The producers behind Marvel Studios' latest Disney+ series, Ironheart, confirmed where the show takes place on the MCU timeline. Ironheart stars Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams (who first debuted in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever), a genius who is very much not Tony Stark. Sometime following her adventures in Wakanda with Shuri, she finds herself kicked out of MIT and is forced to discover a different way to fund her inventions and heroic intentions.
The Direct's Russ Milheim spoke with Ironheart producers Sev Ohanian and Zoie Nagelhout about the show. They confirmed when Ironheart's story takes place relative to other MCU projects–something star Dominique Thorne was even cagey about recently.
Ohanian revealed to The Direct that the show takes place "about six months after ['Wakanda Forever']."
For context, within the MCU, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever takes place in Spring 2025. That means that Ironheart is likely in the fall of the same year, specifically that of Fall 2025. Compared to more recent happenings in the MCU, Thunderbolts* is estimated to take place in 2027, with many believing it's roughly in the Spring.
Ironheart's placement two years earlier on the timeline is likely due to the show having originally been intended to air years ago. After all, the production wrapped in late 2022, nearly three years ago (with Marvel likely originally looking to debut the show in 2023). Obviously, that production timeline was shifted around as Marvel Studios went through hefty restructuring internally, changing their plans for many projects.
As for what the show will explore during its run, Ohanian also explained that audiences will get to "see Chicago," which is "a corner of the MCU we haven't quite seen before." He further noted that a large portion of her journey will be about Riri "trying to get the resources to even begin" her career as Ironheart.
Nagelhout added that Ironheart will give fans the chance to see Riri Williams "in her element," compared to her being "a fish out of water" in her debut MCU performance.
Ironheart's first three episodes premiere on Disney+ on Tuesday, June 24, 2025. It will round out its run with another three-episode drop on Tuesday, July 1, 2025.
When Does Ironheart Take Place in the MCU Timeline?
The Show Isn't as Current as Fans Might Think
- The Direct: "Where does this show take place on the Marvel timeline? How far after ['Wakanda Forever'] and where is it relative to something that just happened, like, 'Daredevil' or 'Thunderbolts?'"
Zoie Nagelhout: Probably a good, like, less than a year, like, between six months to a year after 'Wakanda: Forever'
Sev Ohanian: I mean, I'm the guy that was like, wait a minute, 'Spider-Man: Homecoming,' the eight years later, like this doesn't track. So the timeline, that's huge for me. But I will tell you, in developing the show, it was always meant to be like six months to a year after Wakanda. I gotta be honest, I can't remember how we landed on [it], but that was always the intention. And I know that some of the Marvel shows and movies are kind of like floating in the 2020s at different points. But I would call it about six months after ['Wakanda Forever'].
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is believed to take place sometime around Spring 2025, accounting for the movie taking place a fair bit of time after T'Challa's death, which occurs a year after Avengers: Endgame's end in October 2023. If Ironheart takes place six months after Wakanda Forever, this puts its canonical place on the timeline around Fall 2025.
This also means that the show likely runs alongside the events of Ms. Marvel, which takes place around September 2025 on the MCU timeline.
Exploring Riri Williams in New Ways
Ironheart Will Explore a New Corner of the MCU
- The Direct: "When it comes to exploring Riri Williams as a character, what were some of the key differences you really wanted to dive into in this show that audiences never saw in 'Wakanda Forever,' where she debuted?"
Sev Ohanian: In 'Wakanda Forever,' we just get such a small taste of her. She's an important part of that plot of that story, but we don't actually get to go home with her and see what makes her tick and see her take center stage. So that was already incredibly appealing about the show, when we really do get to go home with her and see Chicago, which is a corner of the MCU we haven't quite seen before, not to mention so much of her journey is about trying to get the resources to even begin and that's what takes her on the journey to begin with.
Zoie Nagelhout: I mean, it just really, she was a fish out of water in Wakanda, so this is our chance to see her in her element.
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