Challa, as Feige has confirmed the role won’t be recast. The sequel stars the likes of Letitia Wright, Angela Bassett, Danai Gurira, Florence Kasumba, Daniel Kaluuya, Winston Duke, Lupita Nyong’o, and Martin Freeman. It’s unclear how big of a role Ironheart will play in the story as plot details are tightly under wraps.
“I was at home in Delaware and I got a call asking if I would like to play this role,” Thorne previously told Empire of herIronheartcasting, revealing she didn’t even need to audition. “It was the best phone call I could have ever received. I was so shocked, in fact, that there was a considerable lag in the conversation! I was waiting for them to say, like, ‘Oh, we’ll send you the sides’, or, ‘Get your tape over to us.’ But there was none of that. It was just like, ‘Would you like to do this?’ It was probably the most unique experience I’ve ever had because there was no audition at all.”
Animated versions of Ironheart have appeared in previous Marvel projects, but Dominique Thorne will play the first live-action incarnation. In December 2020,Ironheartwas named along with a slew of other titles in development at Marvel Studios for Disney+. Also announced were new showsSecret Invasionwith Samuel L. Jackson and Emilia Clarke,Armor Warswith Don Cheadle back as War Machine, and an animated series of shorts calledI Am Grootfeaturing the popular character fromGuardians of the Galaxy.
The latest of the Disney+ shows,What If…?, recently premiered on Disney+. An animated series, the show reimagines how certain events would have played out differently in the MCU. This series followed the successful Marvel showsWandaVision,The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, andLoki. Shows likeMs. MarvelandHawkeyeare also coming soon.
Ironheartdoesn’t have a release date. You can catch Dominique Thorne asRiri WilliamswhenBlack Panther: Wakanda Foreveris released on July 02, 2025. This news comes to us fromComicBook.com.
