Ahead of the Ironheart solo series on Disney+, Dominique Thorne will debut as teen genius Riri Williams in next year's Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

ComicBook.com spoke to Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige, who confirmed that Thorne will make her MCU debut in the Black Panther sequel arriving next summer. From there, she'll headline her own series, though when the show will release hasn't been revealed.

"We're shooting Black Panther: Wakanda Forever right now, and the character of Riri Williams, you will meet in Black Panther 2 first," Feige said. "She started shooting, I think, this week before her Ironheart series."

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Riri Williams, created by Brian Michael Bendis, Mike Deodato, Eve Ewing, and Kevin Libranda, debuted in 2016's Invincible Iron Man series. A genius in her own right who creates her an Iron Man-style suit out of essentially spare parts, she's soon joined by an A.I. of the deceased Tony Stark, who mentors the young inventor and hero.

Ironheart has long been rumored to appear in the MCU, and theories increased following the death of the film version of Tony Stark in Avengers: Endgame. Rumors of a TV version of the character coming to Disney+ emerged last summer, and Disney's Investor Day in early December finally confirmed as much. Thorne landed the role without an audition, proving how much Marvel Studios wanted to work with the young actor.

It was previously theorized that Riri Williams might appear in the upcoming series Armor Wars, explaining why her casting was revealed so far ahead of her show's production beginning. Now, it appears that was because she's already in the midst of filming Black Panther 2. In all likelihood, this ties into a report that Black Panther 2 is also shooting scenes at MIT, where Riri attends school in the comics.

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Along with the debut of Ironheart, or at least Riri Williams before she takes on the superhero mantle, Black Panther 2 will reportedly feature Namor and Atlantis. Namora has also been reportedly cast, while rumors have claimed Tenoch Huerta will play the King of Atlantis. The sequel has also added I May Destroy You's Michaela Coel in a mystery role.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is scheduled for release on July 8, 2022. Ironheart does not yet have a release date.

Source: ComicBook.com