It’s been a long wait, but Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne) is finally coming home to Chicago on Tuesday, June 24, for the premiere episode of Ironheart on Disney+. Before fans get a taste of the series created by Chinaka Hodge, Marvel is taking flight this Friday with an Ironheart featurette that takes us into the heart of the Windy City for an exhilarating and soulful adventure.
Marvel‘s Ironheart featurette opens with Black Panther helmer Ryan Coogler hyping Riri’s stomping grounds, saying the Marvel Cinematic Universe is massive, but we’ve yet to visit Chicago. Next, Hodge emphasizes the importance of shooting the series on location in the Second City, where history, culture, music, and vibes come alive like nowhere else. Ironheart director and co-executive producer Sam Bailey takes time to honor Chicago-style pizza, saying thin crust cut into squares is the way to roll. I know some people from New York who beg to differ, but when it comes to pizza, there’s no wrong way to serve it (unless it’s an overly sauced deep dish or Elio’s).
The Ironheart featurette is bursting with Chicago pride. It says the sneaker game is on point, the hair and makeup stylists are Chi-town natives, and the architecture represents the city’s structural diversity with only the most incredible vibes. The set designers even built a White Castle for the series. It’s wild! The fast food joint replica looks so real that locals thought it was a functioning restaurant.
Dominique Thorne stars in Ironheart as Riri Williams, “a genius inventor who creates the most advanced suit of armor since Iron Man.” She is joined in the cast by Manny Montana, Shakira Barrera, Alden Ehrenreich, Regan Aliyah, Shea Couleé, Zoe Terakes, Lyric Ross, Matthew Elam, Anji White, Jim Rash, Harper Anthony, Sonia Denis, Rashida “Sheedz” Olayiwola, Paul Calderón, and Cree Summer, with Anthony Ramos as Parker Robbins, a.k.a. The Hood. We’ve also heard that Sacha Baron Cohen was in talks to play Mephisto.
I haven’t been to Chicago in ages, and this Ironheart featurette makes me want to get in my car and drive there. How about you? Are you looking forward to Ironheart? Let us know in the comments section below.
