Ironheart has a surprising character reveal that ties one of its cast back to a major Iron Man villain

With all the talk about Tony Stark and his legacy in the first three episodes of Ironheart, it should come as little surprise that the new Disney Plus series features connective tissue that links it back to the MCU's debut outing.

We just didn't quite expect it to happen in this form – a shocking family reveal that digs into the heart (pun intended) of the Marvel show's themes, as well as one that sets up the final batch of episodes next week very nicely indeed.

Be warned that spoilers for Ironheart episodes 1-3 follow.

After Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne) visits Joe McGillicuddy (Alden Ehrenreich) for help with the Heirlum heist, she stumbles across a plastic bag filled with ashes. On the container is the name 'Obadiah S.' – and you don't need a genius-level intellect to figure out that's referring to Jeff Bridges' Iron Monger, AKA Obadiah Stane.

Along with having the cremated remains of his dear ol' pappy in a plastic bag, Ezekiel also reveals that he knows the plane crash that 'killed him' was fabricated. The truth, as we all know, is that Obadiah died trying to battle Tony Stark way, way back in 2008's Iron Man.

Riri, though, offers some comforting thoughts about the legacy he's tried to escape from: "You're not your dad unless you choose to be," Riri tells the meek tech ethicist. "You're your own you. And that guy's pretty powerful on his own."

Ironheart is now streaming on Disney Plus. For more, read our Ironheart review and breakdown of the Ironheart timeline. Then catch up on the story so far with our guide on how to watch the Marvel movies in order or see our guide to all the upcoming Marvel movies and shows.