Iman Vellani Says Marvel Is Shortchanging Ironheart — Comic Fans Agree

Iman Vellani is waving the Ironheart flag again, and honestly, she is not wrong. While she is excited for Marvel 's 2025 Ironheart series, the Ms. Marvel star says Riri Williams still is not getting the push she deserves — especially on the comics side.

What Vellani actually said

On The Revenge Of podcast, a question about a possible Young Avengers crossover drifted into Ironheart talk — specifically the long-in-the-works Disney+ show led by Dominique Thorne. Vellani did not just hype the show; she argued Marvel has only scratched the surface with Riri, particularly in print.

"I think she is so underused. Even in comics, people need to keep doing stuff with her. "

"That character got me into Ms. Marvel. I love Ironheart."

She also admitted she personally gravitates more toward the Champions than the Young Avengers, calling those stories "way more relevant." A fan clip from May 23, 2026 even captured how happy listeners were to hear both the host and Vellani giving Ironheart some love.

Why that take hits a nerve with Ironheart readers

Riri Williams exploded onto the page in 2016 and instantly felt like one of Marvel's most promising younger heroes. Since then, she has bounced between big-name corners of the universe — teaming with Tony Stark, linking up with Shuri, running with the Champions, and weaving through The Invincible Iron Man and event books — but the follow-through has been uneven. The character keeps popping up, yet rarely with momentum that sticks.

• 2016: Comic debut leads to fast-track team-ups and ties to Iron Man lore.
• 2019: Marvel pushes her into animation with Marvel Rising: Heart of Iron, promoted on Marvel's channels that April.
• 2025: Disney+ series arrives starring Dominique Thorne; as of now, it sits at 4.5 on IMDb and 76% on Rotten Tomatoes — critics warmer than audiences.
• Comics: Lots of miniseries and one-shots but few sustained runs; Ironheart: Bad Chemistry #1 landed in 2025, a reminder Marvel revisits her, just not consistently.

That pattern is exactly why Vellani's point resonates. Riri sits in a great spot — she bridges legacy Iron Man stories and the newer generation teams — and there is clearly more to mine there.

So what now?

Even with the Disney+ spotlight, conversations about where Ironheart goes next have not really quieted. The split reception on the show only underlines it. Meanwhile, Marvel is ramping toward its next big crossover later this year, which naturally raises the question: how do younger heroes like Ironheart and Ms. Marvel fit into the bigger machine? If Marvel wants the next wave to matter, Riri probably needs more than guest spots and occasional minis.

The fun wrinkle

Vellani did not just pick Ironheart off a PR talking points sheet — she says Riri is part of how she connected to Kamala Khan in the first place. Coming from the MCU 's most proudly comics-literate lead, that says something about how these characters can (and should) feed each other across mediums.

Would you watch a Ms. Marvel and Ironheart team-up sooner rather than later? Same. Tell me how you would pair them up in the comments.