This series was actually
filmed three years ago and is not as special effects heavy as many so I’m
wondering why it has taken this long to be shown. Not only that but it is
officially the end of Marvel’s phase five, surely the least distinct segment of
their saga. While some of the individual productions have been good, overall,
there is a feeling that perhaps Marvel is reaching too far, trying to vary what
they’re good at which will inevitably yield mixed results. Ironheart
does present some striking sequences though and regardless of what narrative
the cast are given they carry it off well so it deserves a more prominent place
than this.
Spoilers after the
break
We left the action at
the end of part three with the botched Heirlum mission during which Riri
allowed Parker’s right-hand man and cousin John to die after he discovered her
covert attempt to take a piece of the mysterious hood. Much of part four is
taken up with Riri trying to discover what the material of this garment is and
where it might be from initially in Zeke’s lab. The latter has been arrested in
the meantime, seemingly framed for the heist though this is just a ruse to
allow Parker to recruit him. Scientific
forensics do not make good television as a rule though this is neatly turned into
a montage to speed up matters. What isn’t quite as clear is why Parker suspects
Riri’s involvement in his cousin’s death. There seems to be some kind of
spectral appearance from John but the dialogue isn’t given to us at least as
far as I noticed. Still, it makes for some tense moments as Parker keeps
glowering at her and doesn’t include her in his immediate scheme. “I’ve got
plans for you,” he reassures her but she’s not convinced.
Once it seems clear that
conventional chemical testing is not going to provide the answers Riri’s mum
turns up a friend whose something of a magical expert and whose daughter Zelma
is a dab hand at magical matters. Her resemblance to Velma of Scooby Doo
legend cannot surely be a coincidence. The big surprise is when Zeke is freed
by Parker and given bionic enhancements so he can kill Riri. It’s interesting
that Parker does not seem to want to do this himself yet is happy to send
others to do it. The episode’s best moments occur when Xavier is shocked and
horrified by the fact that the iron suit’s AI appears as his late sister. This
is a show rooted in familial values – not just Riri’s family but Parker’s as
well- and this is teased out further in the last two episodes.
There’s a cracking
confrontation between Riri and her former heist mates which considering Riri’s
suit is now pulped she has to deal with using only her resourcefulness and still
manages to outwit them. In fact, the
final two episode ramp up the pace considerably also showing us how Parker got
the hood in the first place. Episode five includes the emotional erasing of
Natalie as the new suit which Riri and her extended family somewhat improbably
construct in what seems to be a few days from a car won’t take magical as well
as AI input.
One thing that stands
out is how quickly the gang’s loyalties to Parker fall away once his true
nature is revealed, exposing his talk of `family` as simply conditioning. We do
gain an insight into Parker when he returns to the scene of the early crime
where he and John were almost caught, we discover it is his father’s mansion
and Parker’s aim all along has been to take the company for himself. Not for
the last time the narrative suggests that greed is at the root of a lot of
problems. I really liked the scene where he confronts Robbin senior. Whilst the
old man has no choice but to sign away his business, he is dismissive of his son’s ambition. “It’ll
never be enough” he tells him- a strong cameo from Paul Calderon. Anthony Ramos
copes well with what could easily be one of those overstated villainous roles
and even with having to wear that cape which, to be honest, does look a bit
silly at time. When he enters the mansion, hair slicked back like the phantom
of the opera I was almost expecting an aria but the actor overcomes these
visual encumbrances to deliver a strong, believable performance as a spurned,
bitter son.
Though I’ve seen most
of the films I’ve never read any Marvel comics so my knowledge of wider Marvel
lore is sketchy but the series’ real Big Bad is revealed as Mephisto, a
character who offers whatever the person wants but the cost of something “you
won’t notice.” When we see this being played out with the power-hungry Parker
in flashback we sort of know this will be where Riri will end up and sure
enough in part six she does. Once again pulling the rug from under our
expectations she does accept his offer and is able to bring Natalie back. This
not only suggests Ironheart may run to a second season but that Riri
hasn’t learned a lot from her travails. In a way I like this because the predictable
route would be for her to rebuff Mephisto with her usual sass but it
underscores the temptation of such an offer which we’ve already seen with
Parker. It makes you think- what would you do? Of course, Mephisto fails to
mention the `small thing` that will be the cost. Sacha Baron Cohen takes the
role swapping accents yet steering clear of any preening villainous traits.
Its worth noting that
the large number of negative reviews of this series are more due to the
prominence of female and multiracial actors than the series itself. Its
certainly not Marvel by numbers and contains a number of plot points that take
the narrative in unexpected directions. In Dominique Thorne the show is
anchored by a very strong, yet unusual performance slewing away from any superheroic
traits and depicting a person who is not the perfectly behaved hero but whose
worldview is tempered by difficult experiences and her own genius. There isn’t
a line in the show that says this but there were definitely times when I wanted
Riri just to shout `but I’m so much more intelligent than any of you`! Ironheart scores highly in its characterisation
especially the best friends’ banter between Riri and Natalie (an always on
point Lyric Ross) plus a warm yet
sometimes feisty mother / daughter relationship, Anji White as the former being
fantastic in every scene she’s in. If some of the heist stuff seems a little
unlikely the show does meld the concept of magic and technology mixing together
really well. Ironheart may not be as much fun as something like Ms
Marvel nor as gripping as The Falcon and the Winter Soldier but it
is always interesting and challenges some of those now familiar Marvel tropes.
It would be a shame if its position at the end of a phase precludes a second
season or at least a re-appearance of Riri in one of the films because it feels
like there’s more of her story to be told.
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