Ironheart returns to comics this November! Dr. Eve L. Ewing is behind this run of technology genius Riri Williams. Ewing is a writer, sociologist, artist, and poet based out of the windy city, Chicago. The same state Ironheart calls home.
Marvel.com interview Ewing asking her about how she feels writing for Marvel and Iron Man’s protégé, Riri Williams.
She’s a deeply caring person with a good heart — she just needs to work through some of the awkwardness. Early in life, Riri got the message that she was different. Incredibly special, but different. And to compound those feelings of difference, she lost some of the people that she loved the most in the world, including her only real friend.”
Williams is a teenage genius. She attended M.I.T. at the age of 15 and went on to build her personal suit of armor, by borrowing Tony Stark technology. Iron Man trained her to enhance the tech until she eventually created her version of Iron Man armor. Thus, Ironheart was born. Stark acts as her suits AI because, well let’s just say he’s not around.
Ewing talked about what Williams alter ego, Ironheart means to her and what she believes she stands for.
Ironheart symbolizes what happens when you combine incredible strength and might with a sense of love, care, and a true desire for justice. Not just punishment or showing off or short-term solutions, but real justice. Not to be corny or overly literal, but that’s what it means to combine the power represented by “iron” with the moral compass represented by ‘”heart.”’
Williams’ attitude is nothing like Tony’s. She’s a young girl with a powerful suit of armor but acts like a teenager. In previous stories, she attempts to speak with those she encounters before fighting. It was a major reason she became the leader of Latveria while Doctor Doom acted as Iron Man.
With both writer and character being from Chicago, Ewing says she found a connection between her and Williams.
…she and I have a lot in common, and it’s been so fun to write her so far. Not just as a black woman, but specifically as a black woman from Chicago, and an awkward nerd, and someone who’s spent a lot of time in Cambridge. In everything I write, I always try to illuminate a strong sense of place. It’s been really fun to bring out little details of those places. Shouting out Chicago in particular is pretty much my favorite thing.”
The new comic will see Riri tackle more issues on her own, without the help of Tony Stark. Comic readers will know she spent most of her journey searching for Tony, but now that he’s back as Iron Man, she has to decide what it is she wants to do.
Art for Riri Williams Ironheart will be done by Kevin Libranda. The cover art for issue one features a stunning look at her brand new Ironheart suit.
Ironhear was created by comic writer Brian Michael Bendis and Mike Deodato Jr. She first appeared in Invincible Iron Man Vol. 3 number 7 before she got her first solo series in Invincible Iron Man number 3.
Riri Williams Ironheart issue one hits shelves Novermber 7th.
