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Riri Williams is a former MIT student and a gifted inventor, who created various cutting-edge designs, such as her own Ironheartarmor, based on Iron Man's suits. As one of her projects was used by the CIA to find vibranium outside Wakanda, Williams found herself threatened by Namor, since her invention put Talokan in danger of being exposed to the surface world. Targeted by both Talokanil and the United States Government, Williams was approached by Shuri and the Wakandans, which later escalated into a war between Wakanda and Talokan. Ironheart helped the Wakandans in the final battle, using a new armor, made with Wakandan technology, and returned to the U.S. after the conflict.
Williams continued her side hustle to get enough money to construct the armor of her dreams, which eventually resulted in her getting expelled from MIT and returning to Chicago. Williams did not abandon her dream and continued working on a suit, while being approached by Hood, who promised her money for working for his gang. Despite warnings from N.A.T.A.L.I.E., an A.I. accidentally created in the image of her late best friend Natalie Washington, Williams continued working for Hood, but soon realized that she and her loved ones were in danger. Being confronted by the threats of magic, Ironheart managed to overcome her deep-seated fear and defeated Hood, before being approached by Mephisto, who resurrected Washington for her as a part of their deal.
Riri Williams was born to Demetrius and Ronnie Williams in 2005.[1] She grew up in Chicago[3] and started building machines at the age of three.[4] She learned a lot about mechanics from Gary, her stepfather who wanted to build airplanes. She would often take his tools and just fidget with his airplanes.[3] Together, she and her dad worked on a Plymouth Barracuda. One day at the auto shop, Gary kissed her on the forehead as she was on the ground. She graduated ninth grade at the age of eleven. Riri was constantly making the news headlines, and constantly had articles written in the Chicago Tribune about her. At the age of twelve, she became the youngest ever to win at the Chicago Science Fair with a Robo-Dog, and had an article written by the Chicago Central City Press about her victory. As a teenager, she attended South Shore International College Preparatory High School, and, due to her genius mind, graduated in 2020, and started college at the age of fifteen.[1]
Fresh out of high school, Williams was accepted into and attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she settled into her single dorm and soon ran a business. She completed other students' homework for money, with the money being electronically transferred to her. Williams later became infatuated with creating her own Iron Man-style armor and worked on it intermittently in her own garage. She also set up a very sophisticated computer password that she accidentally locked herself out of, which took her her a semester to regain access. At the age of nineteen, Williams designed a Vibranium Detector, which she created using scraps of junk, after her professor believed that she would never be able to build it.[3]
In May 2025, Williams approached her friend, who did not pay her for the homework she had done for him. She swiftly took his phone and transferred the money herself. She then went back to her dorm where she met Princess Shuri from Wakanda, who she instantly recognized. Williams wondered if she was being recruited, but Shuri revealed that she was there in regard to the Vibranium Detector.
Williams learns about the danger she is in
The two discussed the machine until Williams wondered if she had upset the Wakandans, so Shuri clarified it was not just them and that Williams was no longer safe and had to leave with her immediately. Williams became worried and tried to escape through the bathroom, but was blocked by Okoye, who had been hiding there the whole time. Williams demanded they leave her dorm and threw a speaker at Okoye, but she sliced it in half. Shuri went to leave, informing Williams that she would have to deal with Namor alone, so Williams decided to go with them.[3]
"I must be dumb as hell. Real dumb thinking that the Princess of Wakanda is gonna show up at my doorstep and then shit about to pop off. I think that I'm actually gonna take my chances with this merman because at least he never brought the FBI to my garage!"
Williams brought Okoye and Shuri to her garage, where she told them not to touch anything. Williams collected her computer, explaining that it had her life's work on it. Griot notified them that the FBI had arrived and were surrounding the garage, demanding Williams to step out.
Williams became annoyed that the FBI had been led to her garage, putting all her work at risk, so she began burning her designs. Shuri and Okoye discussed their next course of actions, so Williams revealed her suit, stating she would be using it to escape. Shuri gave Williams a wireless transmitter so they could communicate before entering Williams' stepfather's car with Okoye. Williams suited up, and when the FBI breached the garage, she fired a shot at them before flying outside through an opening in the roof.
