The Marvel Cinematic Universe is always expanding, thanks to new projects hitting theaters and streaming with a Disney+ subscription. Ironheart is in the latter category, and fans who spent years watching the Marvel movies in order are eager to see its connections to Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Filmmaker Ryan Coogler is involved in the project as an Executive Producer, and recently explained why it’s the perfect time for the show to arrive.
What we know about Ironheart has been limited, but fans are excited for the return of Dominique Thorne’s Riri Williams. While it’s been a few years since she was introduced in Black Panther 2, it should be fascinating to see her seemingly follow Tony Stark’s footsteps and become the next mech-focused superhero. Ryan Coogler spoke to Deadline about the new show, and how it’s a story that mixes tech and magic… just as Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom is expected to do in the next Avengers movies. As he put it:
It’s so crazy to be putting this movie out now, at the time where AI is on the front of everybody’s mind, technological ethics are on the front of everybody’s mind. But also — we didn’t know it was going to be Dr. Doom and the Avengers when we first started, but he’s a guy in publishing who’s most famous for fusing technology and magic, so it’s a great sample of things that are to come in probably what’s going to be the biggest movie in Marvel history.
ronheart is getting a mixed response from critics, so only time will tell if audiences feel similarly about the TV spinoff.
Anthony Ramos as Parker Robbins / The Hood. He’s a vigilante with a magical cape/hood that allowed him to use dark magic. And the mixture of tech and magic is presumably going to factor heavily into future installments of the MCU as a whole.
What we know about Avengers: Doomsday is limited, but it’s arguably hte mot highly anticipated upcoming Marvel movie. This is largely thanks to RDJ returning to the shared universe, this time as the villainous Doctor Doom. While the Fantastic Four villain uses tech for his abilities, he’s also known for using magic… especially in the multiversal story that’s expected to come with Doomsday and Secret Wars.
The first three episodes of Ironheart are streaming now on Disney+ as part of the 2025 TV premiere list. We’ll just have to see if/when the title character returns to the big screen.