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Los Angeles Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
‘Ironheart's' Riri Williams is unapologetic. Head writer Chinaka Hodge is too
For Chinaka Hodge, it's important that Riri Williams is unapologetic. Comparing the young engineering prodigy to the billionaire tech CEO and Avengers founding member Tony Stark, the head writer and executive producer of Marvel's 'Ironheart' says she wanted her show's lead character to share some of that brash confidence to speak her mind yet still feel grounded. 'I wanted her to be unapologetic about her intellect,' says Hodge during a recent Zoom call. 'I wanted her to be unapologetic about the people she hung out with — that they would look and feel like the America we inhabit. 'It was really important to me to make a character that didn't just feel like a superhero in a skirt [but someone with] real dimension, real depth and real challenges and concerns,' she added. Out now on Disney+, 'Ironheart' follows Riri (portrayed by Dominique Thorne), a 19-year old MIT student introduced in the 2022 film 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,' as she finds herself back in her hometown of Chicago. After getting whisked away to Wakanda to help save the day, Riri is more driven than ever to complete her own version of a high-tech Iron Man-like suit to cement her legacy. But unlike Tony or the Wakandans, Riri doesn't have unlimited resources to do so, which leads her to make some questionable decisions. 'She's incredibly reverent of Tony Stark [being] ahead of her, but her path is not the same as his,' says Hodge, who can relate to Riri having 'no blueprint' for her journey. 'How to empower your idea without resource, without changing your morals, is a really difficult road, and that's basically where we put Riri for the life of the series.' Compared to most of her Marvel Cinematic Universe counterparts, Riri is a fairly new character. Created by Brian Michael Bendis and Mike Deodato, the 15-year-old tech whiz made her comic book debut in a 2016 issue of 'Invincible Iron Man.' Besides Tony Stark, Riri has crossed paths with characters such as Pepper Potts (Rescue), Kamala Khan (Ms. Marvel) and Miles Morales (Spider-Man). A self-described 'Marvel head,' Hodge explains that Riri initially hit her radar because of her friendship with fellow poet and scholar Eve Ewing, who was the writer on the first 'Ironheart' comic book series. 'My first encounter with Riri was watching Eve literally leave a poetry [event] and say, 'I have to go to my house … I'm working on some cool things,'' Hodge says. 'In a true fan kind of way, I'm interested in characters that look like me, and low-key, Riri really looks like me, [so] I very much leaned in.' As she became more familiar with the character, what also struck Hodge, as someone on the autism spectrum, is how Riri can be read as neurodiverse. 'One of the most important things about Riri [is] how she feels like me and my mom and other women who lean into their brains,' she says. Fans of Ironheart from the comics will recognize that elements of Riri's characterization and backstory draw upon what has been established in the books, but Hodge notes that they were not beholden to those storylines in terms of whom the teen could encounter on the show, regardless of the timeline or dimension. Hodge's learning curve, however, did include discovering the different levels and types of magic that exist in the broader Marvel universe, as well as potential storylines getting derailed because it fell under another character's purview. Though she is still a teen genius, the Riri in the series is slightly older than in the comics. Hodge also describes this Riri as more of an antihero because she has the potential to land on either side of the hero/villain line based on the choices she makes. Hodge, along with 'Ironheart' directors Sam Bailey and Angela Barnes, sing Thorne's praises, for her portrayal of Riri and as a collaborator. Hodge calls the Cornell-educated actor 'a genius' and says she strove to pull Riri's dialogue up to the level of Thorne's intellect, rather than the other way around. Bailey, who directed the first three episodes of the series, says Thorne 'brought such a soulfulness to the character.' And Barnes, who directed Episodes 4 through 6, commends her capacity to be present for her fellow actors. 'It was exciting to just create the environment to let her do her thing and feel safe within doing that,' Bailey says. 