Not even Spider-Man got a full two thumbs up from Iron Man. But Marvel Studio’s next star, Ironheart has received the full Iron Man seal of approval. In a new interview with Empire, Ironheart actress Dominique Thorne shares that Robert Downey Jr., Iron Man and now Doctor Doom in the MCU, gave her a gushing review. We assume RDJ approves of Ironheart as Iron Man and not as Doctor Doom, but hey, that would make for an interesting twist on the story. Here’s what Thorne shared about her interactions with Robert Downey Jr. in the leadup to Ironheart‘s summer release.
Thorne revealed of the conversation between Ironheart and Iron Man, “Robert Downey Jr and I spoke just after we wrapped [Ironheart], and he shared some very lovely words about my journey. He told me how excited he was and that he’s rooting for it, too. I literally got two thumbs up. It’s really reassuring to know you’re not embarrassing Iron Man.”
No one would ever want to embarrass Iron Man, Tony Stark would never let you live it down. But we suppose the stakes are especially high for Ironheart, who bears the same armored conceit as Iron Man on her shoulders. That said, Thorne shares that the story of this armored gal is definitely coming at it from a scrappier point of view, although not without help. “She’s dumpster-diving, whereas Tony Stark [was] this bajillionaire. Not to say that Riri’s project in Ironheart won’t be impressive – she has, after all, spent time with the Wakandans.” And we know no one does it like the Wakandans. We honestly expect Ironheart’s work to be even more impressive than Iron Man’s.
It’s been a long wait for more Ironheart. We last saw Riri Williams in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. But incredibly, that released three years ago now. Riri’s Ironheart series was announced in the summer of 2022. Ironheart was originally meant to release in 2023. But ultimately, scheduling placed its premiere in June 2025. We actually don’t know too much about Ironheart, even now, but the series’ synopsis notes, “Set after the events of “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” Marvel Television’s “Ironheart” pits technology against magic when Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne)—a young, genius inventor determined to make her mark on the world—returns to her hometown of Chicago. Her unique take on building iron suits is brilliant, but in pursuit of her ambitions, she finds herself wrapped up with the mysterious yet charming Parker Robbins aka “The Hood” (Anthony Ramos).“
All we can say is we have our own two thumbs ready to go up for Ironheart, right alongside Iron Man’s. Let’s go! Ironheart will release on June 24, 2025.
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