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‘Iron Man’ Approves: Robert Downey, Jr. Is Okay With Marvel Comics’ Black Female Update

By David Cornell
Published on: 05:32 PST, Jul 8, 2016

When most of us think of Iron Man, thanks to the 2008 film, we think of Robert Downey, Jr.’s snarky Tony Stark. He was perfect for the role, being famous and having a history of drinking problems just like Marvel Comics’ original portrayal of the character.

Now Marvel appears to be looking for ways to add diversity to the cast of characters at its disposal. First it was a female Thor, which the internet eventually became okay with. Then we had a female Wolverine and had to get used to that as well. Fans wanted Captain America to be gay in his comic book reincarnation, but instead they once again took a more edgy route, turning him into a secret Hydra agent.

Now there is another superhero in the Marvel comics who is getting even more than a gender swap. Iron Man is now a 15-year-old black girl named Riri Williams, which technically means the character could be called Iron Woman in the future.

Some on the internet claim that Marvel is going too far with its re-casting of famous heroes with original twists on their identities, while others feel it’s actually helping women and minorities feel more represented. It’s probably not going to be mirrored in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, though. While the films aren’t really sticking to the source material, they are mostly staying with original descriptions of the characters.

Of course, there is the fact that the Ancient One in Doctor Strange was changed from an Asian male to a white woman, sparking accusations of “whitewashing.”

This really isn’t anything new. The Joker from the 1960s Batman television show and movie was portrayed by a Hispanic actor, Cesar Romero. Then in Tim Burton’s Batman, Harvey Dent was portrayed by Billy Dee Williams, only to replaced by Tommy Lee Jones in Batman Forever. In Ben Affleck’s Daredevil, the Kingpin was the late Michael Clarke Duncan, and in Marvel’s Iron Man, Samuel L. Jackson was cast as the new Nick Fury.

Gender and heritage swapping has been happening for decades, even on the offensive level with “black-face,” an idea which Robert Downey, Jr. himself spoofed in Tropic Thunder. Now white and male roles are being exchanged for alternatives in reboots, and if the new Ghostbusters and Roadhouse are any indication, most people aren’t happy with it.

Of course Melissa McCarthy and Paul Feig didn’t exactly object to being involved. Many moviegoers have more of a problem with those two than they do with the rest of the film.

Robert Downey, Jr. has no problem with the new Iron Man though, having publicly tweeted his approval along with an image of the new girl in the Marvel universe. This doesn’t mean that we’ll see a sassy new character taking over in the movies using stereotypes to destroy the franchise. It appears, according to the image shown, that she may have had help from Tony Stark. He may have donated parts to help her make the suit as she worked on it in secret in her dorm room at MIT, just like he helped Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War.

Much like some superhero origin stories these days (Arrow), Riri may be taking on a new name and ditching “Iron Man” altogether. The title suggests otherwise, as “Invincible Iron Man” still appears in the image, but the character might decide on another name entirely.

No matter what your opinion is about the new black, female Iron Man, Robert Downey, Jr. is okay with it.

[Feature image via Ian Gavan/Getty Images]

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