'Ironheart' marks the first time the MCU has spotlighted Chicago, and for the show's creative team, it was important to get the city right. Hodge, who grew up in Oakland, admits that while she may not have direct knowledge as an outsider, she can relate to how Riri regards her home and wanted to treat the city with respect. 'Chicago's my favorite cast member,' Hodge says. 'I think Riri feels about Chicago how I feel about Oakland. It's a hometown, but it's [also] a legacy we're carrying. Us being from there means something if we do something right with our lives.' That type of hometown pride was shared by many in the 'Ironheart' cast and crew. Hodge says the aim was to tap as many Chicago artists and musicians — from local bucket drummers to cast members like Shea Couleé — to capture the true texture of the city. Among those with strong personal ties to the city is Bailey, who is from Chicago, and Hodge credits the director with helping to bring their vision to life. 'I feel like Chicago has this beautiful chip on its shoulder,' Bailey says. 'We don't trust a lot of people. We're very protective of the city and its inhabitants. … There was a bit of rebelliousness I wanted to capture … and the different types of people that populate that city, which I don't feel like we get to see a lot onscreen.' As the director of the first half of the series, Bailey's goal was to set up the backstory and establish the vibrancy of everyone introduced in the early episodes to prepare for the adventure to come. 'It was really important to really make these characters feel like people and feel like people you wanted to be around and feel like people you want to root for,' says Bailey. Among these characters in Riri's orbit are those she shares a history with, like her mother, Ronnie (Anji White), her close friend Xavier (Matthew Elam) and even the neighborhood's youngest businessman, Landon (Harper Anthony). But Riri soon finds herself in the company of a new crew led by Parker Robbins (Anthony Ramos), who some might compare to Robin Hood or a freedom fighter, at least initially. Mindful of spoilers, Barnes only teases that the second half of the series involves Riri having to face some of the consequences of choices she made in earlier episodes. '[Riri] made this decision to maybe hang out with people that aren't necessarily the most savory of people,' says Barnes. 'They also have their own reasons for doing what they're doing, but … she gets in a little deeper than she imagined.' A self-proclaimed MCU fan, Barnes emphasizes how the show was intentional in everything from its set pieces to decoration, including how the design for the heads-up display of Riri's suit was inspired by infographics from the works of W.E.B. Du Bois. But she also recalls the fun they had during production, like flipping a truck and building a White Castle in a parking lot. For Hodge, 'Ironheart' marks one of her highest-profile projects to date. The poet and playwright turned to screenwriting after realizing she wanted to expand beyond working in first person and enrolled in USC's graduate film school in 2010. There, she'd meet fellow student filmmakers like 'Black Panther's' Ryan Coogler, who is an executive producer on 'Ironheart,' and 'Creed II's' Steven Caple Jr. ('I would just follow Ryan around campus [saying], 'Hire me,'' she says. He eventually did.) Among the things Hodge was excited about while working on the series was getting to explore larger themes around access, autonomy and safety through specific situations that consider how a young girl from Chicago's South Side might be perceived differently than Tony Stark for owning a weapons-grade tech suit because of what they look like. She was also eager to populate the show with people who reflect the diversity of the real world. Broadly speaking, 'you're gonna see yourself if you turn on the screen on this show,' says Hodge, who is glad the MCU has moved to 'feel like a universe that's inhabited by the people who read publishing and go to the movies.' 'I'm excited for the little, quirky Black girl watching the show who sees herself in it [and] for the queer kid who finds it for their Pride Month activities and wants to watch it,' she says. 'I'm really excited for that Black boy who wants to play with a Riri Williams action figure and finds it in the store and gets to fly it around his own house. I'm excited and I'm nervous [and] thrilled, and I feel like that's exactly how Riri feels when she's flying over the Chicago skyline.'
