IRONHEART: Episodes 1.1 and 1.2

Name: IRONHEART: Episodes 1.1 and 1.2
Item: IRONHEART: Episodes 1.1 and 1.2
Author: Review

"“A Heartless Series”"

Family Content: -3 Excessive sex, violence, immorality, and/or worldview problems. (Sometimes excessive content such as violence is in otherwise redemptive movies.)

Entertainment Quality:

	None	Light	Moderate	Heavy
Language
Violence
Sex
Nudity

Credits →

What You Need To Know:

IRONHEART is a Marvel mini-series on Disney Plus about a teenage prodigy building her own Iron Man suit. Following her expulsion from MIT, Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne) is eager to prove her engineering genius to the world. After returning to Chicago, Riri joins a group of thieves in exchange for money for her research. However, the thieves are plotting something dangerous behind her back. Moreover, traumatic memories from Riri’s childhood begin to haunt her. Will Riri overcome her pride?

The first two episodes of Season 1 of Marvel‘s IRONHEART are an exercise of patience. It’s plagued with obnoxiously bad writing, moderate violence, and mild swearing. Furthermore, it has the least redeemable moral worldview found in any Marvel project to date. The heroine is outwardly selfish, steals property from other people, and knowingly lies to her friends. MOVIEGUIDE ® implores viewers to avoid IRONHEART at all costs.

Content:

(HH, Fe, PCPCPC, LL, VV, S, N, MM):

Dominant Worldview and Other Worldview Content/Elements:

A strong politically correct moral system with vestigial organs of Christian virtues, the heroine is a narcissistic individual who lies, steals, and cheats from people to further her goals, the main character joins a band of thieves to steal from Chicago’s aristocratic class, the heroine is ungrateful and openly hostile to her mother, the heroine is friendly and cordial with her Chicago neighbors, and a “black people are oppressed and need to rise up” theme is strongly referenced, and a minor villain (a black male) dresses up as a “nonbinary” drag queen;

Foul Language:

In episodes one and two, ten profanities are thrown around (two uses of the “sh” word, three “h” words , one “d” word, two “b” words, and two “OMG”;

Violence:

Moderate fantastical violence throughout, Chicagoan thieves use Kung Fu and other martial art techniques to beat up security guards, a woman crash lands into the ground with her Iron Man suit, the heroine bumps and scratches against an underground highway system, a woman is trapped in an elevator with only three minutes to escape, several human guards are knocked out cold and spit out blood, and a police officer is shot in the shoulder (the villain allows the officer to live);

Sex:

No sexual acts or kissing, but a female thief comments on the villain’s “hot body,” and the heroine goes on a date with a boy at a Chicago club;

Nudity:

The male villain is shirtless for two extended scenes, and the heroine wears a crop top that exposes her midriff throughout episode one;

Alcohol Use:

No alcohol use;

Smoking and/or Drug Use and Abuse:

No on-screen smoking, but the villain is implied to take pills for a rare skin condition on his back; and,

Miscellaneous Immorality:

The heroine helps several MIT students cheat with her expertise and gadgets in exchange for money, she steals school property without prior notice, a band of art thieves trap a Chicago mayor and force her to pay a hefty ransom, the gang of thieves use Discord and other internet apps to sell on the black market, the heroine coerces a black-arms dealer to sell her illegal Iron Man parts, and the main character lies behind her mother’s back.

More Detail:

IRONHEART is a Marvel mini-series on Disney + about a teenage prodigy building her own Iron Man suit. Following her expulsion from MIT, Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne) is eager to prove her engineering genius to the world. After returning to Chicago, Riri joins a group of thieves in exchange for money for her research. However, the thieves are plotting something dangerous behind her back. Moreover, traumatic memories from Riri’s childhood haunt her. Will Riri overcome her pride?

IRONHEART takes place after the events of BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER. In the first and second episodes of Season 1, Riri Williams pleads guilty to helping her classmates cheat in class. The college expels Riri and strips her research grant from Stark Industries. Desperate, Riri steals her Iron Man-like prototype suit from MIT and crash lands into her hometown of Chicago. Strapped for cash and parts, Riri joins a band of thieves led by the enigmatic gang leader Parker Robbins (Anthony Ramos). Together, they perform heists against Chicago’s most corrupt officials.

Meanwhile, Riri struggles to reconnect with her estranged neighbors. When she has an unlikely reunion with an old friend, traumatic visions from Riri’s past begin to flood her mind. Moreover, Parker Robbins holds a dark secret that will determine the fate of Chicago. Will Riri be able to reconcile with her past mistakes?

In terms of production quality, IRONHEART is a decent-looking series. The cinematography, lighting, and action scenes are on par with other MCU projects. The special effects, especially during the underground highway robbery in episode two, are well executed. The only downside is the wonky blending with Riri wearing her Ironheart suit of armor. Riri’s head looks like the special effects team slapped it on top of a CGI model, which is as awkward as it seems. Yet, this is the least of this show’s worries.

The downfall of IRONHEART starts with its lack of moral clarity. The show favors a strong, politically correct moral framework. Riri has no qualms about lying to her friends, cheating on tests, and joining a gang of thieves if it serves her interests. Her widowed mother and neighbors reprimand her, but she is rewarded handsomely for her illegal efforts. The show tries to counteract this selfishness over her survivor’s guilt in the past. However, Riri’s callousness makes it impossible for viewers to root for her.

IRONHEART is stacked with “black people are oppressed”/Marxist undertones. Riri and the villains (made up of Latin and African American men and women) discuss “not being recognized for their efforts” and “being kept down by the system.” One scene has Riri bully an effeminate Caucasian man for his black-market wares. A minor villain, a man who wears drag queen make-up, goes by “they/them” pronouns in the story. The only moral reprieve is when Riri reunites (and showcases strong empathy) with an old childhood friend.

In terms of objectionable content, the show features moderate violence and some foul language. The villains employ over-the-top martial arts to combat their bodyguards. The heroine uses an Iron Manpower suit to fly around a city. The thieves extort money and steal priceless artifacts from high-ranking Chicago officials. In both episodes, the main villain’s upper torso is fully shown. Lastly, the villain’s lackey calls him “hot.”

The final blow to IRONHEART is its abysmally poor creative choices. The dialogue is stilted, each scene has out-of-place pop culture music, and the acting is subpar. The only saving grace is the genuine “warmth” between Riri and her old childhood friends. Without getting into spoilers, Riri’s old companions are more enjoyable to watch than the entire cast. If it were not for this aspect and the cinematography, IRON HEART would be the worst-scored Marvel project in all MOVIEGUIDE history.

The first two episodes of Marvel‘s IRON HEART are an exercise of patience. Bad writing, moderate violence, and mild swearing plague the series. Furthermore, it has the least redeemable moral worldview found in any Marvel project to date. The heroine is outwardly selfish, steals property from other people, and knowingly lies to her friends. MOVIEGUIDE®

implores viewers to avoid IRONHEART at all costs.