Seventeen years ago, Robert Downey Jr. launched the MCU with Iron Man and a bag of charisma that basically printed money for Marvel Studios. Fast forward to 2025, and someone new is stepping into the iron spotlight. Enter Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams, aka Ironheart — a teenage tech prodigy who doesn’t need a billion-dollar inheritance to build her suit. Just some scrap, Wakandan tech, and a whole lot of genius.
You might remember Thorne’s Riri from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, where she casually built a flying mech in her college dorm. No big deal. Now she’s suiting up in her own Disney+ series, Ironheart, and—despite the internet’s predictable backlash—she’s got a key endorsement that should silence a few critics.
“Robert Downey Jr and I spoke just after we wrapped, and he shared some very lovely words about my journey,” Thorne told Empire. “He told me how excited he was and that he’s rooting for it, too. I literally got two thumbs up. It’s really reassuring to know you’re not embarrassing Iron Man.”
That’s not just approval. That’s Iron Dad giving the blessing.
Still, the online reactions have been mixed. Some fans are clinging tightly to their old arc reactor, with the usual “That’s not our Iron Man” sentiment popping up in forums and comments. Thorne gets it. “She’s dumpster-diving, whereas Tony Stark [was] this bajillionaire,” she points out. But resourcefulness doesn’t make Riri any less impressive. If anything, it makes her even more so. “What she’s able to accomplish is remarkable,” she teases.
And Riri isn’t some random upstart. She’s got comic book cred. Created by Brian Michael Bendis and Mike Deodato, Ironheart debuted in Invincible Iron Man Vol. 3 #7 back in 2016. Her solo comic, Ironheart #1, ranked as the 45th best-selling comic in November 2018. Not bad for a “replacement.”
The Ironheart series, only six episodes long, is set to hit Disney+ in June. It’ll be the 14th MCU show and is expected to shake up what we think we know about Tony Stark’s legacy—and Wakanda’s future.
Oh, and Downey? He’ll be back in 2025 too—in Avengers: Doomsday—but this time as Doctor Doom (and possibly other variants if what Chris Claremont revealed is true).
So, if you’re still holding out for another Iron Man, maybe it’s time to give the MCU’s Ironheart a chance. Tony did. And he gave it two thumbs up.
