Ironheart: Walking Tony Stark’s Footsteps in Beat-Up Shoes

By John Kirk

Rating: A

When Brian Michael Bendis and Mike Deodato created the Ironheart comic series in 2016, I didn’t take it seriously.

To me, it was just another version of Iron Man during a time in Marvel Comics when there was a plethora of robotic suit-wearing heroes – Iron Patriot, War Machine, Rescue, even the Punisher got into a suit of his own for a brief time. Stark Technology was just everywhere and the underprivileged-but-brilliant Riri Williams from the South Side of Chicago didn’t really stand out in this crowd.

But the Ironheart television series on Disney+ definitely rectifies that oversight and gives Riri her well-deserved place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Welcome to the Hood, Riri, in a manner of speaking.

Dominique Thorne dreams of a suit of her own in Ironheart

Here’s the Official Synopsis:

“Set after the events of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Ironheart pits technology against magic when Riri (Dominique Thorne) —determined to make her mark on the world—returns to her hometown of Chicago. Her unique take on building iron suits is brilliant, but in pursuit of her ambitions, she finds herself wrapped up with the mysterious yet charming Parker Robbins, aka ‘The Hood’ (Anthony Ramos).”

Building on her Wakandan legacy (the series is exec-produced by Black Panther director Ryan Coogler) , Riri already has established her technological bona fides.

However, the fact that she whips up tech short-cuts to fellow students for a price, shows the audience how desperate she is for resources to create that one, iconic suit of armour that will not only establish her iconic reputation but also, sadly, gets her kicked out of MIT for academic plagiarism. (The accusing dean is played, briefly, by the hilarious comedian Jim Rash in a memorable opening sequence.)

Riri needs money to build her creations. She has none. She has no prospects and feels the need to surpass Marvel names like Stark or Pym. While she is looking to fill that need to be iconic, there’s also a core tenet to her belief system to keep people, especially her loved ones, safe.

But that’s a classic comic heroic riff from any Marvel page I’ve ever read. Given that every hero needs to not only come with heroic skills and powers but also liabilities, makes for a hero that fits the formula that we’ve come to know and expect.

In this case, Riri is the real deal and she has a backstory complete with family and friends that set her up to be a totally relatable hero. Unlike those days in 2016 when she first appeared in comics, Riri stands out.

Understandable, relatable, believable … Riri also has a compelling reason behind her drive to be a hero, and it’s as simple but poignant as one could expect. Remember Peter Parker lost his Uncle Ben? Well, there’s sadness in Riri’s life that allows for an audience to immediately give Riri their unlimited sympathy when she meets up with the magical-powered villain, Parker Robbins, or as he likes to be known: The Hood.

Acceptance drives the story, of course. The Hood is immediately suspect. The audience can see this, telegraphed from a mile away. The trick to that is what Ryan Coogler is so good at, and it’s to enable the audience to forgive Riri her lack of judgment, follow her journey and see where it goes. We do that willingly.

Like the tagline in the poster says: “every dream has a cost.” And even though that’s a backstory to every comic-inked hero, we seldom see this so prominently and passionately displayed.

Four-colour heroic virtues aside, what really charms is the strong family connections Riri has on her side. Her mother, Ronni Williams (Anji White), her best friend Nat (Lyric Ross), romantic interest, Xavier (Matthew Elam) provide the support that Riri needs to not only accomplish her goals but fortify her for the fights ahead.

Despite lacking millions to fund her research, she has family who make up for that with whatever they can provide. While this might be a bit of a stretch compared to the ultra-wealthy Tony Stark who funded his research with his billion-dollar empire, Riri has neighbours, family and friends who give what they can – and that works the same, from a story point of view. 

Among the show’s surprises, Alden Ehrenreich as the hapless Joe McGuillicuddy is a welcome addition to her circle. His role is not only fun, but important, given the history of the MCU.

It's a thoroughly enjoyable series, particularly with the magical aspect to the story. Engineering meets enchantment is a clever crafting of elements, especially when Marvel fans know what the source of Magic in the MCU will be. Fan expectations will be met when this is revealed. In fact, there is a very provocative and enjoyable interpretation of some of the familiar threads in the MCU that will, no doubt, add significant joy to the audience.

Riri’s drive, her determination and the simple heroic requirement that she be a good person speaks to the common formula for a hero and it sells this series.

Needing cash makes her relatable as well.

Ironheart. Directed by Angela Barnes and Samantha Bailey. Stars\ring  Dominque Thorne, Lyric Ross, Anthony Ramos, Alden Ehrenreich, Cree Summer, Regan Aliyah, Manny Montana, Matthew Elam and Anji White. Debuts on Disney+ June 24.