Who Is Ironheart?

Who Is Riri Williams and why you should read her comics.

Riri Williams is such an interesting and particularly bright character. Unknown to many for years before the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever film, Riri Williams was just a titular character subjected to excellent comic book writers Eve L. Ewing and Michael Bendis, and yet they were able to bring to life one of the best modern-day comic book characters. But what exactly makes Riri Williams, Riri Williams? Why is she considered to be such an excellent and well-written character despite taking on a similar role to that of the Marvel comic legend himself, Tony Stark? It all starts with her epic origin story, how she used her intellectual prowess to become one of the most epic heroes ever. 

Riri Williams was born shortly after the death of her father. She is named after him and looks just like him. Riri Williams grew up in the South Shore neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois with her sister Sharon, their mother Ronnie, and their step-father. From a very young age, it was discovered that Riri Williams was a very young and intelligent little girl. 

As a young super genius, Riri’s intelligence has no limits. It is because of this that Riri eventually as a teenager can attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where she is finally able to explore her gifts. This is how her popular moniker IronHeart was born. Her actions are inspired by her will and desire to expand the universe technologically while providing safety for all people. 

Riri is directly inspired by the talents and intelligence of Tony Stark combined with her desire and hope that one day there will be a better, and more advanced technological society for all people. She has fought to be where she is in the world and there is no stopping whatsoever. Her pursuits are often directly inspired by the work of her father who she lost at a young age to gun violence. It was because of this tragedy that she became so focused on being a smart intellect. Her connection to Tony Stark empowers her to create her suit with materials that she steals from her university. Through all of this, she becomes known as Ironheart and can fight the day through her immense genius and technological capabilities. 

But why is this important? What is the purpose of highlighting her during Women’s History Month? Although Marvel Comics has various diverse characters and has improved significantly in terms of diverse representation, characters like Riri Williams are a very rare feat that we see in comics. A story of loss turned into inspiration and the ability of relentless determination and perseverance combined with technological prowess and growth is a story that should be supported.

There is so much to this character that keeps her fans returning to her stories in hopes of more. Between having various additional appearances throughout the comics of Black Panther, The Champions, and Young Avengers to her being one of the standouts in the most recent Black Panther film, the future around this character is bright. There is also more of a need for positive representation for young black girls growing up and often feeling lost within society. Riri Williams is here to fill that void.

During this Women’s History Month make sure you support original Black characters like the young Riri Williams. She is one of a kind and will eventually have her own Marvel Cinematic Universe show entitled Ironheart. If you want to be ahead of the curve make sure you check out the Ironheart comics and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever to see Riri Williams's official debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. We must support diverse characters of all kinds to further their success and likeness within popular media.