Female Iron Man Riri Williams Superhero Name Revealed: Ironheart
After the highly controversial news of the Iron Man character getting a revamp with the persona passing from longtime owner Tony Stark and onto a brand new character, a young African American girl named Riri Williams, the new female Iron Man is now set her own moniker as she dons the legendary suit.
Wired reports that Riri Williams will now go by the name "Ironheart" as her superhero alias in her journey to growing into the Iron Man mantle, which is set to be passed to her from Tony Stark when her solo "Invincible Iron Man" comic book series begins this fall in November.
The name was revealed by "Invincible Iron Man" writer Brian Michael Bendis, who is working artist Stefano Caselli for the new run. According to Bendis, the odd choice of naming the character's superhero persona as "Ironheart" came about in a discussion with their editors on how to go about giving Williams her full superhero identity.
According to Bendis, some more traditional names like "Iron Woman" and "Iron Maiden" were placed on the table during the discussions. Curiously, the mention of something like "Iron Girl" was not mentioned, though it could possibly have been shelved to avoid the more diminutive connotations of the term.
Bendis said that they took out "Iron Woman" as it sounded "old fashioned to some." Meanwhile, "Iron Maiden" brought with it some strong legal connotations. Heavy metal fans might know the term as the name of English heavy metal band Iron Maiden, a group commonly seen as one of the major leaders in the definition of the British heavy metal music scene in near the end of the 20th century and responsible for hits like "Purgatory" and "Empire of the Clouds." Giving Riri Williams the "Iron Maiden" moniker has the strong possibility of Disney and Marvel meeting with legal troubles in certain territories.
Marvel Entertainment Chief Creative Officer Joe Quesada apparently coined the name Ironheart, after Bendis informed the legendary artist of his planned story for the character. According to Bendis, Ironheart "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. When people see her story, you'll be amazed at how simple and brilliant Joe's suggestion was."
The introduction of a female, ethnically divergent new character taking over the Iron Man mantle is part of Disney and Marvel's efforts in diversifying their stable of superhero characters. As is wont for subjects touching on political correctness, the move has met with major controversy.
The new "Invincible Iron Man" series will begin on November.