New Iron Man Is a Black Female Teenager, Marvel Reveals

But Iron Man isn’t going away, he’s just getting an upgrade (and a new gender). As announced on TIME, a black woman is now Iron Man. And it seemed that Riri Williams, who was seen heading up the other team of heroes in the new status quo, was set to (spoiler!) become the new War Machine, since Rhodey just died in the comics.

Those who are anxious that the announcement hints at Tony’s fate at the Civil War II, Bendis assured the publication that that wasn’t the case. Bendis says he was inspired by street violence in Chicago, wanting to write a character who was able to overcome and be motivated by that environment.

We think it’s great that they’re working hard to diversify their character slate – comics reach so many people, and are an important medium for so many.

Audiences have been introduced to Williams already, while Tony Stark is well aware of her capabilities; Williams previously reverse-engineered one of Stark’s old armors while living in her dorm at M.I.T.

This fresh take on Iron Man is intriguing news, but the fan response is more complex than Bendis describes.

Brian Michael Bendis, creator of characters such as Miles Morales and Jessica Jones, is helming Riri’s foray into the Marvel universe.

There’s a new Iron Man in town. “But it does create a path for Riri Williams, who Tony will know and will be interacting with very shortly in the comics”. Instead of making her a vigilante, however, Bendis wanted Williams to use her keen mind for science to help protect the citizens of America while also finding innovative ways to better the lives of people living in unsafe pockets. “She looks at things from a different perspective”.

For comic book fans, seeing her won’t be a surprise – just seeing her in the uniform will.

You’ve already gotten a glimpse of Riri before. Thor is a woman, Hulk is a teenage Korean boy, and one of the two Captain Americas is African-American.

“But increasingly we see less and less of that”.

Tony Stark will seek out Williams and her home-built suit in upcoming issues, but Bendis stresses that doesn’t mean we can easily guess the ending to the Civil War II series.