Here we go again *deep sigh*. Ironheart is the latest MCU series no one asked for – a trend that’s becoming all too common. The series follows Riri (Dominique Thorne) after her stint in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, creating her most advanced suit yet while getting caught up in dangerous criminal activities.
Despite being filmed in 2022, it failed to see a release until now because it seems Disney just didn’t know what to do with it. It sits on the outside of everything happening in the MCU and is a seemingly pointless addition to its slate. On top of that, it has been unceremoniously dumped onto Disney+ in two instalments of three episodes with no marketing hype around it. While it has been set up for a slow death, maybe the series has some redeemable qualities. Spoiler – it doesn’t. From Echo to Secret Invasion and even Ms. Marvel, there have been some poor attempts at crafting compelling TV, but at least in all of those cases there’s some element of fun or intrigue. Ironheart on the other hand has nothing going for it in terms of its story or its characters. The first three episodes in particular are void of any sense of excitement as the narrative is weak and the writing is lazy with hardly an end-goal in sight. At so many points I had to ask myself “why” – why this story? Why are we following Riri commit petty crimes to build a suit? Sure it has some coming of age elements, but it’s not enough to drive an entire TV series.
The first three episodes meander through a series of random plot points that don’t have any clear purpose or trajectory. For example, Alden Ehrenreich’s character, Joe, feels violently shoehorned into the series and entirely out of place. His scenes are strangely detached from everything else, and any time they do tease some sort of integration it feels off. At this point I’d believe you if you said the series was written by aliens, because the choices don’t feel real. The second half of the series is a slight step up in quality but is still devoid of any sense of fun. Once you overlook the fact that the sudden focus on magic and mystical elements is a jarring shift, the series does find a bit more narrative focus. The overall goal becomes a little clearer and there’s tiny pockets of intrigue strewn throughout that at least make the episodes watchable.
The mystical tone of this second half should have been the focal point of the series earlier on, that way the writers could dive into it with more depth and integrate its supporting roles better. Instead, what we get is a chaotic clash of tones that becomes even more disconnected in the finale, and a script that seems more focused on teasing [REDACTED] a new MCU villain than developing its lead.
Going into the series, Riri is not a character I had any interest in whatsoever. Her presence in the Black Panther sequel felt out of place, and so an announcement of this series didn’t even register as a blip on my excitement scale. That being said, I think Dominique Thorne is good in the role but she just needed an equally good story around her to bring the character to life. Thorne brings a lot of charm and personality to this character – it’s clear through the series’ big emotional moments that she can deliver on that. It’s just unfortunate that in the context of this story those moments don’t make an impact. There’s a certain level of grit to her performance that makes me buy into the character and believe she can accomplish these daring feats of combat. She has range and plenty of drive, but she needs the support around her to be able to really leverage that.
Anthony Ramos makes his MCU debut as Parker Robbins, flexing his muscles as an antagonist and doing a decent job of it. Whether the character was written to be quite flat or it’s the way Ramos played it I’m not sure, but the villain lacked personality. Credit where credit is due – the last couple of episodes do add a little more depth and complexity to the character, but it’s too little too late. I also have to highlight the presence of Manny Montana as John. When it comes to these sly criminal-type characters, Montana is a joy to watch. Whether it be due to his time on Good Girls or not, he’s a natural in this role and is at times more fun to watch than Ramos’ Parker.
One thing you know you’re getting when going into an MCU property is a few good bouts of action, and that’s no different here. While there’s no action sequence that’s particularly memorable or exciting, at least there’s enough spread throughout the season so it’s not a complete bore. It’s your stock-standard superhero action made for TV and it services the series.
In the end, Ironheart didn’t really disappoint because I didn’t have high hopes for it in the first place. It’s a lacklustre series with almost nothing going for it. Even other MCU shows that didn’t hit their mark offered some level of enjoyment, but this one feels hollow and devoid of any real identity. The last three episodes bring with it some semblance of magic and intrigue, but not enough to save what is otherwise a very inconsequential MCU entry.
3.3/10
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