Marvel made waves yet again in the new Civil War II comic, as recent events result in genius billionaire playboy philanthropist Tony Stark stepping aside as Iron Man. In his place, a young black woman by the name of Riri Williams will assume the mantle. Oh, and it’s important to mention that she’s doing so at 15 years old.
For a brief summary of exactly who she is, Williams is a student at MIT, who became part of an important subplot after making her debut in the most recent run of Invincible Iron Man. During her appearances, she managed to build her own prototype Iron Man suit from various pieces she could scrounge from around the campus (sounds strangely familiar to how Stark made his first Iron Man suit while he was held captive). The focus on her little project hinted at a major role for the character in the foreseeable future, perhaps as another War Machine. But she is now destined for a major role in the comics moving forward.
According to writer Brian Michael Bendis, who created the Williams character, three major events have impacted Stark at virtually the same time (Rhodes’ death, the near collapse of his company, and the truth surrounding his biological parents), leading to his stepping away from the Iron Man suit. Williams not will not only bring needed diversity into the fold, but her ascension is even more important because it provides a woman of color some much-needed spotlight in the Marvel comic Universe.
Bendis, who helped create Miles Morales, the new half-Black, half-Hispanic Spider-Man, drew a variety of responses in regards to the new web-slinger’s ethnicity. He drew praise for addressing representation and providing a positive example for minority readers, while others have pointed out that with needed change comes a responsibility to tell those characters’ stories properly. With Williams about to enter the fold, Bendis has an opportunity he cannot let go to waste.
Marvel, which has faced ongoing criticism in its lack of diversity regarding its superhero roster, has made a number of moves to address these issues, and Williams is not the first time the company has stirred controversy with major changes to its most popular heroes. The introduction of Kamala Khan, who is of Pakistani heritage, as Ms. Marvel and the introduction of Jane Foster as the female Thor are among the steps Marvel has taken in creating a more diverse superhero roster that reflects its increasingly diverse readership. Replacing Stark with Williams is arguably the boldest move yet, especially given the fact that yet another Marvel mainstay that has been male for decades is suddenly being replaced by a woman.
Up to this point, Marvel’s only black female heroine of note has been X-Men’s Storm. Outside of her, the Marvel Universe lacks any kind of prominent black female superhero among its roster. The only major black woman in the Marvel universe besides Storm is Monica Rambeau, who is better known as Spectrum. While she was a field leader of the Mighty Avengers unit, she is not a prominent or easily recognizable figure. (It doesn’t help that she was one of several heroes to hold the title of Captain Marvel prior to Carol Danvers.) But she is not a hero that this current generation will be exposed to or ever really experience. As Iron Man, Williams will claim the long-awaited feature that has evaded black women in Marvel Comics for far too long.
Despite Marvel’s attention towards addressing its diversity problems, the addition of more prominent black male superheroes has been ahead by leaps and bounds when compared to their black female counterparts. If Williams had simply become the next War Machine in the wake of James Rhodes’ death, it would accomplish next to nothing, as she would simply be stepping into the sidekick role and not have the opportunity to have a greater story told.
But by having her step into the official Iron Man suit, Bendis makes her impact that much greater, as elevating her to the main role gives her the needed time and development that black women have not really had the opportunities to enjoy. This is no slight against Rhodes as the War Machine, who has taken on Stark’s suit on several occasions in his absence, but did not necessarily have the knowledge to pilot it to its fullest capability. But as someone who can build an Iron Man suit, Williams clearly shows the potential to pilot Stark’s armor just as well as he can.
Having Williams as the next Iron Man should be a positive first step towards continued diversity of a universe which reflects the time that it lives in. Marvel and the comics industry still have steps to take in terms of diversifying its opportunities for women and minorities when it comes to writing and decision-making, but Williams is another positive step in the right direction. She has the potential to set a major example in further advocation for representation amongst Earth’s Mightiest Heroes and could begin to bring forth a new brand of heroes that better reflects the society it belongs to.
