Ironheart is interesting in fits and starts, but without the connection to the MCU it's nothing more than run-of-the-mill. It may surprise you, but despite the lack of marketing, Marvel has released a new series: Ironheart. Just a few weeks ago, there was not a single trailer, which is remarkable for Marvel. It may say something about how Marvel approaches the series. I was allowed to watch a screener of the complete first season for MijnSerie.nl. Nice!
The series is more of a plot element in the overall MCU than a standalone piece of story.
Ironheart is the final series of Phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and the last series developed before the shift in content focus that Marvel made in 2023 due to disappointing performances. A bit of a cast-off, really. But still, Ironheart has potential as a character and could add something to the MCU. Apart from a few interesting elements, Ironheart is not very original. A bit of a run-of-the-mill case.
Ironheart is about RiRi Williams (Dominique Thorne), a talented inventor who we met in the film Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The series takes place after the events of the film, but the film is rarely or never mentioned. In Ironheart, RiRi returns to her hometown of Chicago, where she is once again confronted with traumatic events from her childhood. RiRi soon comes into contact with the criminal underworld and in particular Parker Robbins, aka The Hood (Anthony Ramos). A complex character who is entangled in a world of dark magic.
Ironheart interestingly brings the technological and magical sides of the MCU together in a way that hasn't happened before in other MCU films and series. That's the most interesting element of the series and that's why it's a shame that this aspect only comes to light in the second half of the season. The first half is also easy to watch, but it's not that special. A bit of technology, a bit of trauma, a bit of fighting. We've seen it all before. And the magical aspect could have been explored even further. That's why I already wrote that there is a lot of potential in the mix of plot elements. A mix that can also add interesting dynamics to the broader MCU. But in Ironheart it's not quite where you want it to be.
Which doesn't mean it's a bad show. The show is just fine. The acting is fine. The characters are fine. It looks good. But it's clearly a show that belongs to the MCU before they made their content shift. Daredevil: Born Again, for example, already feels very different in terms of vision. Not that that old vision was always wrong, there are definitely some very good shows that came out of it (think Marvel's WandaVision, Marvel's Moon Knight, Marvel's Loki and Agatha All Along). And Ironheart certainly doesn't belong on the bad list (I'm looking at you, Secret Invasion), but is just somewhere in the middle.
Ironheart certainly isn't on the bad list (I'm looking at you, Secret Invasion), it just falls somewhere in the middle.
A positive element in Ironheart I found was the character Natalie (Lyric Ross), or N.A.T.A.L.I.E., RiRi's AI and at the same time a personification of her deceased best friend. Natalie is a charming and spontaneous character. The actress does a very good job and I always liked her scenes. In addition, there is a big revelation in the last episode that many Marvel fans have been waiting for since the beginning of Phase 4. This revelation could have a big impact on the rest of the films and series that are yet to come. And yes, it is a little strange that the revelation is in Ironheart (of all places!). I am curious how this will unfold.
I'm going to leave it at that. Otherwise I'll give too much away. I'd say; are you a fan of Marvel and the MCU? Then definitely watch Ironheart, but temper your expectations. The series is more of a plot element in the overall MCU than a standalone piece of story. Never seen anything from the MCU? Then feel free to skip.
The first three episodes are available to stream on Disney+ starting today (June 25). The last three episodes will be released on July 2.
About the writer, Karzal
Mike (1995) has been a member of MySeries since 2016 and is mainly active on the English version of the site. Since 2018, he has been actively translating news articles, columns, reviews and basically everything that ends up on the Dutch site. The original articles, columns and reviews were actually written by others. During the week Mike can be found at IKEA, where he is a national systems specialist and occasionally also in the classroom to teach an English lesson. In addition, Mike logically enjoys watching series and has actually been spoon-fed this from an early age. The genre doesn't matter, there is a place for everything in the otherwise busy life.
