Words by: Catherine Lewis
Back in December last year, Disney revealed a tonne of upcoming Marvel movies and shows that were in development, including a brand new series centred around Riri Williams, aka Ironheart - a genius 15-year-old inventor who creates a suit similar to Iron Man's. Now though, we've just found out we'll be seeing the prodigy make her MCU debut ahead of her titular show, in none other than Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
The character will be played by American actor Dominique Thorne. Speaking to ComicBook.com, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige said: "We're shooting Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, right now, and the character of Riri Williams, you will meet in Black Panther 2 first. She started shooting, I think, this week before her Ironheart series."
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Riri Williams was first introduced in the Marvel Comics universe back in 2016, when she appeared in the Invincible Iron Man series. In the comics, Riri works alone to create her suit using materials stolen from her campus, and uses it to stop two inmates escaping from the New Mexico State Penitentiary. Tony Stark finds out about Riri's feat, and endorses her decision to become a superhero. As of now, it's not known how this lore will be brought into the Cinematic Universe, but there's no doubt that she's a super cool character, and personally, I can't wait to see her in all her glory.
There's still a while to wait yet, as Black Panther: Wakanda Forever isn't set to hit screens until 8 July 2022. The movie was, of course, delayed after the tragic passing of Chadwick Boseman, who played the iconic protagonist T'Challa in Black Panther. Kevin Feige has previously made it clear that the sequel will not be recasting Boseman, but will instead focus on the other characters. As of now, we're not sure how Wakanda Forever will deal with the fate of T'Challa and his legacy, but there's no doubt that it's shaping up to be a fantastic movie.
Featured Image Credit: Marvel / Disney