USA Today
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Review: 'Ironheart' is an unwitting victim of Marvel fatigue
It's one thing to have heart, it's another thing to have soul. A hollowness rings through the six episodes of Disney+'s latest Marvel series "Ironheart" (streaming Tuesdays, 9 ET/ 6 PT, ★★ out of four), though not for lack of trying for depth. The story of young Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne), introduced in her Iron Man-like suit of powered armor in 2022's Marvel feature "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever," is full of feeling but starkly lacking in coherence and intrigue. It can't find a plot that works for the character, but for all its narrative meandering and illogical twists, it does have emotion running throughout. Or, as Riri might say, it is distinctly "in its feels," a Gen Z phrase the writers use with excruciating repetition, a tic that so clearly illustrates the series' attempts to be something it's not. "Ironheart" tries to be a few too many things without realizing at all what it's meant to be. It's a crime drama with multiple heists. It's a revenge fantasy. It's a coming-of-age story. It's a narrative about grief and trauma. Some ambitious and thoughtful TV series can be all of these things at once, but "Ironheart" lacks the gravitas and aptitude for such a feat. There is no satisfactory explanation for why anything happens or why the characters act the way they do. It's a story written for someone else that slots Riri into its protagonist spot. More: 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever': Meet Dominique Thorne, Marvel's new iron woman It's a darn shame because Thorne is a magnetic (pun intended) talent and really gives it her all. But the story built around the character, in which she returns to her Chicago hometown and gets involved with a criminal syndicate to fund her own scientific endeavors, just doesn't make a lot of sense and lacks proper buildup, context and stakes. The action set pieces are flimsily supported by the rest of the series, the characters are all surface-level symbols and the connection to the greater Marvel universe is all too convenient. The writers seemingly wanted to make a more intimate, heist-style crime drama without figuring out why or how Riri would fit into it. For some reason, even after her Wakandan heroics and perfectly functional super suit in "Panther," Riri finds herself, after that movie, stuck at MIT without enough money to keep working on her suit. So she starts doing other people's work for money, is kicked out of school and returns to her mother's apartment in Chicago, her suit suddenly run down again and her bank account empty. Her guardian angel swoops in (literally, he's got a magical hooded cape for swooping) in the form of Parker Robbins/The Hood (Anthony Ramos, "In the Heights"), a local gentleman criminal with an elite crew who steals from the rich while feeling morally superior. He recruits Riri, but she still needs to fix up her suit. So she somehow convinces black market tech trader Joe (Alden Ehrenreich, "Solo: A Star Wars Story") to let her raid his stash, seemingly because he's lonely and she's nice. He gives her everything she needs, yet somehow she still follows through on a high-stakes robbery to fund the suit she uses for the crime. None of it makes sense, no matter how hard the actors try to sell it. Poor Thorne and Ehrenreich are working overtime to make Joe and Riri's relationship seem natural. But you can't help thinking when Riri drives off with him, minutes after they meet, that a woman should never go to a second location with a random guy she just met, let alone an older, sketchy black market dealer. The scripts can't decide if Parker is villainous or righteous (and not in a moral dilemma way, just in a bad writing way), and poor Ramos is left in the middle. And I haven't even mentioned that at some point in all this, Riri – in some kind of fugue state – makes an artificial intelligence clone of her dead best friend. It's frustrating, even angering, in its harebrained randomness. And it might be just too hard to get over. In a world as fantastical and mythological as the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the internal logic has to be tight, or nothing really matters. Perhaps as the umpteenth show after the umpteenth movie, "Ironheart" just doesn't bother trying to follow any kind of rules. It's been 17 years since we kicked all of this off with "Iron Man," so perhaps we have to accept that we can't keep it all straight anymore? "Ironheart" tries to be a story worthy of Riri's status as a "Panther" breakout, but not hard enough. Marvel's about to go through a hoped-for revitalization with ambitious big-screen projects like this summer's "Fantastic Four: The First Steps." But if the studio wants to produce must-see entertainment again, it needs to stop throwing away characters in shows like "Ironheart." We can certainly tell when it's not trying very hard.
