Robert Downey Jr. gave 'Ironheart' star Dominique Thorne "two thumbs up"

Fans were first introduced to Riri Williams in 2022's Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, but now, she will be creating her own Iron Man-inspired suit in Ironheart. Dominique Thorne stars as the title character alongside Anthony Ramos, Lyric Ross, Alden Ehrenreich, Regan Aliyah, Manny Montana, Matthew Elam, and Anji White in the upcoming Disney+ series.

 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).

In an interview with Empire Magazine, Thorne revealed that she actually got approval from Robert Downey Jr., the man who started the Marvel Cinematic Universe back in 2008 with Iron Man. "Robert Downey Jr and I spoke just after we wrapped, and he shared some very lovely words about my journey," she shared. "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."