Alden Ehrenreich reflects on his mysterious role in ‘Ironheart’

Alden Ehrenreich, who is known for ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’ and ‘Cocaine Bear,’ shared his enthusiasm for his undisclosed character in Marvel’s upcoming ‘Ironheart’ series on OTT. Though remaining tight-lipped, he described the role as “a great character” and voiced genuine excitement about diving into the MCU landscape. Ehrenreich praised the show’s tone, calling it “funny, very touching, and emotional in a lot of ways.”

Alden’s words

Talking to Screen Rant, Ehrenreich finally got to break his silence on playing a character with such a huge link to the wider MCU. "Well, it's nice to be a part of something that relates back to the whole legacy of the story, especially because that character was in the first real Marvel movie that started all of this."


"And I had just worked with Robert Downey Jr. [on Oppenheimer] when I got this part, and so I got to talk to him about it, and that was nice," the actor continued. "I just FaceTimed with him, and I was like, 'So this has come my way, and this is the role — what do you think?' And he was like, 'Yeah, do it.'”



In a separate interview with TV Line, Ironheart Head Writer Chinaka Hodge explained her decision to include Ezekiel in Riri Williams' story. "It's a gem of a 'hanging chad' in the Obadiah Stane story," she shared. "One of the best things about the MCU is how things connect, but I think so many of the throws have been forward or to other MCUs or alternate universes, and it’s so much fun to reach back." Hodge said she's excited to see where Ezekiel's story goes next. "Alden’s so great in the role and the character is so much fun. I expect, as a fan, it will live a long time."

Who Is Joe McGillicuddy? A Spoiler Rises

Early episodes reveal Ehrenreich’s character under the name Joe McGillicuddy, a name that Riri Williams finds suspicious. In a twist that knocks back to ‘Iron Man,’ it’s revealed that Joe is actually Ezekiel ‘Zeke’ Stane, the previously unseen son of Obadiah Stane. Obadiah, known as Iron Monger, died after confronting Tony Stark, and Zeke’s appearance via the hidden ashes in his kitchen gives the story deep implications tied to MCU legacy.


Ironheart launched its first three episodes on June 24, 2025, with the remaining episodes rolling out July 1 on the OTT platform, Disney+.