Kicked out of MIT, Ironheart finds Riri Williams throwing in her lot with The Hood to get the money she needs to build her prototype armour. While Parker Robbins isn't overtly evil, it's clear that Riri isn't exactly on the side of the angels.
The teenager ultimately decides to part ways with The Hood's gang and uses some of Joe McGillicuddy's tech to steal a piece of the villain's hood (to figure out a way of defeating him). However, John figures out what she's up to, and a confrontation follows.
Following a brutal fight in a technologically advanced greenhouse, Riri defeats John and decides to leave him behind as the oxygen is sucked out of the the building. It's the only way to stop him from exposing her to The Hood, and she leaves his cousin to die...a decision which understandably rattles the teenager.
"Episode 3 is, without a doubt, my favorite episode, because she goes there," Dominique Thorne tells Entertainment Weekly. "How she handles it, how much she takes pride in it, is another thing. But I think the fact that she made the conscious choice says a lot about who [she is and] some of the internal conflict that she is working through."
"In Wakanda Forever, she was a part of a huge loss and a huge tragedy," the actor continues. "And at the same time, she also got to see what it looks like for Shuri [Letitia Wright], someone who is through and through [a hero], who had their own conflict, as we saw, had to also make a choice about if she was going to become overtaken with the need for revenge or would she follow in the steps of her brother and really lead the nation."
Riri saw Shuri choose heroism over taking her revenge on Namor following the death of Queen Ramonda in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. However, she's now crossed a line and will have to deal with the consequences of her actions in the second half of the season.
"Watching all of this, Riri got to see what an actual leader and hero looks like — we got to see her make the hero choice and see that through," Thorne teases. "So I think for Riri to be on the heels of seeing something like that up close, being a part of that win for Wakanda, and then back in her own hometown, she is willing to put herself first over the life of another person — it's telling."
"And I think it definitely adds to that tension and the vast, vast, vast, vast range of possibilities that exist for who Ironheart is and the actual cost of her dreams."
The Hood finding out that Riri killed his cousin is inevitable, and is likely what puts these two on a collision course. There's also the no-so-minor issue of Ironheart leaving some of Joe's tech at the scene of the crime, another major plot point bound to have an impact on where his story goes next.
Superheroes have been known to kill in the MCU, but it's how Ironheart deals with the fallout from Riri's decision that will be key for the hero. However, if one thing is clear, it's that this isn't your typical superhero origin story.
The first three episodes of Ironheart are now streaming on Disney+. You can find our review here.