Be a Hero Like Riri: Marvel Partners with England’s NHS to Encourage a New Generation of Black Blood Donors

A new video featuring Dominique Thorne and Anthony Ramos looks to inspire a new generation of Black heritage blood donors.

The stars of Marvel’s Ironheart have partnered with England’s National Health Service to inspire the nation’s Black communities to become heroes and donate blood.

What’s Happening:

  • In an effort to encourage England’s Black heritage communities to become heroes and donate blood, the NHS has partnered with Marvel Studios and the cast of Ironheart to highlight the urgent need.
  • Dominique Thorne (Riri Williams) and Anthony Ramos (The Hood) appear in the video, where Thorne asks “What legacy would you like to create? Would you like to make a lasting impact and change lives?"
  • The message goes on to highlight the urgent need for more Black heritage donors, whose ethnically matched blood holds the key to improving and saving the lives of Black heritage patients needing transfusions.
  • This marks the latest in a series of collaborations between NHS Blood and Transplant and Marvel releases, which are particularly focused on supporting people living with sickle cell disorder – the fastest growing genetic condition in the UK which disproportionately affects individuals of African and Caribbean descent.
  • Previous campaign collaborations include Free Guy, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and Deadpool & Wolverine.

What They’re Saying:

  • Owen Dommel, Director, Marketing Partnerships UK & EMEA, Studios, The Walt Disney Company: “Ironheart is a story about courage, innovation, and building a legacy – values that align perfectly with NHS Blood and Transplant’s mission. At Disney, we believe in the power of storytelling, and building on our prior collaborations for Marvel titles with NHSBT, we hope this latest campaign encourages a new generation of fans to become heroes in their own right by giving blood and saving lives."
  • Mark Chambers, NHS Blood and Transplant Director of Donor Experience: “We’re thrilled to be working with Marvel Television and Disney+ to help recruit more Black heritage blood donors. If audiences watching Ironheart are inspired to become regular blood donors, they will be the true superheroes. They will have used the power in their hands to save up to three lives and leave a legacy like no other. Giving blood is quick, easy, and only takes around an hour of your time."

More on Ironheart:

  • Set after the events of Wakanda Forever, Ironheart follows Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne) as she returns to her hometown of Chicago, determined to build a state-of-the-art iron suit and make her mark on the world. Her time in Wakanda has left her more eager than ever to pursue her dreams, and her quest entangles her in a dangerous world of science and magic.
  • The cast of Ironheart also includes Lyric Ross, Alden Ehrenreich, Regan Aliyah, Manny Montana, Matthew Elam and Anji White.
  • All six episodes of the series are now streaming on Disney+, and be sure to check out Mack’s recaps of each episode via our Ironheart tag.
  • We also have an interview with two of the series’ executive producers, Sev Ohanian and Zoie Nagelhout – who talk about redefining heroism, honoring Chicago, and creating space for a new kind of Marvel journey.

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