‘Ironheart’ Review: A Return to the Classics

While I’ve never indulged in Ironheart comics, I’ve always loved seeing Iron uits and how they evolve over time. I was over the moon to know a series based on Ironheart was in the works ever since we got a taste of that in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Especially since it also meant I’d get to learn a bit about Riri Williams and as we’d later find out, Parker Robbins / The Hood.

Ironheart follows the story of Riri Williams after the events of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. She returns to her hometown of Chicago with one goal in mind, creating the best suit of armor the world has ever seen but when things don’t go to plan she has to undergo shady means to get what she needs.

What better way to start than the Iron Suits themselves. The series features three new suits for Riri, each very distinct from each other. I remember spending days theorising which suit is which and I ended up being pretty surprised in the end. I will admit I was a bit disappointed that we barely spent time with the Mark III.  It was given such importance only to be taken away so quickly. The Mark IV was definitely my least favourite design coming into the series but whether it’s the amount of time we spent with that suit or something else entirely, it actually ended up becoming my favourite suit design of the series.

The Mark V also suffers similarly to the Mark III in the sense that it felt under-utilised though I should’ve expected as much with the series following the old Marvel on Disney+ format. I do like the armor’s emotional ties to Riri as well as its capabilities which could allow Ironheart to be very unique. The Mark V also has a really fun building sequence. I enjoyed seeing everyone come together to make, as Riri hoped, something iconic. One thing I can happily say about each suit is that they reignited my love for practical suits. We’ve grown so accustomed to nanotech and while I love all the extra benefits of it, I’ve definitely missed more traditional suit-up sequences for heroes. Also I really have to appreciate the title cards, they’re as creative as ever, sometimes seamlessly transitioning into the episode. You never really expect when they pop up but when they do, you just have to say “oh that’s clever!”

Moving on to the characters, I think one of my favourite parts of the series is Riri’s and Natalie’s relationship, I always find myself smiling whenever the two hang out. While it starts off rough, I loved seeing Riri learn to accept this version of Natalie and I loved that the show managed to also highlight the moral implications of reviving someone through Artificial Intelligence to some degree with Xavier acting as that perspective for the show. I also really loved Joe McGillyCuddy, I wasn’t certain what to expect but he quickly became a fan favourite of mine, partially due to how relatable he is in regards to being a pushover. It’s also funny seeing how Riri unlocked his more devilish side after encouraging him to stand up for himself. 

Concerning Parker and his crew, I really liked the brief introductions into each character’s backstories. While it definitely left me wanting more, I was still grateful to learn a bit about them. In the end my favourite members were Slug and Clown. I was in awe of their skills and they were really fun to watch. When it comes to Parker, it felt like he had good intentions and genuinely loved his crew as family. Seeing that all go downhill as the corruption from his Hood takes over was painful to watch, I appreciated the time dedicated to seeing it happen. 

Zelma was definitely a fun addition and perhaps one of the characters I looked forward to the most especially with the show’s overall theme of Tech vs. Magic, which admittedly felt a bit lacking in the Magic side of things with the exception of Parker. Zelma helped that aspect, not only by assisting Riri with determining the owner of the Hood but also just showcasing how fun magic can be in her family shop. 

The heists were definitely one of my favourite parts of the story and especially the direction it took. The first heist, you’d assume the goal is simple, just get rich, but once they keep going, you start to learn that the targets actually have ties to Parker and that mystery alongside those ominous echoes every time the Hood itself was shown onscreen caught my interest instantly. The introduction of these tech giants was also exciting because I started wondering how they could tie into projects such as Armor Wars and immediately started looking for comic origins. On the flip side, Riri was quite relatable in her refusal to open up, whether it’s talking about the obsession with building the suit or what happened the day her best friend and dad passed away. Throw NATALIE into the mix, and things get all the more complicated as she gets attached to her. 

One thing that makes me happy with the story is how open it is to the characters returning for future projects and I hope they are utilised even if it’s for something as simple as a cameo. 

Overall Ironheart was a blast! I’ll remember the series fondly for its wide variety of characters and while I had a different idea for the plot in mind, the show definitely managed to grab my interest with this unique take on Riri Williams and how the ending will affect her in future projects. 

Ironheart is created by Chinaka Hodge and stars Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams / Ironheart, Anthony Ramos as Parker Robbins / The Hood and more. All episodes are now available on Disney+.

Thanks for reading our review of Marvel Television’s Ironheart. If you enjoyed it, consider checking out our coverage on Ironheart and the TV section.