Marvel’s first transgender character will be revealed in a new Marvel show
Ironheartthe upcoming Disney Plus Marvel series, is set to introduce MCU’s first transgender character.
In-development TV series Dominique Thorne ( Judas and The Black Messiah) has been cast as the show’s leader. Riri Williams will play the role of Riri Williams. Riri is a young genius who creates her own Iron Man armour and becomes known as Ironheart.
A casting call that POC Cultural allegedly saw (via NME) seems to confirm that Marvel is currently seeking a “Black, Latina, or Afro-Latina Transgender Woman who is between 18-22 years of age” to portray an unnamed character who’s “unapologetically geeky” and has a “mystical bent” and “unique sense of humour”.
Ironheartcurrently holds a rough release date of 2023. However, not much information is available about the show other than Thorne’s casting. The series will be set post-Avengers Endgame and examine the rise of a new character in the wake of Tony Stark’s passing.
Although it took Marvel a long time, Marvel has slowly improved its LGBTQ+ representation. Lokiconfirmed the titular gods of mischief are bisxual. Chloe Zhao’s Eternals also introduced Phaistos as the MCU’s first openly homosexual superhero, played by Brian Tyree Henry.
While it isn’t yet explored on screen, Tessa Thompson confirmed that Valkyrie was bisexual. This will no doubt be addressed in Thor: Love and Thunder.
While we await official confirmation from Marvel on this, Thorne’s Riri will make her major MCU debut in Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther, Wakanda Forever, alongside returning stars Angela Bassett and Danai Gurira, as well as Daniel Kaluuya and Florence Kasumba.
