After her debut in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Riri Williams is leading her own adventure in the MCU with Ironheart, and the OG Iron Man star seems to be her biggest supporter. Robert Downey Jr gave actress Dominique Thorne “two thumbs up” after filming wrapped, and now has surprised her with an unexpected message.
“Miss Thorne, I couldn’t be happier than seeing you bringing Riri Williams to life,” the actor said in a video sent to Good Morning America (via Twitter), where Thorne and co-star Anthony Ramos were being interviewed for the upcoming show.
In the video, Downey Jr. appears with a Pinewood Studios cap, revealing that he is still in the London-based studios filming the highly anticipated Avengers: Doomsday. Although he is happy to see Ironheart coming to life, he (jokingly) expressed some reservations against Ramos’ character, Parker Robbins a.k.a. The Hood.
“But the Hood has me nervous. Is the hood green? Please tell me Mr Ramos is not replacing me as Doctor Doom via Parker Robbins?,” Downey Jr teased, given that both characters wear hoods.
The former Iron Man actor ended the message forming a heart with his hands, saying: “Iron Man loves Ironheart.”
Thorne instantly replied that “Ironheart loves Iron Man too,” and explained what it means to have the support of a Marvel icon like Robert Downey Jr. “He has been so supportive. It’s really been amazing,” she explained. “Shortly after we finished filming in Chicago is when I got the first phone call from him, and he has been so sweet, like, through and through. So the support, it means so much. It really does.”
The MCU show follows Riri Williams after the events of Black Panther 2. Lyric Ross, Regan Aliyah, and Alden Ehrenreich complete the main cast, with Sacha Baron Cohen cast in an undisclosed role and Community star Jim Rash reprising his role as MIT Dean from Captain America: Civil War.
Ironheart will arrive on Disney Plus in June 24, marking the end of Marvel Phase 5, as Fantastic Four kicks off Marvel Phase 6 in July.