Black Panther 2 Toys Reveal Final Ironheart Armor
Marvel's Black Panther: Wakanda Forever action figures give us a good look at Namor, a new outfit for Shuri, and an Ironheart design that more closely recalls Iron Man.
This article contains potential spoilers for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
For a movie that comes out in just a few months, we still don’t know that much about Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. True, Marvel did release a trailer considered by many (including the Marvel Standom team) to be the best in the genre. But that teaser only included a few quick glimpses at returning characters such as Shuri (Letitia Wright) and Okoye (Danai Gurira), and new additions Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne) and Namor the Sub-Mariner (Tenoch Huerta). In fact, the most detailed information about the movie’s heroes has come from merchandising leaks.
That trend continues with new images from three new action figures. Images shared by Twitter user @computron show a set sold at Target that includes Shuri, Namor, and Williams in her Ironheart armor. Unlike the Lego set that featured Shuri in a Black Panther-style costume, she wears a purple jumpsuit here. Although no weaponry can be seen on the clothing, it appears to be better suited for action than working in her lab. The Namor figure not only gives us a clear look at the Sub-Mariner’s winged ankles, but also the Mesoamerican designs on his belt and neckwear.
But the most exciting reveal of the toy set is what must be the final armor worn by Ironheart. Set photos from the upcoming Ironheart series showed Williams in large, clunky armor that recalls the suit worn shortly after she debuted in 2016’s Invincible Iron Man #7 (written by Brian Michael Bendis and drawn by Mike Deodato). While that suit resembled the War Machine armor of James Rhodes (Don Cheadle), the suit seen on the action figure has more of a Tony Stark look. Largely red with black highlights, the armor sports what appears to be a glowing EKG line in the middle of its heart-shaped chest emblem. More importantly, this armor is far more sleek than previously shown designs, suggesting that it is the costume’s final form.
Comic book fans will recognize the armor as a combination of Ironheart’s Model 2 and Model 3 designs. Like the earlier model first shown in 2017’s Invincible Iron Man #4 (written by Bendis and drawn by Stefano Caselli), the red armor seems to have pulse repulsors on the inside of its hands. But the black highlights, helmet design, and chest insignia more closely resemble the armor that Ironheart debuted the following year in Champions #22 (written by Jim Zub and drawn by Caselli).
Compelling as the toys certainly are, they don’t give away much information about the story of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Nothing here seems to corroborate speculation that Shuri will be the next Black Panther, nor does it suggest anything about Namor’s motivations for attacking Wakanda. However, given the trailer images of Williams working in a lab, we can assume that the armor shown on the action figure will not appear until late in the movie, with more than a little Wakandan technology integrated into it.
More importantly, the armor further cements Ironheart’s position as the new Iron Man of the MCU. Even if she doesn’t join the proper Avengers (she would be a better fit on the Young Avengers with Hawkeye‘s Kate Bishop and Black Widow‘s Yelena Belova), Ironheart will be the current supergenius of the Marvel Universe, constantly iterating on her armor and creating new technological breakthroughs.
We’ll know more when Black Panther: Wakanda Forever comes to theaters on November 11, 2022.
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Joe George’s writing has appeared at Slate, Polygon, Tor.com, and elsewhere!