The new Iron Man in the Black Panther 2 teaser is none other than Ironheart

Riri Williams, a brilliant superhero, has joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe

With Ironheart, the heir presumptive of the late Tony Stark, Marvel Studios introduces a new armor-clad superhero to theaters (and, ultimately, Disney Plus). Ironheart will appear in both the Black Panther sequel, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which will be released this year, and a standalone, self-titled series for Disney Plus in 2023. And we see the young hero leaping into battle for the first time in the new teaser for Wakanda Forever, which will be released on November 11, 2022.

Riri Williams, Ironheart’s alter ego, is a brilliant scientist who produces “the most sophisticated suit of armor since Iron Man.” Young Riri, played by Dominique Thorne (If Beale Street Could Talk), takes up the role of Ironheart after creating her own suit of armor — one that she’ll allegedly augment using Wakanda’s sophisticated technology and its strong alien element, Vibranium.

“One of the things the picture tackles with is foils — characters that live in opposition, yet there’s a thread of connection,” Ryan Coogler revealed to Entertainment Weekly. “In this film, we see Shuri encounter someone who shares some similarities with her but is also very, very different.”

Riri Williams first appeared in Marvel Comics in the pages of Invincible Iron Man in 2016. While studying engineering at MIT, Tony Stark’s alma school, Riri reverse-engineers an earlier replica of Iron Man’s armor and battles criminals, attracting Stark’s notice and eventually working with an AI clone of Tony when he slipped into a coma.

Ironheart, which is set to premiere on Disney Plus in the fall of 2023, isn’t the only Iron Man spinoff in the works. Armor Wars, based on the famous comic book of the same name, was recently elevated from a Disney Plus series to a full-fledged theatrical picture by Marvel Studios. Don Cheadle will reprise his role as James Rhodes, aka War Machine, in the film to deal with Stark technology straying into the wrong hands.