Griot noted that there was a surveillance drone tracking them, so Williams went to destroy it, working out the calculations so that it would crash into the police blocking the bridge. Williams successfully shot the drone out of the sky, however, she passed out from lack of oxygen and began plummeting towards the water. Williams regained consciousness before crashing and regrouped with Shuri and Okoye at the bridge. But, Williams was knocked out by the Talokanil, who took her and Shuri to Talokan.[3]
Williams woke up in a cave and panicked, so Shuri tried to calm her down. Williams asked if a Black Panther would be sent to rescue them, but Shuri informed her that there were no more Black Panthers. Namora entered and told Shuri to come with her, causing Williams to worry about being left alone. When Shuri returned, she revealed to Williams that Namor intended to go to war with the surface and he wanted Wakanda to fight with him. They were then rescued by Nakia, who arrived and shot the two guards, allowing them to escape back to the surface, where they were picked up by a Royal Talon Fighter.[3]
Williams was brought to Wakanda, where she met Queen Ramonda and was shown to the Citadel. Suddenly, Wakanda fell under attack by the Talokanil, so Williams assisted Ramonda in using the high-tech windows to help civilians. They were confronted by Namor, who used a Hydrobomb to attack them, flooding the room. Williams was saved from drowning by Ramonda, and was quickly resuscitated, only to discover that the Queen had died saving her.[3]
Following the funeral, Williams approached Shuri and told her that Ramonda's sacrifice made her feel the need to help them stop Namor. Shuri stated they needed to weaken Namor, and that she would become the next Black Panther. Williams and Shuri discussed Namor's physiology and figured out that heat would weaken him, so Shuri placed Williams in charge of converting the Royal Talon Fighter into a trap for him.
As Williams worked on the trap, she also built herself new armor, which Shuri consulted on. During the process, Williams and Shuri bonded over how they were introduced to building things. When Shuri successfully recreated the Heart-Shaped Herb, Williams and Nakia helped her take it, with Williams worried about the dangers of the ritual. When Shuri awoke, they discovered Shuri's newfound strength, making Williams express her desire to also take the Herb.[3]
Black Panther led the Wakandans to ambush the Talokanil on the Sea Leopard. Creating another Vibranium Detector, Williams used it to lure the Talokanil. When Namor appeared, Williams attacked him, but he soon overwhelmed her, so she requested assistance from Griot. The Royal Talon Fighter was flown in and captured Namor after Williams disoriented him with a blast.
Williams informed the others of Namor's capture and went to help the rest of the Wakandans fight off the Talokanil. When Williams went underwater, Namora grabbed onto the suit and began attacking it, so Williams resurfaced and attempted to shake her off. Williams managed to get Namora in front of her, allowing her to blast her enemy with a chest beam. Williams regrouped with the rest of the Wakandans, but were soon outnumbered and surrounded. Fortunately, Black Panther returned with Namor and they announced their truce, ending the war between them.[3]
No longer in danger, Williams went back to Wakanda and prepared to return home. Shuri spoke with Williams before she left, telling her that she would not be allowed to leave with her new armor, which Williams understood. Shuri then revealed that she had repaired Williams' stepfather's car, which would be transported back to Boston with her. Williams invited Shuri to come with her, but she informed her of other business she had deal with.[3]
From an early age, Williams was incentivized to tinker and build, developing a fondness and gift for engineering. Coming from a working class family, Williams takes pride in her intelligence, striving to surpass the likes of Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Hank Pym and Tony Stark; the latter being a source of inspiration for her work alongside her stepfather Gary.
After witnessing the deaths of her stepfather and Natalie Washington, her best friend, Riri developed a fear of her loved ones being harmed, and a deep-seated need to protect them. She never fully processed her grief, throwing herself into her work and becoming isolated from the very people she wants to protect.
Ironheart Armor Capabilities: Williams uses a set of technologically advanced armors which provides her of the ability to flight and grant her superhuman strength, durability, speed, agility, stamina and reflexes. The armors also possess energy repulsors and other offensive weapons.
Superhuman Strength: With her armors, Williams can enhance her strength to superhuman levels, enough to defeat Talokanilsoldiers and Namora.
Superhuman Durability: With her armors, Williams can withstand tremendous amounts of punishment. Her first armor was durable enough to withstand bullets and brute force, and most impressively, a fall from 30,000 feet (over five miles). Her second armor made of vibranium was incredibly durable against Namora's weapons.
Superhuman Speed: With her armors, the thrusters grants Riri to move as super fast distances with supports of the repulsors.
Superhuman Agility: With her armors, despite the heavy metal is incredibly agile to allow Williams to perform evasive movements.
Superhuman Stamina: To be added
Superhuman Reflexes: To be added
Ironheart enables her thrusters
Flight: Riri's armor has the innate ability of flight, capable of soaring through the air and even high altitudes to reach near outer space.
Power Suit: Using designs of Stark blueprints, Williams came up with a sustainable arc reactor to power all her own suit’s operating functions to successfully remain active.