Elle
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Elle
The 'Ironheart' Premiere Includes a Major Link to the First 'Iron Man' Film
Every item on this page was chosen by an ELLE editor. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy. Spoilers below. Marvel is gearing up for a number of major releases. This summer, the studio seeks to introduce its 'first family' with Fantastic Four, and next year, Avengers: Doomsday could be the biggest cinematic event since Endgame. But while we're waiting for those movies to hit theaters, there are some equally exciting stories to dive into on the small screen. And as previous Marvel shows such as Ms. Marvel and WandaVision have established, what's teased on the television side of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) will likely show up later in upcoming films. Ironheart is one such show worth checking out. Dominique Thorne stars as Riri Williams, a young genius inventor from Chicago. The MCU is lacking in inventors these days following the loss of Tony Stark, and Riri seems poised to follow in his footsteps. But without Stark's generational wealth, she's got to figure out how to find the money and resources to make her inventions. The show serves as Riri's origin story and offers a glimpse into where she's headed next. You don't need to have extensive knowledge of the MCU to understand Riri's journey, but you might have noticed she looks a bit familiar (we'll get into that later). Below, we've got a breakdown of where Riri's appeared before. Riri Williams, also known by her hero name Ironheart, was first introduced in the 2016 Marvel Comics issue Invincible Iron Man Vol. 3. Much like her movie counterpart, the comics version of Riri is a young genius who goes to school at MIT. She gets kicked out of school when she's revealed to have stolen resources to create her own Iron Man-like suit. She tries to save the day, stopping two inmates in their attempted prison escape, but damages her suit in the scuffle. Tony Stark tracks her down and commits to funding her quest to become a superhero. In the comics, Riri quickly finds herself enmeshed in his world, siding with Iron Man in the second Avengers civil war, working to take down Hydra, and assisting other up-and-comers like Ms. Marvel and Miles Morales. However, the biggest difference between Riri in the movie and the comics is her introduction. While her pursuit to create an Iron Man-like suit is the same, it doesn't involve a run-in with Princess Shuri. The two meet later on, when Riri and Doctor Strange work to stop a villain named Eclipse, and their work to defeat him sends her to Wakanda. But much like in Wakanda Forever, Riri and Shuri depart on good terms–and Riri is offered a place there if she ever desires it. If Riri Williams looks familiar, it's because she's already appeared in a Marvel movie. She made her debut in the 2022 Black Panther sequel, Wakanda Forever, when Shuri (Letitia Wright) discovers the U.S. has a vibranium detector, and the scientist who created it is none other than a humble MIT student. Riri's technology threatens Wakanda's monopoly over the powerful mineral and destabilizes the underwater kingdom of Talokan, which is home to a vibranium deposit. An expedition team who used Riri's technology is killed by the Talokans, setting off a violent chain of events. Throughout the film, Shuri seeks to protect Riri and Wakanda from both Namor (Tenoch Huerta), the king of Talokan, and the interference of the U.S. government. While Shuri comes to terms with the death of T'Challa and her new role as the Black Panther, Riri offers her own aid in the form of an Iron Man-like suit. But once peace is restored, Riri leaves the suit behind and returns to MIT, where she sets out to build brand-new gear using the university's resources. In Ironheart's first three episodes, we get a major callback in Alden Ehrenreich's character, Joe McGillicudy. When Riri convinces Joe to take the black market tech he's acquired and use it for good, he reveals a huge secret: His real name is Ezekiel Stane, son of Obadiah Stane. Originally played by Jeff Bridges, Obadiah appeared in the 2008 Iron Man film, serving as Tony Stark's mentor-turned-nemesis, who secretly hired assassins to kill Tony's father and plotted to steal the company and Tony's tech. Ezekiel fears that working on this technology, even to help people, could lead to him turning into his father. It's a clever tie-in that shows how previous Marvel characters have impacted the lives of those who've come after them. And when the next batch of episodes drop, Riri and Joe are sure to have their good intentions tested as they both work to use their tech for altruistic reasons. We'll have to tune in next week to see how it all plays out.
