Shock MCU Twist Unexpectedly Revives The Story Of An Iconic Iron Man Villain

Videos by ComicBook.com

Ironheart‘s first few episodes focus on Riri Williams’ corrupted ambition leading her to work with Anthony Ramos’ Hood and his gang of Young Lords. Riri justifies her immorality as a means to an end: like Iron Man before her, she’ll do whatever it takes to realize her ultimate goal. While Stark’s was protecting the world from unknown threats, Williams’ is claiming the reputation that her genius demands, by creating an unparalleled Ironheart suit. And along the way, she comes to meet a black market tech trader, Joe McGillicuddy, played by MCU newcomer Alden Ehrenreich. And naturally, that ridiculous name is a fake, because Joe’s real identity is an awful lot more interesting.

Joe McGillicuddy Is Really The Son Of The First MCU Villain

The third episode of Ironheart throws fans an almighty curveball: Ehrenreich’s jittery techboy is in fact, MCU royalty. When Riri Williams searches his kitchen for his biomechanical skin invention, she finds a bag of ashes labeled “Obadiah S.” And that’s when it clicks. The obsession with technology, the deep anxiety about being associated with techno criminality… Joe McGillicuddy’s father is Obadiah Stane, and his real name is actually Ezekiel Stane.

Ezekiel, or “Zeke” as Riri starts calling him fairly quicky, comes clean: he explains that after Tony Stark defeated Obadiah in Iron Man, the true story was quietly buried by Stark Industries (and S.H.I.E.L.D.). To the world, Obadiah died in a tragic plane crash, rather than trying and failing to murder Tony, and ending up incinerated in his own weaponized mech suit. Zeke’s entire life has been built around making peace with that legacy, his trauma shaped by a father who “went full supervillain.” But unlike his comic book counterpart, Zeke isn’t out for revenge, he wants nothing more than to not become his father.

Who Is Ezekiel Stane? Marvel Comics Origin & Powers Explained

First introduced in The Order #8 (2008), Ezekiel “Zeke” Stane is essentially the ultimate anti-Tony Stark: a genius-level inventor with a bloody vendetta. And unlike Tony, he didn’t just build tech, he modified his own body, giving himself subdermal implants, and eventually evolving into a full-on bioengineered superhuman with explosive energy weapons and enhanced reflexes.

On the surface, MCU Zeke couldn’t be more different, only linked to his comics counterpart by the weight of his father’s legacy, but using it differently. When Riri visits his home, he’s in the middle of testing a neurolink chip he’s developed for prosthetic integration in his own arm. It’s a clear indication that he is more about benevolent improvement of humanity, rather than dominion. He’s just a slightly soft-spoken man with his father’s ghost looming in the corner. But it’s also a carefully placed nod to the idea that Zeke will “improve” himself with technology when demand arises.

Ironheart’s version of Ezekiel Stane seems to reimagine what legacy looks like in the MCU, and runs an interesting parallel to Riri’s own defiance of Tony Stark’s legacy. Intriguing, Riri is forced to divert from Tony’s path thanks to her lack of privilege and wealth, while Stane is doing the opposite, casting off the draw of his father from a starting position of power. It’s a compelling reimagining of the character, who continues Iron Man’s legacy in a less obvious but perhaps more interesting way than having him out for Stark blood and the destruction of Tony’s legacy.