Critics’ reviews were embargoed until the episodes dropped, and now that the first instalments of Marvel’s Ironheart are on Disney+, the reviews can flow… and flow they have.
It is fair to say that this series has, for some, felt unnecessary, as the character wasn’t warmly received from her appearance in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and the comic on which the show is based was cancelled after 12 issues. There was a feeling Ironheart was being parked, as it had taken a while to come out, and was not mentioned when commentators talked about the “quality” reset Marvel was attempting across the MCU.
The series was sitting at 71% from 35 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes this morning at the time of writing. That puts it in the bottom tier of Marvel shows on Disney+. It is up slightly from its debut score of 68%.
Ironheart picks up a year after Wakanda Forever. It follows Riri Williams facing off against Parker Robbins/The Hood (Anthony Ramos) as technology and magic collide. So what do the summary reviews say?
“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. It’s a rare miss from a company that’s usually great at casting.”
Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone
“Hodge is certainly trying to do something different with Ironheart, but every part of it feels clumsy thanks to radical tone shifts, underutilized characters, and bland fights.”
Samantha Nelson, Polygon
“Even though Ironheart isn’t fully equipped to wrestle with the ethical arguments it introduces, the show’s accessible approach still makes room for generalized lessons to sink in.”
Ben Travers, Indiewire
“Ironheart is a compelling story about the limitations of genius, whether to overcome a lack of money or bend laws of the universe like death. It’s also a lot of other stories at the same time, none of which is as focused or affecting.”
Alison Herman, Variety
“Despite the clumsy pilot and distracted finale, the warmth I felt for the four-episode filling of this televisual sandwich was real.”
Daniel Fienberg, THR
“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.”
Mike Hale, The New York Times
“Ironheart is neither an instant classic nor a debacle, but a breezy, reasonably engaging bit of Marvel business that doesn’t skimp on hardware or mystery. If it is guilty of anything, it’s being too pat and frictionless.”
Jarrod Jones, AV Club
“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.”
Amon Warmann, Empire
The rest of the series drops on July 1st. A brisk, two-drop strategy for Ironheart would also indicate that Marvel seems to want to get this out and then move on.
