Marvel fans are up in arms over Riri Williams’ hair in Marvel Rising: Heart of Iron.
The Disney XD/DisneyNOW hour-long special, which premieres this year, features Williams (voiced by Sofia Wylie) joining the Marvel Rising team. However, even though Williams has thicker, curlier hair in the comic books, she’s featured with straighter hair and a decidedly less Afrocentric look. If anything, the animated Riri looks more like Kamala Khan or America Chavez than Riri from the comics.
first look at Riri Williams in “Marvel Rising: Heart of Iron” pic.twitter.com/OoN5MJtXh9
— Let’s Talk Marvel Champions! (@Talkchampions) February 7, 2019
For non-Marvel fans, Riri Williams aka Ironheart is a teenage, MIT-educated superheroine and protege of Tony Stark who takes over the Iron Man mantle.
People took to the interwebs to voice their ire. Many folks wrote about how the image change could hurt Black girls’ self-image.
I see that they didn’t budget for an artist who could animate Riri Williams’ hair properly.
Cuz the other guess is that the artist made an assumption that she was white, but had to be re-colored in post-production. Then again, even her voice actress’s hair is kinky…. https://t.co/VM7RzgjwpL
— Maurice Pogue (@AbsoluteZero0K) February 8, 2019
Whatttt this ain’t Riri Williams ???? her hair ??? https://t.co/i1NwzvFiAo
— yare yare (@_xruvimbo) February 8, 2019
Huh so Riri Williams is in a Marvel cartoon
But they happen to forget she has always sported curly hair?
I’m sure that was an innocent mistake ????????♂️
— Jeffrey Rousseau (@JRpotential) February 8, 2019
Riri Williams has kinky/curly hair and full lips. It’s important. Why change that? https://t.co/IVF0OQl6UC
— Tuggie (@AntoinetteJr) February 8, 2019
They straightened Riri Williams’ Hair for the animated version…????
I guess @Marvel couldn’t risk having thousands of little black girls see themselves on tv… https://t.co/AFjaSjFLsJ
— Isabel/Looking for My Cluster (@gio_logie) February 8, 2019
Riri Williams is a dark skinned Black woman with enough kink in her curls that she definitely lands in the 4-type range. Therefore who, pray tell, is the girl in Marvel Rising? pic.twitter.com/EXhQECMf6q
— Whoremione Granger (@BuzzFeedObi) February 8, 2019
@Marvel_Rising why did you lighten Riri Williams. You’re a children show & you’re pushing colorist imagery onto little black girls. Riri’s comics image was perfectly fine. This is sickening. pic.twitter.com/BV3avGLSVx
— Shaymore (@shaymore4522) February 8, 2019
Riri Williams? they made her look more like a Riri Hernandez or Riri Patel https://t.co/85pH4b2DHc
— – (@ThatsSoRene) February 8, 2019
Don’t look nothing like Riri Williams.
— Yasuke 야스케 (@MobileVillain) February 8, 2019
Umm… What’d y’all do to my girls hair??? #RiriWilliams #IronHeart https://t.co/4ValfO3zSm
— Annie Y (@BooksAndBoujee) February 8, 2019
we must b talking bout 2 different riri williams cuz…. https://t.co/OYSQpobFHG
— (●´ω｀●) (@venusgazo) February 8, 2019
somebody at @marvel need their ass whooped. you not about to tell me the girl on the left is supposed to be riri williams. pic.twitter.com/eE8xJnYssU
— WINTER IS TF HERE ❄️ bathilda backshots (@___d0minique) February 8, 2019
bitch they got riri williams looking like america chavez. how dare they?!
— WINTER IS TF HERE ❄️ bathilda backshots (@___d0minique) February 8, 2019
@Marvel RiRi Williams better get her fro back. I will not stand for your WHITEWASHING this iconic, young, African-American super hero to appease your ignorance.
— Vanna D. (@iSongBird) February 8, 2019
This is Riri Williams dammit!! pic.twitter.com/wDGoAz8zis
— Liam Neeson’s Publicist (@thiscantbmylife) February 8, 2019
At the very least, the existence of the Riri Williams character has either highlighted or exposed what different creators and fans think about and project onto young Black girls.
— William Evans (@willevanswrites) February 8, 2019
I- you- she….
Left is America Chavez, right is Riri Williams, middle is Disney’s animated riri design I’m so fucking baffled pic.twitter.com/ZbGLR0JoEo— AI built specifically to love women (@MUCKBUTCH) February 8, 2019
How do you feel about Riri’s look?
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