Spoilers ahead for episodes 1-3 of Marvel’s Ironheart on Disney+
Don’t let Rotten Tomatoes fool you. A bunch of the low reviews dropped before the show even aired. And I’ll keep it real, Ironheart is actually good. Not flawless, not MCU-defining (yet), but a solid, promising, slow-burn setup that earns your attention the longer you watch.
After three episodes, it’s clear Marvel wasn’t just giving Riri Williams a spin-off to check a box. This is a real story with some unexpected grit.
Dominique Thorne is carrying the series with a mix of vulnerability and brilliance that feels authentic. If Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was her teaser, Ironheart is the full rollout, and we’re finally seeing what she’s made of.
A Slow Start, But For a Reason
Episode 1 definitely takes its time. It’s more intro-to-Riri’s-world than superhero launchpad, but that patience pays off. We meet her Chicago crew, understand her motivations, and see her complicated descent into the criminal underworld through Parker Robbins (aka The Hood, played by Anthony Ramos). The show is about legacy, survival, and the price of genius when you’re young, gifted, Black, and broke.
Once Riri’s best friend Natalie, who tragically passed away, shows up as an AI, everything clicks. That twist injects real emotional weight into the series. And suddenly, we’re in a Marvel show that’s less about pew-pew and more about healing, identity, and reckoning with your past.
Dominique Thorne Is That Girl
Thorne gives us a character who is funny, brilliant, awkward, and human. Riri isn’t trying to be Tony Stark, she’s trying to survive and build something bigger than herself. But that Stark spirit is there: the recklessness, the heart, the ingenuity. Even with Tony now rebooted as Doctor Doom, his shadow looms large. And honestly, it works.
You can feel the legacy, not through direct mentorship like in the comics, but through energy. Riri’s in her own lane, but the parallels are crystal clear.
Morally Gray & All the Way In
We’re used to our Marvel heroes being squeaky clean or morally obvious. Ironheart doesn’t care about that. Riri gets expelled from MIT. She starts doing jobs for a guy who trapped her in an elevator. She makes choices that feel… questionable. She’s trying to do the right thing in the wrong ways, and it’s messy, complicated, and very real.
By the end of episode 3, she lets someone die to protect her cover. That’s not superhero behavior. That’s survival. And it lets us know where the show is heading.
Alden Ehrenreich as Zeke Stane?
Let’s talk about Alden Ehrenreich. Episode 2 introduces him as “Joe,” a lowkey techie with an underground parts plug and a chill vibe. But he’s not just a friendly sidekick. He’s Zeke Stane — the son of Obadiah Stane, aka the MCU’s first villain from Iron Man. The twist was well-executed and opens up new legacy tensions. Zeke is walking the line between redemption and danger, just like Riri.
Their chemistry? Immaculate. Their dynamic? Already one of the best parts of the show.
The Hood Brings the Heat
Anthony Ramos is magnetic as Parker Robbins. He’s dangerous, suave, and unpredictable. It’s hard to tell if he’s truly evil or just deeply broken. And that’s what makes him compelling. The moment he starts dabbling in real dark magic (yeah, he has access to some magic), it’s clear we’re heading into deeper territory.
Add in the looming shadow of whoever his “lord”… things are about to explode.
Final Thoughts (for Now)
Ironheart didn’t come to play safe. It came to show us that becoming a hero is messy, and sometimes you have to break a few moral compasses on the way. It’s a story about trauma, tech, legacy, and doing the wrong thing for what you think are the right reasons.
The suits look dope, the cast is stacked, and the emotional beats are hitting harder than expected. The AI twist, the Parker tension, the Zeke bombshell, it’s all building to something wild.
Make sure to stream episodes 1-3 of Ironheart on Disney+. Episodes four, five, and six will be available on July 1.
We didn’t think we needed Ironheart. Now we’re wondering how we ever doubted it.
