Main cast: Dominique Thorne (Riri Williams/Ironheart), Lyric Ross (NATALIE, Natalie Washington), Manny Montana (John King), Matthew Elam (Xavier Washington), Anji White (Ronnie Williams), Paul Calderón (Arthur Robbins), Regan Aliyah (Zelma Stanton), Sonia Denis (Clown), Shea Couleé (Slug), Zoe Terakes (Jeri Blood), Shakira Barrera (Roz Blood), Sacha Baron Cohen (Mephisto), Anthony Ramos (Parker Robbins/The Hood), and Alden Ehrenreich (Ezekiel Stane)
Director: Angela Barnes
At last, it’s over. Ironheart has crawled to the finish line like a half-squashed raccoon crossing a freeway at rush hour, and somehow, against all odds, it managed to get worse. If you thought the previous episodes were a fever dream of bad decisions, The Past Is the Past takes those decisions, sets them on fire, and hurls them into Mephisto’s lap.
This episode is a jaw dropper — not because it’s good (please), but because you realize the writers either didn’t get the memo that Riri Williams is supposed to be an Avenger one day… or they just hate her.
Either way, congratulations to She-Hulk, because her crown as Most Annoying MCU Character has officially been stolen. Jennifer Walters can now rest easy knowing her fourth-wall narcissism only wounded Matt Murdock’s dignity, not literal human lives.
So, what happens here? Riri decides, in all her infinite wisdom, that she needs to get NATALIE back.
Naturally, the best way to do that is to steal Parker Robbins’s demonic hood. Never mind that it’s literally cursed evilwear from Mephisto’s bargain bin. Her mom and the last remaining sane people tell her it’s a bad idea, but since when has Riri ever listened to anyone? She’s a genius, remember. A genius whose entire character arc feels like it was written by a Magic 8 Ball.
And yes, it turns out Mephisto gave Robbins the hood so he could become powerful and wealthy. Except — twist! — instead of becoming Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, or even mid-tier TikTok famous, the guy ends up a small-time crime boss. What kind of demonic deal is this? Did Robbins forget to read the terms and conditions?
The final showdown is as ridiculous as you’d expect. Riri fights Robbins, punches poor Zeke in the crotch because girlboss energy demands a low blow, and then — wait for it — sells her soul to Mephisto to get the hood.
Yep. Our future Avenger, ladies and gentlemen. The arc of this character is truly inspiring: she starts with unlimited potential, trashes it to become a criminal accessory, ruins multiple lives, ignores literally everyone’s advice, and then makes a deal with the devil to bring back… a subpar AI that has done nothing but glitch and disappoint for six episodes.
And here’s the kicker: NATALIE’s back… as a human. So now, Riri has a literal human servant she sold her soul for.
Heroine of the year, folks. Heroine. Of. The. Year.
To recap:
- She had every advantage and blew it because she’s stubborn and idiotic.
- She leaves a trail of collateral damage while shrugging it off like it’s a minor inconvenience.
- Every crucial piece of info is spoon-fed to her by other characters.
- She learns absolutely nothing, upgrades her crime connections from street thugs to Satan himself, and ends up with a meat-based Siri she can boss around.
What. The. Actual. Hell.
This isn’t character development. This is character demolition. Watching Ironheart is like watching a toddler set a dollhouse on fire and then clapping for themselves when the ashes fall down. It’s easily, hands down, the worst MCU show ever made — a masterclass in how not to write a superhero origin story.
Ironheart ends as it lived — dumb, chaotic, morally bankrupt, and somehow convinced it’s the smartest thing in the room.
