Back when the Marvel Cinematic Universe first got underway with the 2008 release of Iron Man, few people besides maybe Kevin Feige knew how popular and expansive it would become. More than a decade-and-a-half later, Iron Man has come, saved the world and universe, and gone, leaving behind a legacy that is about as rich as anyone could imagine but also a hole in our hearts and a lack of a tech-savvy superhero with an amazing suit of armor. Well, until the Ironheart TV Show on Disney+ arrives.
Is this the first you’ve heard about Ironheart or maybe forgot about it in the years following the show’s reveal at Disney’s 2020 Investor Call? Fear not, young comic book fan, as we have put together a comprehensive list of everything we know about the upcoming Marvel series, including its release window, the actors who will bring its characters to life, and how it fits in with the MCU as a whole.
What Is The Ironheart Premiere Date?
Though Marvel has yet to provide the exact Ironheart premiere date, it has announced that the series will land on Disney+ at some point in 2025. The series, which was originally slated for a Fall 2023 release, per The Hollywood Reporter, was taken off the premiere schedule in September of that year, skipped the entire 2024 TV schedule, and is now shooting for its current 2025 release.
Dominique Thorne Leads The Ironheart Cast
Not long after Marvel announced the Ironheart TV Show on Disney+ back in December 2020, the studio revealed that Dominique Thorne had landed the starring role of Riri Williams, better known as Ironheart. But Thorne won’t be alone, as the Ironheart cast has grown exponentially over the years. Let’s meet the actors who’ll appear alongside her…
Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams / Ironheart
Dominique Thorne, who told Black Film and TV in early 2021 that she was raised in “a Marvel household,” only had two credits to her name before landing the role of Riri Williams in the upcoming series, but they were big hits: If Beale Street Could Talk and Judas and the Black Messiah.
Anthony Ramos as Parker Robbins / The Hood
In September 2022, IGN reported that Hamilton and In the Heights star Anthony Ramos would be playing the role of Parker Robbins, better known as the supervillain The Hood from the pages of Marvel Comics. It’s not yet known how the character will be handled, and if he’ll be a villain from the start or eventually find his way to the darker side of the story.
Alden Ehrenreich
Alden Ehrenreich, whose experience with Disney includes the starring role in 2018’s Solo: A Star Wars Story, will be a part of the Ironheart cast but his role hasn’t been revealed at this time. However, the Oppenheimer actor told The Hollywood Reporter that he did get a chance to talk to MCU alum Robert Downey Jr. about the project before he started filming.
Sacha Baron Cohen
Sacha Baron Cohen, known for over-the-top characters in Borat, Bruno, and Da Ali G Show, will also be appearing on Ironheart. Though his character’s identity has not yet been revealed, there has long been speculation that he will be playing Mephisto, one of the most iconic Marvel characters not yet introduced in the MCU.
Lyric Ross
In February 2022, The Hollywood Reporter reported that Lyric Ross had joined the show’s cast, but no details about her character have been revealed at this time. Known for her portrayal of Deja Pearson on This Is Us, Ross has also appeared in Canal Street and Wendell & Wild.
Manny Montana
In January 2022, Variety reported that Manny Montana, who previously appeared on Good Girls, had joined the Ironheart cast. But like a lot of the other actors, his character’s identity has not yet been revealed.
Shea Couleé
Shea Couleé, one of the stars of RuPaul’s Drag Race, will have some kind of mystery role on Ironheart. In August 2022, EW reported that the drag queen would be a series regular but didn’t provide any information on their character.
Anji White
In June 2023, Deadline reported that Anji White had joined the main cast of the upcoming series. The outlet said there was reason to believe that the Fargo actress will be playing Riri’s mom, Ronnie, but no confirmation has been made.
Cree Summer
Cree Summer, a prolific voice actor who appeared on shows like Rugrats and Inspector Gadget, will also be a part of Ironheart, according to Deadline.
Paul Calderón
In October 2022, Deadline reported that Paul Calderón, who’s appeared in everything from Four Rooms to This Is Us and Bad Lieutenant to Justified: City Primeval, had joined the cast in an undisclosed role.
When Will We Get To See The Ironheart Trailer?
