TV review: Marvel's Ironheart is more proof that comic-book fare is losing its lustre

Dominique Thorne in Ironheart.

Fears that the Marvel Universe has become an empty shell running on dodgy batteries are in no way assuaged by Disney’s underwhelming new addition to the soggy superhero saga, Ironheart. 

The character of Iron Heart was introduced a decade ago as a sort of unofficial follow-up to Tony Stark’s Iron Man (officially dead in both the comic book and on-screen Marvel universes). 

But despite packing a trusty set of rocket-powered boots, Iron Heart fails to take flight in the latest MCU spin-off on Disney +.

Dull and unengaging, it is yet another example of a lesson that Disney seems reluctant to learn: the wiz-bang, popcorn power of superhero cinema does not necessarily translate to the small screen. 

Unless you’re a hardcore fan, your patience will surely be tested.

Ironheart — real name Riri Williams — (Dominique Thorne) made her official entrance to the Marvel Universe with 2022’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. 

The goal was to set up Ironheart as a new addition to the franchise.

Alas, nobody seems to have remembered her cameo, so the series has to start over by introducing her as a troubled MIT student struggling to come to terms with the murder of her stepfather.

Kicked out of college, she returns home to Chicago, bringing with her a malfunctioning suit of armour, which — being a genius and all — she kitbashes into a next-generation crime-fighting outfit. 

But Riri is also running with a bad crowd, led by her friend Parker, aka The Hood (Anthony Ramos). 

As viewers, we are initially encouraged to see Parker as an ambivalent character — is he a thug or a Robin Hood type? — though it feels inevitable that things will quickly go south and his villainy will be confirmed.

Wisely, the show keeps CGI to a minimum early on, though the action descends into the level of a PS4 cut-scene whenever Iron Heart gets suited and power-booted. 

We are also promised a cameo by Sacha Baron Cohen in later episodes as a baddie.

That sounds intriguing, though you wonder if it will be enough to rescue Ironheart, which has the misfortune to arrive just as Marvel has started to pivot away from flooding the zone with content. 

After the failure of a multitude of recent projects such as Captain America: Brave New World the comic book powerhouse is moving towards a less-is-more philosophy. 

In other words, just a few movies and the odd TV show every year. That’s its own brave new world, and it means that, even though it’s only just arrived, Ironheart feels like a bit of a relic.