Ironheart creator Chinaka Hodge assuaged any fears newcomers to the Marvel Cinematic Universe might have by letting the world know you don’t want to look at any of the earlier Marvel films to take pleasure in Ironheart. That’s true—however when you’re a Marvel diehard, you’ll be excited to know the primary three episodes of the brand new Disney Plus present has a shocking connection to the very starting of the MCU that expands the historical past of one in every of Marvel’s most beloved characters.
Within the first three episodes, we observe Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne) as she goes via the standard Marvel origin story—compelled to construct herself again up from sq. one, motivated by the lack of family members, and coping with supernatural unhealthy guys. She additionally finds a unusual but sensible sidekick to sheepishly assist her optimize her Ironheart swimsuit, with an attention-grabbing twist. After assembly McGillicuddy (Alden Ehrenreich) and visiting his shady bunker stuffed with black market weapons, Riri will get him to admit that his identify is definitely Ezekiel Stane. And he has a Ziploc bag stuffed with the ashes of Obadiah Stane—his father!
Those that have been MCU followers because it started with the primary Iron Man film in 2008 will keep in mind Obadiah (Jeff Bridges) because the ruthless Stark Industries govt who orchestrated Tony’s kidnapping in Afghanistan and horrifyingly pulled the arc reactor out of the Stark Industries founder’s chest. Within the present, Ezekiel says he’s 36 years previous, which might make him roughly 17 when his father was killed by Iron Man. That’s nonetheless younger sufficient for him to have developed the form of trauma that’ll flip somebody into the sort to hoard weapons of mass destruction as a “passion.”
Curiously sufficient, Ezekiel tells Riri that he and his father weren’t shut (therefore the Ziploc bag urn) and references his father’s nefarious Iron Monger alter ego. Nonetheless, in Iron Man, it’s by no means publicly revealed that Obadiah was the Iron Monger, which may recommend Ezekiel both had intimate data of his father’s crimes from being concerned, or that he was informed about them later in life. Both means, Ironheart provides a cool enlargement to the MCU historical past books—with out making that the central attraction of an already nice present.
