Streamed: 'Ironheart' enters the danger zone with a strong three-part finale

The final three episodes of Marvel’s Ironheart arrived this week, and I was pleasantly surprised by the ending. After a somewhat uneven start, Riri Williams’ nefarious quest to be great peaked with the narrative-shifting third episode. The story continued on this upward trajectory right to the grand finale, introducing a major MCU villain and a not-so-happy ending.

Originally announced in 2020, the show was fast-tracked to production the next year. But a writer’s strike paired with Marvel’s massive content restructuring held the show from arriving. Pre-empted with a shallow marketing push, inevitable racist review bombing, and meager critical acclaim, expectations were low. To the surprise of many MCU fans, the series found its footing — smartly with its two-halves release strategy — and managed to deliver an emotionally taut story with great implications for the greater Marvel universe.

The momentum from episode three’s cliffhanger develops our three leads’ emotional tipping points, introduces vital new characters, and finally brings an antagonist worthy of the stakes. Riri’s tragic mistake during the Hierlum heist makes her public enemy #1 as The Hood and Ezekiel form a deadly alliance. Pushed past her limits, Riri finally succumbs to asking for help. With the aid of her community, she embraces her traumatic past and remembers that not all the memories and moments were bad.

Sadly, the same can’t be said for Parker, whose past familial estrangement threads his present-day actions to the point of no return. After violently taking what he thinks he deserves, he still isn’t satisfied. With Zeke as his lone puppet, he seeks to finish off Riri. Fortunately, she earns the upperhand by fighting magic with magic.

Here, we learn that Cree Summers’ Ms. Stanton and her daughter Zelma are full-fledged witches. Well-versed in the practices of Dr. Strange, their knowledge, paired with Riri’s intellect, boasts a suit capable of stopping The Hood from harming others and himself. But, magic is transactional, and Riri loses NATALIE in the process.

The same ambitions that tempted Parker guide Riri to make a deal with Mephisto (Sacha Baron Cohen), the demonic entity audiences have been waiting for since WandaVision. Instead of declining his offer, Riri is granted her one wish: human Natalie resurrected.

The show’s conclusion, alluding to the price Riri will pay for this unnatural feat, feels deserved and places us back on a track with MCU-initiated projects like WandaVision, Shang-Chi and the Ten Rings, and Agatha All Along. Unlike the third Ant-Man, the consequences feel real and seem to redirect the ship to a hopefully fantastic future.

The series’ latter episodes take full advantage of the talent on screen, with stellar performances from Dominique Thorne and Lyric Ross, who anchor the show. Anthony Ramos embraces his full villainy once free of the crew, which felt like the least fleshed-out component of the first half. With nothing else to lose, he could be a formidable foe in the future. Alden Ehrenreich is excellent as Ezekiel, a tragic character whom I found myself rooting for in the end. His obsessive discontent with his father made him something much worse.

Another plus was the show’s production. Well-lit and vibrant, money was handled well for the special effects, especially Riri’s suits. Each iteration looked expensive and wasn’t cheapened for the smaller screen. The soundtrack was also a bonus. A chunk of Disney's change went into procuring a playlist that was modern, Black, and eclectic.

Whether we receive another season of Ironheart or not, the story makes Riri a central part of whatever lies ahead in both TV and film.

Rating: 8/10