Ironheart is ultimately much more enjoyable than what the internet would make it out to be, but it's also a mixed bag. Riri isn't the most likable protagonist, this season almost came across as a villain origin story. She's self-serving and kind of narcissistic, and she seems ready to do just about anything to further her goals. The show is low on any actual superheroics, her tech is generally used just for crime and sometimes to keep her loved ones safe. One of the key moments of the season is her leaving someone to die because they're an obstacle. That's villain ****, but it's all perfectly tied together with the ending. Obviously many of her choices are representative of systematic issues. She's as much a genius as Tony Stark was, but she doesn't have the kind of budget and means available as he did, and that's a key factor that sets her on this desperate anti-hero path, but then again, that's true for many villainous characters. Riri is complicated, and I'm really interested to see where her story leads her next.
The show has a bit of a villain problem. Anthony Ramos is miscast, in my opinion. I've liked him in many things, but here he's just spread thin with this character that's supposed to be menacing at times and sometimes pathetic, and it doesn't really lead anywhere, particularly with the limp post-credit scene. Unless there's a season 2, this is probably going to be another example of Marvel hinting at something that might never come to fruition. Ramos doesn't sell the character, but perhaps that's partially by design to make Sacha Baron Cohen's magnificent Mephisto even more effective. That doesn't change the fact that we're stuck with The Hood for five episodes. I wish they had even styled Ramos better, that damn haircut would suck all charisma out of anyone. Alden Ehrenreich's semi-villainous turn didn't really work for me either. I don't know if it's dodgy casting or a writing issue, but I can't help but feel that these two could've been handled so much better.
Natalie and the show's exploration of AI is my favorite part of Ironheart. It's interesting that when Riri is making a deal with the devil, it doesn't seem to occur to her that she could ask for the actual human being's resurrection instead of the AI tool that's based on her recollection of her late best friend. Chatbots are a hot topic right now, even more so than when the show was written and shot, and I couldn't stop thinking about the stories of lonely and depressed people using these AI tools for companionship and comfort and it usually ending badly. I found the scenes of N.A.T.A.L.I.E. researching and imitating clips of the real Natalie quite chilling. She's almost presented as one of those "I saved my consciousness to an algorithm" sci-fi scenarios, but the show points out that she lacks any kind of inner world of the sort and is instead based on how Riri remembers Natalie. It's all very interesting, but ultimately it's for the better that the show brings the real Natalie back instead. Lyric Ross is excellent in the role, and she brings a lot of likability and fun to the show, especially compared to the more self-serious Riri.
Shea Couleé is a welcome addition to the show, particularly since Disney is actively neutering this kind of representation. They're probably the most likable part of The Hood's gang. Overall the gang wasn't developed enough, and I would've rather seen them cultivating a closer relationship with Riri instead of immediately trying to murder her when instructed to do so. Another favorite of mine was Cree Summer as Madeline Stanton. She was shown a little bit in episode 1, and I immediately knew this would be one of my favorite characters, and thank goodness she was brought back later with a bit more to do and cool magical powers to boot.
Ironheart comes with a cool (and seemingly expensive) soundtrack, a good cast of supporting characters, and a nice mixture of science and magic that I'd love to see developed further. It made me think of an Epica lyric, "Science, spirituality. Will have to meet along the way. And we need new drifts, another view. Expand our grip on the cryptic soul." I'd happily watch a season 2, especially if we get more of that. We could also sneak in some Agatha cameos, peut-être?
Overall, I'd give the show a healthy 3/5. This turned into an essay, but Ironheart ended up fascinating me more than most of these D+ shows do, and that's really cool.
