Find out which superhero Marvel needs to bring
into the Marvel Cinematic Universe to fill the hole left by Spider-Man
and Iron Man.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is going
through big changes. Tony Stark (Robert
Downey Jr.) has been the linchpin of the movies and the creator and
designer of all the equipment and technology of the Avengers. He sacrificed himself in Avengers: Infinity War. Then,
Marvel lost the rights to use Spider-Man, played by Tom Holland. He’ll
be back for one more solo film and a cameo but that’s it. After that,
he’s gone too.
It’s clear that the plan was for Peter Parker
to take over the role of Tony Stark. People asked Spider-Man if he’s
the “new Iron Man” and everything was set up for him to take over. But
when negotiations broke down between Sony and Disney it left them in a
lurch. Who’s going to take over? Who can become the new head of
technologies for the MCU?
It could be Black Panther’s sister Shuri
(Letitia Wright), but she’s busy as head of technology for Wakanda.
There’s another option though.
In 2016 Marvel started the “Civil War II”
storyline. In the series, the superheroes discover a man named Ulysses
that can predict crimes that will happen in the future. Heroes break
ranks both for and against the idea. Iron Man is in favor of it, but
Captain Marvel is against it. During the final battle, Tony Stark is fatally injured and is left in a coma. A young black woman named Riri Williams decides to take on the mantle of Iron Man.
1. Ironheart’s a Genius
 |
| Invincible Iron Man (2015) #12 |
Riri first appears in Invincible Iron Man #7
(2016) and was created by Brian Michael Bendis and Mike Deodato Jr.
She’s a 15-year old engineering genius from inner-city Chicago who gets
a scholarship to the most prestigious private research universities in America: MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). When
did she get the scholarship? When she was eleven-years-old.
Not only
that but she takes one of Stark’s old armored suit and
reverse-engineers her own set of armor without Stark’s billions of resources. She’s a true self-made genius and resourceful.
Iron Man is a genius who created an arc reactor in a cave with a bunch of scraps. Spider-Man is a self-made genius too but not as sharp as Stark. After all, he hit an unknown alien device with a hammer. Not the smartest move
2. Ironheart’s a Teenager
 |
| Invincible Iron Man (2015) #12 |
One of the biggest things about Marvel’s version of Spider-Man is he’s
a teenager. He’s the only teenage superhero we know of in the MCU.
Peter Parker was originally created specifically to appeal to teenagers
and Holland’s version is about the same thing. With the wall-crawler
leaving the MCU it leaves a gap. Riri can fill that gap perfectly.
Plus, her genius at a young age left her introverted and shy. This is
one of the things people love most about Tom Holland’s Spider-Man. Riri
can fill that gap. “I think there’s something really magical about
[15],” Bendis told Entertainment Weekly back in 2016. You are in some
cultures considered an adult, but there are whole parts of you that are
still childlike. You don’t even know what you don’t know yet. That
actually becomes one of [Riri]’s mantras because she’s more self-aware
than your average teenager. She literally says, ‘I don’t even know what
I don’t know.’ That’s exciting and scary like the real world is. And I
really think you can believe that a 15-year-old can make a suit of
armor and wear it around if we let them.”
3. Ironheart Has a Troubled Background
Spider-Man’s origin is built around a childhood
tragedy. In the comics, his parents died and his Uncle Ben is killed by
a criminal. All that leads directly to him becoming a superhero. It’s a
familiar trope in the comics but unique in the Marvel universe. It’s implied that Peter recently suffered a family tragedy but hasn’t been completely explained yet.
Tony Stark also has a troubled background.
While Tony Stark’s parents are killed he doesn’t realize it’s not
accident until years later. But it still motivated him to become a hero.
Riri also suffered a family tragedy. Her
biological father died shortly after she was born. Then, when she was
thirteen, her family was caught in the cross-fire of a drive-by
shooting. While relaxing in the park her only friend Natalie and
step-father were hit by stray bullets and killed.
4. Ironheart is a Woman of Color
Diversity is a big part of the next phase of
the MCU and Ironheart can lead the charge. The MCU has a handful of
black superheroes, most notably Black Panther. It has a handful of
female superheroes, most notably Captain Marvel. But it has even fewer
black female superheroes.
Black superheroes are a big part of creator Brian Michael Bendis’ background. He created the afro-Cuban superhero Miles Morales for the Ultimate universe back in the 2000s and he stepped up to create another ethnic superhero.
While Bendis is white he’s a father to four children including an
African and African-American girl. He defended his creation of a black
character to EW. “I
worry about the trap that that means that African American people
should only write African American [characters] and Asian Americans
should only write Asian Americans,” Bendis told them. “Everyone should
write and draw everything. Everyone has a unique perspective and
ability. It goes with the perspective unique to a certain way of life.
All those voices should be heard. But they should also be able to write
whatever they want to write.
“There absolutely, 100% should be more voices of different ethnicities
heard in mainstream comics. I’m thrilled that things are shifting as
much as they have in the last two years. But I do know that Riri was
not taken from an African American creator. That’s absolutely false.”
5. Ironheart Has Attitude
Tony Stark’s trademark is his in-your-face attitude. He was always
making jokes and ruffling feathers. Peter Parker is known for his
snappy comebacks but it’s held back by his shyness. Ironheart is the
same way. The comics show she has a quick wit and sardonic attitude,
but it’s tempered by her shyness.
The MCU needs a smart alec like Ironheart to deliver gags and temper the
drama. The MCU needs Riri Williams. But it’s not just me saying all
this.
6. Robert Downey Jr. and Tom Holland Wants Ironheart
Earlier this year Robert Downey Jr. came out and said he wants Ironheart in the MCU.
The real story here is that @RobertDowneyJr
said publicly in a room full of people that #Ironheart
should be in the MCU. I went straight back to the press area afterward
and was like YOU ALL HEARD IT, WRITE THAT DOWN https://t.co/WoursjnRdW—
wikipedia brown ||| abolish ICE. (@eveewing) June
16, 2019
Tom Holland also wants Ironheart in the Marvel Studios movies. “Her name’s Ironheart; Riri,” Holland told Fandom.
“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.”
Is Kevin Feige, head of Marvel Studios, listening? “I think it’s a great character, and it’s
been fun to see how she evolves in the comics,” Kevin Feige told BET.
“I just saw that quote, too. But again, the future…”
The future is now. Now’s the best time to introduce Riri Williams as
Ironheart. There are rumors Disney is looking to make a Disney+ series
following Ironheart’s adventures. In the comics, Riri has a holographic
simulation of Tony Stark to guide her. Rumor is Robert Downey Jr. could
return as her suit A.I.
Riri Williams is the best superhero to bring
into the MCU and her brains, age, and attitude would fit in perfectly
with the rest of the Avengers. Hopefully this time next year the name
Ironheart will be as familiar as Black Panther is now. A well-known
figure in the Marvel Universe raised from obscurity from the comics to the big screen. marvel, let’s introduce Ironheart to the world.
Who do you think should replace Spider-Man and Iron Man? Let us know in the comments below!
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