‘Ironheart’ Score on Rotten Tomatoes Draws Mixed Reactions as Review-Bombing Claims Surface

The first three episodes of Ironheart are now streaming on Disney+, marking the latest chapter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This show closes out Phase Five and follows Riri Williams as she takes her next steps, this time with a bit of magic mixed in.

Dominique Thorne is back as Riri after her first appearance in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. She’s joined by Anthony Ramos, Lyric Ross, Alden Ehrenreich, Regan Aliyah, Manny Montana, Matthew Elam, and Anji White.

Marvel announced the series way back in December 2020, and that’s when Thorne was confirmed for the role. Chinaka Hodge came on as the head writer in April 2021. The full cast lineup was revealed by early 2022, and the directing team, Sam Bailey and Angela Barnes, joined in April of that year. Filming kicked off in June 2022 at Trilith Studios in Atlanta and later moved to Chicago. Everything wrapped up by early November.

Now that the show is out, reviews are starting to come in—and they’re kind of in the middle. Ironheart currently has a 72% score on Rotten Tomatoes from critics. The audience score is also 72%, so reactions are pretty evenly split. Some fans and viewers are claiming the show is being review-bombed, but right now, there’s no clear sign of that happening on Rotten Tomatoes itself.

IMDb, though, tells a different story. Looking at the ratings chart, it’s obvious something weird is going on. The score there is being pulled down hard, and it doesn’t look organic. Over on Metacritic, Ironheart has a critic score of 58 out of 100 based on 18 reviews, which they label as “mixed or average.” The user score is even lower, sitting at 3.3, meaning most users aren’t loving it.

The overall opinion seems to be that Ironheart is a decent show with good ideas, but it doesn’t quite hit all the marks. People like the mix of technology and magic and the way the show digs into Riri’s personal story. At the heart of it, the series is about dealing with grief and holding on to your community.

Dominique Thorne gets a lot of praise for her performance. Lyric Ross also stands out in a big way. But not everyone gets their time to shine. For example, some say Anthony Ramos doesn’t get the role he deserves. One viewer said, “Chinaka Hodge and all the people involved in making Ironheart created a good show. I just don’t feel it’s a great show.”

So, while the show has its strong points, not everyone is fully convinced. It’s meaningful and heartfelt, but maybe not groundbreaking.

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