This series went in a direction I wasn't expecting. With the loss of Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr), there is an iron-shaped hole in the MCU that Riri Williams (Dominique Thorn) is stepping up to fill.

It's not appropriate to call this an origin story for Ironheart. She was already introduced in Wakanda forever, and we saw her take flight in the climactic battle. Seeing her fight off Atlanteans should mean that she can handle a gang easily, right? NOPE.

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Ironheart suffers from the same issue most comics face when they spin off a character into their own series: characterization. The difference between the Riri Willaims we are introduced to in Wakanda Forever and the Riri in Ironheart could give you whiplash. Did the writers even watch the previous movie before putting pen to paper? The Riri we see in the show is more easily shaken compared to the Riri we see fighting on the sea.

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An overarching theme of this show is not letting go of the past. It is executed really well, with every central character motivated by something by a past event that still haunts them. Concrete motivations make them all believable and add a much-needed layer of humanity once the magic and super technology start amping up.

The theme is what really pulls this series together for me. Once we, the audience, know that these people are driven by grief, family trauma, and the sins of their parents, it is a fun experience to see how they resolve it. Without spoiling anything, they don't handle it well. This series should've ended in a group therapy session, and it would have had a happier ending for everyone. On the plus side, it gets me excited for the future of Riri. Hopefully, they keep her characters on track going forward, though. I highly recommend watching this if you're a fan of drama.

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