Who plays Iron Heart aka Riri Williams in Black Panther 2?

Marvel studios' most anticipated film in recent times, Black Panther 2, recently premiered globally. The film brought back the fictional African nation of Wakanda and forged a story out of King T'Challa's death. In reality, Chadwick Boseman was supposed to return for the sequel, but his sudden tragic death forced director Ryan Coogler to reshape the plot of the film.

Despite all that, Black Panther 2 has been received positively by fans and critics alike. It introduced the fictional underwater land of Talokan and brought in a hoard of interesting characters. This included Riri Williams, another innovative personality rivaling the brains of Shuri (Letitia Wright).

Riri Williams is portrayed by Dominique Thorne, who is known for her role in Judas and the Black Messiah. Speaking of her character, producer Nate Moore said that watching Shuri and Riri interact with each other was interesting, especially as they realized their similarities and differences.

This was one of the most glaring reasons for this new character's introduction in Black Panther 2, the contrast.

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Black Panther 2: Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams

Dominique Thorne made her debut with the Academy Award-winning If Beale Street Can Talk. She is a Brooklyn native who began her career as a drama student at NYC's Professional Performing Arts High School.

The young actress has since then gone on to act in several critically acclaimed dramas like Judas and the Black Messiah. She will soon appear as Ironheart in Marvel's upcoming series of the same name.

Black Panther 2 was the ideal place for her character's introduction. In the comics, she was originally spotted by Tony Stark as a teenager. Nate Moore explained the decision to include Riri Williams, aka Ironheart, in the film, saying:

"We thought Riri Williams was the perfect character to sort of slot into Black Panther: Wakanda Forever because she could do a lot of things at the same time..."

He added that the creators liked the idea of "Shuri seeing herself reflected in a contemporary and surprising way." He noted that Riri is funny, current, innovative, and that in some ways, she doesn't realize just how smart she is.

Moore also commented on how perfectly Dominique Thorne embodied the character. He said that the makers "really liked her" as she was smart, funny, had a great presence and a lot of attitudes that helped them remember her. He noted that Thorne was game and "much more than what" the team thought they were getting.

Nate continued to say that Thorne is a talented actress who can play both drama and comedy and that she was "incredibly prepared." He said:

"She's game for all the physical stuff that these movies tend to throw at performers that are, at times, really surprising."

Dominique Thorne is not yet been a part of many films, but the 25-year-old will surely be making the headlines with her inclusion in the ever-expanding MCU. Her stand-alone show will premiere in 2023 and will be a part of the fifth phase of the MCU.

Black Panther 2 is now out in theaters. Stay tuned for more updates.