Ironheart Star Wraps Filming on Black Panther 2

Ironheart star Dominique Thorne has officially wrapped filming on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

"And that is a picture wrap on Riri Williams," Thorne announced on her Instagram story. "God is so good. See y'all in November." The actor will make her Marvel Cinematic Universe debut as Riri Williams/Ironheart in the upcoming Black Panther sequel, ahead of her own solo Disney+ series, Ironheart.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever began filming in Atlanta, GA on June 29, 2021. It was later confirmed in August that Thorne would make her MCU debut as Riri Williams in the sequel before starring in her own Disney+ series, Ironheart, for which Chinaka Hodge will serve as head writer.

"We're shooting Black Panther: Wakanda Forever right now, and the character of Riri Williams, you will meet in Black Panther 2 first," Marvel Studios President/Marvel Chief Creative Officer Kevin Feige confirmed in August 2021. "She started shooting, I think, this week before her Ironheart series." Before her role was confirmed, fans had theorized that Wakanda Forever would introduce the hero to the MCU when it was revealed the sequel would film at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where Riri is a student in the comics.

Created by Brian Michael Bendis, Mike Deodato, Eve Ewing, and Kevin Libranda, Riri Williams debuted in 2016's Invincible Iron Man #7. A 15-year-old genius and MIT student, Riri is able to reverse engineer Tony Stark's technology to create her own suit of armor and become Ironheart. In the comics, Riri is also a member of the Champions, a team of teenage superheroes that includes Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel, Miles Morales/Spider-Man and Amadeus Cho/Hulk/Brawn.

Production on Wakanda Forever has paused several times since filming began due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Most recently, production shut down again after Nakia actor Lupita Nyong'o tested positive for COVID-19. The film serves as a sequel to 2018's Black Panther, which starred the late Chadwick Boseman as King T'Challa/Black Panther. Wakanda Forever's plot was restructured following Boseman's death in 2020.

"It's clearly very emotional without Chad," Feige said shortly before Wakanda Forever began production. "But everyone is also very excited to bring the world of Wakanda back to the public and back to the fans. We're going to do it in a way that would make Chad proud."

Disney+'s Ironheart series was officially confirmed by Marvel Studios in December 2021 during Disney Investor Day. While Ironheart does not yet have a release date, the six-episode first season will premiere on Disney+. As for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the sequel arrives in theaters Nov. 11, 2022.

Source: Instagram