The arrival of Ironheart on Disney+ marks the conclusion of a unique period in Marvel Cinematic Universe’s television programming. Unlike previous shows, Ironheart was produced without a designated showrunner. Filmed in 2022, Ironheart was completed more than a year before the restructuring of Daredevil: Born Again and other series like Wonder Man and Vision Quest that occurred in late 2023, which introduced showrunners to these productions. Initially, Marvel Studios opted not to have showrunners, instead distributing the creative vision of their shows among various creators such as head writers and directors throughout the course of each production.
The decision made by Marvel Studios executives like Kevin Feige and Brad Winderbaum, which mirrored their lack of experience in television production, intended to depict the Disney+ series as being similar to movies. However, the show Ironheart, much like many other Disney+ MCU shows, serves as a clear indication that this approach was misguided from the outset. In fact, if given the chance, Ironheart would likely have thrived more as a movie.
Typical MCU Shows Like Ironheart Are Structured Like Movies
In earlier times, popular TV series had to put in extra effort to keep viewers engaged on a weekly basis. Shows such as “The X-Files” gradually built up an intricate mythology and long-term storylines, while shows like “Lost” and “Fringe” needed some prior knowledge to fully appreciate episodes from their third seasons and beyond. However, most of these productions used the “monster-of-the-week” or similar storytelling styles to ensure each episode was understandable for a broad audience. This weekly TV narrative structure was designed to create self-contained plots every week.
Instead of structuring their episodes as standalone stories like iconic non-serialized TV dramas such as “Breaking Bad” and “The Sopranos” with episodes like “The Fly” and “Pine Barrens,” Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) shows such as “Ironheart,” “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” “Secret Invasion,” and others, function more like extended movies spread across multiple episodes. These superhero shows often revolve around one large plot that unfolds over several installments, with few unique characteristics or individual plotlines to distinguish each episode. Contrast this style with a masterpiece like the miniseries “When They See Us,” which employed time jumps to infuse each episode with a memorable personality.
Unfortunately, many Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) series opted for storylines that could have been more impactful in a tighter, movie-length format. For example, the initial season of Ironheart lacks sustained dramatic tension because it keeps posing the question “is Parker Robbins truly evil?” across the first four episodes. Additionally, the heist scenes in Ironheart are not effectively paced as they are being drawn out to accommodate six episodes within a miniseries.
As a dedicated fan, I can’t help but feel let down when the final episodes of Marvel Cinematic Universe shows like “Falcon and the Winter Soldier” and “Moon Knight” opt for CGI-heavy conclusions that seem more like a jumble of digitally constructed chaos rather than a satisfying payoff for our patience. While a 15-minute action-packed finale in a movie can be thrilling, an entire 40-minute episode filled with nothing but noise and CGI monsters fighting is a frustrating squandering of the potential that television offers.
The Tragedy of the Better, Episodic MCU Shows
It’s quite noticeable how shows like Ironheart and many other MCU productions, originally designed as movies, are adapted to fit the television format. Among the Disney+ series, WandaVision stands out, despite its disappointing finale, for creatively structuring its initial eight episodes to mimic different eras of TV history. This approach gave each episode a distinct style and emphasized the nuances of television’s past and storytelling methods.
Loki’s two seasons, particularly the first with influences from series like Hannibal, and its quasi-sequel Agatha All Along, also received praise for borrowing more narrative techniques from Xena: Warrior Princess rather than Avengers: Endgame. However, these shows serve as examples of what has been amiss in most MCU programming on Disney+. The praised Marvel Studios television productions of the 2020s were commended for their exploration of creative aspects traditionally found in televised storytelling. On the other hand, series like Hawkeye, Secret Invasion, Ironheart, and others often left viewers wishing they were movies instead.
To improve these series, it’s important to streamline the excessive content and awkward structure that are hindering their success. There are many positive aspects to these shows, such as Oscar Isaac’s compelling portrayal of Moon Knight or Anji White’s charming performance in Ironheart. However, these and other strong artistic elements are overshadowed by series that were created with a movie-like approach, making them poorly suited for television. With Ironheart concluding the phase-out of Marvel Cinematic Universe showrunners, let’s hope that we’ve seen the last of movies disguised as dull TV shows.
Ironheart’s first three episodes are now streaming on Disney+.
https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/ironheart-blood-siblings-john-king-thanos-connection-mcu/embed/#
Read More
- WLD PREDICTION. WLD cryptocurrency
- SUI PREDICTION. SUI cryptocurrency
- USD ILS PREDICTION
- Gold Rate Forecast
- EUR USD PREDICTION
- BTC PREDICTION. BTC cryptocurrency
- Charlize ditches pants for racy red carpet look at The Old Guard 2 premiere with Uma Thurman
- New Nintendo Switch 2 Report Teases Luigi’s Mansion 4
- XEC/USD
- Planet Zoo Update Welcomes New Animals
2025-06-28 23:40