A Brief Overview
‘Ironheart’ follows Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne) after the events that take place in ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ (Ryan Coogler serves as an executive producer in this series). In the first episode, Riri is expelled from MIT for plagiarism, so she returns home to Chicago with the upgraded suit she built at school (which looks ten times better than her previous one). Other Marvel series never felt like we were watching these characters interact with real locations, so it was nice to see ‘Ironheart’ utilize on-location shooting rather than blue screens galore.
Chicago may be her home, but it doesn’t seem to feel like it anymore. We learn that her best friend, Natalie (Lyric Ross), and step-father, Gary (LaRoyce Washington), were killed in a shooting at his garage right in front of her, and she is yet to recover from it. Grief plays a large role in the series, acting as one of the central themes.
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Riri tries to adjust to the place she tried to move on after such a traumatic event, but things keep popping up into her daily life (whether it’s people or places) that keep reminding her of that fateful day. Her overbearing but well meaning mother (Anji White) seems to constantly bring up Gary and Natalie, which may not be the best thing for someone to do to their daughter while they are still clearly processing this grief.
A group of thieves led by the mysterious, hood-wearing Parker Robbins (Anthony Ramos), recruits Riri after seeing her fly over the Chicago skyline in her suit. Forced to take part in a test that involves dangerous gas in order to prove her worth, Riri doesn’t know what she’s about to get into. These people clearly aren’t the best people she could be working with, but they also aren’t the worst. Stealing from the rich isn’t necessarily “evil”, now is it?
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After she joins the group, the series really starts to gain its footing. They start executing heists thanks to Riri’s intellect and technology, but she quickly learns that Parker is hiding something and isn’t telling the truth about… pretty much everything. This includes the fact that his hood gives him the power to turn invisible, control objects like bullets, and other magical advantages, which Riri tries to understand more (ultimately becoming one of the major subplots).
‘Ironheart’ may take some time to get going, but the story is a fun, adventurous ride that most Marvel fans should enjoy.
Friends and Foes
Unconventional for the studio that created and prided itself on crossovers, Riri is the only character in the series that was introduced in a previous Marvel project. Because of this, the character development lacks at some points, relying on some exposition dumps about each main player, but it doesn’t necessarily act as a burden.
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Riri recreates Natalie as an A.I. hologram (something that I for one consider a bit unethical considering she’s dead) that can control her suit and some of Riri’s other technology.
The group of thieves that work under Parker are pretty typical. We are given a hacker, an explosives expert, and muscle. They are definitely the weakest elements of the show, because none of their motives are strong, nor do I feel myself caring about or for them at any point of the runtime. I guess that’s what you get with most henchmen, though.
Alden Ehrenreich plays Zeke Stane (a truly incredible name), the son of the disgraced Tony Stark mentor who sells weapons on the black market while hiding his identity. Riri befriends him at the start of the series, but this ultimately sours after a piece of equipment is traced back to him and he is thrown in jail. His chemistry with Thorne is the best the series has to offer, and he acts circles around everyone else in the series.
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As a slight Anthony Ramos hater, I was pleasantly surprised watching his turn as the villainous Hood. He brought some depth to the character (in part thanks to flashback sequences), making his motives more clear than anyone else’s. His magical abilities were corrupting his thoughts and body, and Ramos is able to show that through his physical acting along with some good line reads.
A Major Reveal
It can be hard to stay interested in MCU shows when I’m not necessarily their target audience for some of their recent stuff, but it’s always fun when you tune in and see a character (Mephisto) that’s been rumored to appear for years. And I mean YEARS. It’s just funny they finally did this in ‘Ironheart’, which had little promotion and was dumped onto Disney+
Mephisto (Sacha Baron Cohen) is basically the devil of the Marvel world, corrupting the soul, body, and mind of those who make a deal with him. Parker made a deal with him to gain more power, and Mephisto gave him the hood that manufactured his magical abilities. As a result, Parker’s body became hideously scarred, with red lines running up and down his neck.
Although we only saw him in his human form, it would be nice to see a payoff for this whole Mephisto reveal. He needs to appear in his true form in a major project down the road or else it’s pointless. Sometimes the studio just dumps these surprise characters into a show that no one really watches, only to never show them again or just be subjected to a minor part in the future.
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How Does ‘Ironheart’ Compare To Other Marvel TV Shows?
‘Ironheart’ succeeds because it doesn’t try to be something it’s not. It knows what it is. It’s simple. It’s grounded. It’s all the things a Marvel show should be. And that’s why it’s one of the best we’ve gotten in recent years.
Unfortunately, that isn’t the case with most of the projects. Kevin Feige and Co. made their plots too convoluted, trying to stuff everything they could into an hour-max. Some of their ideas truly worked and made for great television, such as ‘Loki’ and ‘Wandavision’ which were unique twists in the overly formulaic genre.
It may not be revolutionary or groundbreaking, but ‘Ironheart’ deserves more attention and more respect than what it’s been given.
By Aidan Reidy
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Aidan Reidy is a writer who’s currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in motion pictures screenwriting at the University of Miami. He is passionate about the entertainment industry and enjoys watching most genres. He is interested in every aspect of filmmaking ranging from technical aspects like editing and sound mixing to acting and directing styles. Hollywood Insider’s commitment to substance-filled articles rather than gossip columns attracted him to the website, creating an enjoyable environment for him to write in and aligning with his personal values, as well.
Aidan Reidy is a writer who’s currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in motion pictures screenwriting at the University of Miami. He is passionate about the entertainment industry and enjoys watching most genres. He is interested in every aspect of filmmaking ranging from technical aspects like editing and sound mixing to acting and directing styles. Hollywood Insider’s commitment to substance-filled articles rather than gossip columns attracted him to the website, creating an enjoyable environment for him to write in and aligning with his personal values, as well.
