How Marvel's Ironheart Changes Riri's Comic Book Origin Story (And Makes It Worse)

This article contains spoilers for "Ironheart" episodes 1-3.

There are plenty of MCU characters whose stories have diverged from their comic origins. Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) had abilities similar to Reed Richards' embiggening powers on the page, which were changed to crystal-forming skills in her show. Baron Zemo (Daniel Bruhl), too, shifted from being the more comic-accurate son of a former Captain America foe to an elite and vengeful Sokovian soldier seeking justice for his family's loss. Now, Riri Williams, aka Ironheart (Dominique Thorne), is the latest hero to have some adjustments made to her backstory. The difference is that this feels more like an obligation than an essential part of storytelling.

In the comics, Ironheart's story kicks into gear when Tony Stark visits and endorses Williams' work, followed later by an artificial AI modeled after Stark himself. It's a failsafe that kicks in after Stark goes into a coma following the events of Civil War II, but he sends his digital doppelgänger to assist Riri to build a suit of her own. Doing so fortifies a bond between the two characters, much like the one we've already seen between Tom Holland's Spider-Man and Downey's Iron Man. The problem in the show, of course, is that the MCU Tony Stark has been dead for the past few years, and even if he wasn't, bringing Downey back would've pushed the budget for "Ironheart" into very pricey territory. As a result, even mentioning Stark's name feels awkward, highlighting an inconsistency in Riri's journey that takes some time to overcome.

Robert Downey Jr. might've given Thorne some words of wisdom when she took on the role, but that's about as far as it goes for the MCU alumni. In the first episode of "Ironheart," the name of Tony Stark is thrown around a fair bit, given that Riri is part of MIT and has plans to expand on the ideas and creations of the late Iron Man with designs of her own. While she might use his name as a defense for her work to continue, it simply doesn't sit right that she's supposed to respect Tony this much. (It's framed almost to the level of Kamala trying to follow in the footsteps of Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel.) At this point, Riri really should be either regularly looking at her muse's works or not at all. Instead, the show presents this weak in-between that merely feels like a time-filler until it makes a far smarter decision with another core part of Riri's backstory.

Just like so many heroes, Williams' quest to do good comes from personal tragedy. The show, like the comics, reveals that Riri's best friend, Natalie (Lyric Ross), and Riri's stepfather, Gary (LaRoyce Hawkins), were casualties of a drive-by shooting. Thankfully, though, it's through this traumatic event where the show speeds things up with Riri's creative process and brings Natalie back to life (kinda) a lot sooner than in Ironheart's original comic story.

While Riri made her comic debut in 2016 in "Invincible Iron Man" #7, she didn't get her own standalone story until "Ironheart" #1 in 2018. That's a lot of time for the titular hero to spend with Stark, AI or otherwise, that she simply hasn't had in the MCU. What perfect timing then, that just like in her first comic book issue, her new AI, N.A.T.A.L.I.E., comes to life in the first episode — and it's not a moment too soon.

The noticeable absence of Stark and the overuse of his name gets promptly swept aside thanks to the arrival of Lyric Ross as Thorne's former-friend-turned-super-advanced-digital-assistant. This shifts focus to more interesting elements that are relevant to the MCU version of Riri, rather than the comic version the show is drawing from. Admittedly, it would have been nice to see some kind of interaction between Ironheart and the hero from whom she takes her name, but as great as the MCU can be, we unfortunately can't have everything. It does spark some curiosity about Riri's future in this ever-expanding universe, though.

There's no telling where Ironheart will appear next after her standalone show, but what will be interesting is whether it takes place in the time period before or after the events of "Avengers: Doomsday." Having already touched on Stark's legacy, how might Riri react when a man in a green cape and an intriguing accent shows up who looks just like the man she modeled her great inventions after? If and when that happens, it might actually give Riri a better opportunity to interact with the man who's made such an impact in her life, as opposed to her debut series, which has struggled to effectively show it.