Marvel’s Ironheart Just Got a Major Upgrade — and a Supervillain’s Code Name

Riri Williams / Ironheart is becoming a major player in the Marvel landscape, especially as she makes her cinematic debut later this year in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. From there, Riri is set to headline her own Disney+ exclusive television series, which is sure to make fans more eager to explore her comic tenure. A recently-released Marvel Comics issue added a new chapter to that legacy in an unexpected way, seeing Riri step into an obscure Marvel villain’s mantle — but for a good reason. Spoilers for Iron Man #24 from Christopher Cantwell, Angel Unzueta, Frank D’Armata, and Joe Caramagna below! Only look if you want to know!

The issue dealt with the fallout of Tony and Rhodey’s fight against Source Control, which was twisted into a new set of stakes with the return of Cobalt Man in the very last page of the previous issue. As the events of Issue #24 revealed, Cobalt Man was actually Riri, who was on a similar plan to Tony’s — going undercover to try to buy back The Mandarin’s Ten Rings before they could fall into the wrong hands. The remainder of the issue saw Tony, Riri, and Rhodey debate about where the Ten Rings should end up, before Riri ultimately convinced Tony to let her hold onto them, because she believes she can save the world with them.

Who is Marvel’s Cobalt Man?

Originally created by Roy Thomas and Werner Roth in 1967’s X-Men #31, Ralph Roberts / Cobalt Man is initially a scientist studying his titular mineral, which leads to him building an Iron Man-like suit that he hopes to give to the military. Due to a concussion he suffered before trying on the suit, Ralph became obsessed with hurting Iron Man, but was stopped from doing so by the X-Men. He then was given deadly radiation powers, joined the Emissaries of Evil, and fought Hulk on several occasions.

In 2004, it was revealed that Tony Stark had actually briefly impersonated Cobalt Man to try to infiltrate the Thunderbolts, during an adventure that took place in the 1980s. Ralph himself then died in the New Warriors explosion that caused the start of Civil War, and was impersonated by a Skrull and several other non-Skrull copycats. He most recently fought the Mercs for Money, and was later freed by them in a prison escape.

What do you think of Ironheart’s latest upgrade in Marvel Comics? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!