The Marvel Cinematic Universe has always thrived on legacy heroes passing the torch and villains resurfacing. Now, Ironheart might be bringing back one of the most dangerous and personal adversaries that Tony Stark ever faced in the comics, and no, it’s not Obadiah Stane, but someone with a grudge.
The MCU show has a release date and is set to focus on Riri Williams. We have already had a glimpse of her character in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, but the series will focus on her discovering new secrets and embarking on a dangerous adventure. Her journey sounds intriguing, but it’s the expected villain and his identity that’s creating more hype.
Obadiah Stane’s son carries on the legacy of betrayal
Reports and fan speculations suggest that a mysterious figure is lurking in the shadows and could be directly linked back to one of Tony Stark’s earliest and most personal foes: Obadiah Stane, played by Jeff Bridges. The first look at one character in Ironheart, who people believe is Alden Ehrenreich, has sparked theories that he might be playing Ezekiel Stane, the son of Obadiah.
Definitely Ezekiel “zeke” stane, the son of Obadiah stane “iron monger”. Not going to lie I don’t have high hopes for this series however it is kinda cool letting it come full circle.
— Paul f wood (@Paulfwood1) June 14, 2025
Before we can understand Ezekiel, we must revisit his father, the man who nearly destroyed Tony Stark before Iron Man even existed. He was a trusted mentor to Tony and the second-in-command at Stark Industries. But when the weapons manufacturing was shut down, Obadiah’s resentment grew.
He secretly sold weapons to a terrorist group, hired them to assassinate Tony, stole a prototype, and reverse-engineered his own suit. In the end, he died after Pepper overloaded the reactor, which caused his suit to fail and killed him in the explosion. So, Obadiah’s legacy is one of betrayal, and now his son may be stepping into the MCU to finish what he started.
Ezekiel Stane: The tech terrorist in Ironheart
If Alden Ehrenreich is indeed playing Ezekiel “Zeke” Stane, Riri Williams, who’s inspired by Iron Man, could be facing a villain who holds a deeply personal grudge against Tony Stark’s legacy. Recent leaks suggest that Ehrenreich’s character will be first introduced as Joe McGillicuddy, a tech ethicist whom Riri seeks out for black-market upgrades (via ComicBookMovie). But this could only be a cover, and he may be manipulating her for his own agenda.
In the comics, he was raised by his father to despise Tony and molded into a prodigy who built weapons for terrorists since he was nine years old. Moreover, he modified his own body with black-market Stark tech, which made him a walking weapon. He’s shown to be someone who is a master manipulator, orchestrating attacks through proxies like the Androids, M.E.N., and Black Dahlias to target Stark’s allies.
He also frames Tony for negligence, nearly kills him, and allies with the Mandarin. While Robert Downey Jr’s beloved character remains dead in the MCU, it would be great to see them adapt even a fraction of Zeke’s menacing personality in Ironheart. So, will Riri fall into the trap, or will she forge her own path beyond the shadows of Iron Man’s past?
Ironheart will release on June 24, 2025, exclusively on Disney+ (USA).
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
