Ironheart Series Flying Into In Development For Disney+

It seems there is an Ironheart series in the works for Disney+, although there is no word yet on how it will tie into the MCU or who will be helming it.

An Ironheart series, based on the Marvel character of the same name, appears to be in development for Disney+.

According to TheCinemaSpot, Marvel is looking to begin production on the series in 2021, but that would depend on what happens with the COVID-19 pandemic. No writer or showrunner has been attached and Marvel is said to be taking pitches for the series.

Tony Stark, also known as Iron Man, sacrificed himself to save the universe by bringing back all of the people erased by the snap and defeating Thanos in Avengers: Endgame. Then Spider-Man: Far From Home showed the impact Iron Man had not only on his young protégé Peter Parker, but the entire world. With Parker trying to live up to Tony’s legacy and shrines erected to honor the deceased hero’s sacrifice, his impact on the MCU is likely not finished.

Might another young hero follow in his footsteps?

From Iron Man To Ironheart

Ironheart is the codename of Riri Williams, a 15 year-old genius scholarship student at MIT who builds her own armor similar to Stark’s Iron Man suit. Riri builds her armor alone using stolen parts from the university and flees from campus security in her armor before she can get caught. Similarly to Tony, Riri chooses to use her armor to fight crime – first by stopping a prison break in New Mexico.

In the comics Tony Stark, still alive, hears about Riri’s exploits and sets up a meeting with the teenager. Following their meeting, Tony decides to support her choice to become a superhero. This is similar to Peter Parker’s backstory in the MCU, with Tony taking notice of a genius teenager who wants to help people by becoming a hero.

Tony helped mentor Parker and even left him his glasses which were meant for his successor. They allow the wearer to command and communicate with Tony’s A.I. system which can access Stark Industries’ databases and orbital weapons supply. Parker struggles to live up to Tony’s legacy especially while still mourning him, but eventually accepts his destiny.

It would be interesting to see if Riri’s backstory stays true to the comics, making her another hero that caught Tony’s eye. Another possibility could be that she will be building the suit and taking on the mantle as a hero to honor Iron Man’s sacrifice and legacy.

Riri, like Tony, needs an A.I. to help control her armor. In the comics, her A.I. was created Tony Stark, but with a twist. The A.I. is not merely created by Tony, but it is actually a backup of himself created by Tony in case anything happened to him. The Tony Stark A.I. helps Riri build a new suit and come up with her moniker Ironheart. He also helped her in her missions as Ironheart.

Could this be a way to potentially bring Robert Downey Jr. back into the MCU? He began the MCU with Iron Man and was a part of the massive universe for over a decade. While this would please many fans, it would be a tricky logistical problem, considering RDJ would be a tough and expensive grab for a possible series.

While the A.I. aspect may need to change possibly with Riri creating her own or a different A.I. having been created by Tony for the teen this could be an excellent way to expand Tony Stark’s legacy within the MCU. It would also be interesting to see Happy, Pepper, or even Peter Parker make some sort of appearance considering their close relationships with the fallen Avenger.

Legacy or a new generation of heroes seems to be a big part of Marvel’s plans for the future with The Falcon And The Winter Soldier, She-Hulk, and Hawkeye all in the works Ironheart could be a perfect addition. Many other Marvel series are in the pipeline including WandaVision, Loki, Ms. Marvel, What If…, and Moon Knight.