Iron Man’s MCU Replacement May Not Return For Another 2 Years

Ironheart has received a negative update, with the Marvel Cinematic Universe series focused on Iron Man’s replacement possibly being years away. Dominique Thorne debuted as Riri Williams, aka Ironheart, in 2022’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Despite building her own version of the Iron Man suit, Riri wasn’t shown to have any connection to Tony Stark, although that could change when Thorne leads Ironheart‘s cast of characters; however, MCU fans will seemingly have to wait quite a bit for the series.

According to information from the US Copyright Office (via The Cosmic Circus), the first episode of Marvel Studios’ Ironheart is aiming to air on September 3, 2025. While Ironheart was initially slated for a Fall 2023 release, that is no longer happening, with the new information indicating a major delay for the series that would succeed the MCU’s Iron Man movies. While the date revealed in the US Copyright Office filing could be accurate, Marvel Studios has made it clear previously that nothing is set in stone until after the end of the Hollywood strikes, so the information found online remains unconfirmed. Check out Ironheart‘s alleged synopsis below:

“Marvel Studios presents “Ironheart” in which charming teenage super genius Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne) returns from MIT to her hometown of Chicago in her iron suit and begins to unravel threads that bring danger and adventure right to her doorstep. The adventure begins in episode 101 as Riri is introduced to the audience.”

While the show’s delay has still to be confirmed, Ironheart‘s release date getting pushed back makes sense when looking at Marvel Studios’ upcoming projects. Despite not having any personal ties to Iron Man revealed in the MCU so far, Riri’s Ironheart suits are inspired by Tony’s work in the MCU. There is an upcoming MCU movie that could explain why Marvel decided to push back Ironheart.

Once a show, Don Cheadle’s Armor Wars will now be an MCU movie, with War Machine having to deal with Iron Man’s technology falling in the wrong hands. While Armor Wars does not currently have a release date, there is no way that the movie reaches the big screen in 2024, as filming would have needed to have already started or finished by now. Instead, a 2025 release for Armor Wars is possible, and that could explain Ironheart‘s delay.

With Riri having used Stark tech to build her first Ironheart armor, it makes sense for the hero to play an important role in Armor Wars. Seeing Cheadle’s Rhodey, Tony’s best friend, serve as a mentor to Iron Man’s successor in the MCU would be deeply emotional, and War Machine could definitely use Ironheart’s help to stop whoever gets their hands on Stark tech in Armor Wars. Releasing Ironheart next to Armor Wars would allow Marvel Studios to have a seamless transition from the show to the film, especially if there are story elements set up for the film in Ironheart, though the show’s possible two-year delay is unfortunate.

Source: US Copyright Office (via The Cosmic Circus)

Key Release Dates