Ever since Tony Stark died in Avengers: Endgame, fans knew his legacy wasn’t over. There would still be heroes in flying suits of armor—with one key example being Rhodey’s War Machine. Another character who fits under that criteria is someone who’s about to get their big introduction in just over a month, thanks to Black Panther: Wakanda Forever: Ironheart.
Played by Dominque Thorne, Riri Williams will be making her big debut on movie screens worldwide before going on to lead her own show on Disney+ next year.
Her exact role to play isn’t confirmed by Marvel, but rumors have indicated that the character will be at the center of the conflict between Namor and Wakanda. She’ll also be suiting up in two different suits, at the very least.
Now thanks to the brand new trailer, audiences can see how Marvel plans on channeling those Iron Man vibes through Riri’s moment in the spotlight.
Visual Similarities Between Ironheart and Iron Man
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever just got its second trailer, leading audiences hyped for what Ryan Coogler's next project has in store for them.
While there was a lot to take in with the teaser, one particular thing to note is the new look at Riri Williams. It's great that not only did Marvel give the world some new glimpses of her inventive hero, but they also specifically picked out shots that had an Iron Man flare to them—like this one.
Here Riri can be seen messing around with a lot of spare parts, potentially while in Wakanda (at least judging by the looks at that floor).
Does that inventive tinkering not immediately bring back images of Robert Downey Jr.'s Avenger doing the same thing?
Then, of course, there are the in-helmet shots—a great way to visualize the suit's interface while also keeping the character's performer visible to audiences.
These in-helmet looks were a mainstay of Iron Man in each of his appearances and will likely always remain a staple to the MCU.
They even picked out a shot of Ironheart taking off for flight in a very similar fashion to Tony Stark.
A great example can be seen when Iron Man is flying off to chase Ebony Maw and Doctor Strange in Avengers: Infinity War.
What's the Connection Between the Two?
Just to make it clear, this imitation isn’t a bad thing—far from it.
It’s Marvel Studios purposely harkening back to Iron Man’s time in the MCU. It’s respecting and honoring that while formerly introducing a new hero who will help fill the hole left by Robert Downey Jr.’s absence.
From these brief glimpses, it seems that Ironheart is going to look incredible. Many fans will likely be thrilled to have those in helmet shots back as well, which is a great method of keeping the actor in the action while not taking away from their awesome suit and its purposes on the battlefield.
The real question, however, is: what exactly is the connection between Riri and Tony Stark? Was he a hero of hers? Maybe her college program got some Stark funding at some point, and that’s the link. Or is it all happenstance?
Sadly, fans will have to wait until the movie lands to see if any of those questions get answered.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever hits theaters on Friday, November 11.
