Warning! This article contains spoilers for Ironheart.
Ironheartintroduced a seemingly obscure new villain, but according to one theory, they could play a bigger role inAvengers: Secret Wars.Ironheartfinally gave Riri Williams her ownMarvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)story after she had her debut back in 2022 duringBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever.
While the series clearly puts the focus on Riri and her journey to becoming a bigger part of the MCU, the series also introduces a handful of othercharacters who may have bigger roles in upcoming films. However, where these characters will return is unknown.
Among the new cast, one of the most notable figures from the series isParker Robbins, aka The Hood. Parker is a criminal who has graduated from petty crimes thanks to finding an incredibly powerful cloak that gives him enhanced magical abilities, and thiscould become important in later films likeAvengers: Secret Wars.
Avengers: Secret Wars Looks Set To Introduce A Battleworld Into Its Story
The Battleworld Is Coming To The MCU
Avengers: Secret Warsis set to close out the Multiverse Saga of the MCU, and feature Doctor Doom in a prominent role as the villain. It will alsofollow on from the events ofAvengers: Doomsday, which will officially introduce Doom to the MCU.
While the story for this movie is still tightly under wraps, there is a major expectation that the film willinclude a concept from Marvel Comics known as the Battleworld. This is a part of the multiverse where different realities collide, and heroes and villains from multiple realities are gathered together to fight.
In comics,Doom has had a hand in setting up the Battleworld, and forcing heroes and villains to fight each other. This is alsofound in theSecret Warscomics, which are likely to influence the film to some extent.
The Hood Features In A Notable Battleworld Comic Story
Battleworld Has Been A Recurring Concept For Marvel Comics
However, the Battleworld has shown up in a lot of other comic storylines outside ofSecret Wars. And when Marvel Studios adapts stories, like they did withThe Infinity Gauntlet, which formed a foundation forAvengers: Infinity Wars, theyput their own unique spins on the story.
So it makes sense for them to bring together different ideas about the Battleworld and create something unique. And on that note,there is a comic run that features The Hood prominently in a Battleworldsetting.
In 2006, The Hood appeared in the six-issue series,Beyond!This story showed severalheroes and villains being brought to Battleworldby a figure that waspresumed to be The Beyonder. However, the series ultimately revealed that another character was behind the events.
Why It Would Make Sense For The Hood To Also Play A Role In Avengers: Secret Wars
Avengers: Secret Wars Will Break New Ground For The MCU
One of the main challenges for the MCU is trying to approach these stories with a fresh lens. As much as Marvel Studios wants to keep the stories under wraps, a lot ofinspiration comes from the extensive library of ideasthat already has an established fanbase.
So, more often than not, the MCU makes minor tweaks to larger stories. This can be seen in theIronheartseries itself whenThe Hood is revealed to have been serving Mephisto, not Dormammu, which is a deviation from the comics.
Including these minor twists keeps the stories fresh, and helps to make the MCU follow a different path than what came before. As a result, it wouldmake sense forAvengers: Secret Warsto adapt this smaller comic storyline as a misdirect, before coming to a new and unique conclusion.
As such, The Hood would be a fun character to include in the narrative. As was seen inIronheart, Riri ended up making a deal with the devil, so having Parker step into a more heroic role would be a fun and satisfying twist. However,Avengers: Secret Warscould still go in a lot of different directions.
