Why Tony Stark will always be smarter than Riri Williams!

Tony Stark’s Genius Legacy and ironheart’s Wrong Perspective

Marvel officially closed Phase Five with the end of the Ironheart series. We saw Riri Williams’ new suits, met an AI named Natalie, and the most shocking twist Mephisto’s entry. Riri also brought back a dead character by joining hands with Mephisto. But in between all this, something happened that touched the hearts of fans: Riri said in a scene that Tony Stark became Tony Stark only because he was rich.

I heard this line and felt that Marvel would take this point to the end and correct it. We were thinking that Riri would think that a real genius is one who can invent under any circumstances, without any resources. As the old saying goes, “Necessity is the mother of invention.” But that did not happen. So in this blog, we will talk about the real genius nature of Tony Stark and compare it with the moment when Tony and Riri both went through the same kind of challenge the temptation of Mephisto.

Tony Stark’s real power: not money, it was brain

First of all, let’s talk about Tony Stark’s real superpower his brain. Tony was a mechanical and electrical engineering genius. Also, a world-class expert in material science. In Iron Man 1, we saw that the entire Stark Industries is powered by an arc reactor. This arc reactor was a tokamak-type fusion reactor that also exists in real science. But these reactors work at a temperature of 2-3 crore °C. A human cannot even survive in such extreme temperatures.

So the question arises how did Tony stay alive?

This is where we come to the topic of palladium. Palladium is an element of the periodic table that absorbs hydrogen atoms very easily. Tony used palladium in his arc reactor in which the cold fusion process was applied a fictional but intelligent concept where fusion reaction is possible at room temperature.

And the result? Tony’s mini-arc reactor generated 3 giga-joules of energy every second! Meaning, that in one second, it could supply power to lakhs of houses and blast the energy of a TNT bomb!

And Tony did all this in a cave with just a few scraps and limited tools. That’s real genius.

What did Riri do in Ironheart?

Now we talk about Riri Williams. In the Ironheart series, Riri needs a high-energy power core to power her suit. For that, she goes to Ezekiel. But in one scene, Riri herself says that she cannot make such a power core herself.

So the question is if Riri thinks Tony was a genius only because of money, then why didn’t she manage it herself? Couldn’t she have made a power core by arranging a pedium from a black market dealer?

Marvel missed a major opportunity here. They could have established Riri’s genius without any magic or Mephisto’s help. Like Tony did. But here Riri got trapped in Mephisto’s deal.

A Mind-Blowing Example from Comics: Ice Armor

Let me give you another strong example which is from Marvel Comics. In issues 25 – 31 of the Avengers (2018) series, Tony Stark time travels and goes to 1 million BC. At that time he has no suit, no resources, only Ice Age and survival.

But Tony remains alive there too 6 months! At that time he discovers vibranium, synthesizes it, and makes an Ice Age Iron Man armor that too made of ice! And with that armor, he fights Mephisto, who also had the Time Stone at that time.

This is genius. When there is nothing in the world, even then Tony Stark becomes a superhero. That too without money.

Mephisto’s Trap and Tony’s Refusal

Now understand what was Mephisto’s motive. He sent Tony to the prehistoric age so that he could take away his luxury and break away from him. Then he puts a tempting deal in front of him “I will make you the king of the world.” But Tony refuses.

Why? Because Tony Stark has never been corrupt despite having money.

So when Mephisto gives the same kind of deal to Riri in Ironheart and Riri accepts it, it seems a bit disappointing. Marvel could have made this moment an empowering scene. Riri rejects Mephisto’s deal and finds a solution with her intelligence. But that did not happen.

Has Riri become New Hood?

At the end of the series, Riri gets Hood’s cloak. So now she doesn’t look like a new Iron Man but has become a new Hood. At this point, it has become compulsory to make season 2, because we can’t leave Riri in a trap.

And if Riri’s AI looked like Tony Stark, or had his voice, then how much emotional impact it would have had? Tony’s legacy would have been felt.

What was lacking in Marvel’s writing approach?

Marvel wrote this show in such a way as if Tony became Iron Man only because of money. But if they had read the comics, they would have understood that Tony was the government’s weapon contractor. This would have revealed the loopholes in the system. That’s why the government could never touch her.

On the other hand, Riri is a normal student Whose funds are being cancelled. In Wakanda Forever, the CIA comes to arrest him. If Marvel had shown this difference that Tony was part of the system and Riri was an outsider then this statement would have been understandable.

But directly saying that “Tony Stark was rich, so he was Iron Man” is oversimplified and unfair.

Conclusion: Riri Deserves Better Writing

If you look at it, the writers of the Ironheart series did not fully explore Riri’s genius potential. They made her a puppet of Mephisto and left. And the legacy of a character like Tony Stark was also undermined by the line that he was just rich.

But the truth is this:

“Take away his suits, his money, and even his home… but Tony Stark will always be Iron Man.”

Now in season 2, Riri will have to confront all of those decisions. Hopefully, next season will respect Tony’s legacy and make Riri a true genius hero.

What do you think?

If you think the scene would have gotten more emotional if Riri’s AI looked like Tony, or if you think Marvel underestimated Tony’s genius let us know in the comment section. Let’s talk about it, Marvel fans!