Spoilers ahead for Ironheart.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is known for constantly treating fans to new content, both in theaters and streaming with a Disney+ subscription. The latter brought us the recent release of Ironheart, which centered around Dominique Thorne’s Riri Wiliams after she debuted in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. I had a great time watching the spinoff, mostly because it did something that all my favorite Marvel movies do. Namely, it has a unique POV and something to say.
Marvel movies in order have seen how the franchise has ebbed and flowed in the years since Avengers: Endgame was released. The Ironheart TV series is out in its entirety now, and I was truly shocked by how much I loved it. While I’ve watched every MCU series, this one brought something wholly unique to the table. Aside from Ryan Coogler and company fusing magic and tech, the show had a setting and group of characters so real you could touch them. And, the way that the series connected to the MCU as a whole was chef’s kiss.
Guardians of the Galaxy are two prime examples, as they were director-driven and unlike anything seen previously in the shared universe. The same can also be said with some of the TV series, especially WandaVision and Loki. Rather than simply giving us a ground-level story about Riri Williams becoming a bonafide superhero, we got a fully fleshed out world with tons of surprising plot twists.
Aside from its tone and delightful cast of characters, Ironheart also broke ground for the MCU as a whole. Specifically by mixing magic and tech in a way we haven’t seen before. This comes as Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom is about to be introduced, a villain who is known for combining these two elements in his evil plans.
Ironheart’s Ties To The MCU’s History Felt Organic
While the series told a story about Riri in Chicago, it also featured a number of satisfying and surprising ties to other projects in the MCU. Fans were shocked when Ironheart revealed a real connection to Iron Man, as Alden Ehrenreich was revealed to be Ezekiel “Zeke” Stane. His father, Obadiah, was the first villain of the entire shared universe, and it seemed fitting that Tony Stark’s successor would end up colliding with the son of his OG adversary.
Magic entered the group chat halfway through, and offered yet another connection to previous MCU entries. Cree Summer’s Madeline Stanton revealed she actually trained at Kamar-Taj from the Doctor Strange franchise. While some Marvel projects feel like they’re forcing these connections to the larger franchise, the new Disney+ series makes it seem much more organic.
Finally there was the long-awaited entrance of Mephisto, who had been rumored to join the MCU since WandaVision. Fans have debated for years about exactly how that villain would show up, but they didn’t expect it to happen in Ironheart. One can only imagine how this particular plot twist will reverberate through upcoming Marvel movies and shows.
Ironheart is streaming in its entirety now on Disney+ as part of the 2025 TV premiere list. Fans have questions after the finale, so hopefully the studio will offer some answers sooner rather than later.