Marvel Studios has been fighting for its life with critics in recent years. After Eternals became the first Marvel Cinematic Universe movie to earn a “Rotten” score on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, it feels like the floodgates have opened. Some of the negative buzz can be attributed to the phenomenon known as superhero fatigue since Marvel Studios released what felt like an endless number of projects immediately following Avengers: Endgame. However, it’s hard to ignore the dip in quality from MCU projects. While things had been looking up after Thunderbolts*, the franchise’s latest Disney+ project, Ironheart, isn’t coming out of the gates swinging.
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It’s fair to say that Ironheart is fighting an uphill battle. Despite taking place directly after Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and following a character introduced in that film, it’s taken almost three years to get the show on Disney’s streaming platform. Marvel Studios has done a good job building the hype, though, enlisting the help of Iron Man actor Robert Downey Jr., who appears more than ready to pass the baton. Unfortunately, the support of the face of the MCU isn’t enough to quiet the haters. Ironheart was review-bombed on Rotten Tomatoes before it dropped, unfairly judged by an unsavory crowd.
The show’s current Tomatometer score is higher than its original audience one, with it sitting at 72% percent fresh with 39 reviews. Rotten Tomatoes has also taken steps to remove undue criticism from its platform, as the audience score for Ironheart is 71% fresh at the time of writing. Those numbers are more than respectable, but given the MCU’s track record, they probably aren’t where Kevin Feige and Co. want them to be.
Ironheart‘s performance on Rotten Tomatoes is the fourth worst for a series set in the MCU (ignoring the Netflix shows, which are a different case altogether). The only three below it are Marvel’s Inhumans, Echo, and Secret Invasion. Inhumans isn’t worth doing a deep dive on, but Echo and Secret Invasion are fair comparisons. Weak stories bog those shows down and turn interesting characters into shells of themselves. The complaints about Ironheart are similar, but at least the show still has time to work out its issues.
Ironheart‘s Unique Release Schedule Could Be Its Saving Grace
While critics’ opinions are already set in stone because they’ve seen all six of Ironheart‘s episodes, the audience isn’t in the same situation. Only the first three entries in the series are available on Disney+, with the final three dropping on July 1st. Marvel Studios’ Disney+ shows like to keep their cards close to the vest, which means the dial could get turned up to eleven next week. There are rumors of Mephisto having a major role in Ironheart, and given that MCU fans have been dying to see him in live-action since WandaVision, his appearance would be a feather in the show’s cap.
Outside of a major character introduction and maybe a quick tease for Avengers: Doomsday, the real appeal of finishing Ironheart is seeing where Riri Williams’ story takes her. She’s looking to continue Tony Stark’s legacy by any means possible, and that means traveling to dark places and doing shady things. Her actions are sure to come back to bite her, and it’ll take all of her brain power to cook up a way out of the situation that doesn’t cost her something important.
Ironheart is streaming now on Disney+.
How do you feel about Ironheart‘s Rotten Tomatoes score? Are you going to watch the rest of the episodes when they drop on Disney+? Let us know in the comments below!
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