Who is Ironheart? The roster of MCU characters is ever-expanding. Especially in the aftermath of Avengers: Endgame, and the death or retirement of several senior Avengers, new young superheroes are popping up all around us.
Kate Bishop looks like she’s been lined up to take over from Hawkeye, while Ms Marvel will be stepping up in The Marvels. Meanwhile, in the Marvel series, She-Hulk and Sam Wilson seem to be gearing up to take over from Bruce Banner and Steve Rogers.
There is still one gaping hole left to fill in the new wave of Avengers, however, thanks to the death of Iron Man. Iron Man sacrificed himself at the end of the Avengers time travel movie in order to defeat Thanos once and for all. His death left the team without their biggest figure and without their obligatory tech genius in a metal suit. But MCU fans needn’t worry: a new iron-clad superhero is about to join the Black Panther cast. So, who is Ironheart?
Who is Ironheart?
Played by Dominique Thorne, Ironheart is a superhero who will be making her debut in the Black Panther 2 action movie. Much like Shuri, Ironheart is a talented inventor. She is a graduate of MIT university, and she uses Wakandan tech to create an offensive suit or armour that allows her to fly and engage in combat, much like Tony Stark’s Iron Man suit.
Ryan Coogler, the director of Black Panther 2, has shed some light on Ironheart’s personality. Speaking to EW, Coogler said that Ironheart and Shuri share a “thread of similarity” due to their inventiveness but that they’re “also very, very different”. He also said that their differing backgrounds (Ironheart being born in America and Shuri being born in Wakanda) provide space for the exploration of the “diversity of the Black experience”.
However, Black Panther 2 will only be the star of Ironheart’s journey. After the superhero movie, Ironheart is set to lead her own TV series (which will be titled Ironheart), and this will follow her story in Black Panther 2. This deep dive into her character makes it increasingly likely that Ironheart will be filling that Stark-shaped hole in the Avengers team alongside the new crop of superheroes.
Her journey will also continue beyond the MCU’s Phase 5, which will include Ant-Man 3, Guardians of the Galaxy 3, and Avengers 5, in addition to all-new Marvel series like Secret Invasion.
Exactly how big her role will be in the future of the Marvel movies remains to be seen, but we’re sure we’ll learn more soon. Maybe she’ll come back for Black Panther 3? For more on the people of Wakanda, check out our guide to the Black Panther character Namor the Sub-Mariner.