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Characters & first appearances

What is the first appearance of Riri Williams (Ironheart)?

Published Sep 14, 2026 · Updated Sep 14, 2026 · 1 min read

Short answerRiri Williams' first full appearance is Invincible Iron Man #9, cover-dated May 2016, by Brian Michael Bendis and Mike Deodato, after a cameo in Invincible Iron Man #7 (March 2016). The fifteen-year-old MIT student who builds her own armour took the name Ironheart in the relaunched Invincible Iron Man #1, released in November 2016.

The debut

Bendis introduced Riri reverse-engineering Iron Man armour in her dorm room; #7 shows her at work in a few pages and #9 gives her a proper story, with Tony Stark taking notice. The 2016 series, launched after Civil War II, put her in the lead role with Stark as an AI mentor.

Which issue is the key?

  • #7 — cameo, first appearance.
  • #9 — first full appearance and the one most collectors treat as the key.
  • Invincible Iron Man #1 (2016) — first as Ironheart.

See First appearance vs cameo for why the market splits it this way.

Collecting

Modern Age keys like this are a 9.8 market; variants of #9 and #7 carry premiums. Demand rose with the character's screen appearances from 2022. A CGC 9.8 is in the store. See the Riri Williams character page and First appearance of Iron Man.

Written by the Rare Comics Collectors grading team. Spotted an error or have a question this guide does not answer? Tell us.

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Key issueLast copy

Marvel Comics · Modern Age

Invincible Iron Man #9

CGC 9.8 · Universal Blue

First full appearance of Riri Williams (Ironheart)

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$375
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Marvel Comics · Silver Age

Tales of Suspense #39

CGC 6.5 · Universal Blue

Origin and first appearance of Iron Man

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