Dominique Thorne, the Ironheart actress, shares encouraging words from Robert Downy Jr. while filming Black Panther 2. Tony Stark has been at the heart of the Marvel Cinematic Universe since the beginning, with Iron Man’s origins, and even after his sacrifice in Avengers: Endgame. His legacy is now being carried on by his best friend Colonel James “Rhodey” Rhodes in the forthcoming Armor Wars and the MCU’s newest genius armor-clad hero, Riri Williams, aka Ironheart.
Riri Williams, a brilliant 19-year-old MIT student, is introduced to the MCU in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Riri even did manage to impress Shuri with her engineering abilities. While she has only begun to fill the void left by Iron Man, she has established herself as just a distinct character. Thorne discussed a chat she had with Downey toward the end of filming Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in an exclusive interview with Screen Rant. She told Ironheart about his thoughts on the future of Iron Man’s legacy and how he motivated her.
“I wasn’t able to speak with RDJ before we got into filming or anything, but right toward the conclusion of the film, I actually had the chance to speak with him through FaceTime. A cast mate over on Ironheart had actually done a show with him and connected us, and he had some beautiful words to say about how much he believes that Riri Williams is and should always be her own person, her own thing. That this legacy is headed in the right direction and all the beautiful encouraging things that you hope to hear from the Iron Man himself.”
In Ironheart, How Will Riri Williams Continue RDJ’s Legacy?
It’s interesting that Thorne & Downey didn’t meet until the end of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. It may have been for the best, because it allowed Thorne & Coogler to discover Riri’s voice from outside Iron Man. It’s exciting to learn that not only does Downey believe Riri should be her own character, but he also likes the direction that Iron Man’s legacy is taking. Iron Man and Downey are integral parts of the MCU, and passing the torch through encouragement demonstrates why.
Tony Stark’s legacy looms large over the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Ironheart appears to be a natural continuation of his story, particularly given his connection to the young hero in the comics. However, the MCU quickly establishes that Riri Williams isn’t another Tony Stark. While Tony and Riri share intelligence, engineering skills, & time at MIT, their origins and motivations are vastly different. Because Ironheart is not defined by Iron Man, these differences will make Riri a relatively strong, more compelling character on her own right.
The MCU is introducing a new generation of heroes, some entirely new, like Shang-Chi, and others that clearly follow the footsteps of the original Avengers, like Kate Bishop. Ironheart could be the ideal compromise. Riri Williams is capable of filling the Iron Man void without being the next Tony Stark. Riri could carry on his legacy not by following in his foot prints or as an extension of his character, but by preserving it through his technology. Iron Man’s legacy is carried on not by someone directly related to him, but by a brilliant young engineer with a heroic streak inspired by another brilliant engineer who saved the universe.
Source : ScreenRant