The MCU’s next TV show,Ironheart, is fulfilling a promise I honestly thought the MCU had forgotten. Marvel Studios is often criticized for recent movies, but the franchise has never been quite as surefooted as many suggest. There were actually countless course-corrections and redirections;The Incredible Hulk’s post-credits sceneeven required a one-shot to make it fit with the franchise’s overarching narrative.
Take, for example,the introduction of magic and the supernatural.Iron ManandThe Incredible Hulkset up a universe built on pseudo-science, but Marvel wanted to add the Norse gods into the mix. That’s whyThoradded a veneer of science to Asgard, with Thor insisting he came from a realm where magic and science are one and the same. A few years later, a little more sure-footed, the MCU doubled down on sorcery - but in a very different way.
Doctor Strange Introduced Magic Into The MCU, But Marvel Swiftly Changed Direction
Let’s head back to 2016, whenDoctor Strangeembraced the supernatural.Marvel doubled down on the pseudo-science, recruiting the likes of Adam Frank (a theoretical/computational astrophysicist, professor, and head of his own research group) to help them figure out a scientific basis for Doctor Strange’s magic. He introduced director Scott Derickson to some theories of quantum mechanics and the multiverse theory, aspects that subtly informed the movie.
Marvel chose to head in a very different direction afterDoctor Strange, delving deeply into the mystical and pretty much abandoning the pseudo-science. You can see it pretty clearly withThor: Ragnarok, where Taika Waititi ditched any idea the Asgardians were “ancient aliens” and explicitly called them gods.Sam Raimi’sDoctor Strangesequel didn’t even pay lip-service to the ideas from the original.
Ironheart Is Finally Returning To The MCU’s Science-Sorcery Concepts
Ironheartis the next MCU TV show, featuring the return of Dominique Thorne as RiRi Williams fromBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever. Made by Ryan Coogler (ofBlack PantherandSinnersfame), this will see Marvel’s Iron Man replacement go up against a surprising villain - Anthony Ramos' the Hood, a crime boss who’s heavily involved with the supernatural. It’s a surprising match-up, because the hero and the villain’s powersets are so different.
The first wave of MCU movies became known for “mirror image” villains - enemies who were basically the perfect inversion of the heroes. Iron Man fought men in armor, the Hulk clashed with another Gamma-powered rage monster, and Captain America tussled with super-soldiers. The modern MCU mixes things up a lot more, with Sam Wilson’s Captain America tangling with a super-genius and the Red Hulk, and Ryan Coogler is taking that same approach.
But there’s more to it than that. The recentIronhearttrailer proves RiRi is more than an Iron Man replacement; her own armor looks to blend science and sorcery in a staggering way. Suddenly it’s clear the decision to pit RiRi Williams against the Hood looks a lot more sensible - because the show is actually going to fulfill the promise ofDoctor Strange,bridging the gulf between magic and technology.
This Is The MCU Story I’ve Been Desperate To See
I can understand why the MCU chose to explore the supernatural, but it’s always irritated me thatDoctor Strange’s pseudoscience was ditched. There’s something interesting in the idea of a scientist working hard to figure out the rules of magic, something even the comics have toyed with on occasion; it’s not a coincidence that Doctor Doom is both a scientific genius and a rival for Doctor Strange, while there’s a future timeline in which Tony Stark became Sorcerer Supreme.The MCU is now boldly going where the comics have only tried to do.
The timing is fascinating, though.Doctor Strangeestablished close ties between magic and the multiverse; the Ancient One described magic as “the source code that shapes reality,” and explained that sorcerers “harness energy drawn from other dimensions of the multiverse, to cast spells, conjure shields and weapons to make magic.” If RiRi is a scientist cracking the source code of the multiverse, learning to wield magic and integrate it into her armor, then it’s surely no coincidence this is happening as the Multiverse Saga builds to a climax.
Theend ofDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madnesssaw Stephen Strange head out into the multiverse, apparently working to prevent incursions - cosmic events that can destroy entire branches of the multiverse. Whatever Marvel’s planning with magic, it’s pretty clear that it plays intoAvengers: DoomsdayandAvengers: Secret War. And that makesIronheartfar more than the unexpected fulfilment of a promise I thought Marvel had forgotten; it’s also thrilling setup.
