Ironheart Episode 3 Features A Cameo From The First MCU Villain (But Not How You Think)

This article contains spoilers for “Ironheart” season 1, episode 3, “We in Danger, Girl.”

In 2008, Stark Industries COO Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges) became the first Marvel Cinematic Universe villain in “Iron Man.” After he got fed up with Tony Stark’s (Robert Downey Jr.) post-Afghanistan kidnapping decision to forfeit arms manufacturing (not to mention the incredibly impolite way Stark survived said kidnapping, which Stane had personally arranged in order to take over the company), the ominous businessman donned the gigantic battle armor he’d been building in secret and fought Stark’s Iron Man as the Iron Monger.

In 2025, Obadiah Stane once again appears in the MCU — but this time, his form is considerably less imposing. In “Ironheart” season 1, episode 3, “We in Danger, Girl,” Riri Williams’ (Dominique Thorne) scruffy acquaintance Joe McGillicuddy (Alden Ehrenreich) asks her assistance in an urgent technical matter, which turns out to be a bit of body horror in the form of a malfunctioning cybernetics implant. This, somehow, isn’t even the weirdest thing about Joe. He also stubbornly keeps up appearances of a regular, slightly nerdy suburban guy despite also owning a bunker full of highly illegal advanced weapon technology.

Fortunately, this episode provides some answers about the guy. While treating the short-circuited equipment inside an open wound in Joe’s arm, Riri rummages through a kitchen cupboard for some disinfectant and comes across a large plastic bag full of strange powder. When she realizes that it’s Joe’s father’s ashes, she drops the bag and some of the contents spill out. The ensuing mild chaos reveals the “Obadiah S.” label on the bag, and the penny finally drops: These are the mortal remains of the once great Obadiah Stane … which, in turn, means that Joe is the “Iron Man” antagonist’s son.

The revelation that Joe, whose real name is Ezekiel Stane, so casually keeps his dad’s ashes around speaks volumes of his attitude toward his old man. In fact, he’s quick to inform Riri that the two weren’t close and goes on to vacuum the spilled ashes with very little concern. This is because he’s fully aware of how the events of “Iron Man” played out and has made it his mission in life to avoid becoming his father.

Given the fact that Ezekiel is now affiliated with an armored superhero and his comic book counterpart is a supervillain, it remains to be seen how well he’ll be able to keep with that particular program. To his credit, however, he absolutely recognizes the joke fate is attempting to play on him when the extremely Tony Stark-esque Riri and her suit of armor enter his life. This insight, along with the fear of being exposed as a Stane, is a major reason for his initial reluctance to help her.

As it stands, there’s no way of knowing where the artist formerly known as Joe McGillicuddy is heading. He does seem like a decent person, and fans who remember “Iron Man 3” and its Mandarin twist know that the MCU has played fast and loose with Iron Man villains before. Still, the revelation about his true identity and his fear of becoming a supervillain seems to fit in with “Ironheart” wanting to be Marvel’s answer to “Breaking Bad,” so who knows? Now that he’s agreed to let Riri use his highly traceable technology, Ezekiel’s fate is truly tied with her, which will likely end up making them either staunch allies or bitter enemies.

Ezekiel Stane might be aware of his father’s less than savory late-life actions, but the same can’t be said for the rest of the MCU. In fact, since Obadiah hasn’t been the subject of too many in-universe references, “We in Danger, Girl” serves as a refreshing reminder of his surprisingly lofty legacy.

As Riri’s comments reveal, the general public remembers the tech mogul as a fallen great, believing that Stane died in a dramatic plane crash instead of a bloodthirsty attempt to kill Tony Stark. Dedicated MCU fans will remember that this is a reference to a cover story S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) cooked up in the aftermath of the climactic fight in “Iron Man,” so technically, this isn’t new information. Still, it’s interesting to receive an Obadiah Stane update that confirms the cover story has held throughout the many turmoils the MCU has gone through since then. After all, while the original ending of “Iron Man” left the door open for Jeff Bridges’ villain to return, the one we actually got makes it very clear he won’t be back in a hurry, so this may very well be the last we hear of the character … especially now that there’s a brand new Stane in town.

Episodes 1-3 of “Ironheart” are now available for viewing on Disney+.