Ironheart
Ironheart
After the events of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, technology is pitted against magic when Riri Williams, a young, genius inventor determined to make her mark on the world, returns to her hometown of Chicago. Her unique take on building iron suits is brilliant, but in pursuit of her ambitions, she finds herself wrapped up with the mysterious yet charming Parker Robbins aka "The Hood."
Hipster ZOMBIE reviewedJuly 4, 2025
Marvel Studios limps out of Phase 5 with another weak installment, this time a Disney plus series starring Wakanda Forever’s Riri Williams aka Ironheart. The show has some spark of life but quickly becomes just another misfire for Marvel Studios.
Marvel’s Ironheart isn’t the worst Disney+ show the studio has released (that unfortunate crown still sits atop the likes of Secret Invasion) but it’s undeniably one of the weakest efforts the MCU has put out since Endgame. While there was potential in introducing a younger, tech-driven successor to Iron Man, the execution feels muddled, shallow, and often times off-putting.
At the heart of the show is Riri Williams, a genius inventor whose brilliance is constantly overshadowed by her own ego. Instead of coming across as an endearing, flawed upstart, Riri feels more like a narcissist with delusions of grandeur — someone more obsessed with being iconic and recognized than actually helping anyone. Her actions often blur the line between antihero and outright villain, especially when she’s not busy breaking laws in the name of “the greater good.” I don’t even know if she actually saves anyone throughout the entire first season.
Much of the series is spent with her unlikely crew — a ragtag group of diverse LGBTQ+ criminals who flip-flop between being street-level Robin Hoods and cold-blooded thieves. What could have been a nuanced commentary on justice and rebellion instead feels like clumsy virtue signaling. These characters exist more as checkboxes than compelling individuals, and their constant moral seesawing undermines any attempt at character development or real-world resonance.
The show reaches peak dissonance with the last-minute, shoehorned introduction of Mephisto — yes, the literal demon — who pops in seemingly from an entirely different series. Sacha Baron Cohen’s brief appearance as the dark lord is compelling (he’s clearly giving more than the material deserves), but his inclusion feels bizarrely disconnected from the rest of the plot. It’s less of a twist and more of a desperate franchise plug-in, attempting to build intrigue for future projects rather than serve the current story.
In the end, Ironheart Season One is an identity crisis wrapped in shiny CGI. There are glimmers of something stronger buried under the surface — a sharp lead performance, a few action beats that pop — but they’re drowned out by an unfocused narrative, unsympathetic character arcs, and an overreliance on themes that feel more performative than meaningful. Not quite a disaster, but far from the hero’s journey it wants to be.
Gone are the heroes of yesterday who just wanted to help those in need. Replaced by egomaniacs who only care about status. Marvel continues to show why a hard reboot might be needed to set things straight before this franchise goes from life support to DOA.