The primary villain ofIronheartwill be The Hood, a character from Marvel Comics with a unique set of powers and an intriguing story.Ironheart’s MCU storyis set for release on Disney+ at some point in 2025 and will continue the character’s story from her initial debut. Riri Williams last appeared inBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever’s ending, played by Dominique Thorne, and was shown settling back into her life as an MIT student committed to perfecting her own version of Tony Stark’s Iron Man armor.
InIronheart, Riri is set to uncover secrets that will pit technology against magic, with the latter element involving The Hood, played by Anthony Ramos inIronheart’s ensemble cast. Given this intriguing premise, many are excited to see what kind of storyIronheartwill offer, as well as how Riri will take up Iron Man’s legacy in theupcoming MCU TV show. Above many other elements though, it is how The Hood will factor into proceedings that is drawing attention, from his alliance-turned-rivalry with Riri to the adaptation of his powers and story from Marvel Comics.
The Hood Marvel Comics History Explained
The Hood’s Marvel Background Is Intriguing
Firstly, it is worth exploring The Hood’s history in Marvel Comics to get a better idea of how it could be translated inIronheart.Before becoming The Hood, the character was known as Parker Robbins. After witnessing Electro face off with Daredevil, the idea of living as a supervillain somewhat appealed to Robbins. For one, this lifestyle would allow him to earn money to care for his mother, whose illness forced Parker to drop out of high school. During his first crime attempting to steal valuable materials, Parker came across the remnants of a séance.
There, Parker was attacked by a demon wearing a red cloak and boots. After seemingly killing the demon, Parker took its outfit, later being forced to wear it after being jumped and having his shoes stolen. Upon donning the clothes, Parker realized they gave him special powers that derived from Dormammu and the Dark Dimension, a source of MCU magic, though he was unaware of the source. From then on, Parker began using his powers to further his criminal activities as The Hood, propelled by Dormammu’s demonic possession of him and becoming an enemy of several Marvel Comics heroes.
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After this, The Hood embarked on many adventures. The villain even had a stint in Battleworld, the universe created by Doctor Doom that is set to be featured in the upcomingAvengers: Secret Warsstory. In recent years,Parker lost his abilities as The Hood and became possessed by a Spirit of Vengeance, thus becoming the Ghost Riderafter Johnny Blaze.
The Hood Powers Explained
The Hood Has A Specific Set Of Skills
Given his illustrious history as a Marvel Comics villain, The Hood has a long list of powers and abilities. As a dark magician, The Hood has somewhat of a mastery of the mystic arts. Although he is not as powerful as other Marvel magic users like Doctor Strange or Scarlet Witch, his magical prowess is not to be dismissed. When possessed by Dormammu, The Hood’s powers are amplified, gaining abilities including invisibility, electricity projection, the power to see through illusions, and even resurrection.
After becoming Ghost Rider, Parker Robbins takes on the abilities synonymous with this character.
Aside from these powers, The Hood’s resemble usual magic as seen by othermagic users in Marvel. From the likes of teleportation to energy projection - sometimes of a demonic nature - The Hood’s powers are often mystical in nature. Besides this, Parker has basic hand-to-hand combat experience too.
The Hood Comics Changes Explained
Regarding how The Hood has been changed from the comics to fitIronheart, this is not overtly clear as yet. Thus far, a full official trailer forIronhearthas not yet been released, with Marvel Studios instead only including small snippets as part of the “Look Ahead” trailer that teased each TV project for 2025. Nonetheless, The Hood can be seen in these brief scenes, played by Anthony Ramos. One scene shows him wearing the iconic hood, while others show him doing some kind of meditation, raising similarities to Marvel Comics.
Concerning outright differences, the main one will likely come from his background. In the comics, Parker Robbins is from New York. InIronheart, Parker instead is from Chicago, specifically a neighborhood called Humboldt Park, as Ramos outlined in an interview withEntertainment Weekly. Humboldt Park has been an area of Chicago that Puerto Rican people have identified with since the 1970s, with Ramos' own Puerto Rican heritage influencing the character of The Hood.
This will allowIronheartto not only explore an underrepresented community within the MCU but also allow Parker Robbins/The Hood to have a much different upbringing than he had in the comics. Similarly, The Hood is also described - in D23 2024 footage viaThe Wrap-as a misfit who leads a gang full of like-minded people in order to show the wider world that they will eventually end up on top. This seems to give Parker a different backstory than the one involving his mother in the comics, marking another difference betweenIronheartand the source material.
How The Hood Could Set Up Other Supernatural Marvel Characters
The Hood Has Many Dark Connections In Marvel Comics
One of the final aspects of The Hood inIronheartthat makes his inclusion so exciting is the possibility that he provides connections to other supernatural characterswithin the MCU. The supernatural side of the franchise is one that many would agree has been underutilized in recent years; onlyAgatha All Alonghas dipped its toes into the darker side of the universe, leaving other smaller projects likeWerewolf by Nightto do so to an extent. Beyond this, however, these more creepy, paranormal aspects of Marvel Comics have been absent in the MCU.
Thanks to The Hood inIronheart, these connections could be focused on. For one, if the element of his comic book backstory involving Dormammu remains the same inIronheart, The Hood could tie Dr. Strange and the Dark Dimension. Furthermore, if the MCU adapts the arc of The Hood becoming Ghost Rider, this could be a way of introducing that character to the live-action franchise and thus, the highly rumoredMidnight Sonsteam-up movie.
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Another potential connection could come in the form of Blade. While theMCU’s Blade rebootis facing a troubled production, there could be connections between him and The Hood in the future. Finally, a forgotten character fromEternalscould also tie into The Hood’s MCU story in future projects: Black Knight. This character was teased to team up with Blade before the aforementioned issues began derailing the latter film and has since been left unused. With both being supernatural characters,Ironheart’s The Hood could bring back Kit Harrington as Dane Whitman, alongside many other supernatural MCU heroes and villains.
Ironheart
Cast
Ironheart: Following Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Ironheart introduces Riri Williams, a prodigious inventor navigating her path back in Chicago. Balancing her inventive prowess in creating iron suits with the enigmatic presence of Parker Robbins, known as The Hood, Riri finds herself at the intersection of technology and magic.
