The MCU’sIronheartshow will finally break a frustratingIron Mantrend that has been present in the franchise for a decade.Ironheart’s MCU storyis expected in 2025 and will build on the character’s introduction to the franchise. Riri Williams first appeared in 2022 and was last seen in theending ofBlack Panther: Wakanda Foreverafter building her first Ironheart suit using Wakandan technology. Now, theupcoming MCU TV showwill outline Riri forging her own legacy in Marvel’s sprawling universe, alongside another new suit of Tony Stark-like armor.
Ironhearthas a lot of exciting elements overall, from the continuation of Riri’s storyline to the implementation of magic in a technology-based story via the inclusion of theMarvel Comics villain known as The Hood. More so than these aspects, though, many are looking forward to seeing howIronheartaddresses the legacy of Iron Man. Whether indeed the show will do this or separate Riri from Tony Stark completely remains to be seen, but one confirmed element fromIronheartwill at least fix a problem that has plagued Iron Man in the MCU for almost a decade.
Ironheart’s MCU Armor Will Be Mostly Practical
CGI Will Be Primarily Avoided
The element in question is how CGI-heavy the titular Ironheart armor will be. Given that Ironheart is a hero who will fly around in metal armor just as Tony Stark did in the Infinity Saga of the MCU, CGI will naturally be implemented into the show to a heavy extent. That said, a recent comment from Marvel Studios' Head of Streaming, TV, and Animation, Brad Winderbaum, has brought to light an interesting aspect ofIronheart’s CGI usage where Riri’s suit of armor is concerned.
In an interview withBrandon Davis, Winderbaum was asked aboutIronheart’s armor, specifically whether it will be completely CGI or have practical elements. Winderbaum replied:
“There’s a full practical suit. It doesn’t obviously do all the crazy things that the suit does but we used a lot of techniques that go all the way back to the first Iron Man film, where we actually had a practical suit on set."
In an age that sees Hollywood movies relying ever more on CGI environments, sets, and even costumes, this news comes as a welcome surprise. As evident by Winderbaum’s comments, the team in charge of craftingIronheartattempted to emulateIron Man,which contained practical elements where possible for Tony Stark’s armor. The fact thatIronheartis committed to this practicality is exciting not only for the show itself and how it will look but also because this will fix an Iron Man problem that has been prevalent in the MCU for a while.
Ironheart’s Practical Armor Brings Back Iron Man’s Suit-Up Moments
The problem is that the longer Iron Man existed in the MCU, the more he lacked genuinely badass suit-up moments. The early appearances of the character were filled with scenes like this, from the unveiling of the Mark I suit inIron Manto the iconic suitcase suit-up during the Monaco Grand Prix inIron Man 2.These scenes were made all the more impactful due to their practicality, with the weight, importance, and strength of Iron Man being established due to the armor actually existing for audiences to see.
MCU: Every Iron Man Suit-Up Scene Ranked
Iron Man was a central pillar of the MCU for years, and throughout his films, he had plenty of great scenes suiting up for action.
However, as the MCU grew in size and scope, Iron Man’s suit-ups became less memorable. The moment in which Tony falls out of a helicopter only to be in his Iron Man suit inCaptain America: Civil War, or the scene including his nanotech suit-up at the beginning ofAvengers: Infinity Warare both exciting, but hold nowhere near the same sense as weight as his earlier suit-up scenes. This is primarily due to a smaller reliance on practicality, as CGI superhero costumes became the norm. Hopefully,Ironheart’s commitment to practical armor will harken back to Iron Man’s more epic moments of Phase 1.
Marvel’s Common Nanotech Complaint Will Be Resolved In Ironheart
It Isn’t Only Iron Man Who Suffered From The Increase In CGI
Not only this, butIronheart’s practical armor will resolve the MCU’s common nanotech complaint, if only briefly. SinceBlack Pantherintroduced nanotech to the MCU, the characters of the franchise have relied on CGI costumes more. Iron Man’s suit became nanotech inAvengers: Infinity War, leading to the aforementioned lack of physical weight and, thus, impact. Spider-Man’s Iron Spider suit was then also nanotech, resulting in similar issues.
The Avengers' time-travel suits from Avengers: Endgame were also fully CGI and implemented nanotech helmets, further contributing to this issue.
Beyond that, characters like Ant-Man received nanotech suits that looked and felt inferior to the practical one of his earliest appearances. The same can be said for theBlack Panthermovies also. WithIronheart, this nanotech problem will hopefully be solved given the greater focus on practicality. To make this even better, it is incredibly fitting that the legacy hero of Tony Stark, the character who began the franchise, will once more usher in an age of practical superhero costumes.
Ironheart
Cast
Ironheart: Following Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Ironheart introduces Riri Williams, a prodigious inventor navigating her path back in Chicago. Balancing her inventive prowess in creating iron suits with the enigmatic presence of Parker Robbins, known as The Hood, Riri finds herself at the intersection of technology and magic.
