It’s been years in the making, but finally the first three episodes of the Marvel series Ironheart are available to stream with your Disney+ subscription. Considered a direct sequel to Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Ironheart continues the journey of that movie’s breakout character Riri Williams, played by Dominique Thorne. With the premiere of the series on the 2025 TV schedule also comes the first reactions from critics who were able to screen all six episodes, and their reviews are mixed.
The series sees Riri return to Chicago, where she gets caught up with the charming and mysterious Parker Robbins, aka “The Hood” (Anthony Ramos). Other members of Ironheart’s cast include Lyric Ross, Alden Ehrenreich and Regan Aliyah, and while David Opie is on the fence about it as a whole, there are some standout performances, the critic says:
Ironheart is a mixed bag for me, which is a shame because I wanted them to smash it and put a middle finger up at the trolls. The second half is much better than the first tho, especially when magic’s thrown into the mix. Regan Aliyah is a scene-stealer and Lyric Ross is the MVP.
He is one of several critics who write that the new MCU TV show picks up as it goes along, including Mark Cassidy. While the finale is the best of the six-episode series, Ironheart is simply “not good.” In Cassidy’s words:
I've seen all six episodes of Ironheart, and it's not good. It becomes obvious very quickly why Marvel decided to dump this on D+ 3 eps at a time. Can't fault the cast, but none of them are given much to work with. Some of the action scenes are passable and the finale is by far the strongest ep, but it's mostly just tedious to sit through, I'm afraid. I didn't hate it... because there's not enough passion behind any of it to make me feel that strongly one way or the other. The very definition of ‘content.’
Zach Pope continues the parade of lackluster reactions, as the critic seems kind of ambivalent toward the show despite wanting to enjoy it. Pope says:
Ironheart is a fine series! I really wanted to love but came away not feeling much. VFX, Action, & some new additions of magic mythology to the world of the MCU stand out (THE HOOD + FINALE = AWESOME) but the character arcs feel at a standstill by the end & don’t go anywhere.
Justin Lawrence of Geekcentric praises Dominique Thorne and Lyric Ross’ chemistry, saying he would love to see more of their characters together. Riri’s story could have hit harder with a tighter story, the critic says, writing:
Ironheart is a bit of a mess—but it means well. Dominique Thorne is great, grounding the story with real emotion as Riri builds something new from grief. Rushed pacing and inconsistent narrative weigh it down, leaving a series that reaches for greatness but never quite takes off
In terms of themes of loss and grief, however, Hope Sloop says MCU fans would be better off rewatching WandaVision. While Ironheart works as a standalone project, it fails as a good introduction for these characters. The critic continues:
Ironheart is really fun at times but feels (in my humble opinion) like it’s desperately in need of a soul. The magic vs. machine theme is conceptually intriguing but feels like it’s lacking here. I’m ambilavent because I didn’t hate any part but I didn’t love anything either. Wanted to find even one thing that stood out apart from performances and I couldn’t. I always start a show by asking, “What does this show ask of me?” and sadly I still feel lost on this.
Adam Patia says Ironheart does not use its six episodes well in terms of exploring some of the deeper issues introduced, but he is intrigued by what’s to come, writing:
Ironheart suffers from too few episodes to dynamically explore the interesting ideas of access and privilege being discussed. However, Dominique Thorne and Alden Ehrenreich lead this show toward a satisfying conclusion that left me excited for Marvel's next steps.
The above critic isn’t the only one with an overall positive takeaway. While many of the first reactions to Ironheart are critical, Eric Ansley Diaz is among those who “really dug it.” In Diaz’s words:
So I’ve seen all of Ironheart, and I really dug it. It has the unabashedly comic booky vibes of an Arrowverse show (the good ones) but with better production value. It covers an aspect of the Iron Man comics the movies never touched on, which is tech vs. magic. It’s a good time.
Germain Lussier goes so far as to say this is near the top of his list for MCU series, thanks in large part to Dominique Thorne. Lussier posts:
Ironheart is one of my favorite Marvel shows. It blends so much of what we love about the MCU so seamlessly with fantastic characters, performances, and style. Goes places I didn't expect, links in wild ways, but always keeps its dynamic, flawed, lead character front and center.
Even self-proclaimed Marvel cynic Maggie Lovitt of Collider appreciates the “insanely cool ideas” in this series and specifically praises Dominique Thorne and Alden Ehrenreich for standout performances.
The first three episodes of Ironheart are out [June 24], and your resident Marvel cynic is here to say: it’s quite good! It’s a shame the series has been in flux, because Disney+ has something great on their hands. Dominique Thorne is pure dynamite. Alden Ehrenreich is brilliantly cast. Ironheart is full of insanely cool ideas that actually get follow through and satisfying pay offs. It also doesn’t feel like an MCU, which I know has been said a lot. But it’s very gritty, and dark, and very addictive! I watched the entire series in a night.
Fans have been waiting for Ironheart’s release for a long time, and while that day has finally come, it may be with less fanfare than some hoped. If you’re wondering how to watch Ironheart, the first three episodes can be streamed now on Disney+, with the final three episodes dropping next Tuesday, July 1.
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