Ironheart Head Writer Shares The Sweet, Real-Life Inspiration For Landon, The Kid With The Wagon

Marvel Television's Ironheart opened with a sequence that resulted in "bad girl genius" Riri Williams' (Dominique Thorne) expulsion from MIT. As she flew home to Chicago — in her self-made supersuit — the school-assigned AI assistant glitched out, leading to a very bumpy landing.

Helping Riri complete the final blocks of her trip home, by lugging the pieces of her busted suit in his wagon — in trade for an Andrew Jackson, mind you — was a local youth named Landon, played by Harper Anthony. Landon would resurface later in the six-episode season, as part of the team of friends and family that helps Riri re-re-rebuild her suit, in time for a pivotal face-off with The Hood.

When I hopped on my recent Zoom with Ironheart head writer Chinaka Hodge and fellow EP Ryan Coogler, I couldn't help but first acknowledge the series' young cast. Led by Thorne but also featuring great work by Lyric Ross (as N.A.T.A.L.I.E.) and scene stealer Regan Aliyha (as Zelma), the cast, I noted, was "dynamite — down to the kid with the wagon!"

Both Hodge and Coogler replied to my kudos with appreciative clapping, after which the former elaborated on the series' youngest character.

"Thank you for bringing up 'the kid with the wagon,'" she said. "That's the one character that doesn't exist in publishing, and is the one character that came from my mind. And I love Landon the character and Harper the actor infinitely."

Hodge went on to explain Landon's origin.

"I stared writing this during the COVID/shelter in place era, and there was a kid who lived on my block named Landon," she shared. "He would come over and poke his nose in — 'What are you doing, Miss 'Naka, what are you writing? What's this show, what's this show? Can you put me in this show? Put me in this show!'"

And when all was said and done, there a young boy named Landon is, helping out one of Marvel's newest heroes.

"So I'm very glad that Landon lives" as a character, "and Harper makes him sing," Hodge smiled.

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