When the newest Marvel series Ironheart finally arrives on Disney+ this week, it does so with a minimum of fanfare. How many people, after all, even remember that the 2022 Black Panther: Wakanda Forever introduced plucky young girl genius Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne)? Or that Wakanda Forever introduced her in a way that clearly indicated she’d have a bigger story coming down the line?
They’d probably remember those things if Ironheart had come out a little earlier, of course. It’s wild to remember that the series was originally announced in December 2020, as part of the same massive Disney investor presentation that revealed Patty Jenkins’ Star Wars movie and a Three Men and a Baby reboot starring Zac Efron.
Unlike some of those projects, Ironheart at least got made. Though if they hadn’t actually finished filming the series back in November 2022, and if Ryan Coogler wasn’t an executive producer, it’s easy to believe that Marvel would have just let the idea die along with so many other dropped plot threads. (Will we ever find out what Harry Styles’ Starfox is up to?)
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As it is, the six-episode series feels like an afterthought, being released in two three-episode chunks with little promise of the story continuing (despite the many cliffhangers set up by the final episode). And frankly, that’s a sad fate for a show that has its flaws, but doesn’t deserve to be cast aside.
Ironheart begins with Riri Williams getting kicked out of school after getting caught selling completed assignments to classmates, because she needs money to continue developing her own technology, including her Iron Man-esque suit of armor and a hyper-advanced AI. Those money troubles don’t go away when she returns home to Chicago, so it doesn’t take long for her to fall in with a team of thieves led by Parker (Anthony Ramos). Parker is known as The Hood not just because his crew takes on rob-from-the-rich jobs, but because he wears an antique hooded cape that gives him certain powers of a magical nature — a cape that leads to this series ultimately blending magic and technology on a new level for the MCU.
Entirely on its own merits, disconnected from anything Marvel-related, there are logic issues and some shaky plotting. And while the show stays rightfully grounded in certain harsh realities, a flashback to a drive-by shooting is a key plot point, but the somewhat over-the-top execution feels like a ’90s flashback. But the show still stands out for a few well-executed heists — including one set to Chaka Khan’s “Ain’t Nobody,” an unconventional but delightful choice of needle drop for such a sequence — as well as its character-focused moments, such as Riri bonding with her well-meaning partners in larceny, while also forming an unexpected connection with Alden Ehrenreich’s Joe, a tech nerd with similar interests.
Ironheart (Disney+)
(Also, it’s hard to say how much the actual target audience for Ironheart will get out of some moments, but this elder millennial deeply appreciated the Alanis Morissette needle drop and X-Files references.)
Ironheart also has the advantage of a solid cast: Thorne proves very charming even while making morally questionable decisions, and Anthony Ramos’ villain turn doesn’t swallow his character’s humanity. Meanwhile, the usually irrepressible Eric Andre is a bit wasted as one of the Hood’s crew members, but the rest of The Hood’s team pops off the screen (shout out to Chicago-based Drag Race superstar Shea Couleé as a badass hacker). And Lyric Ross brings a natural confidence to her role as Riri’s best friend Natalie (a tricky part to play, for spoiler-y plot reasons), while Ehrenreich does really thrive in roles that don’t require him to play up his leading man bona fides.
Despite the long delay in its release, Ironheart features more tie-ins with the extended MCU than expected, greenlit as it was during an earlier era of corporate-driven narrative choices, that heady period of time from 2020-2023 when it felt like Marvel couldn’t stop greenlighting limited series for Disney+ featuring its deep well of characters, all of which would ultimately be tied together in the franchise’s rich tapestry of story.
That tapestry that has gotten a little tangled up in itself lately, despite the very enjoyable Thunderbolts* and the promising Fantastic Four reboot on the horizon. So as the MCU focuses on resetting itself creatively and commercially, it’s hard to hope that Ironheart might be an essential part of what’s to come, despite the number of plot threads left hanging for a second season to explore.
Perhaps they’d be addressed in a Young Avengers movie or series? That’s the rumor, anyway. In the meantime, what we know for sure is that the announcement of Ironheart felt like a promise that there was room for a huge range of stories within the MCU. Unfortunately, that promise now feels somewhat broken.
The first three episodes of Ironheart are streaming now on Disney+. The final three premiere next Tuesday. Check out the trailer below.