Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Target Ad Shows Off Ironheart’s Arm Cannon

The upcoming Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will see the debut of Riri Williams, a.k.a. Ironheart into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but the character (played by Dominique Thorne) is also the star of a new ad campaign for Target. The new ad highlights young Black women in STEM in the 60-second spot, but it also shows off a bit more of Ironheart’s work — particularly the character’s impressive arm cannon.

The ad itself centers on Riri as she works on her Ironheart suit while also showing young Black girls working on their own designs and experiments. One of the young women is spotted at Target, continuing to work on her design amidst the retailer’s LEGO section while Riri stops by to grab a few supplies of her own — and crosses paths with the young woman, encouraging her before going back to her own workshop inspired. You can check the full ad out for. yourself below.

The ad is part of a larger rollout with Target that includes merch and an in-store, scannable AR experience as part of what is described as “telling a story about excellence, innovation, and inspiration.”

“In collaboration with Target, we’re telling a story about excellence, innovation, and inspiration,” Mindy Hamilton, svp of global partnership marketing at The Walt Disney Company said (via AdWeek). “Through in-store and community activations we want to encourage young thinkers to find inspiration from the world of Wakanda and embrace their own ingenuity.”

Who is Ironheart?

Brian Michael Bendis and Mike Deodato created Ironheart in 2015. She became a successor to Iron Man after Tony Stark’s death, becoming the lead of Marvel’s Invincible Iron Man series. Since then, Ironheart has headlined her own 12-issue series. She also joined the young hero team called the Champions.

Riri Williams is a teen engineering genius. She lives with her mother and aunt in Chicago following her father’s death until MIT accepts her at age 15. There, she builds her first suit of armor and uses it to apprehend two escaped convicts. Shortly before his death, Tony Stark reaches out to Riri and offers his blessing to become a new armored hero.

What’s Ironheart’s connection to Black Panther and Wakanda?

In the comics, Ironheart first traveled to Wakanda while searching for an ancient Wellspring of Power. There, she met Shuri, a fellow young genius (and likely the MCU’s new Black Panther). After the kind of poor first impression that happens all the time when two superheroes meet, Riri and Shuri bonded. Shuri made clear there was a place in Wakanda for Riri if she ever wanted to come and stay.

Riri hasn’t taken Shuri up on that offer. However, she returned to the country to help them build a space armada to fend off an intergalactic invasion by Emperor N’Jadaka.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever opens in theaters on November 11th.