| Ironheart | |
|---|---|
 Riri Williams on the cover of Ironheart #1 (2020). Art by S Skan. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance |
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| Created by |
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| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Riri Williams |
| Species | Human |
| Team affiliations | |
| Notable aliases |
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| Abilities |
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| Altered in-story information for adaptations to other media | |
| Partnerships | Shuri / Black Panther |
Ironheart (Riri Williams) is asuperhero appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics. Created by writerBrian Michael Bendis and artistMike Deodato, the characterfirst appeared inInvincible Iron Man Vol. 3 #7 (May 2016).[1][2]
Dominique Thorne portraysthe character in theMarvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) filmBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) andDisney+ seriesIronheart (2025).
Riri Williams debuted inInvincible Iron Man Vol. 3 #7 (May 2016), created by writerBrian Michael Bendis and artistMike Deodato.[3] She was inspired by American actressSkai Jackson.[4][5] She later appeared under the codename Ironheart in the 2017Invincible Iron Man series, by Brian Michael Bendis and Stefano Caselli.[6][7] She appeared in the 2018Infinity Countdown: Champions series, byJim Zub and Emilio Laiso.[8] She appeared in the 2018Ironheart series, her first solocomic book series, byEve Ewing and Kevin Libranda.[9][10][11] She appeared in the 2019Champions series, by Jim Zub andSteven Cummings.[12][13] She appeared in the 2020Ironheart series, her second solo comic book series, by Vita Ayala, Danny Lore, andDavid Messina.[14][15]
In October 2016, Marvel Comics and New York-based retailerMidtown Comics jointly decided to pull from circulationJ. Scott Campbell's variant cover of the first issue ofThe Invincible Iron Man, produced exclusively for that store, after previews of the cover were criticized for sexualizing the depicted character, 15-year-old Riri Williams.[16][17][18] The cover depicted the character, a teenagedMIT engineering student whoreverse engineered one of Iron Man's armored suits to wear herself, in a midriff-baringcrop top, in contrast to the more modest way in which artist Stefano Caselli depicted the character in the book's interior art. Campbell called the decision "unfortunate," explained that his rendition of the character was intended to depict "a sassy, coming-of-age young woman". He regarded the reaction to the cover as a "faux controversy", saying, "I gave her a sassy 'attitude'...'sexualizing' was not intended. This reaction is odd."Brian Michael Bendis, the writer on the series, was pleased with the decision to pull the cover, saying that while he liked the face Campbell had drawn on Riri when he viewed the art as a work in progress, he disliked the completed art, saying, "Specialty covers are not in my purview and it was being produced separately from the work of the people involved in making the comic. Not to pass the buck but that’s the fact. If I had seen a sketch or something I would have voiced similar concerns. I am certain the next version will be amazing."[19]
Riri Williams is a 15-year-old engineering student and the daughter of Riri Williams Sr. Following her father's death, Riri lives with her mother Ronnie, her stepfather Gary, and her paternal Aunt Sharon in Chicago. A certified super-genius, she attends theMassachusetts Institute of Technology on a scholarship. Riri later befriendedNatalie Washington who showed an interest in her work. One day during a picnic at Marquette Park, an assailant driving his car opened fire on some bystanders with Riri being devastated that Gary and Natalie became victims of the shooting.[20][21] Working alone, Riri designs a suit of armor similar to theIron Man Armor using material stolen from campus. When campus security knocks at her door, she flees while wearing the suit.[22]
