Marvel’s upcoming Ironheart Disney+ series is facing an overwhelmingly negative reaction from people. We hate to admit it, but there’s a noticeable section of the MCU fanbase that genuinely “hates” the show. Yes, not liking a particular project is one thing, but what Ironheart is suffering from is overhate, plain and simple.
Marvel dropped Ironheart’s first official trailer on YouTube nearly a month ago, and it received strong backlash, especially from diehard fans of Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, who see Dominique Thorne’s portrayal of Riri Williams as the MCU’s attempt to replace Iron Man. There’s also a noticeable group of fans who believe that both Disney and Marvel are trying to push a message of unwanted diversity and wokeness through Ironheart.
At present, Ironheart’s first official trailer has over 520k dislikes compared to just 219k likes. The second trailer has received similar treatment from fans, with more than 66k dislikes over 44k likes. But the hate doesn’t stop there, fans are even leaving harsh, cold comments on Marvel and Disney’s official social media pages promoting the show.
It seems like Marvel has also realised the situation with Ironheart, which is why the studio is not actively promoting the show, despite teasing it as one of the official legacy carriers of Tony Stark. Instead, they’re focused entirely on promoting The Fantastic Four: First Steps, slated to arrive in theatres on July 25, starring Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach.
Moreover, the production house won’t be releasing episodes weekly. Instead, we’re getting the first three episodes on June 24, out of a total of six. Indian viewers will be able to watch them on JioHotstar.
Ever since her inception in the comics, Ironheart has been a highly divisive character among fans. And the hate toward the character, and the fact that Riri Williams was chosen as Tony Stark’s successor, has now spilled over into the upcoming Disney+ series.
Now, there’s a section of fans who believe Riri is not the natural successor to RDJ’s Iron Man in the MCU. Many argue that it should have been Tony’s daughter from Avengers: Endgame, or even Ty Simpkins’ character from Iron Man 3. To a certain extent, they’re not wrong. It will be interesting to see how Marvel handles this situation. As of now, it seems like the production house is quietly weathering the storm.
It’s quite clear that Ironheart’s success will largely depend on whether it can overcome this wave of animosity and deliver a compelling story that resonates, despite the ingrained prejudice from a segment of the fanbase. Stay tuned for more updates.