In Ironheart, Riri might be back on her home turf, but she’s drawn by another powerful force, the criminal Parker Robbins (Anthony Ramos), who uses mystical clothing to become the Hood. As his magic presents opportunities for her, Riri must decide on how she will use her technological might.
For Thorne, the conflict between the tech genius Riri and the magical Hood represents a classic divide. “Like any of the great franchises that have existed throughout our lifetime, stories about magic and technology give us options,” she explains. “They give us range that captures the gamut of human emotion and human experience and human expression. And this is no different.”
“I think with tech and magic are these two very different ways of communicating a very similar desire. But of course, what it looks like to pursue that goal will look different on every person. So you have what that looks like for a tech genius like Riri and you have what that looks like for someone that’s in for the magic of it all like the Hood.”
According to Thorne, these options threaten to overwhelm Riri as she moves deeper into the Marvel Universe. “Seeing Riri understand that magic even exists and is an option forcers her to take a second to come up for air, to not be so hyper focused on what she’s doing to consider it all.”
“That is really fun,” Thorne admits, taking a moment as an actor to enjoy her character’s troubles. Of course, that’s just one of the challenges that Thorne has to face in playing Riri. Another involves the Ironheart armor, which includes its own heads-up display (HUD), not unlike those we’ve seen with Iron Man, War Machine, and Iron Patriot.
While Thorne didn’t get a chance to consult with Robert Downey Jr. or Don Cheadle, both old pros at acting like they’re inside a high-tech suit of armor, she did get a chance to work alongside another legend… and she found it appropriately overwhelming.