Ironheart's finale finally introduced the MCU's version of Mephisto, played by Sacha Baron Cohen. Like his comic book counterpart, the villain seems to have a habit of making deals in exchange for someone's soul.
In Parker Robbins' case, that meant giving him The Hood so he could achieve everything he wanted. As for Riri Williams, she gave up her soul and was rewarded with the resurrection of her best friend, Natalie.
However, Ironheart was also a little ambiguous when it came to what selling a soul actually means for someone. Is Riri destined to grow increasingly more demonic in nature as Parker did before her (at least until he was separated from The Hood), and was this a one-off interaction or the start of a new partnership?
One eagle-eyed fan has noticed that, in the background of the show's final scene, The Hood can be seen draped over Riri's armour. This leaves us with more questions than it does answers, but can we assume that she's now piloting that suit while wearing The Hood? It's a compelling possibility and one that drastically alters this character's status quo in the MCU.
Riri still having The Hood also explains why she was in the midst of researching what looked like magical equations before being reunited with the real Natalie.
We don't know what Marvel Studios had planned for Armor Wars, but Riri being a character rooted in this world's supernatural corner now appears to be a given. It's also looking increasingly likely that she could unwittingly head down a villainous route as Mephisto's influence over her increases.
Many fans have been quick to point out that The Hood being draped over Riri's armour is reminiscent of the "Infamous Iron Man." After Secret Wars, Victor Von Doom suited up as a morally ambiguous armoured "hero" for a time, and did so wearing his cloak. Could Ironheart end up more infamous than iconic? We'll have to wait and see.
"It’s an informed decision," Ironheart executive producer Ryan Coogler recently told Collider. "She sees Hood at his worst, she sees what the deal with this guy looks like, and she still does it for a friend. You learn just how much she loves this person. It’s one of the more interesting things we've seen somebody doing in the MCU, and that's hard because there have been a lot of these, a lot of movies, a lot of shows."
"It’s a very interesting form of sacrifice that can only happen in this story with these characters, so I thought it was a great way to introduce an incredibly powerful character from publishing, because you meet Mephisto via this deal, which I think is really cool," the Black Panther director added.
Take a closer look at this newly discovered Ironheart Easter Egg below.
Set after the events of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Marvel Television’s Ironheart pits technology against magic when Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne) - a young, genius inventor determined to make her mark on the world - returns to her hometown of Chicago.
Her unique take on building iron suits is brilliant, but in pursuit of her ambitions, she finds herself wrapped up with the mysterious yet charming Parker Robbins aka "The Hood" (Anthony Ramos).
The series also stars Lyric Ross, Alden Ehrenreich, Regan Aliyah, Manny Montana, Matthew Elam and Anji White. Chinaka Hodge is head writer and executive producer; episodes are directed by Sam Bailey and Angela Barnes.
"Ironheart soars when Dominique Thorne, Anthony Ramos, Alden Ehrenreich, and Lyric Ross are on screen," we wrote in our 3* review, "but a by-the-numbers story means the series falls short of reaching the same heights as Iron Man. Still, the finale is an undeniable must-see."
All episodes of Ironheart are now streaming on Disney+.