Disney+'s Ironheart will feature a unique crossover of MCU elements that perfectly set up Avengers: Doomsday and Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom. Ironheart will follow a unique premise as Riri Williams' Stark-inspired technology is pitted against Parker Robbins' magical hood he stole from a demon. The 2025 Disney+ series will be a historic one for Marvel Studios as it depicts the MCU's first true showdown between magic and technology.
Ironheart executive producer Ryan Coogler spoke with Deadline and teased an interesting way that the Disney+ series sets up Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom and Avengers: Doomsday. As the series explores the MCU's first true conflict between magic and technology (the two things that Doctor Doom famously fuses), Ironheart is somewhat setting the stage for the Avengers villain's powers.
While Coogler was clear that they were unaware of any Doctor Doom plans when crafting Ironheart, the coincidental similarity will offer a "great sample of things that are to come" in the 2026 blockbuster:
“We didn’t know it was going to be Doctor Doom in [Avengers 5] when we first started, but he’s a guy in publishing who’s most famous for fusing technology and magic, so it’s a great sample of things that are to come in probably what’s going to be the biggest movie in Marvel history.”
Ironheart stars Dominique Thorne, Anthony Ramos, Alden Ehrenreich, Lyric Ross, and, reportedly, will have another magical element by introducing Borat actor Sacha Baron Cohen as the iconic Mephisto.
Why Ironheart Is Perfectly Setting Up Avengers 5 (By Accident)
While Ironheart has suffered two years of delays, the series may be arriving at the perfect time on the road to Avengers: Doomsday. The MCU has never truly fused magic and technology before, so introducing that concept before Doctor Doom does just that next year ought to set up Avengers 5 perfectly.
As many will be aware, Ironheart was shot in 2022, at which time Avengers 5 was still meant to be The Kang Dynasty and feature Jonathan Majors' Kang. The series since undergone reshoots in early 2024 in time for its recent Disney+ premiere.
Marvel Studios recently confirmed that Ironheart takes place under a year after Black Panther 2. This means that the MCU's latest Disney+ series takes place almost two years before more recent movies such as Thunderbolts*, making it unlikely to lead into Avengers 5 in any major way.
Dominique Thorne's Ironheart, much like the MCU's other young heroes, has yet to be confirmed for Doomsday as she was absent from the initial chair reveal. That said, Thorne was among 30+ additional names in the rumored Avengers 5 cast, meaning she may still find her way into the movie after Ironheart.
If she appears in Doomsday, she might team up with other youngsters (who may one day lead the MCU's Champions series) such as Ms. Marvel and Kate Bishop. There's no doubt that Riri Williams' unique intelligence will be a powerful asset to the team as the Multiversal conflict looms.
