Ironheart Boss On Episode 3's [Spoiler] Reveal: 'It's So Much Fun To Reach Back' In MCU History — Grade It!
The following contains spoilers from the first three episodes of Marvel Television's Ironheart series, now streaming on Disney+.
Say it ain't so, Joe.
Disney+'s Ironheart debuted its first three (of six) episodes on Tuesday night, and MIT genius Riri Williams (played again by Black Panther: Wakanda Forever's Dominique Thorne) in short order found herself expelled from the prestigious university, after conducting one explosive experiment too many.
Returning home to Chicago and in need of cash to fund her tech, Riri allies with Parker Robbins aka The Hood (Anthony Ramos), whose band of bandits includes Cousin John (Graceland's Manny Montana), computer hacker Slug (drag queen Shea Couleé), demolitions expert Clown (Birdgirl's Sonia Denis) and, as muscle, The Blood Sibs (Wentworth's Zoe Terakes and Sprung's Shakira Barrera).
Riri's less-criminal associations, meanwhile, include N.A.T.A.L.I.E. (This Is Us' Lyric Ross), a holographic AI she accidentally creates in her dead best friend's image; the late Natalie's brother Xavier (Fargo Season 4's Matthew Elam); and Joe McGillicuddy, a meek, fellow tech genius (Solo: A Star Wars Story's Alden Ehrenreich).
Though he prefers to live under the radar, Joe begins to help Riri with her inventive endeavors and "iron suit" upgrades. When Riri grows wary of the "power" Parker draws from the (magical?) cloak he wears, she plots to slice off a snippet for analysis — but she needs Joe's newly invented "biomesh" fabric to conceal her laser from the Heirlum Labs sensors.
The Heirlum break-in goes explosively sideways — partly because Riri's laser is eventually detected, but also because John comes to question her motives and spoils for a fight with the team's new recruit. N.A.T.A.L.I.E., piloting the iron suit, comes to Riri's rescue and John is left to suffocate to death as the facility floods with carbon dioxide.
WHO WAS OBADIAH STANE?
In her haste to retreat, Riri leaves behind the biomesh sample, which will undoubtedly be found at the scene of the break-in/murders and possibly link back to its creator, Joe — whose actual identity is Ezekiel "Zeke" Stane, the son of the first Iron Man film's villain, Obadiah Stane (played by Jeff Bridges)!
"Joe" had shared with Riri his true identity earlier in the hour, after his new friend accidentally dropped a Zip-Lok containing the ashes of one "Obadiah S." Though the "public" story was that Obadiah died in a plane crash — a tale spun by S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Phil Coulson at the end of Iron Man — Zeke knows that his father in fact perished whilst trying to kill Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.). As such, he has spent the years since determined not to follow in those supervillainous footsteps.
'A GEM OF A HANGING CHAD'
"It's a gem of a 'hanging chad' in the Obadiah Stane story," Ironheart head writer Chinaka Hodge told TVLine of the decision to smuggle Zeke into this Marvel TV series.
"One of the best things about the MCU is how things connect," Hodge noted, "but I think so many of the throws have been forward or to other MCUs or alternate universes, and it's so much fun to reach back."
Plus, with Ehrenreich in the role, Obadiah's offspring could have legs beyond Ironheart — provided, of course, that he makes it out of these next three episodes alive.
"Alden's so great in the role and the character is so much fun," Hodge effused, "I expect, as a fan, it will live a long time."
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