Following the official announcement of the long-awaited Ironheart series during the 2020 Disney Investor Day presentation, rising actress Dominique Thorne who landed the titular role of Riri Williams has finally opened up about Disney+’s upcoming MCU series. Speaking with BlackFilmandTV.com, Thorne revealed that she and her family have always been fans of Marvel, and being chosen to take on the mantle of the first live-action Ironheart was surreal to her.
“Absolutely. I think my mother might disown me if I didn’t,” Thorn said on already having knowledge about the character before nabbing the part. “It’s very much a Marvel household. I did know about Ironheart before I was approached with the role. So it was it was an awe, inspiring moment to think that I would be chosen to portray this woman and to bring her to the screen in this way. So yeah.
When asked about if she has finished reading all Ironheart comic books in order to prepare for the role, she answered, “I’m looking forward to really doing the deep dive. I’ve definitely run through as many of the comics as I can. I’m so ready to do more.
This project will mark Thorne’s TV debut after appearing in 2018’s acclaimed drama If Beale Street Could Talk which was her first feature film and acting debut. Before suiting up as Ironheart, she will next be seen in Warner Bros.’ Judas and the Black Messiah which is set to debut this Friday in select theaters and on HBO Max.
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Created by Brian Michael Bendis and designed by Mike Deodato, the character of Ironheart first appeared in Invincible Iron Man issue No. 7 in a cameo appearance before making her full debut in issue No. 9 as a 15-year-old engineering student who lives with her mother and paternal aunt in Chicago following the death of her father before attending the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on a scholarship, as she is a certified genius.
Click here to purchase Ironheart’s debut in the comic book world!
Working alone, she designs a suit of armor similar to the Iron Man armor using material stolen from campus and begins fighting crime herself, but while trying to prevent the escape of two inmates from the New Mexico State Penitentiary, her suit is damaged and she must return home and continue working on the suit, much to the dismay of her aunt. Original Iron Man, Tony Stark, eventually hears of Williams’ accomplishment and sets off to meet her and, after getting to know her, elects to endorse her decision to become a superheroine.
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Much like the Don Cheadle-starring Armor Wars series at the streaming platform, Disney+’s Ironheart will have to tweak the source material a bit as the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Tony Stark is dead following his heroic sacrifice in the finale of Avengers: Endgame and with star Robert Downey Jr. essentially retired from the role, it’s unlikely to see his iteration of the iconic hero meet the up-and-comer in her journey to eventually take on the mantle of Iron Man.
(Photo Credit: Getty Images)
