Marvel has made a big song and dance about Namor entering the MCU as the antagonist in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, but the upcoming sequel will also introduce another important character from the comics: teen tech genius Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne), better known as Ironheart. She's not just here for a cameo, either; she plays an integral part in the story, and will later be at the center of a spin-off series produced by Black Panther director Ryan Coogler.
Speaking to SFX in the new issue of the magazine, featuring Willow on the cover, Wakanda Forever producer Nate Moore says Riri's introduction was all Coogler’s idea – one which manifested in a way that was creatively similar to how T’Challa was birthed on screen in Captain America: Civil War. "In that film, there was a role that you felt like you needed and we asked, ‘Who would fill that role the best?’” Moore remembers. "It was Panther, because that character carries so much gravity that you can stand him between Cap and Iron Man and he won’t get lost.
"There was a very similar thing here where Ryan was like, ‘I have this idea and it wants to be Wakanda and Talocan, but there’s a thing missing.’ He asked, ‘Are you doing anything with [Riri]?’ And we weren’t, to be quite honest, at the time. It wasn’t until we were down the road with this script and cast Dominique that we decided to do the series."
Although loathe to spill any more story details about Wakanda Forever, Moore is candid about how Coogler has pushed the studio in new directions with this sequel. "He’s an ambitious storyteller and is game to try things that seem, to me, terrifying," the producer laughs. "But because he’s such an honest storyteller, an incredible collaborator and leader, you go, ‘Well, if someone is gonna pull it off, I bet Ryan can.’"
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That's just a snippet of the long read, available in the Willow issue of SFX Magazine, available on newsstands from Wednesday, November 2. For even more from SFX, sign up to the newsletter, sending all the latest exclusives straight to your inbox.
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