Ironheart

Ironheart is a series for MCU completionists, and it does have a few moments that will make the hardcore audience cheer. However, as a standalone, the show just doesn't have a lot going for it, and most people may forget it ever happened in the first place.

Despite some nice flourishes and big introductions, Riri — and Ironheart — still hasn’t taken full flight. If Season 2 does come, some serious upgrades are required.

Its run-of-the-mill antagonists and cynical script leave few characters to root for, and though its kinetic heist sequences offer some entertainment, the armored battles leave a lot to be desired.

Mostly, though, the problem is Riri, and Thorne. It’s not impossible to tell a lively and engaging story about a character consumed by grief — see WandaVision, a.k.a. the best MCU show of all. But as written, and as played by Thorne, Riri is so dour, and so flat, that Ironheart all but grinds to a halt whenever a scene is primarily about the series’ protagonist.

The story wasn't allowed to fully breathe, and some of the aforementioned great themes did not get the full opportunity to be explored.

Only coming alive in its final episode, which should have been its starting point rather than its cliffhanger-y conclusion, it’s further evidence that the once-mighty comic-book brand has watered itself down with second-rate heroes and adventures.

Like Ms Marvel, it is clearly aimed at the younger end of the fan spectrum and the pace is relentless. .... To say it becomes preachy would be putting things too strongly. But “slightly tiresome” would not. At least until it’s time again to throw someone at a wall.

This is a series with things on its mind but not necessarily the structure or platform to properly say those things. Still, despite the clumsy pilot and distracted finale, the warmth I felt for the four-episode filling of this televisual sandwich was real.

If you’re still hanging on with Marvel, this isn’t the one that will make you give up; it’s a respectable piece of work. But it’s not going to revive anyone’s flagging interest.

“Ironheart” is by no means terrible; it’s just unremarkable enough to feel wholly non-essential.

Hamstrung by an unconvincing plotline and a script in dire need of a dose of WD40, it’s only in the action sequences, too few and far between, that Ironheart comes alive.

“Ironheart” doesn’t swoop in last-minute to save the MCU on television; in all likelihood, this is a remnant of a Marvel TV model that’s about to be replaced. But like Riri’s eventual supersuit, it’s a pretty decent iteration from outside the established order.

"Ironheart" tries to be a story worthy of Riri's status as a "Panther" breakout, but not hard enough.