I thought that Riri Williams was a lot of fun in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and I was excited to see her character fleshed out in her own series, Ironheart. This is part of the Disney+ portion of the MCU, and I waited until all six episodes had aired to watch it. and I had heard mixed things about the show, but I honestly thought that it was pretty decent. It is certainly not the best Marvel TV show, but it is far from the trainwreck I have heard other people, mostly “professional reviewers,” say that it is.
Where to Watch Ironheart
Ironheart was released between June 24 – July 1, 2025. You can stream it from Disney+.
The Ironheart Series Review
Before I get to the show, I have to say that the way Disney put this out was so much better. I do not understand why Disney does the once a week thing, actually, I do. Disney+ has so little “new” content being added on a regular basis, they want to stretch stuff out as long as possible! However, for Ironheart, they put it on over two weeks, you got three episodes one week, and then the final three the next. I still waited for all six, but this is better than once per week, in my opinion.
Storyline Picks Up After Wakanda Forever
The story picks up after the events of Wakanda Forever. Riri has been trying to make it work at MIT with her building of an Iron Man style suit of her own. However, her methods of making a few bucks, in addition to a few other “incidents,” cause the school to kick Riri out, forcing her to move back in with her mom, back in Chicago.
Dominique Thorne Shines as Riri Williams
Riri wants to keep making her suit and make a difference in the world. I have to say that Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams is just so damn likable and it is so awesome to see this character fleshed out the way that she is. Riri is dealing with some pretty bad PTSD over the death of her father and her best friend, Natalie.
N.A.T.A.L.I.E: An AI With Heart and Humor
In trying to make her AI for her suit, Riri connects her brain to her computer, and her AI is now Natalie, although she is called N.A.T.A.L.I.E which I thought was pretty hilarious. Natalie is played by the awesome Lyric Ross, who you may know as Deja from the awesome show This Is Us. Natalie is a very interesting AI in that she is not perfect, and she is as close to a human AI as you will see in a show. I liked how she helped Natalie deal with her PTSD, as well as a few other things, during the show as well.
The Hood: A Magical Antagonist
Turns out that making your own Iron Man suit is not cheap. Riri needs money, which leads Riri to a gang that is led by a man called Parker Robins, who is also known as The Hood, and he has magical and dark powers. Anthony Ramos is awesome in this role, but my wife pointed out that when he is wearing the Hood costume, he looks like Bruno from Encanto, and now I cannot unsee it, and if Disney makes a live-action Encanto, he has to be Bruno. Also, on a side note, where the heck is that Anthony Ramos GI Joe/Transformers crossover that was teased at the end of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts?
Tech vs Magic and Riri’s Inner Conflict
The whole technology vs magic thing, as well as Riri battling with her morals to see just how far she is willing to go in order to bring her suit to life, is great. There is a lot of action in Ironheart, but I felt that the characters had a lot of depth to them, and you truly did wonder how things were going to play out. The six episodes zoomed by, and right from the start, I was entertained. Although I will say that a character who could have major implications in the MCU was introduced, and I wish that they had made him look more like his comic book counterpart.
Visual and Audio Quality Issues
Now, one complaint that I have had about these MCU shows is that the way they are shot during dark scenes makes it very, very hard to see. Well, to be fair, Ironheart is not super dark like other MCU shows, but the sound mixing seems off. I had to have the sound cranked up on my TV really loud, and even when put through my Dolby Atmos soundbar on my main TV, the sound design was very quiet. Still, apart from the sound, this was a very entertaining show and well worth your time watching.
