One of the many upcoming Disney Plus shows is Ironheart, which was confirmed at Disney's D23 conference as one of the Marvel shows coming as part of phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
Ironheart is based on a comic book character who goes by the same name. They're quite a new character, first introduced to the comics in 2016.
The show is set to fall slap-bang in the middle of the MCU's Phase 5, joining new Marvel TV shows like WandaVision spin-off Agatha: Coven of Chaos, Loki season 2 and more.
Disney confirmed a release window for Ironheart and we know some of the cast too, but more is expected to be announced before the show lands. We'll run you through everything we know so far.
When is the Ironheart release date?
Disney and Marvel confirmed that Ironheart will land in "Fall 2023," well into the MCU Phase 5 but we can probably narrow it down a bit.
With Agatha: Coven of Chaos set for Winter 2023/2024, that'll probably mean Ironheart would premiere before a possible December release of the WandaVision spinoff. However, now that Blade has been delayed to 2024, that gives Ironheart the entire fall as a potential release window with no other Marvel title to conflict with.
What is the Ironheart plot?
The plot of Ironheart hasn't been confirmed yet, but obviously since it's based on a comic book, we have a rough idea of the story.
In the comics, Riri Williams is a genius engineer who builds her own suit of armor, called Ironheart. The show Ironheart will need to take some creative liberties with the source material — in the comics, Tony Stark is the person who "discovers" Williams, but that obviously can't happen in the MCU for spoilery reasons.
Lots of Ironheart's backstory is very similar to Peter Parker's in Spider-Man: Homecoming, down to the Iron Man suit-borrowing and the character living with their aunt, however Williams grew up in Chicago instead of New York City.
We know that Williams will be joined by Parker Robbins, an outlaw who pinched a hood from a demon to gain superpowers, who operates under the name The Hood. Robbins will be Williams' ally in the show, which seems odd since in the comics she's a hero and he's the leader of a criminal syndicate, but as we said Marvel will be able to change some details.
Who is in the Ironheart cast?
The titular Ironheart is being played by Dominique Thorne (Judas and the Black Messiah, If Beale Street Could Talk). The show won't actually mark Thorne's MCU debut, as Williams is set to show up (possibly just as a cameo, but possibly in a larger capacity) in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Joining Thorne is Anthony Ramos (In The Heights, Hamilton) playing Robbins, as well as Jim Rash (Community, The Way Way Back) as the Dean of MIT, a role he previously played in Captain America: Civil War.
Some other actors have been confirmed in unspecified roles: there's Alden Ehrenreich (Solo, Hail, Caesar!), Shea Couleé (RuPaul's Drag Race), Lyric Ross (This is Us), Shakira Barrera, Zoe Terakes, Manny Montana, Sonia Denis, Harper Anthony, Regan Aliyah and Rashida Olayiwola.
Of course, some MCU cameos and cross-overs within the show are possible. But if there are, there's no reason to believe that Marvel would announce them ahead of time.
Is there an Ironheart trailer?
A trailer for Ironheart hasn't been released yet, as production hasn't even wrapped.
At Disney's D23 conference in September 2022, a clip was shown to attendees, though it's not currently available to watch online.
The video shows Williams getting told off by a professor, to which she replies that she wants to make something "iconic" (and in her defense, Iron Man certainly is iconic).
Attendees also got to see Robbins as he provides some advice for Williams, before giving a classically villainous hood twirl to suggest he's got some nefarious scheme in the works.
Finally, the video ended with Williams turning on the Ironheart suit, ready for a showdown.
