The MCU's next Disney+ series, Ironheart, will have a confusing placement in the Phase 5 timeline. Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige announced Ironheart in December 2020 during Disney Investor Day and production took place from May to November 2022. As such, the Disney+ series was filmed even before Dominique Throne debuted as Riri Williams, aka Ironheart, in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and yet fans are only just seeing it two and a half years later.
In the "Legacy of Riri Williams" promo released on X by Marvel Studios, head writer Chinaka Hodge confirmed Ironheart will explore what happens "the days after [Black Panther: Wakanda Forever]." That timeline placement is certainly a strange one as, despite being the last Phase 5 project, it will take place before them all, following right after the Phase 4 finale, Black Panther 2.
Read more about Disney+'s latest update to the official MCU timeline order.
A post on the official Marvel site teased Ironheart's Wakanda Forever connections, revealing it takes place as she returns home to Chicago as he time abroad has left her "more eager than ever to pursue her dreams" and build a new iron suit:
"Set after the events of 'Wakanda Forever,' Ironheart follows Riri as she returns to her hometown of Chicago, determined to build a state-of-the-art iron suit and make her mark on the world. Her time in Wakanda has left her more eager than ever to pursue her dreams, and her quest entangles her in a dangerous world of science and magic."
Most fans estimate Black Panther 2 took place around Spring 2025, meaning, if Ironheart is actually set just days later, it would be the first MCU project of the Multiverse Saga in the post-Blip era to mainly take place in its release year.
An invitation to President Ross' event in Captain America: Brave New World confirmed its main story began in April 2027, while Thunderbolts* seemingly took place later that year. As such, Ironheart will confusingly be placed over two years before the newest developments in the MCU, but for a very soon reason.
Ironheart will begin with a three-episode premiere on Disney+ on June 24, bringing back Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams for the first time in over two years, and yet, for her, only days will have passed since the events in Wakanda.
Throne will be joined by a host of MCU newcomers including Anthony Rmaos, Lyric Ross, Alden Ehrenreich, and, reportedly, Sacha Baron Cohen. The Black Panther 2 sequel series is even bringing back an obscure Captain America: Civil War actor with Jim Rish, MIT liaison to Tony Stark.
Here's Why Ironheart's Delays & Strange Timeline Placement Happened
Ironheart has undergone many delays since it was shot as it was originally touted for a Fall 2023 release at 2022's San Diego Comic-Con, but was later pushed into 2024 and now, finally, is only just coming to Disney+ in June 2025.
According to scooper Daniel Richtman (via Reddit), Ironheart held reshoots from February to April 2024, the extent of which remains unclear.
Marvel Television boss Brad Winderbaum explained the Ironheart delays to ComicBook's Phase Zero podcast. He noted that, while there was a mandate to create as much Disney+ content as fast as possible, there was eventually a shift where they had to "start spreading [their] release dates out:"
"Frankly, in all honesty, there was a mandate to kind of create as much as we could for Disney+ as quickly as we could. And then, there was a shift, and all of a sudden, we have to start spreading our release dates out. So, that really accounts for a lot of the delays."
Ironheart was an unfortunate victim of the release schedule changes, being pushed almost two years, but Winderbaum noted in March 2024 that they are "using that time" and it is "only going to make things better:"
"Now, we're using that time. We're not sitting idle. So, it stays in the oven. You can bake certain things a little more. It's actually, I think, ultimately, it's only going to make things better. But most of it's just frankly shrapnel from the business."
As Ironheart was meant to come out within a year of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, its setting before most of Phase 5 wouldn't have felt as strange. But now, the spin-off series has the tough task of picking up Riri Williams' storyline almost three years later, during which time the character has been absent.
Given that Ironheart takes place so much earlier in the MCU timeline, fans shouldn't expect any major tie-ins to current storylines. After all, when Ironheart was in production, the MCU's big game plan was still heading for Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, so don't expect any Doomsday links here.
This may also raise concerns for the series' quality as Ironheart was produced long before Marvel Studios made behind-the-scenes changes to fix its TV shows. These changes had great benefits for Agatha All Along and Daredevil: Born Again but likely won't be felt in Ironheart, which also only runs for six episodes.
