Marvel Studios has made dozens of additions to its hero roster throughout Phase Four, with Disney+ serving as an effective platform to introduce new characters. 2022 has already featured two Disney+ series introducing fresh MCU faces in Moon Knight and Ms. Marvel, and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law will do the same once it launches in August. The Disney streamer will continue to serve the same purposes in 2023, as the Ironheart series will dive deep into the character of Riri Williams, played by Dominique Thorne. Many of the details surrounding the series are still under wraps, but the cast is continuing to grow as filming reportedly gets underway.
According to Deadline, Manny Montana is joining Ironheart as a series regular alongside Thorne. It's unknown what character Montana will be playing, but the actor is being added to a cast that also includes Anthony Ramos and Lyric Ross. Montana is perhaps best known for his role as Rio on the NBC series Good Girls, which ran for four seasons from 2018 to 2021. Most recently, Montana rode onto Mayans M.C., the Sons of Anarchy spin-off that just wrapped up its fourth season on FX, and he'll also be a recurring character on the newest season of Westworld this spring. Other notable projects include the USA Network drama Graceland, and supporting parts in films such as Blackhat and The Mule. Needless to say, Montana has kept himself very busy over the last ten years or so and is making a major addition to his resume by being part of Ironheart.
Audiences Won't Have to Wait Much Longer to Meet Riri Williams
Ironheart is set to follow the story of Riri Williams, who is a genius inventor that builds the most advanced suit of armor the world has seen since Tony Stark's Iron Man tech. The character first debuted in Marvel Comics back in 2016 and was such a hit with fans that Kevin Feige fast-tracked her MCU debut just six years later. It's six years later because even though Riri's solo series is premiering next year, audiences will be introduced to her in just five months. Thorne will first portray Riri in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, although the character's exact role in that story remains to be seen. It's also unknown if Riri will actually suit up in the film or if Marvel will wait until her titular project.
The Ironheart series also holds a unique place in Marvel history because it will be the first time a new character that debuted in a Phase Four film will be getting their own spin-off. So far, WandaVision, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, Loki, and Hawkeye focused on established MCU characters that audiences had been watching for years. On the flip side, Moon Knight and Ms. Marvel debuted new characters that have yet to jump to film, that is until Kamala Khan's appearance in The Marvels. Marvel is clearly confident enough in the Riri Williams character to develop an entire series around her, but introducing Thorne in Wakanda Forever is a smart play to build the hype for next year. Since Deadline reports that Ironheart is currently filming, fans can expect the series to blast onto Disney+ in the second half of 2023 at the earliest.