Summary:
- Riri’s origin story is linked with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and takes cues from earlier MCU origin stories.
- Easter eggs include the remains of Obadiah Stane, hints towards Madripoor, and possibly Marvel’s boldest Mephisto tease to date.
- Traditional comic book nods, such as Rampage, the Blood Brothers, and Parker Robbins’ hellish origin, are all in play.
- Here is a list of all the easter eggs and references to other pop-culture phenomena we could find in Ironheart.
Marvel’s Ironheart has officially launched with its initial three episodes on Disney+. It wastes no time introducing Riri Williams to the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe. But there are plenty of Easter Eggs and callbacks in Ironheart, as is the trend in all MCU projects.
The story begins six months after Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. We find a genius but broke Riri, recently expelled from MIT, desperately rigging together a new suit while working with criminals to fund her project.
It’s an ethically dubious start, but it contains more than 30 MCU references, callbacks, and Easter eggs, both subtle and bold. Here are all the easter eggs you would find in the first three episodes of Ironheart.
Table of Contents
MCU Easter Eggs and Callbacks to OGs
1. Bigger than Pym, bigger than Stark: Riri makes it clear from the beginning that she wants to be ‘bigger than Pym, bigger than Stark’. She sees them as both rivals and role models. Pym refers to Hank Pym, who discovered the Pym Particles, allowing Ant-Man to increase/decrease his size and mass.
2. Stark Fellowship: She names the Stark Fellowship, which was first mentioned in Captain America: Civil War, as Tony’s scholarship fund. But she quickly loses it right in the first episode.
3. Solar and lunar-powered system: Stark famously powered his suits with an arc reactor. Riri powers her with a solar and lunar system, setting her apart while still giving a nod to her hero.
4. Ashes of Obadiah Stane: We also receive a quite jaw-dropping reference to Iron Man (2008) when Riri discovers the ashes of Obadiah Stane in Joe’s house.
5. Iron Monger: A character named Joe is revealed to be Ezekiel Stane. He is Obadiah Stane’s son, who matter-of-factly refers to his father as the Iron Monger. This is the first time the MCU officially uses Obadiah’s comic-book nickname
6. Ezekiel refused to be a villain: Ezekiel’s refusal to become a villain like his father gives him quite unexpected depth.
7. Return of Jim Rash as Professor Wilkes: Civil War fans will also see the return of Jim Rash reprising Professor Wilkes with another hilarious hot dog innovation pitch.
8. Riri’s AI assistant N.A.T.A.L.I.E.: Riri’s AI assistant N.A.T.A.L.I.E., short for Neuro Autonomous Technical Assistant and Laboratory Intelligence Entity, is her personal take on Stark’s iconic J.A.R.V.I.S.
9. Wakanda’s Griot AI: Her AI assistant is inspired by Wakanda’s Griot AI (voiced by Trevor Noah), seen in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Pop-Culture, Demon Deals, and Mephisto Easter Eggs
10. The Hood: Riri’s arrival in the underworld throws her directly in Parker Robbins’ path, also known as The Hood. He is played by Anthony Ramos.
11. Ocean’s Eleven and Riri The Sopranos reference: Riri asks Peter if his crew is like a well-organized team from Ocean’s Eleven, or a bunch of sociopaths like in The Sopranos, referencing the iconic movies and dramas.
12. Dormammu hint? Parker Robbins’ magical hood makes him invisible and lets him curve bullets. The backstory seems dark, possibly demonic, similar to his comic book backstory involving Dormammu.
13. Faust posters: Things get darker when Riri passes in front of a wall covered in Faust posters, the classic tale of deals with the devil.
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14. Mephisto hint: Parker’s deteriorating body, haunting visions, and foreboding lines like ‘What is it that you most desire?’ point to Mephisto. He has been heavily speculated to appear since WandaVision, and Ironheart might finally be setting the stage for him. There’s even more evidence in the form of John’s death in episode 3.
15. The Bio-Mesh Suit: Joe helps Riri create a bio-mesh skin layer that conceals her tools, aiding her infiltration of Heirlum.
16. Batman Begins Parallel: When Riri sets off a fire suppression system and escapes, John is choking, and Natalie only saves Riri, leaving John to die. This reminds me of a sequence where Batman refuses to save Ra’s al Ghul in Batman Begins.
17. Demon Deal Confirmed?: Parker blames the loss on the demon behind his powers, again suggesting supernatural manipulation. If Mephisto is the mastermind behind it all, it would shake up the MCU villain roster.
From Spider-Man to Star Trek: Pop Culture and Comic Book Easter Eggs
The nods don’t stop with demons and dead villains. Riri’s world is filled with pop culture and Marvel references:
18. Friendly Neighborhood Nod: Hood’s crew van reads “Friendly Neighborhood Service,” a clear reference to Spider-Man.
19. Spider-Man reference: A spiderbot from Disneyland’s Web Slingers ride appears on Riri’s desk, another nod to Spider-Man.
20. Thor and His Hammer: Natalie teases that she wants a night with “Thor and his hammer,” quoting the “FMK” humor jokes in Spider-Man: Homecoming.
21. Falcon and the Winter Soldier reference: “Aliens, androids, and wizards,” a term used by Sam Wilson in Falcon and the Winter Soldier. It refers to the three major threats in the MCU and is brought back through Riri.
22. Pop-culture references: References to Spy Kids, The Sopranos, Orange is the New Black, Ocean’s Eleven, and even Star Trek are scattered throughout.
23. Comic Debut Easter Egg: Riri’s student ID, “30216RW,” is a nod to her first appearance in a comic book in Invincible Iron Man #7, which was published on March 2, 2016.
24. Rampage Lives (Briefly): Eric André appears as Stuart Clarke aka Rampage, a character tied to The Punisher in the comics, before his sudden death.
25. Madripoor Returns: Slug claims he’s one of “Madripoor’s Most Wanted,” tying Ironheart to The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and its criminal underworld.
Some other well-known Easter eggs are:
26. The Blood Sibling: The Blood Siblings, seemingly a reference to the Blood Brothers. They are common villains of Iron Man in the comics. They served the mighty Thanos at one point.
27. Star Trek nod: Xavier and Riri are huge Star Trek fans, which nods to their fandom first established in the original comics.
28. Addams Family’s Thing mention: A homage to The Addams Family’s Thing (also seen in Netflix’s Wednesday series) on a heist with a disembodied gauntlet hand.
29. Gary’s Legacy: Gary, Riri’s late stepfather, was a huge fan of Tony Stark. His influence continues to shape her heroic journey.
30. Panic Attacks and Tony Parallels: Like Tony Stark in Iron Man 3, Riri is haunted by panic attacks, grounding her emotional arc.
Other easter eggs: Obscure but exciting name-drops include Parker’s cousin John King and references to Vibranium, Pym Tech, and even the Death Star by voice commands from NATALIE.
Ironheart Easter Eggs
The first three episodes of Ironheart do more than just reintroduce Riri Williams. They root her deeply in MCU history while teasing an ambitious, magical future.
With direct ties to Iron Man, Black Panther, WandaVision, and what is possibly Marvel’s long-hyped introduction of Mephisto, Ironheart is showing itself to be a pivotal part of Phase 5.
Episodes 1-3 are now available to stream exclusively on Disney+. Blink, and you might miss a game-changing Easter egg.
