'Ironheart' Was a Disaster, but It Nailed This One Game-Changing Twist
It's hard to find a Marvel fan who praises Ironheart. However, most viewers agree that one plot decision was a breath of fresh air, and here's what it is.
On July 1, Ironheart ended, claiming the title of one of the franchise's worst projects with 49% from viewers on Rotten Tomatoes.
Despite some interesting elements, Ironheart turned out to be just another faceless Marvel product. Showrunner Chinaka Hodge tried to ground the superhero story with a relevant social message and black humor, but the result is dull.
Ironheart only impresses in the finale, with a worthy and thoughtful turn of events that few viewers saw coming.
'Ironheart's Best Plot Twist Is That Riri Makes a Deal With Mephisto
An integral part of both Iron Man and Ironheart is artificial intelligence. Tony Stark had J.A.R.V.I.S., and Riri has N.A.T.A.L.I.E – a digital copy of her deceased friend with an overly independent character.
However, when Riri used magic to supercharge her armor, the AI vanished, and Riri experienced the loss of a close friend once again.
Then, Riri meets with Mephisto, who promises to fulfill her wishes. He says that if they join forces, Riri will create something significant. As we see in the flash-forward scenes inserted into this conversation, Riri agrees to the tempting offer.
We see that Mephisto has fulfilled her wish and returned Natalie to her – now not as a hologram, but as a real person.
However, it cannot be ruled out that this is all a cunning deception by Mephisto, who uses his powerful magic to create a fake version of Natalie. A demonic trace of Mephisto appears on Riri's body and will grow as she approaches losing her soul.
Riri & Mephisto Deal Was the Best Plot Decision of the Show, According to Fans
Many viewers were delighted that the writers didn't take the two most popular paths: Riri didn't back out of the deal at the last minute, nor did she outwit Mephisto with some deus ex machina device. Reddit user Odd-Emergency-6597 wrote:
“If you lose your best friend twice, [...] and you get the chance to bring her back a third time, who wouldn't take that deal? Sure, we as the audience know Mephisto never brings anything good, but from Riri's point of view [...] it makes total sense that she'd slip up. Story-wise, I like that they didn't go the usual route.”
Many fans also found this twist to be a breath of fresh air – in the Ironheart finale, it is the villains who win. Redditor blah191 commented:
“I like that she took his deal and that we seem to be moving into dark, magical territory like people were saying. I love me a Faustian bargain.”
Considering that Ironheart took the right path in the very finale, there is hope for a better continuation – if there will be one. Ironheart has not yet been renewed for a second season.
