Variety reports that Sonia Denis has been cast in a major, though undisclosed role in the upcoming Marvel Studios TV series Ironheart on Disney+. Denis, who previously worked on Guilty Party for Paramount+, was recently nominated for an Emmy as a member of the writing crew for HBO’s A Black Lady Sketch Show. Her acting resume included roles in High Maintenance, Brown Girls, Birdgirl, and BoJack Horseman. The series is being produced by Proximity, run by Ryan Coogler, and directed by Sam Bailey and Angela Barnes. Showrunner Chinaka Hodge will be a black woman. Coogler will be credited as an executive producer with Hodge, Zinzi Coogler, and Sev Ohanian, as well as Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Brad Winderbaum, Zoie Nagelhout, and Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige.
Riri Williams, portrayed by Dominique Thorne, is the main focus of all six episodes. This is Riri, a 15-year-old engineering prodigy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Williams creates an Iron Man–inspired suit of armour and adopts the moniker “Ironheart.” Williams initially appeared in the newly released trailer for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and will be seen in the film for the first time when it is released this November. In September, a sneak peek at Ironheart was also shown off at the D23 Expo in California.
Like Manny Montana, Alden Ehrenreich, Anthony Ramos, and Lyric Ross, Denis is one of the many young actors featured in the film. The show’s antagonist, simply called “The Hood,” will be played by Ramos, while Ross will play Williams’ closest buddy.
Little else is known about the narrative at this time, however, we did see Ramos’ character warn Williams that she could have to do awful things for the greater good, then put on a red hood and demonstrate her magical talents in the D23 clip. Williams’ inventiveness was on full display in the most recent Wakanda Forever teaser, which showed her putting together her iron armour and then flying around while shouting. As shown in previous previews, the protagonist hammers the suit as a clear homage to Robert Downey Jr.’s iconic sequence from the first Iron Man film, which kicked off the MCU in 2008. The show is setting him up to be Iron Man 2. As part of Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase Five, Ironheart is slated for an autumn 2023 debut on Disney+.