“I’m here because I can be the greatest inventor of my generation.” That’s how Riri Williams introduces herself, and what a way to enter the room. It’s bold, it’s confident, and it tells you exactly who she wants to be. But does Marvel’s Ironheart let her live up to that promise? Or does it bury her under the rubble of crossover clutter and franchise fatigue?
Let’s dive in.
From Wakanda to MIT (and Back to the Real World)
We first met Riri Williams (played with fierce charm by Dominique Thorne) in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Now, Ironheart picks up the baton, attempting to give her story the depth and spotlight it deserves. She’s a 19-year-old engineering prodigy from MIT, a Tony Stark fan with the brains and tools to build her own Iron Man suit. That alone should be enough to carry a series, right?
Not quite.
Though she’s spent over four years at MIT, Riri still doesn’t have her degree. In fact, things go so sideways that she starts selling completed assignments to other students across Massachusetts just to pay her bills. And like most side hustles that flirt with the gray area of ethics, it doesn’t end well. She’s caught, expelled, and sent packing back to Chicago. It’s here that the real story begins—not just the superhero one, but the emotional one.
Riri’s return home isn’t just a logistical move—it’s emotional. She’s haunted by two major losses: her stepfather, Gary (played by LaRoyce Hawkins), and her best friend Natalie (Lyric Ross). These are more than backstory beats—they hang over her like permanent storm clouds. Her grief is palpable, and her tinkering with tech becomes more of an escape than a mission.
Enter the Hood: A Villain with a Mission (and a Cloak)
Just when Riri thinks she’s hit rock bottom, she’s approached (or rather, trapped) by Parker Robbins (Anthony Ramos), a.k.a. The Hood. In his very dramatic recruitment style, he tests Riri by locking her in a toxic gas-filled elevator. Casual. She escapes using her genius, obviously, which earns her a ticket into Parker’s mysterious and morally grey world.
Parker isn’t your typical Marvel baddie. He’s persuasive, oddly fatherly at times, and genuinely believes in the potential of the crew he’s assembled. Riri, broke and running low on options, agrees to work with him despite some very clear red flags—namely, the enchanted cloak he wears, which hints at magical elements creeping into this mostly tech-driven world.
There’s an odd synergy between Riri and Parker. They’re both broken, both ambitious, and both pretending they’ve got it all figured out. Their dynamic has tension and complexity, but it never quite becomes the central relationship the show seems to think it is.
Magic, Tech, and Marvel’s Identity Crisis
Let’s talk tone. Ironheart starts off grounded—gritty Chicago streets, code and wires, genius-level intellect versus financial hardship. But somewhere along the way, magic starts seeping in. And not the elegant, trippy Doctor Strange kind of magic—more like “here’s a magical cloak and maybe some spells, don’t ask too many questions.”
The tech-meets-magic hybrid could’ve been fun. It’s a combo that, when done right, can add flavor to a superhero story. But here, it feels like oil and water. The shift in tone is jarring, and the series never quite settles into a groove. One moment it’s MIT-level robotics, and the next it’s enchanted objects and philosophical speeches about power.
The result? A series that feels bloated and confused. It’s trying to do too much—introduce a new hero, explore grief and identity, flirt with villain redemption arcs, sprinkle in some mysticism, and connect the dots to the wider MCU. That’s a lot of plates to spin, and not all of them stay airborne.
Who Is Riri Williams, Really?
At the heart of this clunky machine is a very human question: who is Riri Williams when she’s not building suits?
We’re told she’s brilliant. We see her take after Tony Stark in both tech and sass. But for most of the series, we never fully understand why she’s doing all this. What’s driving her? What does she want beyond being a “genius inventor”? Her emotional life is hinted at but rarely explored in full.
Even the series’ best-written scenes—like Parker delivering a rousing speech about recognition and greatness—start to feel like distractions from Riri’s own journey. He gets more emotional depth than she does at times, and that’s a problem. This is supposed to be her story.
Too Many Characters, Not Enough Focus
If Ironheart feels overstuffed, that’s because it is. There’s a huge ensemble, and while many of them are interesting on their own, they pull focus from Riri. Instead of letting her narrative breathe, the show hops around trying to juggle all the side plots. It’s like being handed a Riri Williams comic book and then flipping to find half the pages are from someone else’s arc.
The ensemble cast isn’t bad—in fact, they have great chemistry. But when every other character gets a subplot, it’s hard for Riri’s arc to shine. She becomes a piece of the puzzle instead of the whole picture. And that does a disservice to both her and the show.
The Unexpected Hero of the Show: Joe McGillicuddy
Amidst all the chaos, one relationship quietly steals the spotlight: Riri and Joe McGillicuddy, played by Alden Ehrenreich.
Joe is a fellow tech whiz, but where Riri is bold and cocky, he’s quiet and hyper-focused. Their bond is unexpected, tender, and beautifully underplayed. It’s here that Ironheart finds its heart. Their scenes feel grounded, real, and emotionally honest. They’re outsiders in a world that doesn’t quite know what to do with them, and their connection is a refuge.
These moments are when the show feels like it truly knows what it’s doing. The Marvel-isms fade away, and we’re left with two young people trying to make sense of their pain and potential. If the entire show had been built around this dynamic, we might be looking at one of Marvel’s best series yet.
But alas, just as soon as we start to care, the story pulls us back into the Marvel Cinematic Universe—and not in a good way.
The Curse of the MCU
The MCU has a continuity problem. With dozens of films and shows, everything now has to tie into everything else. And Ironheart suffers because of it. Instead of focusing on Riri’s world—her community, her grief, her growth—the show keeps reminding us of the MCU’s broader timeline.
It’s less interested in who Riri is, and more concerned with where she fits. That robs the series of its emotional core. We’re not watching Riri’s story—we’re watching a setup for whatever movie or Disney+ spin-off comes next.
That kind of storytelling isn’t just exhausting—it’s damaging. It takes away the stakes, the intimacy, and the originality. And for a character as fresh and exciting as Riri Williams, that’s a shame.
Dominique Thorne Deserves Better
Here’s the real kicker: Dominique Thorne is absolutely fantastic in this role.
She nails the charisma, the arrogance, the fear, and the sorrow. You believe in her genius. You feel the weight of her grief. She brings nuance to every scene, even when the script doesn’t give her much to work with. Her performance alone is worth watching the show for.
Thorne makes Riri feel like a real person—not just a superhero origin story on legs. She’s funny, she’s broken, she’s brave, and she’s trying. In a world that keeps piling expectations on her shoulders, she just keeps moving. And that’s what makes her compelling.
It’s deeply frustrating, then, that the show doesn’t give her more to do. Instead of building around her, it builds around the Marvel brand. And in doing so, it misses the chance to truly introduce one of its most promising new heroes.
Final Thoughts: A Spark, Smothered
At its best, Ironheart is a story about grief, ambition, and identity. It’s about a girl who’s brilliant but broken, who wants to change the world but can’t quite fix herself. It’s about finding family in unexpected places and learning how to stand tall when everything around you is falling apart.
But those stories get lost.
They get buried under magic cloaks, bloated subplots, and the MCU’s endless web of crossovers. The show spends so much time trying to be a Marvel product that it forgets to be a great show.
Riri Williams deserves better. Dominique Thorne deserves better. And honestly, we as viewers deserve better.
Because when Ironheart slows down and lets its characters breathe, it’s genuinely special. There’s real heart here. It’s just buried under too much noise.
Let’s hope Marvel learns from this—and lets its next great hero actually shine.
