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Dominique Thorne and Lyric Ross shine in Disney+'s original series Ironheart thanks to showrunner Chinaka Hodge's expert use of MCU lore.
Posted in: Disney+, Marvel, Review, TV | Tagged: ironheart
Ironheart Eps 1-3 Review: Thorne Shines in Unconventional Hero Tale
Dominique Thorne and Lyric Ross shine in Disney+'s original series Ironheart thanks to showrunner Chinaka Hodge's expert use of MCU lore.
Dominique Thorne stars in the unique pseudo-spinoff series of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Doctor Strange, and Iron Man in the Disney+ original series Marvel's Ironheart, and while it borrows some lore from the latter two, it couldn't be a further departure from both as far as narrative styles. Thorne plays the title character and her alter ego, Riri Williams, a genius prodigy engineer, who's in college trying to work on her projects after her time in Wakanda, but discovers that MIT life isn't what it's cracked up to be, and finds renewed purpose. The following contains minor spoilers for the first three episodes, "Take Me Home" (written by showrunner Chinaka Hodge), "Will the Real Natalie Please Stand Up?" (written by Malarie Howard), and "We in Danger, Girl" (written by Francesca Gailes and Jacqueline J. Gailes).
Ironheart: A Dark Tale of Discovery, Mysticism, and Trauma
With college not providing her with the tools and environment she needed, Riri found herself looking for ways to continue her work and develop some questionable connections. With the help of her best friend, Natalie Washington (Lyric Ross), Riri comes to Chicago and joins Parker Robbins (aka The Hood, played by Anthony Ramos) and his crew for a heist. Parker has mysterious powers tied to magic and the dark arts. His crew consists of "H.R." John (Manny Montana), Clown (Sonia Denis), Ros (Shakira Barrera), Jerry Blood (Zoe Terakes), Slug (Shea Couleé), and Stuart Clarke/Rampage (Eric André).
Believe it or not, those involved in the heist actually don't factor as much into Riri's circle as much as her bond with Natalie and the mysterious Joe McGillicuddy (Alden Ehrenreich), who's into tech himself and helps Riri with parts for her Ironheart suit. If you're looking for Riri to hero it up early on and often, be prepared to be disappointed. Since the series will inevitably draw comparisons to Iron Man and Robert Downey Jr, let's get those comparisons out of the way.
Both Downey Jr's Tony Stark and Thorne's Riri Williams have overconfidence in their abilities to their degree, but the younger Riri is still growing as a younger character, isn't as financially well off the billionaire Stark, has a far more nuanced trauma, and Stark didn't exactly experience magic until the Avengers films. That's not the fault of Downey Jr for not being exposed to the refined MCU, but at the same time, it offers the opportunity for showrunner Hodge to create one of the most well-rounded origin stories in the MCU, and best of all, it didn't feel atypical of an origin story, especially when the hero isn't merely fighting an "evil version" archtype like Iron Man v Iron Monger, Ant-Man v Yellowjacket, Hulk v Abomination, etc.
There was no "discovering how to use the suit" or some kind of hero tutorial. While lighter on the action compared to other Disney+ shows and a lot of it takes place outside the suit, the driving narrative makes up for it with the proper build. The story was about defining Riri, her friendships, trauma, and the world she finds herself in. Aside from showing Thorne's incredible range, Ross, Robbins, Ehrenreich, and Anji White, who plays Riri's mother, Ronnie, do a wonderful job letting Williams shine. The first three episodes of Ironheart, directed by Sam Bailey and also starring Regan Aliyah and Matthew Elam, are available on Disney+, with the final three episodes on July 1st.
Ironheart Episodes 1-3
7.5/10
Chinaka Hodge and Ironheart stars Dominique Thorne and Lyric Ross provide one of the better MCU TV entries for Marvel Television and Disney+ thanks to Hodge's skill at knowing how to utilize MCU lore, naunced characters, and compelling storytelling.
Credits
Showrunner
Chinaka Hodge
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