When Williams prevents two inmates from escaping the New Mexico State Penitentiary, her suit is damaged.[23] Upon returning to her mother's house, Riri continues to work on improving the suit, much to the dismay of her aunt.Tony Stark hears of Riri's accomplishment and goes to meet her. During their meeting, Stark decides that he will endorse her decision to become a superhero.[21]
Appearing in her Rescue armor following the 2016 "Civil War II" storyline,Pepper Potts confronts Riri Williams and Tony Stark, who has transferred his consciousness into a device becoming an A.I., in an attempt to explain the problems of being a superhero. They are then attacked byTechno Golem and her Biohack Ninjas.[24] As Riri flees and Pepper fights them, Techno Golem tries to find out how Pepper knows Riri.[25] When Techno Golem's armor breaks and Tomoe tries to instead attack Riri, Pepper uses her Rescue armored gauntlets and knocks Tomoe out. WhenSharon Carter formally meets Riri after the arrest of Tomoe and the Biohack Ninjas, Pepper tells Riri that they will talk again.[26] Pepper Potts,Mary Jane Watson,Friday, the Tony Stark A.I., and Stark's biological motherAmanda Armstrong are in the Hall of Armor with Riri when she demonstrates her knowledge of each of the Iron Man armors. When Amanda Armstrong offers to allow Riri to use Tony Stark's labs as her base of operations, Riri is hesitant but Pepper encourages her. The next day at her home, Riri's family is visited by the head of M.I.T. She wants Riri to continue working there, as it has gotten sloppy since she left. Riri would also be allowed to use the laboratories at the school. After working in one of the labs, Riri asks the Tony Stark A.I. to find her something to blow off some steam. The Tony Stark A.I. locatesArmadillo during a crime spree and Riri uses the Ironheart armor to defeat Armadillo. She is then approached by theChampions, who offer her membership into their group.[27]
During the 2017 "Secret Empire" storyline, Ironheart is seen fighting the Army of Evil during Hydra's takeover of the United States.Baron Helmut Zemo hasBlackout surround Manhattan withDarkforce after enhancing him with the powers of theDarkhold. Riri sends a distress signal to all available heroes to meet her inWashington, D.C. Ironheart andFalcon II join up with the Champions to assist in the underground's fight against Hydra's takeover of the country. They later followBlack Widow when she makes her own plans for Captain America. During training, the young heroes disagree about Black Widow's brutality and mercilessness. The heroes later infiltrate a Hydra base to find someone crucial to Black Widow's plan. Black Widow later tells them that they are going to have to kill Steve Rogers, after Hydra destroys the Underground hideout. In Washington, D.C., as their assault begins,Spider-Man fights Captain America, but Black Widow intervenes and is killed. Just as Spider-Man is about to kill Steve Rogers, the others convince him to not do it and they all get arrested.[28] She also helped the Champions search for survivors inLas Vegas, Nevada, after its destruction by Hydra.[29]
In a 2019 storyline, Riri is startled to learn that her android teammateViv Vision has developed a crush on her, which initially revolts her due to internalizedhomophobia.[30] Later, her mind – and that of several other Champions – is corrupted byMephisto's sonBlackheart, turning her against her teammates.[31] However, when Riri is about to destroy Viv, it is the latter's honest apology for not considering her feelings which snaps her out of Blackheart's control and finally makes her acknowledge Viv's affection.[32]
During the 2020 "Outlawed" storyline, Ironheart is among the teenage superheroes affected by the Underage Superhuman Warfare Act that was drafted by Senator Geoffrey Patrick ever sinceMs. Marvel was put in a coma during a fight with an Asgardian dragon. The established group C.R.A.D.L.E. raided her lab.[33]
