Warning: Spoilers for Iron Man #5!If I"m being honest, I"m personally not invested in the MCU"s approach to Ironheart. I say that as a huge fan of Ironheart—specifically, Riri Williams as she appears in the comics. Call me a comics purist (which is the nicest way I can call myself a nerd), but I prefer her comic book storyline, which directly connects her to Iron Man.
However, perhaps the Marvel Cinematic Universe could replace Ironheart"s connection to Tony Stark with a connection to Hank Pym’s Ant-Man instead—an idea the comics are beginning to establish in Iron Man #5. In this issue, Williams decides to use the same Pym Particles originally discovered by Dr. Henry "Hank" Pym to defeat an incoming threat.
Close Both in the comics and the movies, Ironheart has demonstrated a wealth of knowledge and power that allows her to handle nearly any opposition. However, by bringing Pym Particles back into the fray, she’s changing the game for herself.
The first Marvel comic to feature Pym Particles is Tales to Astonish #27, written by Stan Lee and Larry Lieber, penciled by Jack Kirby, inked by Dick Ayers, and lettered by Artie Simek.
Ironheart is Using Pym Particles to Boost Her Power Level Iron Man #5, Written by Spencer Ackerman, Drawn by Javier Pina, Colored by Alex Sinclair, and Lettered by VC's Joe Caramagna Before Ironheart acquired Pym Particles, they were exclusively controlled by the original Ant-Man, Hank Pym. In classic Marvel lore, the former Avenger and scientist discovered Kirbons—subatomic particles capable of altering the size of matter, including both objects and the human body. As Ant-Man, Pym used these particles to shrink himself down to the size of an ant or grow into a towering giant, hence his alternate persona, Giant-Man.
Pym Particles resurfaced in Tony Stark’s previous comic book series, The Invincible Iron Man. At the time, Ironheart had questionably obtained the Mandarin Rings, once belonging to Tony’s former rival, but she soon found a more suitable and acceptable replacement in the form of Pym Particles. After getting acquainted—so to speak—with Iron Man"s then-wife, Emma Frost, they were forced to contend with a Sentinel belonging to Iron Man’s nemesis, Feilong. That’s when Ironheart reintroduced Pym Particles into Marvel lore to take down the massive bot.
Ironheart first uses Pym Particles in Invincible Iron Man #12, written by Gerry Duggan, art by Ig Guara, colored by Bryan Valenza, and lettered by VC"s Joe Caramagna
That brings us to Iron Man #5, where the title character enlists Ironheart’s help to defeat Justine Hammer, the new Iron Monger, only to discover that the true mastermind behind the plot is the often-overlooked villain, Lucia Von Bardas. When Lucia uploads herself into a Sentinel, Ironheart once again turns to Pym Particles to counter the threat. Though she only has ten minutes" worth of Pym Particles at her disposal, she confidently claims she only needs five to take Lucia down—and proves herself right in swift fashion.
Ironheart’s True Origins Are Deeply Rooted in Iron Man The MCU Overlooks What Makes Riri Williams’ Story So Powerful I mentioned earlier that Ironheart is at her most compelling when her story builds off her connection to Iron Man, and I want to elaborate on that—both in the context of the movies and the comics. Despite carrying the "Iron" namesake, Ironheart isn’t truly connected to Tony Stark in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. There"s a brief moment where her armor is mistaken for Stark tech and assumed to be an actual Iron Man suit, but beyond that, the connection is nonexistent.
Related Who Is Ironheart? MCU's New Iron Man Explained Riri Williams, aka Ironheart, made her MCU debut in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Here"s everything you need to know about the MCU"s new Iron Man.
Posts In the MCU, Riri is simply a genius who builds a mecha suit. In the comics, however, her origins are far more intertwined with Iron Man. After witnessing her stepfather and sister murdered in a drive-by shooting, she wishes she had the power to save them. As an MIT student, she reverse-engineers an Iron Man suit using old scraps from campus. The attention this draws earns her a personal endorsement from Tony Stark, setting her on the path to becoming a superhero. To me, Ironheart’s connection to Iron Man is essential to her story.
Pym Particles Give Ironheart an Edge That Sets Her Apart from Iron Man How Pym Particles Distinguish Ironheart from Iron Man and His Legacy I say all this knowing that the character has an Ironheart TV series on the horizon (despite the show being delayed), so Marvel Studios could still course-correct. But for now, I’m not fully sold on what they’re offering in the name of Riri Williams. That being said, Pym Particles are a perfect fit for Ironheart, especially in the comics. In that context, it feels like a natural progression in Riri Williams" hero"s journey. There was a time when she needed Iron Man"s influence to become a hero, but now, she is one on her own.
As such, she"s evolved and is now capable of pulling new tricks from her sleeve and finding ways to perfect her craft without just copying Tony Stark. While using Pym Particles as a callback to the Ant-Man franchise could make up for her lack of connection to Iron Man in the MCU, the comics allow Ironheart to step out of Iron Man’s shadow. In the comics, Iron Man served his purpose for her, but now, after everything she has proven as a character, she’s ready to become her own hero.
Iron Man #5 is on sale now from Marvel.
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