Wonder’s Ironheart wrapped filming in Nov. of 2022 and did not premiere till June of 2025, slightly below 3 years later. However for celebrity and world-renowned drag queen Shea Couleé, the prolong best helped make the collection extra related.
Tens of millions know Couleé because the winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars Season 5, in addition to a finalist on RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 9 and RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars Season 7. In Ironheart, they change the Primary Degree for the MCU, enjoying Slug, a talented hacker and member of the prison team that genius inventor Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne) joins forces with. The team’s purpose? To disrupt the lives of Chicago’s wealthiest, in conjunction with their industry ventures that may hurt native communities. For Couleé, the tale rang true on each a private and political degree.
“I am someone who comes from humble beginnings, and I am someone who sees a large number of the unfair distribution of wealth and assets to the similar one p.c,” Couleé instructed Mashable in a Zoom interview. “I believe like now, particularly with our present political local weather, it has grow to be extra obtrusive how those folks remove from probably the most inclined, and it was once nice with the intention to step into this international and play this personality that is simply sticking it to the person.”
They added: “It was once such a lot amusing for me as it, in some ways, healed a large number of the frustrations that I’ve as someone who exists at a couple of intersections of marginalized communities, and it simply was once actually empowering with the intention to inform a tale the place someone like me may move and get their very own reparations from the individuals who were oppressing them for see you later.”
Ironheart tackles urgent modern day considerations.
Shea Couleé and the forged of “Ironheart.”
Credit score: Jalen Marlowe
Discussions of wealth disparity are not the one pertinent subject matters on show in Ironheart. Riri’s new AI N.A.T.A.L.I.E. (Lyric Ross) seems to be and acts like her past due absolute best good friend Natalie, elevating questions on AI awareness and ethics. That dialog hits otherwise in 2025 than it could have in 2022, with the huge build up in AI gear and utilization since then serving to Ironheart really feel strangely present in a fast-moving tech panorama. Even a snappy shaggy dog story about financial inflation carries extra weight now than it could have 3 years in the past! It is virtually as though Ironheart expected the arena it could be launched into, one thing that is not misplaced on Couleé.
“I believe adore it is a reminder for me that the whole thing occurs when it is intended to occur,” Couleé mentioned of the display’s behind schedule unlock. “I’m a company believer in divine timing, and on the time once we wrapped, 2025 felt thus far sooner or later. To peer how what we created again then feels extra related now’s putting forward that it was once intended to come back out right now.”
However most likely no part of Ironheart feels as though it is modified extra in importance between 2022 and 2025 than the casting of Couleé themself.
In 2022, the casting of a drag performer in one of the crucial biggest franchises on this planet was once already a remark of itself, certainly one of inclusivity and broadening the horizons of drag and LGBTQ illustration on display screen. However in 2025, because the Trump management relentlessly assaults the LGBTQ neighborhood and Wonder proprietor Disney pulled a transgender storyline from Pixar collection Win or Lose, seeing a drag queen take heart level within the MCU feels downright innovative.
A lot of that comes all the way down to Couleé’s efficiency, a mix of take-no-prisoners sass, glam, and anarchy that is natural amusing to look at. Amid all of the armored swimsuit fights and discussions of tech as opposed to magic, Ironheart additionally delivers six episodes of Couleé bringing their “Black, queer self” to the display screen — a procedure that started through shaping Slug’s glance.
Shea Couleé at once formed Slug’s look in Ironheart.
Shea Couleé and the forged of “Ironheart.”
Credit score: Jalen Marlowe
Couleé had relatively a little bit of enter into how Slug would glance, beginning with what they wore to their Ironheart audition.
“In studying the nature, I believed to myself, ‘for this audition, I will have to more than likely flip a glance,'” Couleé recalled.
And switch a glance they did, carrying black leather-based tactical equipment and a harness vest that doubled as a handbag. (Best for the hacker at the move.) That isn’t a long way off from what Slug sports activities for the team’s heists. Nor had been the lengthy nails Couleé wore for the audition, which turned into a Slug signature. In spite of everything, in case your personality is a hacker, they are assured to have close-up pictures in their palms clacking away on a keyboard. Why no longer upload some aptitude?
