#ComicBytes: Meet Ironheart Riri Williams, Tony Stark's successor in MCU
Iron Man's death in Avengers: Endgame was quite shocking. But this doesn't mean that his legacy is gone. While his bestie Jim Rhodes, played by Don Cheadle, is getting his own series with Armor Wars, genius inventor Riri Williams is coming to MCU as Ironheart. As we wait to see Dominique Thorne's portrayal of the character, here are some details about this fictional superhero.
Raised by her mother and step-father in Chicago, Riri was a child prodigy. In fact, she joined the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T) at the age of 11. Following the death of her step-father, she reverse-engineered Tony Stark's Mark-41 design to build her own suit of armor from stolen materials. When she was questioned for her robbery, Riri used the armor to escape.
Although this armor proved to be a failure, it gained the notice of Tony Stark, who decided to endorse her quest to become a superhero by mentoring her. She even fought alongside Iron Man in Civil War II. When Tony fell into a coma at the end of this storyline, Riri decided to take on some of his superhero responsibilities and became the Ironheart.
Riri's original armor was capable of flight and flipping bulks, but eventually, it got damaged. However, her new suit, which she made with the help of Tony and his tech, has more features, including the energy blasts from the palms of her gloves. More importantly, this armor is equipped with an AI version of Tony Stark, which functions as the main operating system.
Due to her Tony Stark connection, Riri's closest allies are Pepper Potts, Amanda Armstrong, Mary Jane Watson, and Tony's A.I. assistant, Friday. Riri also works with S.H.I.E.L.D. commander, Sharon Carter. Additionally, Ironheart is part of the Champions. As a member of this teenage super-team, she has undertaken many adventures, including the time when she joins the underground resistance to defeat the Hydra-controlled Captain America.
The announcement of an Ironheart Disney+ series has met significant criticism online given that in comics, she is kind-of narcissistic and anti-social. Plus, the anti-diversity rhetoric also impacted her debut. Although her stories could have been better, she still has potential. With the wave of the next generation of superheroes, MCU can really use an armored superhero.
