When the conclusion of the first season of Ironheart, who knows that they’ll be more, on Disney+, we wanted to take a moment to review the series. First and foremost, however, I will say that due to the review bombing of the series which seems to be as a result of a negative and racist base, we’re going to have to talk a little bit more about the substance of the show, and therefore there are massive spoilers within this review.
As always, we break down our review by story, acting, and overall. So let’s jump on into it.
Story 8/10
For those uninformed Ironheart follows, in the comic books, a protege of Tony Stark named Riri Williams who takes up the mantle and becomes Ironheart, a hero in her own power suit akin to that of Iron Man, War Machine, and several other heroes of the past who have taken on an Iron Suit. In the MCU, she is a gifted and intelligent engineer who actually studies under Shuri in Wakanda, during the events of Wakanda Forever. This is a direct result of the the inner city programs that T’Challa set up at the end of the first Black Panther movie.
However, the show reconnects Riri Willians to Tony Stark in a very interesting and unique way, by making her one of the recipients of the Tony Stark MIT grant. This allows her to get further education as one of the people that Tony Stark benefited by his charitable organizations in the later parts of his life. Therefore, technically becoming a protege of Tony Stark posthumously.
We then connect and learn Riri William’s tragic backstory. How she lost her incredibly supportive and loving stepfather and adoptive sister. As a direct result of being present and unable to help and protect them, she is suffering from a form of PTSD that sets her on a treacherous path and pits her traditional tech against that of magic and bio-technical feats.
In the series, Riri Williams is not a hero perse. She commits crimes to raise money to fix and build her suit. She blackmails a seemingly innocent man to get what she needs, and only after being thrust In harm’s way, does she take action to protect herself and her family.
This very story within the show forces the character to question whether she is a good person at all. The show then, however, concludes that journey with the statement that she’s incredibly complicated, the question about whether she’s good or bad, ends up becoming a very great setup for the conclusion per her battles within the show.
After having defeated the enemies and having saved her friends and family. She is now confronted by the entity that has been sliding around in the background of not only the minds of the viewers of the MCU, but the ethereal realm of the franchise. Mephisto, finally revealed, tells Riri Williams that he can give her whatever she wants in an effort to make her the person she’s meant to be.
The conclusion sets up quite the journey left for this character and solidifies the depth, world building, and skills of Riri, all within a simple six episode series. I personally felt the series reinvigorated my interest in the MCU and did a great job naturally connecting to the origins of the MCU.
Acting 9/10
Riri Williams played by Dominique Thorne is an interesting character in the series. You’re not meant to specifically to outright like her, but feel for her throughout this series. Thorne Does an amusing job straight of the line being cocky enough to be slightly resented, while troubled enough to make the viewer concerned whether or not she’s making the right choice throughout the series. This, once again, does a great job setting up the conflict that will then get played out in the final moments of the series when Riri Williams is introduced to Mephisto, played by Sacha Baron Cohen in this series.
Mephisto, once again played by Sacha Baron Cohen, is wonderful to see on this small screen. While there is a little bit of wonkiness to the way the character is presented in the first bit when he meets Parker, aka the hood, played by Anthony Ramos. His personality howeve shifts and molds to the entity that he is tempting and communicating with. Cohen’s smarmy attitude, and physical features play greatly into the role of the Mephisto, made even better as a glimpse of his true form is seen through a reflection on a spoon. It looks as if it was plucked directly out of a marvel comic book!
Additionally, Natalie and N.A.T.A.L.I.E., played by Lyric Ross, is a heartbreaking and interesting journey through what would a person be like if fully represented only by the memories of another person. The heartbreaking way in which they just tried to exist, and struggle to be more like they’re supposed to be is well represented by Ross’s portrayal of the role. Additionally, the fun sister-esque relationship between the two characters leads to many interesting and fun conversations throughout the series.
Alden Ehrenreich, as Ezekiel Stane, the son of Obadiah Stane from the very first MCU film. Iron Monger is an interesting choice to reference for the series, but as the series can’t connect directly to Tony Stark due to his death in the MCU, it’s nice to see the series connect to the character through additional ways.
Additionally, Ehrenreich’s acting in the role creates a meek to monster story, that while never really is fully satisfying to see, you do feel for him in the end, and how he is manipulated. It definitely leaves you wanting more from the character down the line.
Lastly, I have to talk about Zelma, who helps include and introduce Magic into Ironhearts story. It’s nice to see more magic users as well as them being directly tied into characters from the world of the Marvel Comics. Zelma played by Regan Aliyah does an amazing job leading us into the world of magic, specifically for others who may not have seen prior series and movies, while not overwhelming fans who have seen everything so far.
Overall 8.75/10
If you’re looking for a fun Marvel series that feels like it connects better to the source material, from over 10 years ago, then other projects, and will revigorate your interest in the shared universe, than I highly recommend you watch this series!
Conner’s Final Thoughts
When I first heard there incorporate magic into a show about a woman building iron man-esque armor and fighting crime, I didn’t really understand it. Now having seen the journey, how they questioning the morality of tech versus magic, I think they did an amazing job incorporating it into the story. The payoff at the end was well worth it.
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