The Writings of John Ryan Sullivan

After a dismal year (or more) of movie/television watching, I believe, I am back. Which is a weird way to start a post but let me tell you, I’ve written two incredibly long, dark, unpublished posts in the past month that make my first sentence a triumph!

In an effort to only put positivity into the world I am refraining from publishing those posts but let me just say – I’ve been incredibly disgruntled with what I’ve been watching.

That is until I watched Ironheart. Now I recognize this might be controversial but I am going to say it – Wakanda Forever is an excellent film (I preface the statement due to the nonsense I’ve encountered online – not by how much money it made at the box office or by critical review). I may even prefer Wakanda Forever to Black Panther (But I believe both are wonderful films and stand on their own outside of the “comic world”). I know, this is the Internet and saying such things is akin to heresy but it is, in fact, how I feel.

Wakanda Forever is such a personal film, dealing with loss and guilt and how to move on from death. It also happens to be an action-filled spectacle dealing with otherness and misunderstandings. To have a big-budget superhero film feel so intimate and personal is an unbelievable feat and almost makes me want to overcome the latest online hype barrage and watch Sinners. Almost.

Again this is me expressing my opinion based largely on what I encounter online. I would like to add I’ve still not watched the Sopranos or Avatar (any of them) because of the inordinate about of hype they receive. I am sure Sinners is wonderful and when the dust settles I will watch and most likely enjoy it.

I mention this because the main character of Ironheart, Riri Williams, was first introduced in Wakanda Forever. I liked her introduction and the character in Wakanda Forever and this made me excited for the Marvel show. Which I can gleefully say surpassed all of my expectations.

Perhaps that isn’t surprising because I am not sure what I expected the show to be (thank you lack of hype!). Other than it centering on a young, black woman who is a genius that makes armor I had no clue what the story would be.

That the show would be about death and grieving caught me by surprise. That it is about community and family and culture makes sense but for me, a forty-seven year old white male who grew up in Vermont, to connect so strongly with the story being told speaks to how universal the message of Ironheart is.

To have another tech genius who is self-centered and bad at interpersonal relationships and not have it feel like a schtick is impressive storytelling. Riri is a unique character and in no way feels like Tony Stark rewritten as a woman. The other characters in the show are interesting and complex and aside from one notable, white guy, people of color.

As I get older I find it harder to connect to stories about considerably younger people. Largely this is because often the problems or obstacles seem trite and obvious to me. Ironheart navigates its issues beautifully, with numerous characters and intricate storylines. I found myself invested in the good and the bad, the young and the less young, in equal measure. Which, of course, made the experience richer and fuller.

As a bonus when I finished the show I watched the ‘making of’ and it was a treat to see that so many of the people involved are from Chicago (where the show is set and was filmed). It makes sense how personal and connected it feels as the people involved were undoubtedly drawing from their own personal experiences. I am certain that several of the locations were sets but it is also clear they were out and about in Chicago filming in/on locations that made sense to tell this story.

I cannot recommend Ironheart enough, especially if you find yourself feeling like Marvel and DC should take a break from making anything. The balance that Mr. Coogler achieved with the Black Panther films, big budget spectacle and nuanced storytelling, is here as well. The series isn’t too long but there is a sense of resolution and completeness when it ends. I don’t think you can ask for anything more.