Dominique Thorne has made quite the splash following her debut appearance as Riri Williams a.k.a. Ironheart in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe as its latest hero can come with quite a lot of pressure, but thankfully for Thorne, she's had two senior Avengers on hand to give her some much-needed advice.
Ironheart, in the Marvel comics, is seen as the spiritual successor to Tony Stark, who was famously portrayed by Robert Downey Jr. for over a decade in the MCU. Thorne revealed to ScreenRant that she was able to connect with Downey recently to gauge how best to approach the project, and to garner his approval and endorsement moving forward. Downey made it clear that Riri Williams should not be seen as a Stark clone, but as her own character who should be allowed to take flight.
"I wasn't able to speak with RDJ before we got into filming or anything, but right toward the conclusion of the film, I actually had the chance to speak with him through FaceTime. A cast mate over on Ironheart had actually done a show with him and connected us, and he had some beautiful words to say about how much he believes that Riri Williams is and should always be her own person, her own thing. That this legacy is headed in the right direction and all the beautiful encouraging things that you hope to hear from the Iron Man himself."
If that wasn't enough for Thorne, she disclosed that Brie Larson, who plays Captain Marvel, chatted with her about how it felt to be a female joining a super-heroic world, and the pros and cons that could accompany that. Larson has seen the dark side of celebrity since taking over the role of Carol Danvers but always approaches life with a positive outlook with her words of wisdom sure to encourage Thorne on her journey ahead. Thorne said:
"I was also fortunate to speak with Brie Larson. She was really an open book about what her experience was like as a human female trying to play a superhuman female, and just all the things that come along with that. I've been very, very grateful to have some real genuine conversations with people who care about the work. Not only do they do a great job and create characters that we fall in love with, but they also care about the way in which that role and that work is executed."
Riri Williams has been positioned as a major player in the MCU going forward, playing a pivotal role in Wakanda Forever with her young genius character lending a bit of technical know-how to the prospective Young Avengers team-up which has been long discussed. Ironheart can certainly replace the Iron Man-shaped void that exists within the MCU, but for Thorne, it seems the endorsement of those that came before her will be the push she needs to progress.
Ironheart flies onto Disney+ in 2023, but you can see Thorne as Riri Williams in Wakanda Forever, currently playing in theaters right now. Check out our interview with Thorne down below.