With Ironheart following on from the events of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever , it’s important to understand where exactly it fits in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) timeline. For most franchises, the precise timelines of their movies are unimportant.
As long as sequels happen after the original, and prequels before, the dates, months and years are inconsequential. However, the MCU has a dedicated and intelligent fanbase that likes to ensure the stories are in order.
And with the MCU containing dozens of movies and shows, there is a lot to consider in terms of the timelines and where and when events take place back to back. Riri Williams’ return after Black Panther: Wakanda Forever necessitates just such a discussion to nail down the timeline.
Ironheart Is Set Within A Year After Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Precedes Riri Williams’ Ironheart Story
First things first, Wakanda Forever is supposed to be set in late 2024, or early 2025, at least a year after the events of Avengers: Endgame, and the passing of T’Challa. At this point, Riri indicates that she is 19 years old when meeting with Wakandans like Shuri.
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When Ironheart begins, the show establishes that Riri has been studying at MIT for over 4 years. It’s also highlighted that Riri graduated from high school at 15, which is likely when she went into college at MIT. This means, by the time the show begins, she is roughly 19 or 20.
This lines up well with the timeline of Wakanda Forever, and puts the story anywhere up to a year after these events. She also deems her time in Wakanda as part of a “study abroad” thing, which further confirms she was a student at the time.
When Ironheart Is Set In The Larger MCU Timeline
Ironheart Settles In Between Several MCU TV Shows
Looking more broadly at the MCU and the timeline in the Multiverse Saga, things get a little messy. There are shows that appear to take place in the wrong seasons, complicating when and how the timeline connects.
However, despite minor inconsistencies with the weather, the most likely time for Ironheart to take place is around Fall of 2025. This fits in with the one year after Riri’s time in Wakanda; it appears to reflect the weather shown in the series, and it makes sense for when future stories are supposed to occur.
Ironheart takes place around the same time as She-Hulk: Attorney-at-Law, which means there is a lot of time for the new arrivals to the MCU to meet one another and connect. Especially considering the fact that movies like Thunderbolts* are intended to take place in early 2027.
What Ironheart’s Place In The MCU Timeline Means For The Show
Ironheart Sets Up Riri Williams For Further Appearances In The Multiverse Saga
Aside from some major leaps ahead in time, as seen in Avengers: Endgame when the stories moved five years into the future, most of the MCU’s projects that appeared earlier were set at roughly the same time as their respective release dates.
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Now, with the five-year gap closed, and Avengers: Doomsday around the corner, all the characters in the MCU are working towards a major crossover. Avengers: Doomsday was initially intended to release in May 2026 in real terms, but has been pushed back to December of the same year.
Presumably, the events of that film will take place at some point in 2027 in-universe, allowing it to lineup with Avengers: Secret Wars better which comes out the following year. If that is indeed the case, then Riri’s adventure taking place in the latter half of 2025 positions her perfectly to join forces with the other heroes in plenty of time for Avengers: Doomsday.
All the characters in the MCU are working towards a major crossover.
With all of that in mind, Ironheart appears to be inserted into the MCU timeline well, with the story happening concurrently with other new heroes, and happening much earlier than the concluding chapters of the Multiverse Saga. This will help to establish Riri’s journey in Ironheart as a part of these final events, and avoid having the character appear as too much of a novice.
Ironheart
6/10
- Release Date
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2025 – 2025-00-00
- Network
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Disney+
- Directors
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Angela Barnes, Sam Bailey
- Writers
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Chinaka Hodge
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Dominique Thorne
Riri Williams / Ironheart
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Lyric Ross
Natalie Washington
