Dominique Thorne and Anthony Ramos Shine in Ironheart Teaser

Ryan Coogler is having a very good year. Coming off a box office win for his latest film Sinners, the successful director has already lined up another project—Marvel’s limited series Ironheart. The company has just released a new trailer in promotion for the show’s upcoming June 2025 debut.

A six-episode MCU show, Ironheart, will feature Dominique Thorne as the title character Riri Williams, a teenage tech genius and the protégé of Tony Stark in the source material. The series will serve as the final television entry in Phase Five for the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Ironheart was first revealed in December 2020, with a release year of 2023. Later, Marvel refocused its long-term content plans, electing to release fewer individual pieces each year. The shift was, in part, a reaction to the problem of market oversaturation. The change affected Ironheart, with the premiere now scheduled for this summer. Early footage shown at 2024’s D23 event described the series as “a crime show with an Iron Man twist at the center,” suggesting a much more grounded and realistic feel than most MCU properties.

Riri Williams first appeared in the MCU in 2022’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. In the film, she became involved in a conflict with Namor and his army of blue people after creating a vibranium detector while studying at MIT. As the movie progresses, Riri forms a friendship with Shuri based on their mutual interest in science, and eventually crafts an armored suit similar to Iron Man’s to help Wakanda protect itself. At the end of the film, the two say their goodbyes, and Riri is forced to leave her suit behind with the Wakandans before returning to MIT.

Setting the Stage: Ironheart Begins

Ironheart is set to take place immediately following the events of Wakanda Forever. The official synopsis for the series states, “Set after the events of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Ironheart pits technology against magic when Riri—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).”

Dominique Thorne will star in the title role as Riri Williams, alongside a cast of talented supporting players. Lyric Ross will star as Riri’s best friend, Natalie Washington, Alden Ehrenreich as Joe McGillicuddy, Manny Montana as Cousin John, Matthew Elam as Xavier Washington, and Anji White as Riri’s mother, Ronnie. Shea Couleé will play Slug. The cast will also be joined by MCU mainstay Jim Rash as the dean of MIT, reprising his role from 2016’s Captain America: Civil War. Sacha Baron Cohen has also been confirmed for a role in Ironheart, though no details are known about his character or when he may appear.

A teaser trailer was released this week, and it does not pull any punches. The trailer opens with Riri standing in front of a closed-down pizza restaurant. She enters, and the elevator she is riding in closes on her, trapping her inside with several gallons of poison gas. Her only option to escape is two minutes—unless someone from the outside can open the elevator for her. At first, she attempts to access the service phone to call for help, but she is informed that it is not an option. The reason she is stuck is because she is being tested—or, as the person who ordered it calls it, “interviewed”—by The Hood. He appears over the intercom and informs Riri that she will die unless she can break into the locked metal box on the floor containing a gas mask. Riri, not willing to submit to his whims, figures out another way to escape.

After she has saved herself from the elevator, The Hood praises her and claims to have been impressed by her. He then asks her to assist in an unspecified venture, one that is likely not exactly legal. Eager to show off her skills and make something truly “iconic,” Riri only hesitates for a second before accepting. Her friends are not as happy as she is with the decision, and Natalie cautions her about The Hood and his past. The warning may be well-earned; The Hood tells Riri, “Anyone who has ever accomplished anything iconic in life has had to do some questionable things to get it done.”

The series is primed to dive into the sacrifices that must be made in order to achieve the life someone might want. Especially when that someone is a smart young woman as talented and as determined as Riri Williams. Audiences will be left guessing how far she will be willing to go to get what she wants, and how that will come back to bite her in the future.

Marvel has confirmed that the first three episodes of Ironheart will premiere on Disney+ on June 24, 2025, with the final three following every week. No second season has been announced, but such a development is possible if the initial six perform well. For now, fans of the MCU can check out the trailer and a new behind-the-scenes featurette to get a preview of the story, action, and interpersonal drama ahead.