Ironheart: Robert Downey Jr. Encouraged Dominique Thorne Ahead of MCU Series

Dominique Thorne made her Marvel Cinematic Universe debut in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and while the character of Riri Williams may never get to act with Iron Man in MCU, Thorne did the chance to finally talk to Robert Downey Jr. in real life thanks to star Alden Ehrenreich.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Ehrenreich — who will star in Ironheart alongside Thorne — was asked about any advice that Iron Man actor Robert Downey Jr. (who appears in Christopher Nolan’s upcoming film Oppenheimer alongside Ehrenreich) may have given him about joining the MCU.

“Well, it wasn’t so much advice,” said Ehrenreich. “He was talking about “microdosing” commercial projects alongside artistic ones, and then right before I said yes to it, I just FaceTimed him and was like, “Is there something that I need to know before I sign on to this?” I was like, “Is he going to say, ‘Don’t do it’?” I think they asked Harrison Ford before [Solo] what he would say to the next Han Solo, and he said, “Don’t do it.” But Downey didn’t say that.

Ehrenreich then revealed that he put Downey Jr. in contact with Thorne, as the two hadn’t yet met.

“I sort of had the honor of introducing them. They didn’t know each other and hadn’t talked yet, so I put them in contact with each other. He is so unf—ingbelievably generous and sweet and giving with his time, and he was so happy to talk to her and encourage her. So that was really nice.”

Riri Williams and Tony Stark are linked together constantly in the world of Marvel Comics, with Williams acting as the new Iron Man following Marvel’s 2016 Civil War II event. However, the two have met in the comics from time to time as well, although it’s currently unclear if, or even how, both Thorne and Downey Jr. would appear in a film together, with Downey Jr.’s Iron Man having died in Avengers: Endgame.