Marvel Studios may have spoiled Ironheart's secret villain with its latest behind-the-scenes featurette. The upcoming streaming series will pit science against sorcery in an epic battle between Dominique Thorne's Riri Williams (a young genius with a suit of Iron Man-like armor) and the mysterious Hood, played by Twisters actor Anthony Ramos. However, The Hood may not be the only big bad set to appear in the new MCU show, with rumors pointing to several other names making themselves known in the Disney+ epic.
Marvel Comics villain Ezekial "Zeke" Stane seems to have been included in the latest piece of Ironheart marketing, seemingly indicating that he is set to debut in the new Disney+ series. In the comics, Stane is the son of the inventor and evil mastermind Obadiah Stane (aka the villain of the original Iron Man movie).
A tease of Zeke Stane's inclusion in the new series came from the Ironheart behind-the-scenes featurette released on social media on Friday, June 13.
In the roughly two-minute video, a split-second shot of an Iron Man-like figure powering up can be seen shrouded in darkness. While some may assume this character to be Dominque Thorne's Riri Willaims, the armor-clad arm looks much more streamlined than Riri's larger, more imposing Ironheart suit.
The mystery character's arm looks much more in line with Zeke Stane's armor from the comics, leading some to believe that this could be the first proper tease that the character will appear in the series.
Zeke Stane was first rumored to appear in Ironheart in 2022; however, things have been relatively quiet since then. Some have speculated that Alden Ehrenreich could play the character, but he is listed under the name Joe McGillicuddy in all official materials for the project.
Ironheart follows Dominique Thorne's Riri Williams after the events of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever as she embarks on a super-powered adventure to become the next Iron Man-like hero in the MCU.
The new series, executive produced by Black Panther director Ryan Coogler, stars Thorne alongside Anthony Ramos, Alden Ehrenreich, and Lyric Ross. It will be released in two three-episode batches one week apart on Tuesday, June 24, on Disney+.
Who Is Ezekiel Stane in Ironheart?
While not yet confirmed, it seems as though Ezekiel Stane is coming to and will be a secret villain in Marvel Studios' Ironheart series.
Zeke Stane has a long history in Marvel Comics, dating back to April 2008. The character originally debuted as something of an evil Tony Stark, mirroring the path of his in-universe father.
Created by renowned comic writer Matt Fraction, Zeke is the genius son of former Stark Industries collaborator Obadiah Stane (played by Jeff Bridges in the MCU). Like his father and Stark, Zeke has ideas for improving the human body through super-powered armor. However, he approaches things slightly differently.
In the comics, Zeke is known for believing in the meeting of biology and technology, fusing man to machine rather than giving someone a suit of iron-clad armor to wear like Iron Man or Ironheart.
In pursuit of this goal, he combines his human form with an Iron Man-like suit, becoming a super-powered cyborg that threatens not only himself but also the people around him.
With the spell-slinging Hood confirmed to be Ironheart's main antagonist, roping in another villain like Zeke Stane would be a fun way to give Dominique Thorne's titular hero a technical-based threat as well as a magic-based one.
