In the second and final installment of Ironheart, we get to know a little more about where the Marvel Cinematic Universe may be going next. You should know that there are some spoilers included here. If you don’t want the fourth, fifth, and sixth episodes spoiled, you may want to return to this article later.
These three episodes pick up where the third episode of the series left off: Joe/Ezekiel Stane’s bio-tech was dropped at the site of the crew’s last heist, Riri got her hands on a small patch of Parker’s cape, and Riri left John, Parker’s closest friend, to die.
Riri is up to her ears in stuff that she doesn’t understand, and she refuses to ask for help.
Instead, she shuts out her mom and friends, who are just trying to help her and care for her. The following episodes explore the struggle that Riri faces: She tries to understand what being a good versus a bad person means and how you protect the people around you without shutting them out. Plus, she’s paranoid and angry, and everyone around her is telling her that she’s messing up. That’s a tough place to be forced into for anyone, let alone a twenty-year-old.
While the series is worth watching for a multitude of reasons, including how it advances the overall MCU story, the struggle that Riri faces is well worth digging into.
Domonique Thorne, who plays Riri, shines again in these episodes, nailing the uncomfortable and unsure. And, in some ways, the choice she makes at the end of the series makes sense and completely doesn’t.
Riri is such an independent person; she refuses to reach out to the people who care about her, so why would she let a dangerous stranger help her? Yet, simultaneously, she decides quickly to get involved with Parker and Joe, without knowing more about them, because she sees how it will help her. With Thorne at the wheel of Riri, it’s as if you can see the gears turning as she makes her choices.
Additionally, the other powerhouse actors involved, including Sacha Baron Cohen, Anthony Ramos, Lyric Ross, and Anji White, pack punches in their performances. That’s not to mention the touches of Ryan Coogler, as executive producer, and directors Sam Bailey and Angela Barnes.
The finale of the series brings us to where the MCU goes next: A hot, new villain has entered the villa, aka Mephisto has made his glorious debut to the MCU.
Mephisto is a devil-like villain. His origins in comic books and other content are not definitive. Partially because he’s a really old being and partially because he’s a master manipulator, cheater, and liar—you can’t trust what he says. First, he controlled Parker’s soul, but Riri basically saved Parker from Mephisto. Now, Mephisto controls Riri’s soul. While the last few minutes of the finale episode make it seem like Riri may ultimately refuse to make a deal with Mephisto, she chooses to make the deal in the end.
If you’ve followed the MCU closely, there are two directions the creative team is taking things. Those directions are separate and could possibly intersect at some point: On one side are the new Avengers — whatever that means — fighting interdimensional wars and likely fighting each other, too. (This could possibly be Bucky’s team from Thunderbolts* (2025) versus Sam Wilson’s younger Avengers, which seem to be forming behind the scenes, though nothing is confirmed yet.) There will be two Avengers movies in this phase: Doomsday in 2026 and Secret Wars in 2027. (Plus, there’s a possibility that this could also return to a Kree/Skrull war, continuing the storylines from content like Secret Invasion and The Marvels (2023).)
On the other side are the storylines involving the magic and wizardry of Doctor Strange, Wanda, Agatha, and now Zelma and Riri/Ironheart. This is probably where the Mephisto storylines will tie in, serving as the villain in more magical content, rather than intergalactic content. However, the multiverse is explored by both sides of the MCU, so it’s hard to definitively identify where Mephisto will come next.
Maybe Mephisto makes multiversal deals with characters, or maybe his reentrance to the MCU will be a slow burn. What we know for sure, based on the end credit scene in Thunderbolts*, which ties into Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025), the MCU is going back to exploring the multiverse.
With the end of Ironheart comes the end of Phase Five of the MCU. Phase Six begins July 25, when Fantastic Four: First Steps premieres.
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