Ryan Coogler on making ‘Ironheart’ a safe space for Black women — on camera and on set

Chinaka Hodge, Ryan Coogler and Angela Barnes of “Ironheart” open up about building an inclusive universe that reflects real-world magic.

Disney+ just dropped the first half of “Ironheart,” the latest series to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe — and it’s pulsing with tech, magic, and unapologetic Blackness. Starring Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams, the series exhibits Black brilliance on screen and behind the scenes– a move executive producer Ryan Coogler says was intentional. 

In a sit-down with theGrio, Coogler opened up about what it means to intentionally build space for diverse stories in one of the world’s most recognizable franchises.

“For a long time, comic books were for people who felt like they didn’t have a place in other spaces. But over time, it’s grown through the movies and through how ubiquitous [the Marvel universe is],” Coogler told theGrio. “But there still are elements of the club feeling exclusionary, like, maybe it’s not a safe space for everybody.” 

He continued: “For this industry, you know, the comic book, movies, comic books in general, for it to survive, you know, it has to expand, it has to make space for new types of for new types of fans, for new types of voices, for new types of people.” 

Coogler’s entry into Marvel with “Black Panther” in 2018 cracked open the door. Since then, Black creatives, particularly Black women like Eve Ewing, who penned the “Ironheart” comic book series, have been walking through it front and center and bringing a whole new audience with them. 

“For us, it was an opportunity to do the same thing through the language of filmmaking and television,” Coogler said of his decision to entrust the show’s vision to three Black women Chinaka Hodge, Sam Bailey, and Angela Barnes, to spearhead the storytelling of the “Ironheart” television series. “[Viewers are] gonna see and feel these incredible women communicating how they feel about the world, how they feel about themselves, the emotions they want folks to feel, and the lessons they want [people to learn].” 

Hodge, the series lead writer, explained that she saw the series as a door that allowed viewers to explore their creativity, different worlds, and versions of Black womanhood. 

“My goal for Riri was to create as many open doors as possible for all of our fans to walk through, and also to create as many different versions of Black womanhood, Black femininity, and Black femmes as you could see on screen,” she told theGrio. 

In addition to Thorne, the show features Black stars like Lyric Ross, Cree Summer, Regan Aliyah, Anji White and Shea Couleé who each depict unique versions of Black femininity and womanhood. That diversity trickles into the rest of the cast, which includes Anthony Ramos, Manny Montana, Shakira Barera, Matthew Elam, and more. 

“We put Riri in the center, and then allow who would naturally be around her to populate the rest of the show. And it feels to me not just like the America I inhabit, but like the comic book stories I used to go into when I was 15, 16, 17 years old,” Hodge explained. 

Barnes, who directed the second half of the series, echoed this sentiment. “Riri’s world looked like what my world looks like,” the director shared, explaining how everything from the cast to the characters to the set design “all felt very intentional.” She also celebrated fellow “Ironheart” director Bailey, a Chicago native who worked meticulously to include details and Chicago actors into the show, which is set in the “Windy City.” 

“I think the more intentional and the more specific you are with your details, the more universal things become,” Barnes added. “We’ve all had [moments] of going out and trying to get something and being underestimated, or having people blow you off when you have a lot to offer, and them not recognizing that. Everyone’s had that experience. So the more specific and intentional we can get with that, the easier it is for people to grab hold of that character and hold onto it.” 

Inspired by Ewing’s original comic series, “Ironheart” follows Riri Williams, a 15-year-old engineering prodigy who builds her own high-tech suit and forges her own path as a superhero. The show brings her origin story to life while weaving in themes of grief, identity, and culture — all through a distinctly Black lens — making Riri the kind of hero Black girls don’t just root for, but see themselves in.

“To know I had a small part in that is incredibly rewarding,” Coogler concluded. 

Watch “Ironheart” now on Disney+.