- calendar_today September 1, 2025
Marvel’s Ironheart Features Sacha Baron Cohen in Secret Role
Ryan Coogler is having a good year. After the box office success of his latest film, Sinners, the director already has a project in the works: Marvel’s limited series Ironheart. The studio has released a new sleek trailer ahead of the show’s June 2025 release.
The six-episode series, which is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, stars Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams, AKA Ironheart, a teenage tech genius and protégé of Tony Stark in the comics. The project will be the last TV series in the MCU’s Phase Five.
Ironheart was first announced in December 2020 and was originally scheduled for 2023, but Marvel later revised its long-term strategy and decided to release less content per year due to market saturation. The delay means that the series will finally premiere this summer. Footage first shown at the 2024 D23 convention revealed that it would be “a crime show with an Iron Man twist at the center.” It may, in part, be a bit darker and more grounded than many other MCU shows.
The MCU’s version of Riri Williams debuted in 2022’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. In the movie, she is pulled into a conflict with Namor and his army of blue-skinned people after she accidentally creates a vibranium detector while attending MIT. She then bonds with Shuri over their love of science and builds an armored suit similar to Iron Man’s to help the Wakandans fight back. By the time the war ends and peace is restored, Riri has to leave the suit behind with the Wakandans and return to MIT.
A Mix of Tech and Sorcery
Ironheart picks up just after the events of Wakanda Forever. “Set after the events of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Ironheart pits technology against magic when Riri—determined to make her mark on the world—returns to her hometown of Chicago,” the official synopsis reads. “Her unique take on building iron suits is brilliant, but in pursuit of her ambitions, she finds herself wrapped up with the mysterious yet charming Parker Robbins, aka ‘The Hood’ (Anthony Ramos).”
Thorne will be joined by a strong cast. Lyric Ross will play Riri’s best friend, Natalie Washington; Alden Ehrenreich as Joe McGillicuddy; Manny Montana as Cousin John; Matthew Elam as Xavier Washington; and Anji White as Riri’s mother, Ronnie. Joining them is Shea Couleé as Slug. The dean of MIT will be played by Jim Rash, who first appeared in the role in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War and will be returning to the MCU for this new project. Sacha Baron Cohen has also been confirmed for the series, though details about his role have not yet been revealed.
The trailer released on Wednesday wastes little time in establishing its tone. It opens with Riri standing outside a pizza restaurant that is closed at night. She sneaks inside and triggers the alarm before being locked in an elevator full of poison gas, with only two minutes to escape. It’s all revealed to be a test, or as the ringleader describes it, an “interview.” Over the loudspeaker, The Hood tells her she is going to suffocate, but if she breaks into a box by the elevator’s door, she can find a gas mask to help her breathe. The trouble is, Riri flat-out refuses to do what he says. Instead, she figures out her clever escape.
The series could see Riri grappling with the consequences of crossing that line as she sets her sights on goals that may be beyond her reach. Her character is talented, but does she have the skills to stay on the right side of the law as she pursues her dreams? It will be interesting to see if she is willing to make compromises in the name of progress.
After his success with the Sinners film, the series could help Coogler strike a delicate balance between spectacle and grounded storytelling. Fans are sure to be interested, especially if Thorne’s portrayal of Riri lives up to its promise.
