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The Iron Heart will be the latest addition to the MCU’s superhero roster. Brilliant young innovator Riri Williams, played by Judas and the Black Messiah star Dominique Thorne, is set to make her debut in the upcoming MCU flick Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Fans saw a glimpse of Riri Williams in the trailer of Wakanda Forever as she was seen carving a heart on a Vibranium sheet.
Post her debut, Iron Heart will have her own Disney Plus series marking her brilliant character in future MCU phases. While it is apparent that Riri Williams, like Tony Stark, is a genius, and like Stark, she will don the Iron Armor, casual viewers are unaware of her Marvel adventures and achievements.
Let us explore the comic book realm as we chart the ten best Iron Heart comics which could be a perfect inspiration for the character’s MCU debut.
Iron Man may appear as a hologram to mentor Iron Heart just like in Civil War 2
1) Invincible Iron Man #1
Hailed as one of the best Iron Heart stories, Invincible Iron Man #1 is the origin story of Riri Williams. The story goes back and forth between past and present as we get to know Riri’s childhood and her curse of superior intellect, which she hones into a gift.
It is suspected that Riri Williams' solo Disney plus series Iron Heart is inspired primarily by this comic as we extensively learn about her past and about her scientist mother Ronnie, her sister Sharon and her deceased father Riri Williams Sr.
2) Civil War 2 - Invincible Ironman #12
Civil War 2 saw the two titans Iron Man and Captain Marvel battle to prove their point. Tony Stark loses the battle against the cosmic captain and goes into a coma. While on the other hand, Riri Williams is learning to perfect her iron armor. Tony Stark shows up unexpectedly in holographic form, mentoring Riri.
Tony has appeared in holographic form in the MCU. He has helped Peter Parker numerous times even after his death. It is very well possible that Tony has some lessons recorded in B.A.R.F. (Binarily Augmented Retro-Framing) for the next generation of Iron-Man.
3) Iron Heart #9
The later issues of Iron Heart Vol 2 sees Riri Williams travel to Wakanda. She meets the princess of the Wakandan Empire Shuri as the two science geeks set off on the wrong foot, bickering about all things machines.
Riri Williams is set to make her MCU debut in Wakanda Forever and vol 1 #9 could be the inspiration for Dominque Thorne in the movies. While we are sure that this comic is very different than the upcoming Black Panther 2, it could be the perfect launch pad for Williams and the makers could have taken some inspiration from this issue to flesh out Shuri and Riri’s relationship.
4) Invincible Iron Man Vol.3 #9
This comic issue marks Riri Williams' second appearance as she shows her best friend her dream project. She is working on a DIY Armor suit similar to Iron Man. Riri built her suit by sneaking into MIT labs and using spare parts found there.
When college officials found out about her pet project, they tried to storm inside her dorm. That is when Riri dons her armor and takes it for a spin among the clouds. The scene could be a power punch of nostalgia if re-created similar to 2008’s Ironman when Tony takes his first flight.
5) Outlawed
As the Champions grew in maturity and numbers, the teenage superhero group was banned after Ms. Marvel aka Kamala Khan almost lost her life in battle. The government imposes on agents to track and capture young superheroes.
Outlawed is the story of the human will to work for good as Riri Williams along with other Champions risk their lives for others. Outlawed is a classic government against superhero storylines and could work incredibly well if Young Avengers is ever established.
6) Champions #16-#18
Champions is a teenage superhero team that is Marvel’s answer to DC Comics’ Teen Titans. The team consists of Hulk (Amadeus Cho), Nova (Sam Alexander), Viv Vision, Wasp (Nadia Van Dyne), Spider-Man (Miles Morales), Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan), and Riri Williams.
We know that Marvel is building towards a young group of Avengers and Champions could be the perfect team for inspiration. The teenage superhero team imparts valuable life lessons to young Riri Williams as she works as a team for the first time.
7) Iron Heart Vol 1 #8
Marvel made millions of comic book fans’ dreams a reality in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame when Strange and Stark worked together against the forces of Thanos. However, the dream was short-lived after Stark’s death.
As an alternative, it would be amazing to see Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange work with the Iron Heart as they did in the pages of Iron Heart #8. The villainous group Ten Rings was retconned in the recent Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. The gang collided with Iron Heart in Vol 2. as Riri teamed up with the Sorcerer Supreme.
8) Infamous Ironman: The Absolution of Doom
As the title suggests, the Infamous Ironman Vol 2. sees the infamous villain Doctor Doom along with Riri Williams. However, at the turn of events, Dr. Doom plays a good guy as he dons Iron Man armor and atones for his sins.
Doom is soon becoming a reality in MCU as Marvel Head Kevin Feige announced Fantastic Four at San Diego Comic-Con. It is only a matter of time before Doctor Doom and Iron Heart share the screen and recreate this amazing series written by Brian Michael Bendis.
9) Weird War One
Riri, once established as Iron Heart, joins the teenage superhero team Champions who go up against the Mad Titan Thanos. After being utterly devastated, Riri finds herself close to Vision's synthetic offspring Vivian Vision.
In Weird War One, Viv expresses his feelings for Riri but Riri has no such feelings for Viv. The two later developed a strong bond as readers witnessed a beautiful friendship bloom. Weird War One is a human story taking place on the alien planet of Battle World.
10) Invincible Iron Man Vol 3. #7
Created by writer Brian Michael Bendis and penciler Mike Deodato Jr. Riri Williams first appeared in Road to Civil War: Invincible Iron Man Vol 3. #7. The series titled War Machines Part 1 sees James Rhodes aka War Machine trapped and chained in his armor while Ironman, along with Spider-Man, is searching for his best friend.
Riri Williams appears towards the end of the issue as she is seen working on an Iron Man suit in her MIT dormitory. While Ironheart doesn’t score big in this storyline, this issue marks the historical beginning of this character.