In the "Iron Man 2020" story arc, Tony Stark, in his form of Mark One, has failed to return Riri's calls.[34] While abiding by the Underage Superhuman Warfare Act, Riri, her A.I.N.A.T.A.L.I.E. (who is based on Riri's late best friend Natalie Washington) and Xavier King see people fleeing because the Intellicars have gone haywire. As Riri interfaces with the Intellicar, N.A.T.A.L.I.E. finds that its A.I. is corrupted with a bad code. As the Intellicar starts acting up again, Riri was able to find the reset code as the three Intellicars crash. N.A.T.A.L.I.E. informs Riri that the signal came from the cell phone of André Sims who is currently working as an intern at Stark Unlimited's Chicago branch. Three days later at Stark Unlimited's Chicago branch, Riri confronts André about the incident with the Intellicars. André denies all knowledge of the incident and states that Stark Unlimited is doing the people a favor.[35]
Back at her lab, Riri states to N.A.T.A.L.I.E. that she has sent her complaints to Stark Unlimited and nobody has responded yet. While debating on the next plan of action with N.A.T.A.L.I.E., Riri notices that she might be glitching out. Later that night, Riri informs Xavier that N.A.T.A.L.I.E might be suffering a glitch ever since the Intellicar incident. She then gets an alert that the Ironheart armor has been hijacked. It is shown that N.A.T.A.L.I.E. has hijacked the Ironheart armor and starts glitching when she confronts André.[35] Using the tracker in the Ironheart armor, Riri and Xavier enter Stark Unlimited where they avoid the Stark drones. They catch up to N.A.T.A.L.I.E. as Riri works to talk N.A.T.A.L.I.E. out of harming André as N.A.T.A.L.I.E. states that they can't be able to help people from being harmed by people like André. Riri states that she can't have N.A.T.A.L.I.E. doing away with André or else Riri would get arrested as she doesn't want to put her mom through that and lose N.A.T.A.L.I.E. Riri has no choice but to armor up as André recovers and blasts Xavier out the window. Ironheart manages to rescue Xavier and expose André's experiments. After watching the news revolving around the incident, Riri, N.A.T.A.L.I.E., and Xavier noticed that the Ironheart armor was listed as one of Stark Unlimited's prototypes as they suspect that Stark Unlimited covered up the fact that it was the real Ironheart. N.A.T.A.L.I.E's glitch was also taken care of.[36]
Rosie Knight ofPolygon named Riri Williams one of Marvel's "newest and most popular heroes."[37] Liam McGuire ofScreen Rant called Riri Williams "immensely popular," stating, "Tony helped Riri on her path to becoming a full-fledged hero, but Williams created the opportunity for herself and ran with it. She's a self-made hero who just so happened to be one of the smartest people on Earth - just like Tony before her. It's what makes Ironheart such a beloved hero."[38] Alisha Grauso ofLooper referred to Riri Williams as the "true heir to Iron Man's legacy," writing, "Fans were excited by the news, the prospect of seeing Ironheart in live action setting them abuzz. Though Ironheart hasn't been around very long in the comics — her first appearance was in "Invincible Iron Man" Vol. 2 #7 — she's quickly become a fan favorite."[39]
English actorTom Holland – who playsSpider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe – asserted, "She’d be a cool person to bring to the big screen … the multiverse opens up so many doors where we can introduce so many cool new characters like Ironheart."[40][41] Eric True ofComic Book Resources called Riri Williams a "fan-favorite character," stating, "Riri Williams, otherwise known as Ironheart, has become one of Marvel's most noteworthy new characters of the last decade. She's a kid genius with all the confidence and charisma of a character who loves their time in the spotlight."[42]
Samantha Coley ofCollider referred to Riri Williams as a "beloved comic book character."[43] George Marston ofNewsarama included Riri Williams in their "Top Marvel Comics Character Debuts" list, writing, "As Tony's replacement, Ironheart, Riri cut her own path through his legacy, taking on some of his biggest villains even as she was forging her own legacy alongside the teen heroes of the Champions. Riri has kept up her superheroic career even though Tony has since returned, embodying her own identity of Ironheart."[44] Rachel Leishman ofThe Mary Sue called Riri Williams a "fan favorite," while Michele Kirichanskaya ranked her 8th in their "8 Young, New Heroes the Marvel Cinematic Universe Should Focus on Next" list, saying, "Ironheart shows major significance as a potential onscreen hero. As a young woman of color in STEM, Riri Williams shows the potential to inspire thousands of people, especially young girls of color, who look like her that not only can they become heroes, but to enter the STEM field, which have been lacking in diversity."[45]
