by Nick Ferro, Contributing Writer
The production of Ironheart has been up in the air at Disney+ for the better part of five years. Officially announced in December of 2020, it has been a long road getting from there to here, with rumors of reshoots, potential cancellations, restructuring, and release date changes. After being introduced to Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne) in 2022’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, it felt like we would never get to see another adventure starring this character. Thankfully, after five long years of waiting, we were able to see the first of, hopefully, at least two seasons arrive on Disney+. I was neither hot nor cold on anticipation of this show, because I really didn’t know much about the character or her comic run. What I did know was that I really liked her in Wakanda Forever, and was one of the 12 people who didn’t think her scenes should be cut from the movie. I also was incredibly intrigued as to how the show would integrate a tech-based hero against a magic-based villain. Would it be possible that Marvel was actively trying to avoid a same vs. same third act fight?
Ironheart continues the adventures of Riri, a genius level MIT student who, after a brief adventure in Wakanda, is back in Boston trying to hustle her way to rebuilding her own iron suit. Unfortunately for Riri, MIT doesn’t look kindly on her methods of procuring monetary backing, and they expel her, forcing her to go back to her hometown of Chicago to both try and find work, and face the past that she had been hiding from.
At its core, the theme of this season is coping with trauma. Riri is dealing with that of losing her stepfather and best friend to a shooting that took place a few years prior, and the main antagonist Parker Robbins (Anthony Ramos) is also working through his own childhood trauma. What I particularly loved about the show is Riri’s relationship with Natalie (Lyric Ross), her best friend who she managed to accidentally recreate as an AI program connected to her suit.
This dynamic is explored throughout the season, serving both as a way for Riri to start the healing process, as well as provide our main character with a friend to have in her corner. Ross and Thorne’s chemistry is off the charts, and their scenes are the highlight of the season. Right away, they seem like best friends, and their dynamic is interesting because of how much N.A.T.A.L.I.E. the AI resembles Natalie the person.
Thorne on her own, though, is a delight in this show, and she really does carry the entire thing from start to finish. If Disney and Marvel don’t do everything they possibly can insert Riri into future projects, or give Thorne non-MCU projects to work in, they are wasting a colossal talent. And quite frankly the same goes for Ross. These two young actresses have “star” written all over them, and I can’t wait to see what they each do next.
My other favorite characters this season are Zelma (Regan Aliyah) and Joe McGillicuddy (Alden Ehrenreich). Mr. McGillicuddy, which is obviously a fake name, is a very funny character, especially to start out. He is neurotic and clearly working through some trauma of his own. You do eventually learn his real name, which will help in understanding where his trauma comes from. And Ehrenreich sheds his baby Han Solo persona for a character type that I like to call Introspective Sad Boy. He plays this character so well, and as he gains confidence through his friendship with Riri, their dynamic becomes more entertaining as well. As for Zelma, honestly, she doesn’t get a whole lot to do and her main purpose is overshadowed a bit with the need for MCU synergy. The potential of this character and the way she is portrayed is very interesting. I wish I could take credit for this idea, but I saw someone say that if they gave Zelma her own Sabrina the Teenage Witch style show tomorrow, they would be 100% on board, and I couldn’t agree more! Pump it into my veins!!
Ironheart may succeed on the elevation of its actors; however, the show does suffer in its structure. As with many MCU shows, the six-episode format does not do it any favors. Like Loki, Ironheart ends on a quasi-cliffhanger that requires a second season. But unlike Loki, Ironheart does not feel like they had only eight episodes in the chamber and were forced to stretch. If anything, it feels like they probably could have used a full nine episodes à la Daredevil: Born Again. Without knowing where the next season (if it gets one) will go, I can say that where Riri is left with the decisions that she has made has me incredibly intrigued.
The show has a reported budget of around $20-25 million per episode, which is on par with most MCU shows, and not for nothing, the money is on the screen. Ironheart looks fantastic, from the use of magical digital effects to Riri’s suit itself and all the other tech items that are used throughout. The only thing that doesn’t look great are the optics of final fight, which, credit where it’s due, isn’t a same vs same fight. But it is frustrating that a big robot and a magic hood man end up punching and shooting at each other, rather than being creative with their specific powers. Albeit, Riri’s use of tech does help her win out in the end, and is a more unique trick.
