Marvel Studios' Ironheart may feature one of the youngest and newest heroes in the franchise, but that hasn't dampened fans' excitement for the new show. The Disney Plus series got its official announcement in December alongside the Don Cheadle-led Armor Wars spinoff and the anticipation is through the roof. Recently, actress Dominique Thorne, who will play Ironheart lead Riri Williams, spoke about her upcoming role.
Thorne discussed not only her own excitement for the role but that of her family as well, who were all Marvel fans well before ever receiving that fateful call from the studio. "I think my mother might disown me if I didn't [take the role]. It's very much a Marvel household," she said during an interview with Black Film and TV. "I did know about Ironheart before I was approached with the role. So it was an awe-inspiring moment to think that I would be chosen to portray this woman and to bring her to the screen in this way."
Thorne made her acting debut in 2018's If Beale Street Could Talk, then went on to star in the upcoming Judas and the Black Messiah (produced by Black Panther director Ryan Coogler). Apparently, her passion for the character meshed well with her acting prowess, at least enough to impress Disney and Marvel. Even now, she's already expressed her desire to continue studying the comics for reference and perhaps also just for fun as well. There certainly seems to be a trend of Marvel actors studying rigorously for their roles.
Riri Williams was introduced into the Marvel comics in 2016. A young genius inventor, she manages to reverse engineer the technology behind Iron Man's own proprietary power suits and designs her own. At the mere age of 15, she becomes the only person besides Tony Stark to successfully create an Iron Man-style armor set. In the comics, her accomplishments catch the attention of Tony Stark himself, who gives her his blessing to use her new armor after she demonstrates her aptitude in not only building the suits but using them as well.
Being so knowledgeable about the character already, Thorne is clearly ready to enter the often distinguishing world of comic book adaptations, and her enthusiasm for the part will likely serve her well. Seeing as she's only just beginning to build her resume, it's starting to look like Ironheart will become her breakout role, so expectations are surely high for everyone looking forward to the new series.
The pressure is on, but based on Thorne's cool-headed answers, she seems more than ready to take it all on. There are sure to be naysayers, as there often are. But hopefully, Thorne is up to the task as the teenage engineering prodigy. Ironheart is sure to be the talk of the town when it premieres later in 2021.
Marvel Studios' Ironheart will be available exclusively on Disney Plus.
Source: Black Film and TV