Dominique Thorne ’19 plays Riri Williams, the main character in Ironheart, well. Still, the series falls short. While her character was first introduced in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Ironheart was a chance to give the character a spotlight. Warning: This article includes spoilers for Ironheart.
The series starts strong: Riri is at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she designs her first suit and, along the way, sells other creations to students for more money to fund her suit’s design. But then Riri is expelled. While there are plot holes in stories that don’t make sense, this felt like a character plot hole. Riri was working well at MIT, but her plagiaristic side gig of selling her projects and homework left her stranded; the school rescinded her grant and expelled her. This opening fallout that leaves Riri in search of funding is illogical and contributes to the mixed reactions Ironheart is receiving.
In the first episode of Ironheart, Riri asks, “Do you think Tony Stark would be Tony Stark if he wasn’t a billionaire?” Fans have reacted negatively to this rhetorical question. It’s intended to provide social commentary on the wealth disparity in the United States and the gap in opportunities from funding and resources. However, this is not accomplished by jabbing at Tony Stark and especially from Riri’s position at MIT with a grant that allows her to build her first suit. The series Ironheart aims to discuss the importance of having resources and being financially supported. Yet, the audience is aware that Tony Stark built his first suit in a cave while captive. Tony Stark is not Iron Man because he was a billionaire, but because he was Tony Stark. The story of the superhero is built around the idea of a man making the suit, not the suit making the man. It’s about character, motivations and integrity. We even see this when Captain America is able to lift Thor’s hammer when other Avengers cannot. It is not because he is Captain America that he can lift it; it is because he is Steve Rogers. A person’s character is integral to the superhero story. This is one of my qualms with Ironheart. The show’s social commentary — important in its own right by recognizing the necessity of support and resources not just opportunities — overlooks and disregards the aspect of superhero films that is the character making the hero, not their funding.
For being an action, adventure and drama series, there wasn’t much to show for any genre, but the parts that were present were entertaining. After being expelled from MIT, Riri joins a group that performs heists to make some money. The heists were interesting, and the action scenes were fun to watch, yet this was another part of the character plot hole that is Riri Williams. There are many “whats” and “hows” in the show, but not many “whys.” Every member of the group had a motivation to make money, but money is transactional and used for the sake of something else. No character’s motivation was strong, so it made other parts of the show nonsensical.
Aside from this, the show had some fun aspects. In Riri’s second suit, her late best friend, Natalie Washington (Lyric Ross), is brought back to life in the form of the suit’s AI assistant. Their relationship is lively and a pleasant part of the show. In the later episodes, Zelma Stanton (Regan Aliyah) is introduced and brings an element of magic from her mom’s studies at the Kamar-Taj.
The light at the end of the tunnel was the introduction of Mephisto. Mephisto is a powerful demon from the Marvel comics who is also a supervillain who makes deals with mortals. From his presence in Ironheart, he’ll play a significant role in Riri Williams’ story and any upcoming Marvel movies.
There wasn’t much change in Riri Williams’ character from the first episode to the last. It was a pretty static character arc. However, if the show is renewed for a second season, I hope her character is explored beyond action and adventure, and more toward what she wants from life and how she’ll get there. Dominique Thorne ’19 did an excellent job with the character, and she’ll continue to do so in the upcoming show Marvel Zombies, and the two upcoming movies Avengers: Doomsday (2026) and Avengers: Secret Wars (2027).
It’s inspiring to see a Cornell alum succeed on screen. Even better, Ironheart featured the amazing work of two other Cornell alums: Dara Taylor ’09 composed the music for Ironheart, and Mae Jemison MD ’81 was name-dropped as Riri Williams’ inspiration. I look forward to future shows and movies with Thorne as Riri Williams, as she’ll surely become an important part of the MCU.
Sophia Romanov Imber is a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences. She can be reached at sromanovimber@cornellsun.com.
