Marvel’s latest Disney+ series, Ironheart, is off to a rocky start. Despite some initial hype, the show has debuted with a 72% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes. Now, that number isn’t disastrous by most standards, but in MCU terms, it plants Ironheart squarely among the bottom four live-action shows in the franchise’s streaming history.
To be clear, Ironheart is not Inhumans bad. But when you’re only scoring higher than Secret Invasion, Echo, and Inhumans, it’s hard not to raise an eyebrow.
That said, a 72% critics score and 71% audience score (as of now) are far from abysmal, especially considering Ironheart was review-bombed before it even premiered. Rotten Tomatoes has since removed the unfair noise, but the early stain was already there.
The timing of the release hasn’t helped either. It’s been nearly three years since Riri Williams first appeared in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. That’s a long wait for a spinoff, especially one tied to a cultural and box office giant.
Marvel tried to inject some energy into the launch with Robert Downey Jr.’s ’s public support, positioning Riri as a worthy successor to Tony Stark. But for some viewers, it’s going to take more than legacy talk to make the show click.
There was a time when anything bearing the Marvel Studios logo was guaranteed acclaim. But since Eternals cracked the “Rotten” barrier, cracks in the once-bulletproof armor have widened. Some of that is burnout, sure, but there’s also a broader conversation around quality control that Ironheart now finds itself smack in the middle of.
To be fair, critics have already seen all six episodes, so their minds are made up. But fans? Only three episodes are currently streaming. The final batch lands July 1st, and that’s when we’ll see if Ironheart sticks the landing.
Marvel has a habit of saving its biggest swings for the end. Rumors even hint that Mephisto may finally appear, which could bring long-time fans flocking back just out of curiosity.
Ironheart has a lot to prove, and there’s not much time left to do it. But if the last three episodes deliver something surprising, it may be just enough to pull the show out of the MCU’s bottom tier. I’m still watching the first three episodes, but It’s a mediocre as I expected it to be so far.
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