Iron Man and his Awesome Friends EPs on Aging Down Marvel Heroes

There are many iterations of Marvel’s Iron Man across comics and screen adaptations, but for the first time, Disney is introducing a preschool series centered around the character. Iron Man and his Awesome Friends bows on Disney Jr. and Disney Channel on August 11, centering on the adventures of young Tony Stark, Riri Williams and Amadeus Cho.

“As a parent with preschoolers, it was important for me to introduce my kids to a character that was known for picking himself up,” executive producer Harrison Wilcox, who also works on Spidey and his Amazing Friends, tells TV Kids. “Everyone loves the gadgets of Iron Man. Everyone loves to see him suit up in those sequences. But the key for this series was figuring out how to use your mind to solve problems.”

Even though the three characters will frequently put on special Iron suits, “our goal was to make the civilian versions of these kids as relatable as possible,” adds executive producer Sean Coyle. “We want [preschoolers] saying not just, I want to be Iron Man, Iron Hulk or Ironheart, but, I want to be Tony, I want to be like Riri, I want to be like Amadeus.”

Throughout the series, the characters will often lift up their masks even while wearing their Iron suits to talk out the problem they are encountering in order to remind the audience that they are kids just like them, Wilcox explains.

Though it was important to remind kids of the characters’ relatability, the design of the Iron suits was still integral to the series. Wilcox, Coyle and the rest of the creative team worked with Marvel to design versions of the suits that “looked cool, were functional and didn’t feel too threatening,” Coyle says. There are no giant missiles popping out of their suits, but they do each have signature powers tied to their personalities.

Ironheart has a heartbeat bubble that is a glowing shield that forms around her to protect the people inside. Iron Hulk can perform an “Iron Boom” and “Iron Stomp.” Iron Man has traditional propulsors, as well as nano packs that can help solve problems on the fly. They combine their powers to demonstrate the importance of working together.

“Our stories highlight the importance of teamwork,” Coyle says. “We stress the importance of problem-solving in unique ways and make sure that we’re tapping into each hero’s individual personalities and the way that they see the world. That also branches into a celebration of friendship with our characters. They are best friends. They are a ride-or-die crew, and they would do anything for each other, which is important to celebrate.”

“It’s all about making the world a better place in the way that you can… whether it’s on a global scale of saving the world or just making things better for someone who’s having a bad day or needs a little help,” Wilcox adds. “That’s what Tony Stark has always been about.”

Part of Disney’s launch strategy for the show was releasing a series of shorts on YouTube last month, which introduced all the different characters—not just the three leads, but also others, such as Iron Pup, Iron Spider and Ultron.

“We want our audience to get to know our characters in the most successful way, and shorts are a great way to do that,” Wilcox notes. “They’re easy to access, easy to digest. Hopefully, kids start to find affinity for these characters so that when they start watching the series, they feel like they already know what they need to know to get into the show.”

Preschoolers will be able to explore the characters more in-depth when the series launches on Disney Jr. and Disney Channel on August 11. The first ten episodes will begin streaming on Disney+ in the U.S. and select international markets the following day.