Last week, I discussed how it seemed like Ironheart had borrowed from the Spider-Man comics in crafting the Riri Williams of the MCU. This was ironically necessary because Riri’s original background as a prodigy and protege of Tony Stark was too close to that of the MCU Peter Parker. The irony came full circle in the series finale, as the show emulated one of the most hated Spider-Man stories in Marvel Comics history.
The second half of Ironheart season 1 finds Riri in danger. This comes about as The Hood realizes she’s responsible for his last job going south. Worse than that, her actions accidentally imprisoned the one ally she had. Faced with proof of the existence of magic and her former gang hunting her, Riri must up her game and build a new armor to survive.
The problems from the first three episodes of Ironheart continue. Riri is meant to be a genius, but repeatedly does stupid things. This culminates in the fifth episode, where Riri suddenly seeks out the help she’s been avoiding in her arrogance. Coincidentally, this comes as The Hood abandons his gang, despite being portrayed as viewing them as family.
Ironheart’s Mephisto seems like a last-minute addition
The final episode introduces The Hood’s patron, the demon Mephisto. Played with a shockingly subtle sense of menace by Sacha Baron Cohen, it is a moment that MCU fans have been anticipating for years. Unfortunately, his introduction in Ironheart feels tacked-on.
The larger problem is Riri making a Faustian pact despite having seen what The Hood’s deal cost him. It feels forced and like a brazen rip-off of the Spider-Man storyline, “One More Day.” It also only occurs to set up one of many cliffhangers for Ironheart Season 2.
I doubt we will see that second season. This is partly due to Disney+ scaling back on further MCU streaming series. The chief issue, however, is that Ironheart would be the weakest MCU Phase 5 series if not for Secret Invasion.
Grade: 5/10
Ironheart Season 1 is now streaming on Disney+.
