Who is Riri Williams AKA Ironheart? Here is How She Becomes Ironheart
Riri Williams, the character played by Dominique Thorne, officially makes his debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe thanks to Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, in cinemas from 11th November 2022. But who is Riri Williams, how does Ironheart become? Let’s find out her story together that can be read in the comics. Beware of spoilers. The following is about events recounted in the comics and which could form the basis of what we will see in the MCU in the Disney+ Ironheart series.
The Story of Riri Williams
Riri Williams was born shortly after the death of her father, Riri Williams Sr. She grew up in the South Shore neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, living with her sister Sharon, mother Ronnie and stepfather. When Riri was five, her behavioral problems led her parents to consult a child psychologist who, after subjecting her to several tests, certified that Riri was a super genius. On the recommendation of the psychologist, Riri’s parents took care of special assistance to foster her abilities, while also giving her emotional support.
Riri’s level of intelligence leads her to withdraw into her mind and become introverted. She met her only friend of hers, Natalie Washington, at the age of ten, after she caught Natalie’s attention while she worked in her open garage on some inventions meant to help superheroes someday. A year later, Riri was awarded a scholarship to MIT. Tragedy struck Riri when she was thirteen. While picnicking at Marquette Park, Riri, her family, and Natalie found themselves in the line of fire when a shooting hit some passers-by. Although Riri was unharmed, both Natalie and Riri’s stepfather were hit by stray bullets and died.
Riri’s First Armor
What started as a challenge to itself ended up being a secret project to create your armor. After modifying the technology of the obsolete Model 41 Iron Man Armor, Riri began creating his prototype version of the Iron Man Armor, using mostly material stolen from the campus. When security became aware of her suspicious activities, Riri decided to put on the armor and fly away.
After flying across the country trying to familiarize himself with the flight capabilities of his armor, Riri intercepted a couple of fleeing inmates from the New Mexico State Penitentiary. Riri managed to stop the truck they were using as a means of escape, but at the cost of the integrity of her armor. Eventually, Riri returned to her home to continue working on her armor, much to her mother’s chagrin. Upon learning of Riri’s achievements, Tony Stark visited her and chose to support Riri’s desire to become a superhero. Using a repaired version of her armour, Riri then assisted Iron Man during the Second Superhero Civil War, battling Captain Marvel’s forces.
How it Becomes Ironheart
At the end of the civil war, Tony Stark fell into a coma fighting Captain Marvel, so Riri decided to continue his legacy as a hero. With the guidance of a duplicate of Stark‘s artificial intelligence, Riri creates improved armor and assumes the alias Ironheart. Riri quickly attracted the attention of Tony Stark’s allies and enemies.
After defeating the Techno Golem and his Biohack Ninja with the help of Rescue, the SHIELD began tracking Riri. Having become famous, Riri was offered not only Tony Stark’s old workshop by her mother Amanda Armstrong; MIT approached Riri to offer her their resources and a group of teen superheroes, the Champions, invited her to join their ranks. Not long after, the SHIELD convinced Ironheart to invade Latveria to eliminate the war criminal Lucia von Bardas. Riri defeated the Latverian terrorist and declared himself the new monarch of the small nation. After negotiating a truce between SHIELD and the armed forces of Latveria, Riri abdicated and helped pave the way for Latveria’s first free elections.
The Skills of Riri Williams
Super-brilliant intelligence. At the age of five, Riri was classified as a super genius. For this reason, she was accepted into MIT when she was just fifteen. Skilled inventor and engineer. Despite his young age and limited resources, Riri has devised and created various contraptions, including his version of Iron Man’s armor, which he re-engineered from scratch.
