New concept art unveiled the first look at three designs for Riri Williams' magical armor from Disney+'s Ironheart finale. Ironheart achieved something rarely seen before in the MCU as it fused magic and technology, placing them at odds for an epic showdown. Dominique Thorne's Riri Williams donned her Iron Man-inspired armored suit to face off with Anthony Ramos' Parker Robbins and his supernatural hood, given to him in a twisted deal with Sacha Baron Cohen's Mephisto.
Ultimately, Riri found the path to defeating Parker in taking on some magic herself, building a new suit from her stepdad's 1972 Barracuda, and infusing it with upgrades from Kamar-Taj student Zelma Stanton. But that wasn't the end of her supernatural journey, as, having defeated The Hood, Ironheart made her own pact with Mephisto to resurrect her late best friend Natalie.
Marvel Studios concept artist Josh Nizzi took to Instagram over a month after Disney+'s Ironheart premiered to reveal the first look at several abandoned designs for her magic-infused suit featured in Episode 6, "The Past Is the Past." All these designs bear vastly different aesthetics from what made Ironheart's final cut, from altered color schemes to crazy extra features.
Explaining the design behind Ironheart's magical suit, the concept artist pointed out that, as the Disney+ epic reveals, her final attire is based on her stepdad's 1972 Barracuda. As such, Nizzi noted that "this suit was really fun to work on" as he is similarly a fan of classic muscle cars and owns one himself:
The final suit in Ironheart is themed after her dad’s 1972 Barracuda. I’m sorry she destroyed the car. :) I’m a big fan of late 60s early 70s muscle cars so this suit was really fun to work on. (I have a 68 Camaro that looks like Bumblebee).
Clearly, Marvel Studios was pulling out all the stops to perfect Ironheart's final suit, even trying some wacky ideas like... Roller skates?
Nizzi explained that whimsical concept in the caption, outright saying that "it's got wheels on the feet so it can skate," which may not be the most necessary for a high-tech armored suit capable of flight:
"I was still trying to push the silhouette and bring in some more extreme Gundam type shapes but also a lot of reference from the car - the iconic stripes, headers venting out of the chest power source (girl got a v8), the chest heart was inspired by the seatbelts, chrome trim, and it’s got wheels on the feet so it can skate."
The Marvel Studios concept artist went on to detail the various designs considered, including ones with "more feminine/sleek body proportions" and "more heavy car themes." Despite Nizzi's many evolutions, he did not finish the project, and fellow artist Rodney Fuentebella came on board to make some changes:
"I put some other versions on here too that explore more feminine/sleek body proportions as well as more heavy car themes. After I left the project [Rodney Fuentebella] did a nice paint over to add some more details to make it look more constructed in a garage rather than a lab."
While all three scrapped designs for Ironheart's magic-infused suit leaned into the red with some black elements, Disney+'s final product switched things around, placing a greater focus on the dark color scheme with a sprinkling of fiery tones.
Unfortunately, the jury is still out on Ironheart's potential renewal, so, for now, fans will have to be content with her six episodes that are streaming on Disney+.
Ironheart's Magical Abilities Set Up Huge MCU Possibilities
Riri Williams began her suit-building journey a step behind Tony Stark, as she lacked the resources and financial means to bring her ideas to life. Thanks to her deal with Mephisto, Ironheart will have some magical upgrades for her next MCU role, which could make her as much of a force to be reckoned with as Iron Man.
There's no denying her knot to Mephisto will eventually have consequences, as the MCU demon could come knocking for a favor in Midnight Sons, which will reportedly see the supernatural villain trying to create a real Hell on Earth.
At least for now, Riri will be reaping the benefits of her deal with the devil, as her best friend Natalie is alive once again and her suit has some new magical tricks. These otherworldly abilities infused with her technology ought to be a powerful weapon when she reportedly returns in Avengers: Doomsday.
