Riri Williams has some big shoes to fill in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Played by Dominique Thorne, Williams, a.k.a. Ironheart, made her debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever back in November. The movie failed to provide a direct tie to Iron Man and his influence on Williams, instead offering subtle hints at the connections between the characters. Additionally, the MCU version of Ironheart comes with several changes from the comic books, including a suit of armor that's possibly enhanced with vibranium. This enhancement definitely sets her apart from her inspiration, Tony Stark a.k.a. Iron Man.

15-year-old Williams made her first appearance in Invincible Iron Man #7 (by Brian Michael Bendis and Mike Deodato). Williams built her own prototype suit, proving to be just as much of a genius as Stark. She was able to duplicate Stark's Armor Model 41 design, using materials gathered from the MIT labs. After the events of Civil War II #8 (by Bendis and David Marquez) put Stark in a coma, she decided to continue his legacy as the iron-suited hero, Ironheart. However, she was not without help from Stark. In Invincible Iron Man #1 (by Bendis and Stefano Caselli), Stark revealed that he had uploaded his consciousness into Williams' new suit in A.I. form to help her learn how to use it to the best of its abilities.

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RiRi works on her suit of armor at MIT

In Wakanda Forever, Williams is seen putting together an iron suit reminiscent of Stark's first suit of armor in 2008's Iron Man film. Being that the movie involves both Wakanda and Atlantis, two kingdoms with advanced technology, it's likely that Williams gained access to vibranium and used it to enhance her armor. One thing is for sure: Iron Man's armor did not include vibranium, which gives Ironheart a technological advantage.

Williams could use vibranium in several ways to make her armor more powerful than any of Iron Man's designs. One way is by upgrading the repulsors, which are one of the armor's primary weapons. Iron Man did not incorporate repulsor rays until his Model 3 design, which debuted in Tales of Suspense #66 (by Stan Lee and Don Heck). Another vibranium-powered upgrade could simply be making the armor as strong as T'Challa's and Shuri's nano-tech Black Panther suits. Stark's Mark L design, his 50th Iron Man armor design, used nanotechnology and was strong enough to use during the Infinity War and the fight against Thanos.

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Ironheart Continues to Improve on Iron Man's Marvel Legacy

Iron Man and Ironheart clash in their respective armor

The lives of Ironheart and Iron Man are intertwined, although their beginnings could not be more different. Both are geniuses fueled by tragedies that happened in their lives, but what sets Williams apart from Stark is that she did not have access to the same billion-dollar technology that Stark inherited from his father. She may not have started out with the same resources that Stark had during his formative years as Iron Man, but along the way, her intelligence and strong will earned her the respect of those who held a very close connection to Stark. His own mother, Amanda Armstrong, offered Williams access to Stark's former lab at the Stark Industrial Complex, and M.I.T. offered her the usage of their robotics laboratories. Williams was initially hesitant to accept both offers, but realized these were avenues to help her continue Iron Man's legacy while forging her own path.

Williams is relatively new to the superhero game, but she's climbed the ranks rather quickly. Aside from her cameos in earlier Invincible Iron Man comics, her first full appearance as Ironheart wasn't until Invincible Iron Man #6 in 2017. By joining the Champions, fighting Hydra, and taking on supervillains like Armadillo, Rhino, and even Thanos, Williams has already proven herself and demonstrated that her skills and expertise aren't measured by her years of experience. Incorporating the power of vibranium into her armor gives her a sure advantage over her mentor, and the young hero is now set to feature in an upcoming spin-off series from Marvel Studios and Disney+.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is now streaming on Disney+.