Dominique Thorne debuted her new Disney+ series Ironheart in Los Angeles on Monday, while also hinting at the behind-the-scenes conversation she’s had with Iron Man himself.
Thorne’s character Riri Williams first appeared in 2022’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, as a teenage supergenius who designs a suit of armor similar to the Iron Man suit. In the show, Williams’ journey picks up with her returning from Wakanda to her hometown of Chicago, continuing to create new technology as she’s wrapped up with the mysterious Parker Robbins, a.k.a the Hood (played by Anthony Ramos).
The star said when she first landed the role in Wakanda Forever, she knew her character’s journey would continue beyond the film, as “they actually positioned it as wanting to make the show, wanting to make the series. And said, ‘Oh yeah, we’ll introduce her in Wakanda Forever.’”
Near the end of shooting Ironheart, co-star Alden Ehrenreich introduced Thorne to Iron Man’s Robert Downey Jr., as the two had recently worked together on Oppenheimer. “It was like, ‘You guys have to meet and talk,’ because she’s like the heir to his thing in certain ways. And he was of course extremely open and generous and all of that stuff,” Ehrenreich recalled.
Thorne said of her conversation with Downey Jr., “Once he had seen the show, then he was able to immediately say the million and one things that I was thinking and wanting to carry in mind as an actor and make sure that I portrayed but also strike a balance with. He immediately just got it all, as you would expect the O.G. to assess. He’s been incredible to connect with on this ride.”
Ryan Coogler, who helmed the two Black Panther films and serves as an executive producer on the series, noted when giving Riri Williams her own story, “We always knew there was a possibility of building out her entire world. The city of Chicago hadn’t been explored in the MCU yet, we were really excited about doing that. It was a great opportunity to find some incredible creatives.”
He added that with Wakanda Forever, “I had the first opportunity to cast Dominique and work with her in that film, and here I was there to be a facilitator and be supportive. I’m so excited about the project and it was something that I could have never come up with.” Coogler also mused that in making connections between the series and the upcoming Black Panther 3, “It’s so early for that. Obviously we can’t put the car before the horse or talk about things that are coming up, but I’m just fired up for folks to see this show. There are so many surprises in it.”
Ironheart starts streaming Tuesday on Disney+.