In July, TIME exclusively reported that Marvel’s new Iron Man would be Riri Williams, a young black woman with an inspiring back story, but she didn’t have a superhero name yet.
Now, Marvel tells Wired that after considering different options, her official new name will be Ironheart.
“Iron Woman seemed old fashioned to some,” writer Michael Bendis explains. “Iron Maiden looked like a legal nightmare. And Ironheart, coined by Joe Quesada, after I told him my planned story for Riri, 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.”
Apparently this brilliant superhero hits MIT at just 15. Bendis and artist Stefano Caselli will create Ironheart’s story — and the first issue is due out this November.
For a conversation with Bendis on creating the character, a young college woman with a tragic past, read TIME’s Q&A here.
[Wired]
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