I have been seeing what look like a ton of clickbait articles making the comparison of Riri Williams and Tony Stark, and how one is a hero while the other is not because of their actions. I have to say that anyone who thinks that either missed the whole point of this show or missed that this was clearly only part one of the full story. Riri and Tony have a ton in common as far as character goes — however, their backgrounds couldn’t be more different. Aside from trauma, this was the other big theme of the season. Tony may be a genius, but he was also given every opportunity to succeed in life. Riri is a genius and does not have those same opportunities. She is constantly asked, “With all those brains, why build an iron suit?” And her answer is always, “Because I could.” It may be frustrating to those who ask, but it is such a powerful statement that speaks to her character. She didn’t start out life on third base, she started in the batter’s box and had to fight her way just to get a glimpse of what Tony had from day one. And to top it off, she is every bit as deserving of what Tony has. But the show says, look what she has to do just to get a seat at the table!
This is a story about what people have to resort to when they aren’t treated fairly. How sometimes you have to make a deal with the devil in order to get what you deserve. In fact, the story is pretty clever to make its main character essentially come up the way most comic book villains get their start. But it is also a story about what happens when good people are put in bad situations. For Riri to remain a good person who struggles with the consequences of her actions while coping with post-traumatic stress, that is what draws that line between hero and villain.
My only complaint about everything I just said is that the second half of the season feels like it is on fast forward — it does a very bad job of actually letting Riri face the consequences of her actions. And on top of that, she only really doubles down on following a dark path by the end. This is why I say this is only part one of the story. We need to see how Riri can learn from her mistakes, take accountability for her actions, and become a true hero in the eyes of both the audience and the world. She really “breaks bad” in this season because she lets her need for monetary investment guide her decisions. As of right now, even though I am 100% on team Riri, I’m having a hard time seeing how she can adequately get out of the hole she’s dug for herself. I have not wanted a Season Two for a show this badly in a long time.
Story and thematics aside, Ironheart unfortunately has very messy screenplays. It is very clear to me that the behind-the-scenes troubles affected the show as a whole. The first episode is VERY exposition-heavy, which wouldn’t be so bad if it also wasn’t full of repeated beats of the same information. It is so frustrating when one character tells Riri her own backstory just for the purpose of explaining it to the audience, only for the next episode to SHOW us that back story in a flashback. The logic of the scene aside, it’s just bad writing. I wish I could say it is isolated to that first episode, but it unfortunately is scattered throughout. This is mainly because we live in a world where Netflix executives deem that all visual actions must be made into dialogue to allow people making pasta to understand a show without looking up. It is the most frustratingly obnoxious trend ever, and if given the opportunity, I too would make a deal with the devil for that to go away in a heartbeat.
Despite these issues, I really enjoyed how the season starts. The first three episodes, although mostly set up, feel structurally like a return to form for superhero TV. I was getting major Smallville vibes, because each episode is contained, while still working as part of a whole season. It doesn’t feel like a long movie stretched into six-hour chunks. Sadly, the second three episodes do not feel that way, and it becomes clear that the season needed more breathing room. The last three episodes have to be both the meat of the season and the finale all at once. The characters barely have time to resolve any of the actions taken in the first three episodes, and the consequences are either hand-waved like some droids you were looking for, or were addressed and then moved on from so fast there wasn’t time to really care. Additionally, the show is still introducing new elements which could have used more time to develop, as well as give certain characters more time to shine.
I guess my final verdict on Ironheart is a cowardly wait-and-see. I am reminded of how Loki Season One made me feel, and how my excitement for Season Two was so high. But at the same time, without a proper ending, I can’t give Ironheart a full-throated recommend. As it stands, the show is only half a story. A good half and a unique one with good characters and great actors. I think ultimately my biggest gripe is that this indicates that they have no intention of using Riri in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday or Avengers: Secret Wars, because without a conclusion to this current story, I can’t imagine seeing her pop up and it not be incredibly frustrating. Only time will tell, so hopefully we will have an answer sooner rather than later.
Rating: Liked It
Ironheart is currently streaming on Disney+
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