Upcoming Disney+ and Marvel series Ironheart is expected to premiere in late 2023, and will see Dominique Thorne take on the role of Riri Williams (a.k.a. Ironheart). Joining Thorne are Alden Ehrenreich, Anthony Ramos, Harper Anthony, Manny Montana, and Shea Couleé in undisclosed roles. However, set photos seemed to confirm that Ramos would be taking on the role of the Marvel villain The Hood.
The photos first began circulating in August of 2022 and saw Ramos in the character’s signature red hood, leaving little room for doubt. The Hood is actually a relatively new Marvel character, having just made his debut in 2002. Despite his freshness, he has quickly become a significant force of evil in the Marvel universe—after gaining superpowers from a Nisanti demon. In fact, he even gained the influence to create and run his own massive crime syndicate in New York.
On September 10, at the D23 Expo 2022, it was officially confirmed that Ramos will be starring as The Hood in Ironheart, marking the character’s live-action debut. His casting will mark the introduction of yet another magic user into the MCU, as The Hood has some limited knowledge in the mystic arts. This includes the use of a magical cloak, similar to Doctor Strange, and the ability to emit energy blasts from his body. So far, Ramos’ casting as The Hood has sparked excitement from fans. Here’s everything you need to know about Marvel’s The Hood.
Who Is the Hood?
The Hood was born Parker Robbins and had a rough childhood growing up in New York. He was never really far away from crime, considering his dad fostered a working relationship with Kingpin. However, it was witnessing a fight between Daredevil and Electro that first piqued Robbins’ interest in the supervillain lifestyle. After his father died and he was left caring for his mentally ill mother, he began turning to petty crime to support the two of them.
During one of his burglary attempts, he found himself confronted by a Nisanti demon, though he didn’t know what it was at the time. He killed the demon and stole its cloak and boots. Afterwards, while attempting to outrun a gang, he found that the boots gave him the ability to run on air. He soon recognized that the cloak and boots gave him powers, including levitation, teleportation, and invisibility. Bolstered by his newfound powers, his criminal doings turned more serious and he soon attempted to rob a shipment of diamonds.
Things didn’t go according to plan though, and Robbins ended up accidentally murdering a police officer before fleeing. The police, having only caught a glimpse of his cloak, dubbed him “The Hood” in their manhunt for him. And things only grew darker when he framed Madam Rapier for the murder. The cops believed that she was The Hood and killed her. With The Hood presumed dead, Robbins slyly continued becoming more deeply invested in New York’s criminal underworld. However, the wife of the slain cop dons the alias White Fang to get revenge on The Hood, who she suspects isn’t dead.
The Hood’s Crime Syndicate Explained
The Hood’s next step in his criminal endeavors was to become the next kingpin of the criminal underworld. He gained a slew of supervillain followers by bribing them with a base pay of $25,000 each, and by taking out their enemies for them. Together, the crime syndicate becomes quite powerful and even succeeds in a massive bank robbery of $15 million. Though they are eventually discovered and defeated by the New Avengers, The Hood’s crime syndicate remains active and later begins working for Norman Osborn’s Avengers.
Eventually, The Hood attracted the attention of Dormammu, who elevated his magical powers to kill Doctor Strange and take his place as the Sorcerer Supreme. However, The Hood fails and eventually has the power of Dormammu exorcised from him, leaving him only with the power of his cloak once more. He becomes desperate for that same level of power and, at various times, came into possession of Loki’s Norn Stones and of several Infinity Gems. Each time though, he was defeated and left once more with only his cloak’s power.
He continued being a crime overlord and evading imprisonment for his crimes. This put him on the radar of many heroes, including Hawkeye. Hawkeye, ultimately, managed to strip The Hood of his cloak. With his powers reduced to nothing, The Hood became increasingly unhinged. His most recent storylines have seen him attempting to blackmail and bribe various characters into getting him back his cloak, but he has been unsuccessful.
Ramos’ The Hood in the MCU
Ramos’ take on The Hood in the MCU will be exciting to see. After the masterful live-action adaption of one of Marvel’s other criminal overlords, Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio), it will be very interesting to introduce another kingpin. Additionally, exploring The Hood’s sad childhood and his downward spiral into crime will also be intriguing. In the comic books, The Hood and Ironheart didn’t interact much, but The Hood definitely did go up against Iron Man multiple times. Hence, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Iron Man’s replacement take on the villain in his place.
(featured image: Marvel Comics)
