Ironheart’s cast has gained a new member! According to Deadline, Shakira Barrera has joined the team as a series regular on the upcoming Disney+ show. As of now, Marvel has not confirmed the role.
Ironheart is slated to be a six-episode series and will star Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams. For newcomers, Ironheart follows Riri, a young inventor who is a certified super genius. While attending school, she secretly crafts her very own super suit similar to that of Iron Man. Thorne will be joined by Anthony Ramos, Manny Montana, Alden Ehrenreich, Regan Aliyah, Shea Couleé, and Zoe Terakes.
Ironheart the series is created by Chinaka Hodge (Snowpiercer), with Sam Bailey and Angela Barnes set for directing. Ryan Coogler’s multi-media company Proximity is collaborating on the series, with Coogler himself as one of the executive producers. He is joining Chinaka Hodge, Zinzi Coogler, Sev Ohanian, Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonoso, Brad Winderbaum, Zoie Nagelhout, and Kevin Feige, who is also executive producing. Hodge is credited as head writer on the series as well.
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As for Barrera, her previous credits include the lady wrestler Yolanda in Netflix’s GLOW. Another Netflix original she can be found in is the role of Lulu in It’s Bruno. She recently finished on the OWN drama All Rise and can be found in Freevee’s original series, Sprung.
Ironheart’s Place in the MCU
Marvel Comics
Since her announcement for the MCU, there has been tons of speculation around Ironheart and her overall role in the MCU. Last year, it was announced that the character would make her grand debut to the universe in the upcoming Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. This is confirmed by her being seen briefly in the teaser that was dropped this past July, including a shot of her cutting out the heart in metal. This is already confirming major changes in Riri’s backstory; in the comics, she was given the blessing of Tony Stark to pursue the crafting of her super suits and taking on the superhero role. But in Wakanda Forever, we see her rubbing elbows with fellow super genius Shuri.
As production continues on Ironheart, several leaks have made their way online. Upcoming merch for Wakanda Forever teased at Riri’s suit for the movie, as well as the updated looks for Shuri and Nakia for the film. In August, on set photos for Ironheart were leaked, revealing the Ironheart suit for the show, as well as the costume for Anthony Ramos’ role as The Hood. Judging from the designs between the two projects, Ironheart in Wakanda Forever will be a testing suit, with the more finalized and refined suit making its grand debut in the show.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will make its way to theaters on November 11, 2022. Ironheart is slated for fall 2023. While that may feel like a long gap, five shows set in the MCU are slated for release in the meantime after She-Hulk, which is currently out on Disney+. Hopefully, they can keep fans satiated until Riri makes her solo debut on the streaming service.
