“She’s taking that to heart”: Marvel’s ‘Ironheart’ Star Dominique Thorne Reveals How the Events of ‘Wakanda Forever’ Affect the New Show
- Dominique Thorne talks about upcoming miniseries Ironheart.
- Anthony Ramos is excited for the audience to meet The Hood in Ironheart.
- Thorne says things that took place in Wakanda Forever required a lot of self-reflection for RiRi Williams.
Actress Dominique Thorne started her career by appearing in films such as Judas and the Black Messiah and If Beale Street Could Talk. The actress later appeared in Marvel Studios’ Black Panther: Wakanda Forever as Riri Williams’s a.k.a., Ironheart. The character is a teenage engineering genius who designs her version of an Iron Man suit.
The actress is now set to reprise her character in Marvel Studios’ upcoming Ironheart miniseries, created by Chinaka Hodge. As a part of Phase Five of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Ironheart was announced in 2020, and reports suggested that they wrapped production in November 2022. Dominique Thorne has recently revealed how is Ironheart connected with Wakanda Forever.
Actress Dominique Thorne talks about how Black Panther: Wakanda Forever affects mini-series Ironheart
Actress Dominique Thorne will be seen reprising her role as RiRi Williams, a.k.a. Ironheart, from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever for the miniseries titled Ironheart. The character, who is described as an engineering genius, not only managed to make a version of an Iron Man suit but also received Tony Stark’s blessings after she escaped two prison inmates with the help of the armor.
Ryan Coogler described her character as ‘foils’, people who exist in contrasts, adding that there is a thread of similarity. In Wakanda Forever, Shuri meets RiRi, who has some things in common with her but at the same time is very different.
ComicBook Movie reports that the production of the Ironheart series wrapped up in November 2022, but there has been no update regarding the project. But the actress recently appeared on The Official Marvel Podcast, where she explained about how the movie and the show are connected. She said,
We went straight from Wakanda Forever to filming the series, so I was very, very grateful for that. It was a smooth transition. This is my first time doing a deep dive into the character after showing her to the world. That was new to me, but it was fun.
The young actress whose character is described as someone who prefers to spend her free time alone inventing new machines instead of making friends mentioned that it’s safe to say that things that happened in Ryan Coogler’s Wakanda Forever required a lot of self-reflection. She shared further
If you start an interspecies war, we might all encourage each other to take a breath. I think we can say that she’s taking that to heart and considering what it means to show up in this world and space in the way that she does.
By interspecies, the actress meant, a group of blue-skinned, water-breathing super-humans who were introduced in the movie lead by Namor played by actor Tenoch Huerta Mejía. He blames Wakanda for the vibranium race and proposes an alliance but states that he’d destroy Wakanda if they refused. Hence, the battle between superhumans and people in Wakanda begins resulting in Shuri and Namor reaching a peaceful conclusion.
At the time of Wakanda Forever’s release, Thorne spoke about her character and shared that she is a young genius who is a Black woman. She added to the conversation that for her character to be introduced and ushered into the MCU by a nation that is about giving reverence to Black brilliance and led by women feels like an appropriate combination for her. (via USA Today)
Ironheart will take RiRi back to her hometown of Chicago, and she’ll explore what it means to be a Black, young woman in the context of the world where fantastical, mystical, and magical things happen. Towards the end of Wakanda Forever, the young genius leaves her suit behind and heads back to MIT from where the miniseries picks up.
Anthony Ramos expresses excitement about bringing The Hood to life with Dominique Thorne’s Ironheart
Dominique Thorne’s RiRi Williams is going to go up against a new antagonist, Parker Robbins, a.k.a., The Hood, played by Anthony Ramos in the series. The actor also appeared on the podcast, where he expressed his excitement about bringing the character to life. He said,
He is amazing. He is incredible. He is the coolest villain in Marvel history. I’m excited for the Hood and RiRi Williams face-off. It’s a cool build-up to that in the story, and it’s an intense rivalry that we have.
Ramos explained that his character has all the layers as he is a complex guy, and they worked hard to make him a dynamic character. Back in 2022, during an interview with The Wrap, Anthony Ramos described his character as a misfit; he mentioned,
He wants to take in other misfits and show the world that you looked at us as outcasts, but we’re going to end up on top. Parker is a deep dove into a dark place. But on the inside, Parker believes that he’s doing good, and Parker has a love for his crew and his people.
Ramos concluded that he was trying to dance around the plot but noted that Parker Robbins is a complex guy. It will be interesting to see how the story unfolds with both Williams and Parker’s interaction.
Ironheart is expected to release in 2025 with six episodes.
