- calendar_today September 1, 2025
New Ironheart Footage Shows Riri Williams in High-Tech Trouble
Ryan Coogler is having a good year. Hot on the heels of his newest film, Sinners, the Oscar-nominated director and producer has his next project lined up: the Marvel limited series Ironheart. Marvel has just released a new trailer for the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe series, which is set to premiere in June 2025.
Ironheart, which will consist of six episodes, follows the story of Dominique Thorne’s MCU debut as Riri Williams, also known as Ironheart. In the comics, Riri is a teenage girl genius who builds her own Iron Man suit with the guidance of her mentor, Tony Stark. Ironheart will be the last TV series in the MCU’s Phase Five.
Ironheart was first announced in December 2020 and was initially set to be released in 2023. However, last year Marvel announced changes to its multiyear roadmap, which it said involved reducing its output to avoid overwhelming fans. The decision to slow its release of films and shows in Marvel’s MCU has pushed the release date of the series to this summer.
In footage shown at the 2024 D23 convention, the show was described as “a crime show with an Iron Man twist at the center”. Marvel has said the series will have a darker and more grounded feel than most other series within the MCU.
Riri first appeared on-screen in 2022’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. She ends up at odds with Namor and his army of blue-skinned warriors after creating a vibranium detector as part of her studies at MIT. After forming a friendship with Shuri based on their shared love of science, she creates her armored suit based on Iron Man’s to help Wakanda defend itself. By the end of the film, she has to hand over the suit to the Wakandans before returning to MIT.
Magic vs. Technology
Ironheart will begin directly after the events of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. According to the synopsis from Marvel: “Set after the events of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Ironheart pits technology against magic when Riri—determined to make her mark on the world—returns to her hometown of Chicago. Her unique take on building iron suits is brilliant, but in pursuit of her ambitions, she finds herself wrapped up with the mysterious yet charming Parker Robbins, aka “The Hood” (Anthony Ramos).”
Several other actors will join Thorne in the cast. Lyric Ross will play Riri’s best friend, Natalie Washington; Alden Ehrenreich will play Joe McGillicuddy; Manny Montana will play Cousin John; Matthew Elam will play Xavier Washington; and Anji White will play Riri’s mother, Ronnie. Shea Couleé will play Slug. Jim Rash will reprise his MCU role as the dean of MIT, a role he first had in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War. Sacha Baron Cohen is also set to reprise a role, although no further information about who that will be is known as of yet.
The trailer released by Marvel shows Ironheart already up and running. It begins with Riri standing in the kitchen of a defunct pizza shop as the power goes out. A sign at the front of the shop comes on, indicating she must exit through the back of the shop. She makes her way outside but is unable to open the door as it is now blocked by an elevator. Trapped in the elevator, Riri has only two minutes to escape before it fills with poison gas.
It turns out Riri is part of an “interview” set up by The Hood to test her skills and wits. Via the intercom, he informs her she will suffocate if she does not get to the 10th floor, where there is a floor-mounted box with a gas mask inside. Riri, however, has no intention of playing the game, and she instead comes up with her means of escape.
The Hood, impressed by her resourcefulness, instead offers her the chance to help him with an unnamed venture. She hesitates at first as The Hood’s proposal is not exactly above board. The Hood insists she create something “iconic” for the world to see, which quickly convinces Riri to join his cause. Her friends, most especially Natalie, are wary of The Hood and what his plans might be, and their fears may be justified as The Hood warns her that “Anyone who has ever accomplished anything iconic in life has had to do some questionable things to get it done.”
Ironheart will have viewers wondering just how far a girl like Riri Williams is willing to go to achieve her goals. The series will premiere on June 24, 2025, on Disney+ with the first three episodes. The three remaining episodes will be released weekly, with the show running for six episodes total. A second season has not been announced as of yet, but it is not out of the question if Marvel deems the first season a success. An official behind-the-scenes featurette was also released alongside the trailer.