Screen Rant included Riri Williams in their "10 Most Powerful Members Of The Champions" list,[46] and in their "MCU: 10 Most Desired Fan Favorite Debuts Expected In The Multiverse Saga" list.[47]Comic Book Resources ranked Ironheart 4th in their "Marvel: 10 Smartest Female Characters" list,[48] 6th in their "10 Most Powerful Teen Heroes In Marvel Comics" list,[49] and 10th in their "10 Smartest Heroes In The Marvel Universe" list.[50]
In 2017, Riri Williams / Ironheart starred in ashortlive-action film titled “Not all heroes wear capes — but some carry tubes,”[51][52] portrayed by Ayomide Fatunde.[53][54] Produced by the admissions departmentMassachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT),[55] the film shows Riri Williams walking around campus, attending class, building an Ironheart suit in her dormitory, and taking it on a test flight.[56]
According toDiamond Comic Distributors,Ironheart #1 was the 45th best selling comic book in November 2018.[57][58][59]
Matt Lune ofComic Book Resources calledIronheart #1 "new and refreshing," writing, "This may not be Ironheart’s origin, but it is her first (proper) debut as a solo character. As such, Ewing and the team call upon the lessons of past superhero debuts to craft a tale that perfectly walks the line between classically Marvel and refreshingly new. The art is vibrant and engaging, and the script is a genuine breath of fresh air that injects a new life into Riri Williams that will hopefully see this character and her adventures continue on for many years to come. Brian Bendis did a wonderful job creating this character, but Eve L. Ewing makes Ironheart her own."[60] Jenna Anderson ofComicBook.com gaveIronheart #1 a grade of 5 out of 5, saying, "This is a genuinely stunning debut issue. Just from this first installment, it's clear that Ewing is a perfect choice to bring Riri's first solo series to life, with her injecting so much life into each line of dialogue. Whether Riri is rescuing a room full of people or connecting with an old friend, you can't help but thoroughly enjoy each scene. Libranda and Becchio's art also helps elevate things as well, creating something that feels so fresh and stunning, especially when paired with Matt Milla's color work. This book is absolutely a must-buy."[61]
An alternate universe variant of Riri Williams appears in theUltimate Marvel universe as a member of theUltimates.[62][63][64]
Riri Williams / Ironheart appears in media set in theMarvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), portrayed byDominique Thorne. Introduced in the filmBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022),[78][79][80] she returns in theDisney+ miniseriesIronheart (2025).[81][82] Additionally, an alternate version of the character appears in the episode "What If... the Emergence Destroyed the Earth?" of the animated seriesWhat If...?,[83] while a separate version appears in the animated miniseriesMarvel Zombies (2025).[84]
| Title | Material collected | Publication date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Invincible Iron Man: Ironheart Vol. 1 - Riri Williams | Invincible Iron Man (vol. 4) #1-5 | February 2018 | 978-1302906726 |
| Invincible Iron Man: Ironheart Vol. 2 - Choices | Invincible Iron Man (vol. 4) #6-11 | June 2018 | 978-1302906740 |
| Ironheart: Riri Williams | Invincible Iron Man (vol. 4) #1-11 | October 2019 | 978-1302919795 |
| Ironheart Vol. 1: Those With Courage | Ironheart #1-6 | July 2019 | 978-1302915087 |
| Ironheart Vol. 2: Ten Rings | Ironheart #7-12 | January 2020 | 978-1302915094 |
| Ironheart: Meant To Fly | Ironheart #1-12 | October 2020 | 978-1302923525 |
| Iron Man 2020: Robot Revolution - iWOLVERINE | 2020 Ironheart #1-2, and2020 Rescue #1-2,2020 iWOLVERINE #1-2 | November 2020 | 978-1302925543 |
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