Chinaka Hodge (Showrunner) & Jim Starlin, Mike Deodata Jr., Brian Michael Bendis (Marvel Comics)

CAST

Dominique Thorne
Anthony Ramos
Lyric Ross
Alden Ehrenreich
Manny Montana
Matthew Elam

Review

Three episodes in, and Ironheart is off to a…pretty solid, if slightly glitchy, start. It might not be revolutionary Marvel, but it’s definitely got some character, and a surprising emotional core.

We’re re-introduced to Riri Williams through a smart voiceover that instantly grounds us in her headspace. For a hot second, I thought she was breaking the fourth wall, but she’s not. She’s sharp, haunted, and clearly grappling with loss.

Ironheart feels like an Iron Man origin story, if Tony was broke, a woman, and not white. Swapping out Tony’s sleek legacy for Riri’s DIY Chicago hustle gives the show a more grounded vibe. However, while it aims for emotional depth, it occasionally stumbles over details, such as metal detectors that only function when the script requires them to, or a pendant-sized hologram projector that somehow projects clean visuals without ever being obstructed.

Still, these are minor quibbles. The show does enough to keep you watching, at least it did for me. The pacing and stakes pick up fast by episode 3, and the series throws just enough mystery at us to keep things interesting. Ramos’ villain is cuter than menacing.

One of the more surprising elements of the show is Joe’s backstory and the AI. Joe is intriguing but the A.I. is not just comic relief or exposition; it’s got anxiety. Watching an artificial intelligence have a panic attack was weirdly compelling, and the show seems to be blurring the tech/magic line in ways that reminds me of Thor: The Dark World and other “soft science” moments in the MCU.

And I think the first AI named TREVOR is a reference to Trevor Noah, who did voice GRIOT in Black Panther, and I’m not ignoring the signs, Marvel.

So, Should You Keep Watching?

Look, Ironheart isn’t trying to be prestige TV. It’s not WandaVision or Loki. It’s a little clunky, but ultimately charming. Riri is compelling, Thorne is completely carrying the show, the emotional beats land better than I expected, and there’s just enough world-building and mystery to carry this thing forward.

Would I binge this over the weekend? Sure, because if it was a weekly show it would have fallen off my radar. But after three episodes, I’m in. Even if I started watching just to procrastinate, now I kind of want to see what happens next.

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