The very first thing you discover about Marvel’s “Ironheart,” the most recent streaming entry within the sprawling Marvel Cinematic Universe, is how small it’s. It is set largely in a single Chicago neighborhood. Aside from the title character, its forged is authentic and tightly related to their atmosphere fairly than one other nook of the MCU. The Easter eggs are few, the continuity references spare, and the risk entails private vendettas and agonizing coming-of-age selections as a substitute of sky portals and multiverse chaos. Even the motion sequences are restrained, valuing directness over sprawl.
The second factor you discover about Marvel’s “Ironheart” is how this lowered scope is the perfect a part of the present, and a reminder that the simplest MCU tales serve their characters first and the franchise second. There’s nothing “important” about this six-episode collection (you’ll be able to simply go watch the following Marvel film with out seeing it, as an illustration), however the mere indisputable fact that it is inessential to the bigger MCU narrative is why it is such a welcome breath of recent air. It is not homework. It is not prepping you for the following factor. It is completely happy to be by itself, inform its story, and deal with simply its forged of characters.
“Ironheart” is a small story of a lady, her household, her pals, and the robotic swimsuit that is each her biggest blessing and her most tragic curse. And it is simply that. And by going again to the fundamentals, the collection captures the essence of why we fell in love with Marvel tales within the first place.
Ironheart’s success lies with its characters
Though technically a follow-up to “Black Panther: Wakanda Perpetually,” which launched younger tech genius and Tony Stark-inspired engineer Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne), “Ironheart” correctly does not require you bear in mind a factor about that film. The collection offers “Wakanda Perpetually” just a few seconds of temporary acknowledgment earlier than launching into the story: Riri struggles at MIT, will get expelled, and returns house to Chicago with a busted robotic swimsuit and not one of the funding she wants to truly capitalize on her genius.
What’s a lady to do when she has Iron Man ambitions? On this case, it is to affix a small crime ring working excessive tech jobs and hope to not let her soul get tainted too a lot and she or he builds a checking account.
“Ironheart” mines real pressure from this premise, as Riri’s preliminary “Ocean’s 11”-esque heists give strategy to nastier, extra harmful work, resulting in fractures in her social circle and past. Whereas the motion and derring-do are typically gripping sufficient, the collection’ actual coronary heart lies when Riri is out of her swimsuit: reconnecting together with her mother, hanging with outdated pals, rediscovering the numerous quirks and corners of her neighborhood, and even placing up an unlikely friendship with a lonely suburban dork named Joe, performed with a disarming sweetness by a scene-stealing Alden Ehrenreich (to say extra about his character can be crime, however Marvel followers will watch him with curiosity, to place it mildly).
On the middle of all of it is Natalie (Lyric Ross), Riri’s greatest good friend who died tragically and whose reminiscences hang-out our hero’s each waking second, triggering grief-stricken panic assaults. It is delicate stuff, dealt with with care by the collection’ filmmakers and with grace by Thorne, who is definitely in a position to play a full-fledged character right here after being squeezed into the margins of “Wakanda Perpetually.” And whereas Natalie could also be useless (and bear in mind, dying has a distinct which means in a comic book e book story), it is her dynamic with Riri that offers the present a candy, sustainable vitality.
Ironheart rediscovers the lacking MCU secret sauce
However “Ironheart” continues to be a comic book e book story, and one set in a world filled with dazzling impossibilities. And to the present’s credit score, it does one thing we have but to see totally realized in any MCU story to this point: a full-blown exploration of science versus magic. Certain, Iron Man and Physician Unusual have teamed up earlier than, however no film has had the possibility to actually decelerate and discover the gloriously nerdy repercussions of what occurs when a tech-based superhero faces off towards a being of pure supernatural and non secular energy. And whereas the principle villain of the collection, the cursed gang chief generally known as the Hood, is a bit inconsistent (Anthony Ramos, a very good actor, simply does not have the sleazy magnetism mandatory right here), the ramifications of their clashing must be greater than sufficient to boost the eyebrow of even essentially the most jaded Marvel fan, particularly as soon as it turns into clear that the Hood’s powers need to have come from someplace. Or somebody.
When “Ironheart” will get cooking, it is spectacular how way more satisfying it’s than different Marvel exhibits that lean on earth-shattering occasions of cosmic significance. Nothing that occurs over the course of the present’s six, dense, rapidly paced episodes impacts the bigger MCU, however it positive modifications Riri and her pals (and enemies). Nonetheless, we like Riri, and we like her quickly increasing circle of pals, so comparatively minor occasions loom massive as a result of the present asks us to take them personally. It is telling that the perfect motion scene within the collection entails a brawl in a White Fortress restaurant, the place Riri must survive with solely restricted devices readily available. It really works as a result of we have been requested to take a position on this forged, and their predicaments, fairly than ponder what’s occurring elsewhere within the MCU.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is in a bizarre place. Lots of the streaming exhibits have been flops. The films have seen diminishing returns on the field workplace. Seemingly all eyes are on “Avengers: Doomsday.” However “Ironheart” remembers the key sauce that made us all love the MCU within the first place. It is the characters, dummy. Make us love the characters and let the universe fall into place round them. And nicely, after six episodes, I am fairly positive I really like Riri and her little circle of allies. And perhaps a few of her enemies too.
/Movie Ranking: 7 out of 10
The primary three episodes of “Ironheart” premiere on Disney+ on June 24, 2025, adopted by its different three episodes on July 1.
