The actress, who has been cast as Riri Williams and her hero alter ego on her self-titled series, will first make an appearance in the 'Black Panther' sequel.
- Aug 20, 2021
AceShowbiz - Dominique Thorne's Ironheart is coming on screen sooner than later. After she was cast in the role for her upcoming self-titled series, the actress will make her early debut as the character in "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever".
The news was confirmed by Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige in an interview with ComicBook.com. "We're shooting 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever', right now, and the character of Riri Williams, you will meet in 'Black Panther 2' first," he said when talking about the release of "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings".
The "Black Panther" sequel will mark Thorne's debut as Riri Williams and her hero alter ego before she appears on the Disney+ series. Feige added, "She started shooting, I think, this week before her Ironheart series."
In the comics, Riri Williams is a 15-year-old engineering student and the daughter of the late Riri Williams Sr. A certified super-genius, she attends the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on scholarship. There, she designs a suit of armor similar to the Iron Man Armor using material stolen from campus.
After Tony Stark hears of Riri's accomplishment, he goes to meet her and gives her his blessing to become a new, armored hero. However, there is no word on whether Robert Downey Jr. will return as Tony a.k.a. Iron Man as part of the Ironheart introduction in the MCU.
"Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" kicked off production in June, with Ryan Coogler returning at the helm. Following Chadwick Boseman's untimely passing from colon cancer in August 2020, it was announced that Marvel would not recast the role of T'Challa in honor of the late actor.
While plot details are still kept under wraps, Feige said in December 2020 that the sequel would explore "different subcultures" of Wakanda and characters of the first film as a way to honor the legacy that Boseman helped build.
Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke and Angela Bassett have been confirmed to return for the sequel, with Michaela Coel being added to the cast in an undisclosed role. "Narcos: Mexico" star Tenoch Huerta was additionally reported to star in the film as villain Namor the Sub-Mariner.
The movie is scheduled for a July 8, 2022 release in the United States.
