The” Ironheart” stars Chinaka Hodge, Ryan Coogler, and Angela Barnes discuss creating an inclusive universe that reflects real-world magic.
The latest installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe,” Ironheart,” has been dropped by Disney+, and it is pulsing with technology, charm, and defiant Blackness. The line exhibits Black talent both on screen and in the background, according to executive producer Ryan Coogler, which he claims was done on purpose.
In a conversation with theGrio, Coogler discussed how consciously creating space for various stories in one of the most well-known franchises exists.
” Comic books were for people who felt like they didn’t include a place in different places for a long time. However, it has grown as a result of how well the Marvel world has become,” Coogler told theGrio. However, there are still times when the team feels isolated, like, perhaps it’s not a safe place for everyone.
He continued,” For this business, you know, the comic book, movie, and comic book industry in general, it needs to expand to accommodate new forms of fans, new types of voices, and new types of people.”
Coogler’s entrance into Marvel with” Black Panther” in 2018 slammed the front door. Since then, Black writers have been putting their voices out there, especially Black women like Eve Ewing, the author of the” Ironheart” comic book series.
Coogler cited his decision to hand over the show’s vision to three Black women, Chinaka Hodge, Sam Bailey, and Angela Barnes, to lead the” Ironheart” television series ‘ storytelling as an opportunity to do the same thing through the language of filmmaking and television. These amazing people will be able to communicate their feelings about the earth, how they feel about themselves, how they want people to feel, and what they want [people to study ] from them.
The series ‘ lead author, Hodge, stated that she saw the show as a window into Black womanhood’s imagination, alternate kingdoms, and perspectives on Black woman.
” My purpose for Riri was to make as many empty doors as possible for all of our fans to move through,” she told theGrio.” And also, to make as many different versions of Black woman, Black womanhood, and Black femmes as you could view on screen.
Thorne is accompanied by other Black actors who portray distinct facets of Black womanhood and woman, such as Lyric Ross, Cree Summer, Regan Aliyah, Anji White, and Shea Couleé. The throw, which includes Anthony Ramos, Manny Montana, Shakira Barera, Matthew Elam, and others, has a certain level of diversity.
Riri is placed in the center, and we then let who would normally remain in her presence fill the remainder of the show. And it reminds me of the comic book stories I read when I was 15 or 16 years older, Hodge continued.
Barnes, who produced the following half of the line, echoed this sentiment. The director explained that” Riri’s world looked like what my earth looks like,” explaining how everything from the solid to the figures to the established style” all felt very intentional.” Additionally, she honored fellow” Ironheart” director Bailey, a Chicago native who meticulously included details and Chicago actors in the Chicago production, which is set in the” Windy City.”
” The more purposeful and precise you are with your information, the more common things become,” Barnes said. We’ve all experienced instances of going out and trying to get everything and being overdone, or having people turn you off when you have a lot to offer them no acknowledging that. Everyone has gone through that. People are more likely to hold onto that character and become more distinct and intentional with it as a result.
Riri Williams, a 15-year-old executive savant who creates her own high-tech coat and forges her own way as a hero, is the subject of” Ironheart,” an initial comic series by Ewing. Through a distinctive Black lens, the show brings her origin story to life while bringing themes of grief, identity, and culture to life. This makes Riri the kind of hero Black girls don’t just root for but see themselves in.
To know that I played a small part in that is incredibly rewarding, Coogler said.
Disney + subscribers can now watch” Ironheart.”
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Originally sourced via trusted media partner. https://thegrio.com/2025/06/24/ryan-coogler-on-making-ironheart-a-safe-space-for-black-women-on-camera-and-on-set/
