Marvel's Ironheart Series Preview

Many MCU fans could barely contain their emotions when Iron Man sacrificed his life to save everyone else in "Avengers: Endgame". An era came to an end. For lots of fans, the MCU was never able to return to its former glory over the next few years. Frequent complaints: too much content, too much politics and too little quality.

And then, of all people, a young, black woman is supposed to replace Iron Man? At least that's how many viewers felt when Riri Williams, aka Ironheart, made her first appearance in "Black Panther 2". A technical genius in power armor - except this time not a supposedly old, white man.

Riri Williams caused a lot of discussion, but Marvel was unperturbed: she's to get her own series on Disney+. The premiere of "Ironheart" is approaching, giving us plenty of reason to take a closer look at how Marvel hopes to win over fans to the new heroine after all.

A New Era in the MCU

The character is also still relatively new in the comics: she was first seen in an Iron Man comic from July 2016. There, she is recruited by Tony Stark himself and becomes part of the superhero group Champions - also known as the Young Avengers. In the MCU, as we know, things played out a little differently: there, she is only discovered as a hero after Stark's death and further develops her abilities and her suit in Wakanda. Similar to Iron Man, she can fly with her construction, fire energy shots and has enhanced strength.

Dangerous Opponents: The Hood and Ezekiel Stane

In the series "Ironheart", Riri not only has to face her own problems, but also powerful enemies. The main adversary is Parker Robbins aka "The Hood", played by Anthony Ramos. The Hood is no ordinary villain, as he has magical powers. He was given an enchanted cloak and boots after killing the demon Dormammu. The cloak gives him the ability to make himself invisible. He can also transform himself into a demon and fire energy bursts.

Ezekiel Stane, the son of Obadiah Stane, will also play a role as an antagonist. He's a genius developer who buys Stark technology on the black market and performs cybernetic augmentations on himself. He actually wants revenge on Iron Man for the death of his father and therefore targets Riri.

First Trailer Impressions

First insights into the "Ironheart" series were shown in the Disney+ teaser trailer for 2025 and for a selected audience at Disney's D23 event. The first scenes reveal that Riri is thrown out of MIT. Villain The Hood asks her whether she is willing to do anything for her goals. There is no lack of action either: Ironheart flies through the air and crashes head-on into a truck, which then overturns. A white version of her suit is shown in the trailer as well.

The Production and the Team Behind "Ironheart"

Filming for the first season comprising six episodes has already been concluded. Lead actress Dominique Thorne calls the whole experience an "epic journey", as is common at Marvel. Chinaka Hodge is the screenwriter: she previously worked on the Netflix series "The Midnight Club" and "Snowpiercer", for example. Sam Bailey and Angela Barnes were responsible for directing. The former is known for series such as "Dear White People", while the latter previously worked on the series "Atlanta" with Donald Glover.

Ryan Coogler, the director of the "Black Panther" movies, is likewise involved in the series. In addition to Thorne, the cast also includes "Transformers: Rise of the Beasts" actor Anthony Ramos and Alden Ehrenreich, who played the young Han in the Star Wars film "Solo".

Premiere

For a long time, things went quiet regarding the production of the series. Following negative feedback from fans, there was even speculation that production might simply be discontinued. This turned out to be false: After several postponements, the release date has finally been set: on June 24, 2025, "Marvel's Ironheart" is scheduled to premiere on Disney+. The first official trailer should thus not be long in coming.

Conclusion

What can we expect from the project now? Well, if you ask us: just wait and see. Of course, the prospects are not exactly favorable and the fear of a noticeable company policy is accordingly high. Disney hasn't done itself any favors by trying to replace one of the MCU's most popular characters with a new heroine. Even if it wasn't meant that way, it probably feels exactly like that for many fans.

The return of Robert Downey Jr. in the next Avengers film shows that a change in thinking has long since taken place at Marvel. "Ironheart" therefore seems to have reached a dead end even before its release. It's a remnant that has been produced to the end and sent to Disney+, with little chance of success. The remaining question is what the postponements of the project mean: unwelcome requests for changes from Disney - or perhaps even the opposite: a reaction to the critical comments from fans and a corresponding reworking of the series?

Despite everything, we'd love to be positively surprised! Regardless of all the circumstances and all the MCU fuss, a movie or series can also stand on its own. If the story, the actors and the directing are convincing, "Ironheart" could turn out to be good entertainment and perhaps even save the character of Riri Williams after all - although there is currently little to suggest that a big surprise is waiting for us.