Captain America: Civil War saw Iron Man set things in motion for a momentous turn of events in Ironheart. Tony Stark remains one of the most important people in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), and even years after his ultimate sacrifice, his presence is still felt.

Six years after Iron Man’s death, Riri Williams is now stepping in to fill a role similar to Stark. As a young genius who is capable of creating highly advanced power suits. However, Riri has some distinct differences from Tony.

And despite the distance between the two characters, one important detail of Captain America: Civil War has now come full circle in Ironheart.

Iron Man’s Decision To Make The September Foundation Was One Of His Most Charitable Acts

Tony Stark Helped Countless Bright Young Minds Achieve Their Dreams

Tony Stark experienced one of the most impressive and satisfying character arcs in the MCU. Starting out as a selfish, spoiled billionaire who was selling weapons of mᴀss destruction to the military, Stark transformed, taking his life and impact more seriously.

Through his time as Iron Man, Tony recognized how much influence he had, and who was being impacted by the choices he made. As a direct result of some of his own missteps, people were killed, and families destroyed. But Tony wanted to do better.

So, by the time things like the Sokovia Accords had become a discussion on the global stage, Tony was trying to give back. And one important way that he set up to do this was the September Foundation. A grant gifted to students at MIT to provide access to much-needed funding.

Looking Back Now, Iron Man’s Decision To Make The Foundation May Have Been To Prevent Supervillains

Iron Man Paved The Way For Creativity To Expand Rather Than Fester And Rot

However, Tony also grew a lot more paranoid and anxious as he saw the fallout of his actions. In an effort to shield the world from future threats, Iron Man designed the Ultron program, which evolved to become a killing machine.

His incessant building of various suits for all occasions caught the attention of dangerous people, and he actually attracted a target to himself and the people he loved. Overall, without oversight and the right support, Tony understood how dangerous his own genius could be.

So, it’s possible that part of his motivation for setting up the September Foundation was to avoid others trying to secure funding through less than honest means. Because desperation can lead to poor decisions, and the path that follows could be dangerous.

Ironheart Underlines Why The September Foundation Was A Practical Decision For Iron Man To Make

Riri Williams Is The Perfect Candidate For The September Foundation

Of course, Iron Man was trying to give back. But his guilty conscious certainly played a part in setting up the September Foundation. With that in mind, it makes a lot of sense why Stark would be looking at other means to prevent the rise of potential supervillains.

Take Riri Williams for example. A brilliant young woman, but due to the circumstances, she was forced to work alongside criminals to get cash quickly. Once she was involved in this lifestyle, it was a quick and easy process to descend to make worse and worse decisions.

Tony was constantly looking ahead, and trying to find ways to not only protect the Earth and the people he cared about, but to prevent incidents ever happening. And unfortunately, desperate times call for desperate measures, so alleviating some of that stress could help prevent negative consequences down the line.

Regardless, Tony’s gesture of donating a fortune in order to help the next generation explore their ideas without restraints was a monumental gift. It allowed Riri to pursue her vision without the need to get involved in criminal activities. But when the system breaks down, and the money doesn’t flow, then it also makes sense for people who have less to take a wrong turn.

Tony Stark was a visionary, but without his fortune, some of his greatest ideas may never have been realized. And he certainly would have struggled to find the means to pursue all of his dreams and whims. But the September Foundation introduced in Captain America: Civil War could be a double-edged sword as seen in Ironheart.