Critics Slam New Marvel Film “Ironheart” For ‘Woke Agenda’—Ignoring Her Original Black Identity
Black women are not only reclaiming athletic and music spaces but comic book spaces as well.
The release of Marvel’s Ironheart trailer has sparked some controversy surrounding representation. The series introduces RiRi Williams, a black female superhero. Williams is also a scientist. Reports have been circulating that this is a move by Marvel and Disney+ to cash in on the latest waves surrounding DEI.
Online Backlash Exposes Deep-Rooted Bias
Writer Lina Kheir, in her 2025 article for MSN, “Woke Is When Black People Exist? – The Racist Backlash To The ‘Ironheart’ Trailer” writes, “While the trailer received plenty of positive reactions, it also faced a huge wave of negativity.
Twitter pages like DiscussingFilm were forced to turn off the comments when they posted the Ironheart trailer due to the overwhelming amount of racist hate speech flooding in. People argue that the series is part of a ‘woke’ agenda aimed at replacing traditional characters like Iron Man with diverse alternatives.”
The first trailer for ‘IRONHEART’ has been released.
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) May 14, 2025
Premiering June 24 on Disney+ pic.twitter.com/qO2n41ftS5
Ironheart Was Black From the Start
An unknown fact about the character of RiRi Williams / Ironheart was a Black character from the beginning of the character’s inception. Since the character’s introduction in 2016, Ironheart is shown with brown skin and a full Afro.
Dominique Thorne is the actress that has been chosen to portray Ironheart, reprising her role from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022). If the character’s origin story depicts her as Black/African American in the comic book, then why is it an issue with her blackness being betrayed on screen?
A History of Black Female Superheroes
This sheds light on the often overlooked history of Black female superheroes. Writer D.L. Chandler, in their 2016 article for BlackAmericaWeb, writes, “Black female lead characters in the comics are part of a largely barren landscape with a few bright spots here and there in comparison to white characters that dominate the pages… several Black female superheroes are still part of Marvel and DC’s lineup, but none enjoy the commercial name recognition of their male counterparts. With the introduction of Riri Williams, that could soon change.
Paving the Way for STEM and On-Screen Representation
Previous Black female superheroes including Butterfly, introduced in 1971, appeared in the Hell-Rider comic – often credited as the first Black female superhero – and Storm, of the X-Men franchise, introduced in 1975. Academy Award winning actress Halle Berry originated the film role of Storm in 2000, followed by Alexandra Shipp in 2016. There is no doubt with the release of the much anticipated Marvel film, Black female representation among the STEM and comic book spaces will continue to be highlighted.
Ironheart is scheduled to premiere on Disney+ on June 24th, 2025.
