A new featurette possibly hints at the arrival of a secret villain in Marvel’s upcoming Ironheart series. Known for his ties to Iron Man and mastery of advanced tech, the character may serve as a second major antagonist alongside The Hood. If confirmed, his appearance would deepen the show’s central conflict between science and sorcery.
Ironheart’s new footage possibly reveals secret villain’s armor
Marvel Studios’ Ironheart may have revealed the presence of Ezekiel “Zeke” Stane as a hidden antagonist.
A behind-the-scenes featurette released on June 13 includes a brief shot of a technologically advanced arm sparking with energy. Fans observed that the arm shown does not match Riri Williams’ bulkier Ironheart suit. Instead, the sleeker design closely resembles the comic book depiction of Stane’s biomechanical enhancements.
Zeke Stane, created by Matt Fraction and Barry Kitson, first appeared in the comics in 2008. He is the son of Obadiah Stane, the original Iron Man villain. In the comics, Zeke enhances his body by reverse-engineering Stark tech. He reduces his metabolic consumption and uses the surplus energy to fire repulsor blasts. He kills a tobacco company’s board using this tech and deploys biotech-enhanced suicide bombers to carry out global attacks.
Rumors linking Stane to Ironheart reportedly started in 2022. Marvel officially credits Alden Ehrenreich as “Joe McGillicuddy,” but fans believe he secretly plays Zeke Stane. The show stars Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams. She first appeared in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Anthony Ramos also joins the cast as Parker Robbins, also known as The Hood.
In the comics, Zeke fights Iron Man, manipulates other villains, and allies with the Mandarin. The Mandarin enslaves him, but Zeke eventually breaks free, kills him, and takes over Stane International. He later funds a rebellion in Wakanda. Zeke is a post-national futurist who aims to replace Tony Stark’s legacy. Instead of wearing armor, he merges technology with his body and becomes the weapon.
Ironheart is scheduled for June 24, 2025, on Disney+.
