Actress Dominique Thorne made her MCU debut in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever as South Side Chicago native Riri Williams, a 19-year-old inventor on the campus of Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Ironman’s successor Ironheart. During a recent interview, however, the rising star shed some light on the newest Marvel character and the different changes in the works, warning fans that they could be in for a surprise the next time they see the Marvel superhero.
“My understanding was that the presentation of Riri in Wakanda Forever and in Ironheart could be drastically different,” the 25-year-old actress revealed in a recent feature for Teen Vogue. This has since prompted Thorne to get familiar with her character on a more intimate level so she “could make the choice to translate” details to the screen should the opportunity present itself.
While viewers were initially introduced to Riri in Wakanda Forever, Thorne’s relationship with Marvel studios dates back to the first Black Panther film. When the burgeoning thespian auditioned to play King T’Challa’s younger sister and tech genius Shuri while still a sophomore at Cornell. However, as fans all know, the role ultimately went to British actress Letitia Wright, but Thorne’s journey hadn’t ended just yet.
Marvel casting director Sarah Finn and the rest of the Marvel team expressed their interest in working with her in the future. A few years later, producer Nate Moore called and offered the New York native the role of Riri with no audition required.
Fans will get to catch Throne in her very own Disney+ series Ironheart. The project was filmed earlier this year and is scheduled to hit the streamer at the end of 2023.