Welcome to the inaugural post of From Comics to Cinema, where we talk about recent comics and comics news and how it can all impact the Marvel Cinematic Universe going forward. To keep things interesting, we will be switching out writers weekly in order to provide various opinions. As of right now, the From Comics to Cinema team includes Cooper, Rhiannon (and her co-podcaster Shelby), and myself. So, to kick things off, how about we revisit the big comic news from Marvel from the past two weeks, starting with the reveal of Riri Williams as the new Iron Man!

Meet Your New Iron Man – Riri Williams!

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For fans that have been reading Invincible Iron Man, the reveal of Riri Williams as the new Iron Man wasn’t entirely surprising, however, that didn’t keep the news from making headlines. See, this time around, not only was Iron Man not going to be male, but the character was also set to be a black sixteen year old girl. This, of course, angered some, but for the most part, fans were welcoming of this news especially when they considered the possibility of seeing a character like Riri tackle the Iron Man persona on the big screen someday.

As of right now, we know what Marvel Studios has planned for Phase Three, but Phase Four is still a big mystery. I’d like to believe that Phase Four is when we’ll finally get The Runaways and Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan), two projects fans have been eagerly awaiting for years now, and if so? Riri Williams could also be a character we’ll see make her way to the big screen. After all, it’s far too early to start thinking of her joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe right now. We need to allow her stories to build up, to have a volume or two to her name, and by Phase Four? She should have just that. The reality is that the original six Avengers cast members will be leaving the MCU sooner rather than later, and that includes Robert Downey Jr. With Iron Man having proven to be a success at the box office multiple times now, I have to imagine Marvel will be exploring various possibilities after Downey’s exit. Surely Riri Williams will be one, right? I mean, heck, even Downey Jr. is excited about Riri Williams being Iron Man in the comics.


Missed the press release for the Invincible Iron Man relaunch? You can check it out below.

INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #1 Suits Up & Blasts Off This Fall! New Character Riri Williams Dons Iron Man Armor For Marvel NOW!

New York, NY—July 6th, 2016 — The Marvel Universe stands divided. As those who once stood together now stand apart, new heroes will rise to answer the call. This Fall, a new armored avenger suits up in INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #1 – a new series launching as part of Marvel NOW! Superstar creator Brian Michael Bendis welcomes incoming artist Stefano Caselli to the ongoing adventures of Marvel’s newest leading lady – Riri Williams!

Making her debut earlier this year in the pages of Invincible Iron Man, Riri Williams will explode out of the pages of Civil War II and into the boots of the Armored Avenger. Reverse-engineering her own set of armor to make the world a better place, Riri will lead the charge as Iron Man! Well, for now. She’s working on the name! But what has become of Tony Stark? What could have happened during Civil War II to make him hang up the repulsors? That is, if he makes it out in one piece!

“We’re in the middle of a very big Tony Stark storyline – actually three storylines converging,” says Brian Michael Bendis, speaking with TIME. “His best friend died, his company is collapsing and he’s finding out who his biological parents were all at the same time. How that all shakes out such that Tony is no longer in the armor? You’ll have to wait to find out for the end of Civil War II. But it does create a path for Riri Williams, who Tony will know and will be interacting with very shortly in the comics.”

Strap in and suit up, True Believer. There’s a new hero in town. And she’s ready to take the Marvel Universe by storm. Be there as Bendis and Caselli armor up to bring you a new armored hero for Marvel NOW! Don’t miss INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #1 – coming to comic shops and digital devices everywhere this fall!

INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #1 Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS Art by STEFANO CASELLI Promo Art by JEFF DEKAL Coming Fall 2016!

Moving Onto the Small Screen: Jessica Jones Gets a New Comic Series!

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As much as I adore the Marvel Cinematic Universe, my favorite character and entry is easily Netflix’s Jessica Jones. Alias has been a favorite of mine for some time now, and seeing the character brought to life so perfectly by Krysten Ritter and the entire Jessica Jones team was great. Still, when a second season was confirmed, part of me wondered what showrunner Melissa Rosenberg had in store for Jessica. Now, it is worth noting that there’s still a huge chunk of Alias that Rosenberg and her team can pull from, but at the same time, they’d already tackled the important aspects of Jessica’s story in the first season. We know that season two is set to begin filming following The Defenders – meaning around January or February – so chances are the writing room is already open and Rosenberg has already figured out the core of the second season. However, the announcement this week that Brian Michael Bendis would be re-teaming with the rest of the original Alias team to launch a new Jessica Jones series this fall makes me hopeful we’ll see some (if only a few) aspects of that series included in the upcoming second season – after all, Rosenberg and Bendis have had a good working relationship thus far. Maybe he spilled some secrets to her?

Here’s the press release regarding the new series in case you missed it.

BENDIS AND GAYDOS REOPEN ALIAS INVESTIGATIONS WITH JESSICA JONES #1 Jessica Jones Returns for All-new Marvel Comics Series from the Original Creative Team

New York, NY—July 12, 2016 — After a decade, Jessica Jones is back in an all-new solo series! This fall, one of the most complex characters of the Marvel Universe returns for an all-new mystery from the original creative team — Brian Michael Bendis (Civil War II, Invincible Iron Man, Spider-Man, Alias) Michael Gaydos (Alias, Avengers), and David Mack (Alias, Daredevil).

A lot has changed in the Marvel Universe over the past ten years and there are still many secrets hiding in the shadows. Secrets only a special woman like Jessica Jones can hope to uncover. So what haunting secrets from Jessica’s past come back to cause havoc? Speaking with IGN, series writer, Brian Michael Bendis said, “You’re going to find out about it in the first issue. We’re going to open up a book where Jessica’s world has blown up in her face. She’s at a place you’ll least expect her. You’re going to find all of her relationships have altered. And we’re slowly going to find out why.”

A lot has happened to Jessica Jones since her debut, but the biggest difference that will be a factor in this new series is the baby girl, Danielle, she had with husband, and former Avenger, Luke Cage.

“Luke and Jessica have tried to raise a baby in a very dangerous environment. We talked about this during [New] Avengers, you’re raising a baby in Avengers Mansion and somebody’s trying to knock that building over every four days…so your perspective changes, and as an investigator and a detective her perspective will change because she’s a mother,” continued Bendis. “I know some people are worried about that baby being dragged like a sack of potatoes that holds down the story or something, but I can think of many ways to tell the story celebrate this part of her life and at the same time complicates it to a degree that a lot of people can relate to. I think a lot of people can relate to trying to ‘do it all.’ Lord knows I can.”

What unsolved mysteries have fallen through the cracks and what dark secrets have been unrevealed within the Marvel Universe? Alias Investigations is open for business and Jessica Jones is on the case.

What did you think of the recent Marvel Comics news? What are your hopes for Iron Man going forward in the Marvel Cinematic Universe? And what do you want to see more of in Jessica Jones season two? Let us know below!

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