Stone heart
The unfortunate disappearance of Tony Stark Iron Man left a deep hole in MCU. His absence is felt throughout the current Phase 4 of The Multiverse Saga. However, Stone heart – the upcoming entry of phase 5 should fill this gap.
Although Marvel has so far kept details of the TV series under wraps, some recent footage has surfaced online.
Heart of Iron – the character
In Marvel comics Riri Williams (age 15) – a child prodigy, ends up creating her own prototype version of Iron Man’s armor. She does this by reverse-engineering one of Stark’s costumes. When she was thirteen, Riri, her family and Natalie were caught in the crosshairs when a drive-by shooting hit passers-by.
Riri remains the sole survivor of the incident. Later, she even assists Iron Man during Second Civil War scenario against the forces of Captain Marvel. Shortly after, Tony falls into a coma and Riri decides to continue his legacy as a hero. This is how she obtained the title of Stone heart. Ironheart was created by Brian Michael Bendis and Mike Deodato and first appeared in Invincible Iron Man (Vol. 4) #3 (2017).
Ironheart – the TV series
In December 2020, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige announced the Disney+ TV series Stone heart. It was later revealed that the actress Dominique Thorne will portray the title character and debut in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. In the recent Comic-con trailer for the film, Williams can be seen carving a heart out of Vibranium leaves.
The series will consist of six episodes, with Sam Bailey directing the first three and Angela Barnes directing the final three. Additionally, Anthony Ramos, Harper Anthony, Manny Montana, Alden Ehrenreich, Shea Coule, and Zoe Terakes were cast in undisclosed roles, with Lyric Ross being Williams’ best friend. Chinaka Hodge will serve as the series’ head writer.
Ironheart – the leaks
On August 8, some images from the filming of Stone heart series have been leaked online.
Of three leaked images, two show Thorne in a motion capture suit, donning half armor. While the third captures the full look of Ironheart armor. The armor has since been criticized for its chunky look (unlike a sleeker costume in the comics) by some Marvel fans. Some fans think the costume has more similarity to the character doom killer that of Iron Man.
However, as was the case with Stark’s suit, Riri’s armor will also undergo incremental changes in future MCU projects. Marvel Studios has been known to alter the stories of their comic book counterparts to fit their current MCU timeline.
The hood and Agatha Harkness at Heart of Iron
In addition to Ironheart’s costume, eager fans also received confirmation from Anthony Ramos playing the character of The hood in the series. With the show rumored to contain many mystical elements, this seems like a terrific and logical inclusion. Much like Dr. Strange, The Hood (aka Parker Robbins) encounters a mystical cape and pair of boots that grant him mystical powers. But he’s never afraid to get his hands dirty and grab a gun if that’s what the situation calls for. The Hood will likely be the main antagonist of the series.
Brazilian fan account Feiticeira Escarlate Brasil reported a leak claiming The Hood would not be acting alone. Instead, none other than Wanda visionAgatha Harkness, the curious neighbor and resident witch of Agatha Harkness, will serve as her mystical advisor. This could have big implications for the next Agatha spin-off, Agatha: Chaos Coven.
As true as these leaks are, they’ve surely gotten Marvel fans interested in the series. It will be interesting to see how Marvel handles Tony Stark’s legacy against Riri Williams. With the divisive performance of the Phase 4 projects so far, one can only hope for the best for the next MCU phase.
Stone heart is currently slated to premiere in fall 2023, as part of phase five of the MCU’s multiverse saga.