USA Today
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Alexander Skarsgård regrets nothing about 'Murderbot,' except the full body waxing
Alexander Skarsgård regrets nothing about 'Murderbot,' except the full body waxing Show Caption Hide Caption 'Murderbot' beginning: Alexander Skarsgård's killer robot names itself Alexander Skarsgård's security robot sets itself free and names itself in this clip from the AppleTV+ series "Murderbot." Stars lamenting over three-hour sessions squeezing into Iron Man-like sci-fi suits are common in Hollywood. So Alexander Skarsgård was ready for costume drama after signing up to play an armored, helmeted cyborg security guard in the AppleTV+ sci-fi comedy "Murderbot" (first two episodes now streaming, then weekly on Fridays). But Skarsgård, 48, wasn't expecting the depths of (self-inflicted) preparation pain for scenes withouthis SecUnit character's full-body armor suit. The Swedish actor had foolishly vowed to executive producers Paul and Chris Weitz that he'd go mannequin-smooth while playing the unsuited killing machine during moments of repose. "I made the completely stupid choice to be completely hairless," Skarsgård confesses to USA TODAY. "So I waxed my entire body. Like a Brazilian wax, but top to toe. I was screaming. And then I had to keep doing it for six months for a long shoot. That was a terrible idea." How to watch 'Murderbot,' The new sci-fi show based on popular book series by Martha Wells The Weitz brothers (known for comedies from "American Pie" to "About a Boy") make clear Skarsgård's waxing commitment was real, and entirely his idea. "This was not at all our demand," Chris Weitz says, chuckling. "He thought it was right for the character. He regretted it." And yet: Bravo! The producers could have worked around the non-robotic hair on Murderbot's part-organic, part-synthetic construct. But the waxing shows an oddball commitment to play the curiously malfunctioning SecUnit from Martha Wells' popular "The Murderbot Diaries" novellas. The TV series replicates Murderbot's conflicting dialogues, with an outer voice responding perfunctorily to whatever overlord has hired the budget-friendly, refurbished unit. "That voice is very transactional, just giving and receiving information," says Skarsgård. "It's a great contrast to the inner monologue," which betrays Murderbot's unfiltered sarcasm, insecurity, TV addiction, and too-blunt tactical analysis. Delivered in a flat cadence, these utterances are right in the comedy wheelhouse for the actor, who put the deadpan into his famed "True Blood" vampire and whose IMDb profile photo shows him inexplicably pantless. "The character is incredibly idiosyncratic, probably because Alexander is incredibly idiosyncratic," says Paul Weitz. "Alexander has a twisted sense of humor. He's a weird dude in the best way." Things get twisted onscreen once the security unit hacks the shackles off the corporation-installed governor module and names itself Murderbot. But it lies low, for self-preservation reasons, and is assigned to protect the Preservation Alliance science team, led by the empathic Dr. Mensah (Noma Dumezweni). Murderbot's hidden freedom allows obsessive TV viewing on its inner monitors, especially the fictional space opera "The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon." The series-within-the-series, starring John Cho as a lovestruck space captain, provides a warped education on how humans think. Protecting the Preservation Alliance (Skarsgård calls them "space hippies") is also transformational. With the exception of suspicious scientist Gurathin (David Dastmalchian), the group treats its normally abused security unit with kindness for the first time, which brings out Murderbot's social ineptitude. It detests eye contact, feelings and especially human romantic interludes. Skarsgård makes the most of these cringeworthy moments. "It was just about leaning in and making it as awkward as possible," he says. The restrictive armor helps the subtle comedy with deliberate, stiff movement. Putting the suit on wasn't too tough, after all. "It started at about an hour, but we got it down to 15 minutes," says Skarsgård. The costume designers even made game-changing advancements on the fly, especially for vital restroom visits. "They eventually hid a little zipper for me." Skarsgård won't read 'Murderbot' casting criticism Even before shooting began, some vocal Wells fans expressed displeasure about casting the traditionally masculine Skarsgård, saying it contradicts Murderbot's explicitly asexual and agender identity. The actor avoided the noise. "I never go too deep into the discussion of my casting on Reddit threads," he says. "I'd always find one that would crush me." Still, he emphasizes there is "no gender" in his character. Episode 1 makes that abundantly clear when Dr. Mensah walks in on unarmored Murderbot in the repair bay. Mensah can't help but give a curious downward look and sees no organs. "It's important that you see in the first episode that Murderbot doesn't have genitals," says Skarsgård. "It's butt naked, but there's no gender there. No genitals, no nipples and no hair. It's the full Ken doll." The series gets gnarly as Murderbot uncovers its own dark past while becoming attached to the humans. Book fans can judge for themselves about the earnest but not entirely faithful adaptation, with a 97 percent positive rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. In the increasingly likely world that AppleTV+ orders up a Season 2, there are unexplored "Murderbot" adventures to chronicle. "We're not counting our space chickens," says Chris Weitz. "But there's definitely much more great material." The actor in the suit is game, but wants to make one point very clear before moving forward: That whole real-hairless thing was a Season 1 promise. "There is only one thing I know about a potential Season 2, if it happens," Skarsgård says. "And that is (that) Murderbot will have way more hair on its body."
