As Marvel's new Disney+ series Ironheart is set to premiere on Tuesday night, series star Dominique Throne made a surprise appearance at Spelman College on last week. Spelman teamed up with the Black Women Film Network to host a STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) Fireside Chat featuring the editor and director of the Ironheart series. The event was held at the newly opened Mary Schmidt Campbell Center for Innovation and the Arts (CI&A), a state-of-the-art facility designed to foster collaboration between STEM and the arts.

After an engaging discussion with editor Kris Nowell and director Sam Bailey, the audience was surprised by lead actress Dominique Thorne, who shared her thoughts on playing Riri Williams. She spoke about the importance of representation in the role, especially of a woman in STEM.

“I strongly believe that I only have this opportunity because of other women who look like me who stepped on screen, behind camera, when they weren’t expected to succeed. Not only did they succeed, but they raised the standard of what should be expected…Me playing this character really just feels like a continuation of that same work.”

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In Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, MIT student Riri Williams heads back to her hometown of Chicago, where she crosses paths with the mysterious Parker Robbins, also known as The Hood. Their encounter uncovers secrets that clash technology with magic, thrusting Riri into a thrilling journey filled with danger and adventure.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly in August 2024, Thorne says the Ironheart series takes a deeper dive into Riri Williams.

“Once this show begins, we're definitely seeing the same girl that we got introduced to [in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever], but this time around we're getting a deeper dive. We're getting to kind of understand the things that created the woman that we got a preview of. But we're also seeing how those events are changing the way that she's viewing her whole schtick.”