A young, female inventor creates the most advanced suit of armor since Iron Man. That's the heartbeat behind Marvel's "Ironheart," a new six-part series on Disney+.
Academy Award nominee Ryan Coogler is back in the MCU and reunited with star Dominique Thorne for this story of extreme talent, grit and perseverance.
"Riri's got a lot of ambition," says Thorne, who is reprising her role as brilliant young inventor Riri Williams.
We first met Riri in 2022's "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever."
Thorne's family was living in Newark, Delaware when her Marvel journey took flight and she got the call that she was cast as Riri.
"This was shortly after the pandemic," Thorne explains. "It's been an absolutely insane journey. It feels incredible to finally get to this point, five long years later, where the world can see this project!"
This origin series is set after the events of "Wakanda Forever," which Ryan Coogler directed. He's an executive producer on this series.
"She's a brilliant actress, a phenomenally gifted actor and great storyteller," Coogler says.
In this series, Riri is building her own high-tech suit of armor, inspired by Iron Man - the suit that would bring "Ironheart" to life.
"This is a character you can root for," says director Angela Barnes. "This is a character that I think people can really identify with."
Anthony Ramos joins the cast as Parker Robbins /The Hood, a checkered character.
"I'm so excited for this," Ramos says. "It's a dream come true, really."
From film to stage, Ramos' career is touching all corners of the artistic universe, including the legacy of being in the original cast of "Hamilton." And yes, we will see some of his musical skills on display as he makes his MCU debut.
"Hood tap dances in episode five," Ramos says.
"Anthony also has a song that drops in the show." says head writer and executive producer Chinaka Hodge. "For the Hamilton fans out there, there is a little bit of what we call 'lore.'"
Ramos says his character has a lot of "layers."
"He's unpredictable," he says. "You don't know what you're gonna get with this guy."
"I think Anthony's 'Parker Robbins' really does make for the perfect opponent to challenge Riri," adds Thorne.
The first three episodes of "Ironheart" are streaming June 24 on Disney+, with the final three streaming July 1.
The Walt Disney Company is the parent company of this station.