Dominique Thorne caused a stir after her first appearance as Riri Williams aka Ironheart in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the latest hero can come with a lot of pressure, but luckily for Thorne, she had two senior Avengers on hand to give her some much-needed advice.
Ironheart, in the Marvel comics, is considered the spiritual successor to Tony Stark, who was portrayed by Robert Downey Jr. for over a decade in the MCU. Thorne revealed to Deadline that she was able to connect with Downey recently to assess how best to approach the project and gain his approval and approval to move forward. Downey made it clear that Riri Williams shouldn’t be seen as a Stark clone, but as her own character who should be allowed to take flight.
“I didn’t get to speak with RDJ before we started filming or anything, but towards the end of the movie, I actually got a chance to talk to him via FaceTime. A castmate on Ironheart had actually done a show with him and hooked us up, and he had some nice words to say about how much he believes Riri Williams is and should always be his own person, his own thing. That this legacy is going in the right direction and all the encouraging beautiful things you hope to hear from Iron Man himself.”
If that wasn’t enough for Thorne, she revealed that Brie LarsonWho’s playing Captain Marvel, chatted with her about what it felt like to be a female joining a superhero world, and the pros and cons that might come with it. Larson has seen the dark side of fame since taking over the role of Carol Danvers, but still approaches life from a positive perspective with her words of wisdom that are sure to encourage Thorne on her journey ahead. Thorne said:
“I also had the chance to speak with Brie Larson. She was truly an open book about what her experience was like as a human woman trying to play a superhuman woman, and all that goes with it. I’ve been very, very grateful to have real, genuine conversations with people who care about work. Not only do they do a great job and create characters that we fall in love with, but they also care about how that role and that job is done.”
Riri Williams has positioned herself as a major player in the MCU going forward, playing a pivotal role in wakanda forever with its genius young persona lending some technical savvy to the long-discussed future Young Avengers team. Ironheart can certainly replace the Iron Man-shaped void that exists within the MCU, but for Thorne, it looks like the approval of those before her will be the push she needs to move forward.
Stone heart flies on Disney+ in 2023, but you can see Thorne as Riri Williams in wakanda forever, currently playing in theaters. Check out our interview with Thorne below.
Robert Downey Jr. Gave Ironheart Actress His Blessing On Black Panther 2 – GameSpot