The Marvel Cinematic Universe is not often associated with a sense of place, unless the place in question is a green-screened soundstage in Atlanta or London. (There are exceptions, like the recently revived, New York-set “Daredevil,” but they’re not the norm.) The best thing “Ironheart,” the MCU’s latest Disney+ show, has going for it is precisely the spatial specificity so many of its predecessors lack. Before the six-episode season gets bogged down late in its run with competing genre elements and fantastical lore, “Ironheart” is a show about Chicago — specifically, the city’s predominantly Black South Side, where protagonist Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne) returns after she’s expelled from MIT.
Riri was first introduced in a handful of scenes of “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” in the film equivalent of what TV nerds would call a backdoor pilot — smuggling a trial balloon for a new series between episodes of an established one. It was a less-than-ideal way to set up the protagonist of a new show two and a half years down the line. “Ironheart” creator Chinaka Hodge (“Amazing Stories,” “Snowpiercer”) inherits a character with the technical prowess — and superpowered suit — of Tony Stark, but without the rich dad or attendant resources. To build Riri up from a helpful accomplice to a hero (or maybe antihero, more on that shortly) in her own right, Hodge doubles down on this disparity. Riri gets booted from MIT for selling class projects to her peers as means to fundraise for her own experiments, because unlike her indirect namesake Iron Man, she doesn’t have the means or connections to do it herself. It’s an unusually pragmatic problem for a fictional universe that includes aliens and wizards, and initially grounds “Ironheart” in personal stakes that suit the small screen.
Once back in Chicago and under the watchful, concerned eye of her mother Ronnie (Anji White), Riri gets recruited by Parker Robbins (Anthony Ramos), the leader of a local heist crew that targets the area’s multimillionaires. Comparisons to Robin Hood are not just invited, but demanded: Parker’s signature look is an old-timey cape, complete with head covering, that appears to give him abilities like bending bullets mid-air. But before the mystical, potentially sinister origins of Parker’s powers come to light, we spend more time with accomplices like tech expert Stuart (comedian Eric André) and hacker Slug, played by “RuPaul’s Drag Race” alumna and Chicagoland native Shea Coulée.
The casting of Coulée is one of several sweet nods to Riri’s hometown, where “Ironheart” shot exterior scenes after principal photography in Atlanta. (Disney’s willingness to forsake generous tax incentives only goes so far.) Riri flies over the river in her suit before crash-landing in the street, and uses a Cubs flag to cover her busted-up creation when she takes it on the CTA en route to some repairs. It’s amusing that “Ironheart” drops within days of the latest season of “The Bear,” which offers a complementary but equally affectionate take on the city.
“Ironheart” gets more emotional weight from Riri’s backstory: the loss of her stepfather Gary (LaRoyce Hawkins) and best friend Natalie (Lyric Ross) in a drive-by shooting five years before to the events of the show. While the trauma plot has long since worn out its welcome as expositional shorthand and sepia-toned flashbacks add little, Ross gives a warm and nuanced performance as Natalie — or rather, N.A.T.A.L.I.E., as she’s styled when Riri semi-accidentally resurrects a version of her best friend in the form of a holographic AI.
The ethics of artificial intelligence as grieving aid are just one of many bites “Ironheart” takes that cumulatively amount to more than it can chew. The plot elements start to snowball as the season unfolds, threatening to lose the most worthwhile ones in the flurry. “Ironheart” feels both physically and thematically separate from the MCU — until Alden Ehrenreich appears as a mild-mannered scientist connected to a marginal presence in the “Iron Man” franchise. Riri is a scientist obsessed with making machinery work — until magic, witchcraft and other forms of spirituality suddenly start driving the story. Parker seems poised to be the primary antagonist — until Sacha Baron Cohen steps in at the 11th hour.
Because “Ironheart” is only six episodes, there’s not enough time for the show to settle into one identity before another takes over. The first half, directed by Sam Bailey, shapes into a heist procedural, albeit one where the victims are too generic for the scores to be all that satisfying. (One, a car tunnel entrepreneur, has shades of Elon Musk, but she’s gone before we can blink.) The second half, directed by Angela Barnes, is a messier melange, culminating in a blatant setup for Riri’s next appearance, whether in a Season 2 or some other property. “Ironheart” is a compelling story about the limitations of genius, whether to overcome a lack of money or bend laws of the universe like death. It’s also a lot of other stories at the same time, none of which is as focused or affecting.
The first three episodes of “Ironheart” are now streaming on Disney+, with the second half of the season premiering July 1.
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