Although Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man met his end in 2019's Avengers: Endgame, the legacy of Tony Stark will continue in a big way through multiple Phase 4 projects. Among those include Don Cheadle's Armor Wars, which will explore what happens when Stark tech ends up in the wrong hands, as well as Ironheart, which will follow Dominique Thorne as the girl-genius Riri Williams after she debuts in November's Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
While production updates on the latter have been scarce, Ironheart recently received a new logo during this past fall's Disney+ Day. No updates have surfaced regarding a release window, but fans have already gotten their first glimpse at Thorne's character thanks to set photos from Black Panther 2's summer shoot in Boston, MA.
Recent rumors have pointed to Ironheart's villains also having ties back to the Iron Man saga, with one report hinting that Obadiah Stane's child could lead the way in that villainous effort. Now, another rumor is adding new details about the show's potential rogues gallery.
Tech Bro Villains in Disney+'s Ironheart
Insider KC Walsh revealed a rumor on Twitter that described the villains in Marvel Studios' Ironheart on Disney+.
According to Walsh, the villains will be made up of Silicon Valley-inspired "tech bros," which may include Obadiah Stane's child among the ranks. He also included a GIF of Jesse Eisenberg's Mark Zuckerberg from The Social Network in front of a cheering crowd.
"I heard the villains of Ironheart were basically a bunch of tech bros, Stane being one which has been rumored/reported already."
Tony Stark Vs. Obadiah Stane - Take 2?
With this series likely debuting a decade and a half after Tony Stark first took down Obadiah Stane in 2008's Iron Man, this rumor teases a narrative that reimagines the MCU's very first hero vs. villain fight ever put on screen. That said, it comes with the twist that Stane's child will be far from the only threat Riri Williams has standing in her way.
Fans saw this kind of antagonist recently with the Tracksuit Mafia in Hawkeye. The series eventually revealed that Vincent D'Onofrio's Kingpin was the man behind the group in Episodes 5 and 6. Whether the group in Ironheart comes in similarly to this is a mystery, but given the description, they appear to be fighting fire with fire as they go against the heir to Iron Man.
Considering that Riri Williams will be introduced as an MIT student in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, it seems most likely that the "tech bros" will be either her classmates or college rivals as she gets her start as Ironheart. How quickly they show their power and motivations against her is still unclear, as are specifics on which characters will actually be used in the group.
No matter what those specifics turn out to be, Tony and Obadiah's past looks to have a big impact on this young new superhero as she shows her own skills with her technology and her smarts. With no set timeframe for filming or release, it could be some time before those details come to light.
Ironheart is currently in the early stages of development for its release on Disney+.
