Ironheart Twist Features an Unexpected Throwback to the MCU’s Original Villain

This article contains spoilers for Ironheart episodes 1-3.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is back on the smallscreen, and while output might’ve slowed, it’s clear the ambitions of these TV shows continue to be part of a much bigger picture. Fresh off the success of her MCU debut in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Dominique Thorne is once again suiting up as Riri Williams for Ironheart. While it’s hard to believe it’s been six years since Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark bowed out in emotional scenes during Avengers: Endgame, his legacy lives on in an unexpected way. 

The crux of Ironheart focuses on Riri as she tries to step out of the shadow of Tony Stark and become the next tech whizz without his bank balance. In this mission, she seeks the help of Alden Ehrenreich’s Joe McGillicuddy to help build her own Iron Man armor. Early in episode 2, Riri and N.A.T.A.L.I.E. (Lyric Ross) note that the name Joe McGillicuddy sounds fake, leading to the big reveal that “Joe” is someone else entirely during episode 3 “We in Danger, Girl.” Harkening back to 2008’s Iron Man, it turns out Ehrenreich is playing Ezekiel Stane, the previously unseen son of Jeff Bridges’ Obadiah Stane. Riri makes the shocking realization when she comes across the late Stane’s ashes in “Joe’s” kitchen.

As a recap, Bridges’ Obadiah Stane was something of an adoptive father figure to RDJ’s Tony Stark in Iron Man, but turned out to be the villainous Iron Monger who wanted to snatch Stark Industries from under him. Obadiah Stane died when he tumbled into a giant arc reactor, which was covered up by Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg), claiming he died in a plane crash. Iron Man didn’t flesh out Stane’s home life, but it seems likely that Ezekiel knows the truth. Back when Ehrenreich was cast in Ironheart, he refused to answer whether he was playing someone fans already knew or address the rumors he was playing Stane. Interestingly, Zeke Stane was originally pitched as a villain alongside Tom Hiddleston’s Loki in 2012’s Avengers before the idea was dropped, although the character later appeared in the official video game tie-in to Iron Man 3. 

The comic book origins of Ezekiel Stane go back to long before his 2008 debut in The Order #8, following on from Tony Stark’s eventful showdown with Obadiah Stane in 1985’s Iron Man #200. Kitted out in his Silver Centurion armor, Stark bested Stane, with the latter choosing suicide over a life in prison. After the death of his father, Zeke sought revenge on Iron Man, but instead of wanting to kill him, Stane vowed to make the billionaire playboy obsolete. Whereas Tony Stark is ultimately a man in a suit, Zeke fused himself with biometric enhancements to bridge the gap between human and machine. It was this that led to the liquid-esque Bleeding Edge armor that we see Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame adapt as the Mark L and Mark LXXXV.

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Ironheart creator Chinaka Hodge explained the big Zeke twist and how the series brings things back around for the MCU: “Overall, the character of Zeke Stane as a tech ethicist … is interesting to me. [Riri and Zeke] are [both] struggling with a lot of the same, ‘Am I good or am I bad? And what’s the point of being either?’” 

We’ve already seen this as Riri buddies up with Anthony Ramos’ Parker Robbins/The Hood. As for whether Bridges could return to the role of Zeke’s daddy dearest, Hodge admitted, “One can always hope for a Zeke Stane-Obadiah Stane flashback crossover, I don’t know. It just was so much fun to open up that box of worms.” As recently as September 2024, Bridges addressed a potential MCU return when he told the Happy Sad Confused podcast about a different version of the Iron Man script that he presumably signed on for: “In the script I read and agreed to do, they pull my suit out and open it and I’m not there. But who knows? It’s all science fiction and I could pop up again.”

Currently, Ironheart’s Ezekiel is a toned-down version of his comic book counterpart, although it remains to be seen how much longer this stuttering “Live, Laugh, Love” persona will last and whether he really is a mild-mannered tech ethicist or destined to continue his father’s legacy. The other big question is about whether we’ll finally get Sacha Baron Cohen’s (rumored) Mephisto after the demonic overlord was finally mentioned in Agatha All Along. Executive producer Sev Ohanian has previously teased that Riri will ‘break bad’, suggesting she could form a Faustian bargain with Mephisto. Unlike Riri’s potential villain arc, Ezekiel claims he wants nothing to do with his father’s shadowy past and is simply concerned for what the likes of Stark and Williams are doing with this ever-advancing tech. 

Zeke Stane might be an Iron Man rogue, but with Thorne stepping up as the de facto Iron Man of the MCU’s future and a potential Young Avengers recruit, it makes sense to retool him to fit in with her story. Although the already bulging cast list of Avengers: Doomsday makes Ehrenreich’s immediate return unlikely, having him lock horns with RDJ’s Doctor Doom as a likeness of his father’s mortal enemy could be an interesting arc. While that seems unlikely, Ezekiel Stane’s affiliation with the Hellfire Club could find him a place in the upcoming Mutant Saga if Ironheart doesn’t get renewed for a second season. Whether friend or foe to Riri, we imagine she’ll soon be crossing paths with Zeke Stane before too long.

The first three episodes of Ironheart are available to stream on Disney+ now. Episodes 4-6 premiere on July 1.