Abilities[]
"This thing can detect the altered frequency of vibranium through water, stones, even heavy metals. Whoever built this is brilliant. Come, look. Some are custom parts and others look like they gathered it from a junkyard."
Genius-Level Intellect: Williams is a child prodigy who attends the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology and had been "running circles around" all of her professors according to Everett Ross. She was referred to as "brilliant" by Shuri; given that the latter is the smartest person in the world,[9] this is high praise.
Master Engineer: Williams was three years old when she built her first machine, with encouragement from her stepfather. She built the vibranium detector for her metallurgy class in the span of a couple months using custom parts and others gathered from a junkyard. According to Doctor Graham, the machine had less than a one in a billion chance of finding the substance, but it worked. Shuri learned that it could detect the altered frequency of vibranium through water, stones, and even heavy metals. She also corrected the grip algorithm of one of her coed's robotic hands in exchange for payment, and fixed a few trucks for the head of sanitation. She built a functional quantum computer to crack her own encryption.
Master Scientist: Williams' differential equations class allowed her to find Euler angles while flying her suit and take down a federal surveillance drone. Still, it is very dependent on its own scientific field, in this case engineering, which prevented it from advancing in the research of the Hood's Cloak.
Master Hacker: Williams impressed Shuri with the 2065-byte encryption on her laptop and had to build a functional quantum computer to crack it when she was locked out.
Ironheart Armor: Mark I: Williams uses blueprints from Stark technology to craft her own design of Iron Man armor, where Mark I can shoot repulsors and fly powered through an arc reactor shaped like a heart.
Ironheart Armor: Mark II: With aid of the Wakandan technology Riri designs a second model of Ironheart suit completely of vibranium, heads up display, including better weaponry more advanced than the suit that it can even travel underwater.
Ironheart Armor: Mark III: Using her grant money as a student at MIT, she developed the third iteration of Ironheart Armor, which was less weapons capable due to it's prototyped nature. It also featured a heads up display, and supersonic flight capabilities, and a basic life support system.
Ironheart Armor: Mark IV: Recollecting the pieces of her broken Mark lll, she uses replacement parts to reassemble her Mark lV suit to install N.A.T.A.L.I.E. as new A.I program to operate it for missions stealing from high-tech corporations.
Ironheart Armor: Mark V: With help from family and peers Riri took parts of her stepdad‘s old car that was refurbished with Wankandan technology to craft armor Mark V with the exception of mixing it with magic.
Other Equipment[]
Vibranium Detector: As a project for school, Williams crafted a device capable of detecting minerals underwater so powerful that it can even detect vibranium, thus why the CIA used it for operations.
Projection Necklace: To get her AI assistant (N.A.T.A.L.I.E.) to cooperate, Williams developed a device capable of projecting a holographic avatar of N.A.T.A.L.I.E., which can be worn as a necklace to do so in public without rousing suspicion.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology: Williams is a student at MIT known to use her education and dedication to her role of being a gifted inventor.
Riri Williams' Garage: On her private time really owns the garage near campus where she hold all her personal projects, including her own Ironheart armors.
Shuri's Lab: Assigned by Shuri, Williams was provided a work station to help build defenses against Namor while at the same time building her first advanced version Ironheart suit.
Citadel: Under protective custody of Wakanda, Riri was escorted by Queen Ramonda in the Citadel during the attack by the Talokanil.
In the comics, Riri Williams is a young MIT student who managed to reverse-engineer Iron Man technology and create her own suit of armor, becoming known as Ironheart. She was approached by Tony Stark himself who endorsed her desire to be a superhero, so she joined him in the second Civil War against Captain Marvel.
Dominique Thorne was called up by Marvel Studios and asked if she wanted to play Ironheart instead of submitting an audition as usual: "I was at home in Delaware and I got a call asking if I would like to play this role. It was the best phone call I could have ever received. I was so shocked, in fact, that there was a considerable lag in the conversation! I was waiting for them to say, like, ‘Oh, we’ll send you the sides’, or, ‘Get your tape over to us.’ But there was none of that. It was just like, ‘Would you like to do this?’ It was probably the most unique experience I’ve ever had because there was no audition at all".[10]
Thorne originally auditioned to play Shuri in the first Black Panther back when she was still in her sophomore year. While she didn't get the role, Thorne later starred in a film produced by director Ryan Coogler, Judas and the Black Messiah, leading executive producer Nate Moore to call her, asking her if she was familiar with the Ironheart character and then offer it to her when she affirmed that she did know about the character.[11]
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