Black Panther director recalls his "heart swelling" watching new Disney Plus show Ironheart: "I feel like I'm diving into these characters"

Ryan Coogler says he's "so proud" of poet-turned-showrunner Chinaka Hodge, as he reveals his favorite thing about working as an executive producer on new Marvel series Ironheart.

 "I think the biggest benefit is [getting] to be involved with something that's so different from something that you would ever make personally," the filmmaker, who directed Black Panther and its sequel Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, in which Ironheart AKA Riri Williams made her MCU debut, tells GamesRadar+. "That's what I've become the most interested in as a producer; I've had a chance to produce some incredible films that I've been really proud of. I'm so incredibly proud of this show and it's a show that only Chinaka could have made, you know? 

"I mean, I feel like I'm diving into these characters, into these worlds and my heart is swelling, you know?" Coogler continues. "The same way it swells when you meet people who have different experiences and different viewpoints, but you can still find some touch points, some commonalities."

Starring Lyric Ross, Sacha Baron Cohen, Alden Ehrenreich, Anthony Ramos, and Dominique Thorne in the titular role, Ironheart sees gifted MIT student Riri return home to Chicago, with two goals: perfecting her Iron Man-style super suit and rolling it out to first responders across the city and never facing up to her traumatic past, no matter how much her mom pries. Strapped for cash and unable to scavenge the right parts, she reluctantly joins a criminal heist crew led by Parker Robbins, AKA Hood – and soon finds herself in over her metal-encased head.

"I would say the biggest challenge is just, like, the physical distance that occurs," Coogler notes of his involvement in the show. "It's one of those things you have to learn when you're producing things. For instance, on the Panther films, [Marvel boss] Kevin [Feige] is not there all the time, you know? He's got a lot going on so it's a phone call here to check in, check in there, yeah. Learning how to navigate that distance and still be like a potent producer even though you're not ever present is challenging. Fortunately, we had a lot of great people on this one, and Chinaka and I have a great relationship that goes back, you know, some time. So we can always call each other, be honest with each other, and there's a lot of trust there. I'm so proud. I'm so proud of this show."

Ironheart premieres on Disney Plus on the evening of June 24 in the US, and the following morning in the UK. Three episodes will drop then, with the final three landing on the platform next week. 

For more, check out our breakdown of Marvel Phase 6, which is set to be ushered in by The Fantastic Four: First Steps in July, or our guides to watching the Marvel movies in order and all the upcoming Marvel movies and shows.