Phase 4 of the MCU is a huge unknown quantity at the moment. After all, half of the most beloved characters recently collapsed into piles of dust and though we can be fairly sure they’re coming back, we have no idea in what shape the universe will be post-Avengers 4. Well, almost no idea.
It appears that Marvel Studios are exploring the prospect of making an Ironheart movie, having apparently commissioned a script from Jada Rodriguez that’s picked up rave reactions from those that’ve read it.
Here’s the synopsis:
“When a young African American girl loses hope in humanity, she dedicates her life, with the help of Tony Stark, to becoming a superhero… not knowing she is her own worst enemy…”
Ironheart aka Riri Williams is a teenage genius who re-engineers herself a set of Stark armor while studying at MIT and begins to do some low-level superhero’ing while wearing it. Naturally, Tony takes an interest in this talented young upstart and realizes she’s got the goods. In the comics, he even assists her in developing her armor further, supplying a digital version of his mind (a bit like JARVIS) to guide her through her heroic career.
It’s a story that fits neatly into what’s commonly assumed are Marvel Studios’ future plans for Iron Man and Robert Downey Jr. While it’s clear he’ll be playing a central role in Avengers 4, it appears that there’s a mutual understanding that his presence in the MCU is going to be minimized going forward.
There’s a number of reasons why Ironheart stepping into the Iron Man role makes sense, too. For one, Downey Jr. commands a huge payday for each movie he does, while there’s also the fact that Tony Stark has developed as a character about as far as he can without being repetitive (some would argue that’s already happened). Plus, the MCU could still use more prominent female superheroes and with Kevin Feige promising us that that’s something which will soon be fixed, it wouldn’t be too crazy to think they’re looking to add Williams into the franchise.