Though ad-buyers were shown a glimpse of the highly-anticipated Marvel series during Disney’s Upfronts presentation back in May 2024, according to IGN, the rest of us haven’t gotten to see the Ironheart trailer at this point. So, when will we get to see footage from the long-awaited Disney+ original series?
Well, with the show coming to the streamer at some point in 2025 (remember, an exact date hasn’t been announced yet), the earliest we’ll probably see anything is later in 2024, maybe in the fall or early winter. It’s unlikely a Deadpool & Wolverine post-credits sequence will tease the show, but you never really know, especially with the “anything can happen” aura surrounding the big-screen release.
Regardless, we’ll keep you all updated as we learn more about the trailer and the series in general.
Ironheart Will Be A Direct Sequel To Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
We don’t know a whole lot about the story that will unfold throughout Ironheart, but what we do know is that the show will take place following the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever ending. During a November 2022 conversation with CinemaBlend, Marvel producer Nate Moore described the upcoming series as a “direct sequel,” before stating:
Riri is carrying the experiences she had in this movie back home to MIT and there are some interesting repercussions to her adventures that will set her on a fun course.
Earlier in the interview, when asked about how Riri Williams’ character development in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever would carry over into the upcoming Ironheart series, as well as the coordination between the two projects, Moore had this to say:
That show is an outgrowth of how much we liked her in this movie, and even on the page. So when we talked with Dominique initially, obviously the character had been written to the script, and she was the one and only person we talked about for the role, and when she said yes and we were down the road with the script, we also started talking to Ryan [Coogler] about what the show could be.
With comments like that, coupled with the fact that Riri Williams had yet to make her debut by the time she was already given her own series, it’s safe to say Marvel has big plans for the character who could be the next Tony Stark-like genius.
Chinaka Hodge Will Serve As Ironheart’s Head Writer
In April 2021, Variety reported that poet, screenwriter, playwright, and educator Chinaka Hodge had signed on to serve as Ironheart’s head writer. Prior to landing the gig that will see her craft the story about a teenage prodigy creating an advanced suit of armor, Hodge made a name for herself with shows like Apple TV+’s Amazing Stories and the TNT adaptation of Snowpiercer, where she served as an executive story editor and staff writer, respectively. Hodge has also released two books of poetry and multiple plays throughout her career. She also helped start up the hip-hop collective The Getback with Snowpiercer and Hamilton star Daveed Diggs.
Ironheart Will Consist Of Six Episodes
Like several of its Marvel predecessors, Ironheart will consist of six episodes, according to The Hollywood Reporter. It remains to be seen exactly how long each of these six installments will be, but considering shows like Loki, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Moon Knight, and Ms. Marvel, all of which had six-episode seasons, each episode will most likely be anywhere from 45 to 60 minutes in length.
Those six episodes will be split between Sam Bailey and Angela Barnes, who, according to THR, will helm three chapters apiece. In an April 2022 article, the outlet reported that Bailey would be handling the first three while Barnes took care of the second half of the season.
The Series Was In Post-Production In March 2024
Production on Ironheart started back in June 2022, with parts of the show being shot in both Chicago and Atlanta before wrapping things up that November, according to Collider. And while there was some additional shooting later in 2023 and early 2024, it appears that the Disney+ series is nearing completion, based on comments made by Marvel Studios’ Brad Winderbaum.
During a March 2024 interview with Agents of Fandom, the Head of Streaming, Television, and Animation for Marvel Studios was asked about the status of Ironheart and Wonder Man and if they were still happening after everything that had been happening at the studio, saying:
Yeah, absolutely. We’re editing both of those shows as we speak. They’re spectacular, they’re amazing, and they’re different…We’re able to explore corners of the universe that are really exciting. Riri Williams is one of them and I cannot wait for people to meet Simon Williams.
Winderbaum stopped short of revealing how much work is left to be done on either series, but learning that Irohheart is in the editing process is good news and means this should be a case of sooner rather than later.
Be on the lookout for more details about Ironheart in the coming months, including its exact release date and more specifics about its story. In the meantime, check out our updated guide to watching all the Marvel movies in order, as well as the schedule of upcoming MCU theatrical releases.