Couleé introduced of their standard nail artist, Zoe Kosmopoulos (@bbygirlnails) to craft their Ironheart nails, from darker marbled nails to a suite dripping with small chains. Couleé additionally did their very own make-up to be able to get extra familiar with the nature of Slug, understanding the nature can be doing their very own make-up inside the international of the display.
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“The dress division was once so open to my reviews and my ideas and feeling about how the nature will have to get dressed, and it actually turned into such a fantastic collaborative procedure,” Couleé mentioned. “I have no idea if a large number of folks know, however my background in class was once dress design, and so it was once actually cool not to best get to behave and carry out on display screen, but additionally have a large number of have an effect on on how the nature regarded.”
A specifically placing part of Slug’s glance is their shiny inexperienced hair. They proportion that personality trait with Wonder Comics’ Darkveil, a mutant who was once impressed partially through Couleé. Ironheart does not verify whether or not Slug is in truth Darkveil, leaving their long term within the MCU open-ended. Then again, each are drag performers, with Ironheart in brief pertaining to Slug’s drag previous within the fictional nation of Madripoor.
In a snappy flashback, and the one time audience see Slug in complete drag, they take a seat in a dressing room in an all-purple leather-based outfit, rocking a Grace Jones–impressed headpiece that covers up all in their hair.
“The trademark for Darkveil is that obtrusive inexperienced hair. We all know that Slug has inexperienced hair too, however there was once a mindful resolution not to even display any hair for this flashback, as a result of they sought after to care for a component of poser round Slug’s drag previous,” Couleé defined.
(Couleé additionally discussed they had been “bummed” audience ignored out on seeing the footwear that accompanied the glance, a couple of towering Three-D-printed Windowsen boots. “They had been truthfully the best a part of the entire outfit,” they mentioned.)
Shea Couleé brings Chicago drag excellence to Ironheart.
Since Slug is at the run in Ironheart, they now not do drag. That is a disgrace, taking into account we fail to spot any more or less Couleé efficiency. If we had been to get one, regardless that, Couleé envisions Slug acting a Doechii tune.
“They provide me Doechii vibes, simply very alt Black woman,” Couleé mentioned. (Dare I say, “Modify Ego” is very best for any personality in a superhero display?)
As a substitute, Couleé imagines Slug visiting Chicago drag presentations and becoming into the scene, even though they don’t seem to be essentially acting.
“There’s a actually nice drag and queer neighborhood right here,” Couleé mentioned of Chicago, the place they started their drag occupation and cemented themself as a Chicago legend. Glance no additional than their scorching canine glance on Drag Race Season 9 to get a way in their Chicago satisfaction.
Couleé being solid in Ironheart is likely one of the display’s many Chicago-specific main points. Others come with Nancy’s Pizza containers (even if Couleé says Slug is “a Lou Malnati’s stan”) and the transient flash of the State Boulevard Preacher, a downtown Chicago mainstay, featured in an early series when Riri flies house. “The true Chicagoans, they know what is up,” Couleé mentioned of the instant.
However greater than that, Ironheart showcases Chicago-based skill, like Ross, who performs N.A.T.A.L.I.E.; Matthew Elam, who performs Riri’s good friend and neighbor Xavier; and Anji White, who performs Riri’s mom, Ronnie.
Couleé in truth attended Chicago’s Columbia School along White. In 2010, they costumed a display she was once in: George C. Wolfe’s The Coloured Museum.
“It was once so complete circle after I walked onto set in Atlanta the primary day and noticed [White’s] headshot up there,” Couleé recalled. “I used to be like, ‘No manner. Lady, we now have come thus far, from that tiny little black field theater at Columbia School to now being on a Wonder collection.'”
Couleé hopes that is best the start for Slug, pronouncing, “Now not many main points were given to me as a result of they are very tight-lipped, however I’m hopeful that we will see a actually amusing and engaging evolution for this personality, and the likelihood that there may well be extra to them than what we see.”
Nonetheless, in spite of the uncertainty, Couleé has one particular want for Slug’s long term: extra fights.
“I would really like to look Slug get their fingers grimy and kick some ass. Slug hangs again and we could everybody get their fingers grimy, which I perceive as a result of, woman, if you are going to be getting those nails performed, you do not need to clutter that up,” Couleé laughed. “However you recognize, you’ll use your toes! A little bit roundhouse kick will not hurt no one.”
