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By now, you’re probably still on a head high from the electric six-episode premiere of Marvel’s Ironheart last month. If you’re anything like us, you’re itching for more of Riri Williams and her squad, but a second season is simply too far away. Although not confirmed, we’re all hoping we will see more of Ironheart in next year’s Avengers: Doomsday, but that, too, is a little ways away. So what can you do in the meantime to get more of Riri and her wild adventures? We’ve gathered a list of a few comic book runs that’ll allow you to dive deeper into her character, her origin story, and might even hint at where Marvel Studios may take her character next. 

Invincible Iron Man Vol. 3 (2016)

Every hero has their beginning, and for Riri, it was in the seventh issue of Invincible Iron Man #3 in 2023. Sidenote: that was a mere 10 years ago, so this would mark one of the fastest introductions of a character that led to a film or series shortly after. While she is briefly teased as an MIT student, we get a glimpse of our future Ironheart building what looks to be armor similar to War Machine. We later learn more about Riri, including how she is a bit more unconventional in her ways of coming across materials for her projects (in other words, she steals them). She eventually catches the eye of Tony Stark and the rest is history.

In the ninth issue she suited up for the first time, so it’s quite a moment to see her humble beginning from broke genius to determined hero. While this is essentially our first encounter with Riri, it isn’t her breakout run of comic books. Still worth the read if you want to know her origin through and through.

Ironheart (2018) 

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This series hits a little different as it was written by the talented Eve Ewing, whom added to the experience of a Black female character. Ironheart was released in 2018 and was Riri’s first solo series that fully allowed readers to peel back the layers of her story and who she is as a person. These issues will take you on a rollercoaster of emotions as we see Riri determined to make a name for herself through her journey. Many fans of the character will tell you this is THE series to read if you want to start anywhere as it truly captivates every trial and tribulation she had to go through to end up fighting alongside some of the strongest heroes. She also crosses paths with Miles Morales, which is an exciting moment as we are eagerly await their teamup on screen. While we currently don’t have an actor cast as a live-action Miles, many fans have called for Into the Spider-Verse’s, Shameik Moore to take on the role.

Champions (2019)

By now, it has been four years since Riri caught people’s eye and now she has been tapped to fight alongside a younger group of heroes called Champions. The final issues in the series are complete fan favorites as Mephisto’s son, Blackheart, manages to control Riri and turn her against her Champion squad. If you watched the series (which, who hasn’t by now), then you know Sacha Baron-Cohen was introduced as Mephisto, so this storyline being adapted in future projects isn’t a long shot at all.

The Ms. Marvel-led team battle Blackheart in issue #10 is quite an exhilarating read. Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige made several comments that lead audiences that he has learned a lot from past abysmal releases, so he might have the juice to deliver what the fans really want with these upcoming projects. Fantastic Four: First Steps is a good example of the Marvel Studios team really showcasing how invested they are in doing this right. In an interview with Empire Magazine, he said, “I was around for those early Fantastic Four movies… and like all of the pre-MCU movies, I learned a lot. I always thought, if we ever got creative autonomy ourselves, we might do things a little differently… It was a different time… there was still a bit of a fear of being silly.” With that being said, no official word has hit the street, but IMDb has a Champions series listed under Ironheart star Dominique Thorne’s credits, sparking a lot of conversation.

Infamous Iron Man #8 (2017)

This is an interesting read that not only could possibly tease what happens with Riri, but might also give some clues into what Doomsday could tap into. Infamous Iron Man features Victor von Doom donning the Iron Man armor while Stark is deep in a coma. Riri attempts to defend his image and, while we have no official word whether Thorne will reprise her role in Doomsday, it would be s tragic miss if they don’t allow the idea to play out on screen that Robert Downey Jr. is the actor behind Doom and Stark. These issues show Riri’s drive and strong will to do the right thing, and she is determined to take down Doctor Doom as he seeks to tarnish Iron Man’s legacy. Her heart and soul is on full display, so this run of comic books is a must to truly learn about our girl.

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