IRONHEART: Marvel Reveals First Look at Mysterious New Character Slug, Played by Shea Couleé
Marvel Studios has revealed a first look at a brand-new MCU character coming to the upcoming series Ironheart, who’s operating under a veil of secrecy.
Entertainment Weekly just revealed that RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars winner Shea Couleé will make their MCU debut as Slug, a character described as a sharp-tongued hacker with a complicated past.
Couleé describes Slug as “a really fierce hacker” who’s not just there to throw shade. “You will be seeing the diva in some looks,” they teased.
Slug is positioned as an ally to a band of modern-day Robin Hoods in Marvel’s version of Chicago, folks working outside the system to redistribute power and resources.
Couleé’s said: “I help a group of urban Robin Hoods to take away from the privileged and help give back to the community. I’m there to help out on all the missions that go down, trying to shift this power dynamic in this version of Chicago we see in the show.”
When it comes to the actual field work, Slug isn’t exactly front-line muscle, but they play a key role behind the scenes. Couleé explained: “I’m more of the… I’ll drive the getaway car, hang out in the van on my cute little laptop with my fierce nails and help you hack these mainframes.”
As for the name “Slug,” Couleé offered some insight saying: “From my understanding, this version of Slug they’re presenting is someone who’s being referred to as a code name. I don’t want to give too much of their backstory away.
“They need an alternative code name to go by because there could or could not be some people looking for them. They’ve kind of left drag. They are a drag queen, but it’s kind of a past life. You see them in drag, but it’s kind of in the context of flashbacks before where they are now, because they’re trying to be on the low-low!”
Ironheart brings back Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne) after her introduction in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Picking up with Riri back in her hometown, the show explores how her time in Wakanda shaped her and sets her on a new collision course, this time with Parker Robbins a.k.a. The Hood (played by Anthony Ramos). It’s tech versus magic, which is one of the most interesting things to me about the show.
The series is also bringing in some familiar and new faces: Anji White will portray Riri’s mom, Ronnie Williams, and Jim Rash returns as MIT’s smug Dean. One of the biggest question marks, though, is Sacha Baron Cohen, whose mystery role has set off a tidal wave of fan theories. With The Hood’s magical powers tied to a demonic source in the comics, many are guessing Cohen could be playing Mephisto, a rumor that’s been haunting the internet since WandaVision.
Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Brad Winderbaum, Zoie Nagelhout, Chinaka Hodge, Ryan Coogler, Sev Ohanian, and Zinzi Coogler all serve as executive producers on Ironheart, while Chinaka Hodge is the head writer. Episodes are directed by Sam Bailey and Angela Barnes.
Ironheart premieres its first three episodes on Disney+ on June 24, 2025. There are a total of six episodes.
