Disney Jr. is developing a new Iron Man series for a young preschool audience. According to Variety, Marvel and Disney+ have greenlit Iron Man and His Awesome Friends, which follows a young Tony Stark (Mason Blomberg) as he teams up with his best friends Riri Williams/Ironheart (Kapri Ladd) and Amadeus Cho/Iron Hulk (Aidyn Ahn) to protect their city from threats big and small. The trio will operate out of Iron Quarters (IQ) and be supervised by super-powered android Vision (David Kaye). They also have a furry puppy named Gamma (Fred Tatasciore) with her own Iron Pup suit.
Regarding the upcoming series, which is set to release in summer 2025, Marvel officially released a statement from Ayo Davis, President of Disney Branded Television:
"We're thrilled to introduce Marvel's Iron Man and his Awesome Friends to preschoolers on Disney Jr. and Disney+, expanding their connection to the iconic Marvel universe. Partnering with Brad and the Marvel Studios team on this series allows us to bring the incredible legacy of Iron Man to a whole new generation, sparking young imaginations with characters that embody courage, teamwork, and creativity."
Brad Winderbaum, head of Streaming, Television, and Animation at Marvel Studios, added:
"Iron Man is the character that launched Marvel Studios and will always be especially beloved here as the hero that made the MCU possible. That's why we're so excited to partner with the incredible team at Disney Branded Television and bring Iron Man to a new audience. Together we are building a series that introduces the most brilliant scientists and inventors in the Marvel Universe as they share in fun armored adventures."
The series is part of Disney's plans to introduce the Marvel Universe to a younger audience. Iron Man and His Awesome Friends follows a similar format to Disney Jr.'s Spidey and His Amazing Friends, as both series feature a trio of heroes with similar powers working as a team. Spidey and His Amazing Friends debuted on Disney Jr. in August 2021 and has been a big hit, introducing an entirely new generation to the Marvel Universe. Spidey and His Amazing Friends does feature Tony Stark/Iron Man, voiced by John Stamos. Despite the similarities, Iron Man and His Awesome Friends is not a spin-off of Spidey and His Amazing Friends.
Iron Man and His Awesome Friends Has Some Possible MCU Implications (Hear Us Out) Close
While Iron Man and His Awesome Friends is clearly aimed at a younger audience, elements of the series might offer clues to where the MCU is going. After all, if the point is to introduce these concepts and characters to a young audience, the studio likely wants to prep them for future projects that Marvel has in the pipeline. That way, kids watching the series will recognize these characters in other films and television shows. Ironheart already debuted in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and interestingly, her Disney+ solo series is also set to debut in 2025, likely alongside Iron Man and His Awesome Friends. Similar to how 2024 was an X-Men-centric year with X-Men '97 and Deadpool & Wolverine, 2025 looks to be an Ironheart-heavy year.
Related Avengers 5: Will Doctor Doom Be Connected to Iron Man or Is Everyone Overthinking It?
Since Robert Downey Jr. was announced as Doctor Doom, many have assumed he is an Iron Man variant, but the actor might be where any connections end.
Meanwhile, the inclusion of Amadeus Cho will likely raise some eyebrows. Instead of putting Iron Man with his most famous armored friend, James Rhodes/War Machine, or the recently armored Pepper Potts/Rescue, Disney Jr. is pairing Iron Man with a character most commonly associated with the Hulk. And recent rumors have emerged that Amadeus Cho will debut in Captain America: Brave New World. Even though Brave New World is the fourth Captain America movie, it does feature many Hulk supporting characters, like Thunderbolt Ross/Red Hulk, Samuel Sterns/The Leader, and Betty Ross, so Amadeus Cho being included wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility. In the comics, Cho is one of the smartest people on Earth and, for a short time, took on the mantle of the Hulk in Marvel Comics before going by the name Brawn. Fans should expect to see Amadeus Cho's Iron Hulk upgrade for Iron Man and His Awesome Friends make its way into the comics, and it could even be in a future MCU film or Disney+ series.
Iron Man and His Awesome Friends will debut on Disney Jr. and Disney+ in summer 2025.
