'RuPaul's Drag Race' 's Shea Couleé Describes Role in Marvel's 'Ironheart' as 'Stepping into Oz'

The Marvel Cinematic Universe just keeps getting fiercer.

The latest addition to the MCU will be Shea Couleé, the drag star announced via Instagram. The RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 5 winner will join Marvel series Ironheart as a still-unspecified character. Because the character has not yet been revealed, it's also unknown if Couleé, 33, will be dressed in drag for the role.

Couleé wrote on Wednesday, "I'm trying to find the words to express the deep excitement I feel over this project. Acting was my first love long before Drag. So it only seems fitting to end my Drag Race journey and begin my acting career in the biggest way I could imagine."

She continued, "Stepping into the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been like stepping into OZ. 'Ironheart' is top to bottom going to be an absolutely STUNNING experience for the viewers, and I'm so humbled everyday that I get to work on set with some of the best and most dedicated artists in the industry. Thank you to everyone who has supported me throughout my journey, and I look forward to sharing the exciting new chapter with you all."

If Ironheart isn't straying too far from the Marvel comics, it's possible Couleé will appear as a drag queen on screen. The Marvel comic Iceman has a character named Darkveil (a.k.a. Darnell Wade) who was partially inspired by some of the Drag Race royalty — including Couleé.

"Darkveil (formerly Shade) was inspired by so many drag queens, but I've kinda been officially quoted as saying that Shea Couleé, Dax Exclamation Point, The Vixen and Monét X Change were my main go-tos," Marvel writer Sina Grace told World of Wonder in 2019.

"Honestly, I just wondered what my sister's friend, Jomar, would look like as a superhero, cuz he was the first 'gay person' I'd really gotten to know as a kid, and had the body of a man who wasn't 'fit,' wasn't 'fat,' which I felt was super important to put on the page. Like, I loves me some Naomi Smalls, but I wanted a full-bodied queen. I designed the outfit thinking, 'What kind of iconic [looks] would she serve at an X-Men-sponsored event? Pouches, X-belts galore!'"

There's still no word on if Darkveil is going to be a character in Ironheart.

The upcoming Marvel series will follow the story of Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne), the creative genius who designs a superhero suit similar to Ironman's. The show is expected to air on Disney+ sometime in Fall 2023.

Ironheart will be Couleé's first television role outside of her RuPaul's drag days. Couleé first appeared on season 9 of RuPaul's Drag Race, when she came in third place. She then joined RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars season 5 and took home the crown. She then returned to yet another All Stars for season 7, which was the first to feature all previous winners, and made it to the finals.