Warning! This review contains mild spoilers for Ironheart season 1.
Ironheartseason 1 has a lot of elements that come together in true Riri Williams/Tony Stark fashion, but its story isn’t as ironclad enough to overcome Marvel Television’s old problems. I enjoyed Riri Williams' last appearance inBlackPanther: Wakanda Forever’s ending, andIronheartmight go the way ofAgatha All Along, another recent project many weren’t willing to give a chance before it became one of thebetter-ranked Marvel Disney+ shows.
Ironheartis not as good asAgatha, or many of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s other Disney+ shows, but I’d still say it’s worth checking out. Thecast ofIronheartis led by Dominque Thorne as Riri Williams, who still longs to build her armored suit and continue Iron Man’s legacy after her stint in Wakanda. In an attempt to earn money to do exactly this, Riri gets involved with the wrong crowd, led byIronheartvillain The Hood. This leads to a story of technology, magic, and other elements that often come together well, despite being crammed into a tired TV format.
Ironheart’s Basic Story Is Elevated By Some Strong Central Themes
Rags-To-Riches Has A New Flavor
Overall, the story ofIronheartis simply fine. The dynamic Riri strikes with her new crew of likable criminals conveys the rags-to-riches vibe the show is going for, with the different heists and jobs they pull off being suitably exciting. The character dynamics are also best described as fine, as is the central conflict between Riri and Parker Robbins/The Hood. Additionally, the way the show incorporates Tony Stark’s legacy into the story, along with numerous other MCU references, works well.
The exploration of Riri’s grief worked well and provided a strong emotional core…
WhereIronheart’s just fine story is elevated is in a few specific central themes. The concept of technology vs. magic is cool and unique for the MCU, a franchise that has long kept these sides separate. The blend worked and provided a somewhat fresh take on the central conflict. Beyond that, the exploration of Riri’s grief worked well and provided a strong emotional core that even pried a few tears from me in a sweet episode 5 flashback.
The reveal that Riri wanted to succeed Iron Man because her stepfather, Gary, was a superfan of Tony Stark allowed the latter’s legacy to impact the former beautifully.
This tied nicely to anotherIronhearttheme, which was undoubtedly the most compelling in the entire show: Riri’s AI interface. After Jarvis, Friday, Karen, and the many other AIs of the MCU, Riri creates her own using a scan of her brain, bringing Natalie to life. The explorations this raised about the complex nature of AI were overly intriguing, from Natalie, despite meaning well, highlighting the dangers of an AI that can break through firewalls to the morality of bringing someone back from the dead via technology.
In today’s world, which is experiencing the rise of AI, this all felt very timely. Not only that, butit tied deeply to Riri’s character and raised questions about in-universe AI that the likes of Ultron, Vision, and all the others never have.It allowedIronheart’s enjoyable average story to really shine in parts, with these explorations being by far my favorite aspect of the show.
Ironheart’s Cast & Production Quality All Emulated Marvel’s High Bar
Beyond the story, most other elements ofIronheartworked too. The cast was good overall, with Dominque Thorne, Alden Ehrenreich, and Lyric Ross being the standouts.Ironheartalso has a slick style with decent cinematography that is done well without being mindblowing. The CGI mostly works, and there was a higher focus on practicality than I initially assumed there would be. All of this was topped off by a killer soundtrack and some well-choreographed action scenes that incorporate hand-to-hand combat, magical fights, and Ironheart’s armored suit goodness.
Ironheart’s Ending Was Compelling
Ironheart’s Final Moments Made Some Bold Choices
I have a few problems withIronheart’s ending, but I want to explore how it mostly worked. I appreciated howIronheartleft off on a morally ambiguous decision from Riri. I liked this uncertainty, personally, as it added otherwise unknowns toIronheart’s more predictable, basic story. Exploring where this all goes in the future of the MCU will be intriguing. For that reason,Ironheart’s ending worked for me in a lot of ways.
Ironheart Suffered From Marvel TV’s Old 6-Episode Format
The New TV Overhaul Came Too Late For Ironheart
Mostly,Ironheart’s story being fine and nothing more linked to the lack of time it had to flourish. AfterAgatha All AlongandDaredevil: Born Again’s nine-episode seasons,Ironheartfell back into Disney+’s six-episode trap of feeling like a stretched-out movie. A lot of the character dynamics felt rushed as a result, especially between Parker and Riri, Parker and his crew, and the internal dynamics of the crew itself.
The story wasn’t allowed to fully breathe, and some of the aforementioned great themes did not get the full opportunity to be explored. The character of Joe, otherwise known as Ezekiel Stane, started off overly compelling, but there was simply not enough time for his arc to work, and it turned one of my favorite early characters into a missed opportunity.
The ending was overall good, but having more time to build to it would’ve improved the fate of many of the characters. The Hood’s backstory deserved more time instead of being crammed into the final two episodes, as did his magical powers, which were barely showcased at all.
Some annoying tropes inIronheart may have been a result of the rushed format. For instance, Parker’s “hacker” named Slug was a typical movie hacker who smashed on the keyboard a few times before saying,“I’m in.“Another being Riri running directly in front of a van trying to run her over as opposed to sideways onto the sidewalk or down an alleyway.
These nitpicks were not enough to ruinIronheartfor me, but they certainly brought it down a few notches. They tied into the rushed story, which could have used three or four more episodes to breathe. If it had been allowed this room,Ironheart’s central conflict would have improved, as would many of its side characters. These would all feel like well-rounded storylines before another threat revealed itself. Unfortunately,Ironheartwas not able to fully overcome Marvel’s tired TV format.
