The New Female Iron Man Will Be Called Ironheart
Last month, comic-book fans heard the news that Marvel’s upcoming Invincible Iron Man series has a young science prodigy stepping in for original Iron Man Tony Stark. He name is Riri Williams, an African-American teenager who receives Stark’s blessing after engineering her own Iron Man suit. Along with her new superhero gig, Williams, acquires a new crime-fighting name. As revealed by Wired magazine on Monday, the new Iron Man will be known as Ironheart.
The name Ironheart, said writer Brian Michael Bendis, “speaks not only to the soul of the character, but to the Iron Man franchise as a whole. Tony first put on the armor to save his heart. Riri puts it on for different reasons altogether, but still heart-related.”
Marvel’s bold naming choice is a departure from comics tradition. Historically, female versions of male characters have taken a feminized version of the original name, i.e. Spider-woman, She-Hulk, or Supergirl. Sometimes, a woman will assume the identity of the hero with no name change, as in the case of Marvel’s female Thor and Hawkeye, or D.C.’s female Robin. In this case, though, Bendis said it was clear a brand-new moniker was required.
“Iron Woman seemed old fashioned to some,” he told the magazine. And Iron Maiden? “A legal nightmare.”
Invincible Iron Man #1 will be published in November.
