The Marvel Cinematic Universe has seen some comes and goes, but if fans have to choose the most devastating death of all, many would choose Iron Man’s demise. Having been in the MCU for more than a decade, Tony Stark, starring Robert Downey Jr., is one of the first Avengers in the Infinity Saga, and proves to be a crucial part of the team both physically and financially. In Avengers: Endgame, Tony ultimately gives up his life to snap the Infinity Gauntlet, wiping Thanos and his army from existence, and saving the universe.
More than just any superhero, Tony Stark is also a father, and a great mentor p to the younger generation, especially to Spider-Man, or Peter Parker. However, his passing in Endgame also means that the character has missed the chance to be the mentor to one more MCU character, who was introduced in Phase 4 of the MCU. Let’s find out about this character below, and how their backstory is changed due to Iron Man’s death.
#1. Riri William’s MCU adventure so far.
Source: Marvel
Making her MCU debut in 2022, Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne), aka Ironheart, appears 3 years later after Tony Stark gave his life in the Battle of Earth. In the MCU, she’s a talented MIT student, who designs the vibranium protector for the CIA and the SEALs, and an exosuit that is heavily inspired by Iron Man’s design.
She’s later founded by Shuri, who protects her from Namor by making her stay in Wakanda. After Namor and the Talokan’s surprise attack, Riri determines to create her own Ironheart suit, and later aids Shuri to fight the Talokan in the middle of the ocean with the freshly created armor. She returns to MIT afterward.
#2. Riri Williams’s MCU backstory is changed from the comics.
Source: Marvel Comics
In Marvel Comics, Riri Williams was introduced in Invincible Iron Man Vol. 3 as a young technical prodigy. She manages to impress the great Tony Stark with her own Iron Man suit design, and convinces him to be her mentor. With Tony guiding her, Riri becomes Ironheart, fighting numerous enemies along the way like the Ten Rings, and joins the Champions alongside Ms. Marvel and Miles Morales.
Tony Stark has a much more prominent mentor role to Riri in the comics, as he both teaches her to improve her engineering skills and guides her as a superhero.
Source: Marvel
With his death in the MCU, Iron Man is merely an inspiration to Riri in Black Panther: Wakanda forever, and doesn’t directly counsel the kid. This fact leaves us wondering, would it be better to have Riri introduced to the MCU earlier in the Infinity Saga so Iron Man can mentor her before Endgame, and then have her inherit the mantle after Tony has passed away?
#3. Having Riri introduced after Tony Stark’s death is actually a reasonable move from Marvel.
Source: Marvel
While it’s indeed sad to not be able to see Riri and Tony’s connection turns out in the MCU, Marvel Studios already introduced to us the wholesome mentor-apprentice relationship between the latter and Peter Parker, aka Spider-Man. In fact, Tony and Peter’s relationship in the MCU bears some similarities to Tony and Riri in the comics, therefore it’s a bit unnecessary to have another one in the Infinity Saga.
Source: Marvel Comics
Besides, at the time, the superhero roster was packed, with multiple characters such as Black Panther, Doctor Strange, or Captain Marvel added to the time to prepare for Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, so Riri’s appearance would be overwhelmed by these heroes. Having her introduced after the Blip is also a problem, since Tony retired from his superhero life and dedicated to his family instead back then.
Do you think Marvel Studios should have included Riri Williams earlier in the franchise? Should she and Iron Man develop a mentor-apprentice relationship instead of just an inspiration? Share your thoughts in the comment.