The Ironheart ending was far more dramatic than we could have anticipated. Of course, there was the arrival of that Marvel character but, alongside that, there were shock twists, resurrections, and even a Doctor Strange-shaped tease to grapple with.
For a six-episode season with limited ties to the MCU (at first glance, anyway), you might have expected the Ironheart ending to be far more straightforward. To help, then, with the questions you likely have after the finale, we've magicked up some answers – as well as provided some speculation on what could come next in Riri Williams' increasingly complicated story. The devil is in the details, after all.
Ironheart ending recap
The Ironheart finale begins with a flashback detailing how Parker Robbins got his Hood moniker – and the hood itself.
On a house break-in gone wrong, Parker is cornered by police. Suddenly, he is given a way out by a mysterious man, played by Sacha Baron Cohen.
After a discussion about Parker's unfulfilled potential and what he truly desires most in the world ("stupid, disgusting, greasy rich"), the man gives Parker the "tools" to get ahead in life. The trade-off? Something Parker "won't even miss." Ominous…
In the present-day, Parker has an angry exchange with the man, lamenting that he didn't live up to his end of the bargain.
Soon, Riri flies in with her upgraded Iron Suit and is confronted by Ezekiel Stane. After a brief fight, Riri discovers she can 'override' Parker's hacking of Stane by… kicking him in the groin and forcing a hard reset.
In a final showdown, a more frenzied and demonic Parker – long since abandoned by his team – viciously attacks Riri and her suit. To save herself, Riri activates the suit's emergency protocol, which causes a huge explosion.
Unfortunately for Riri, the Hood is still standing – but she has one more trick up her sleeve. It was revealed that she was using a hologram version of herself to trick Parker; she then subdues him and rips the hood from his back.
Riri leaves and is met by the same man who struck a deal with Parker. He introduces himself as Mephisto and offers to work with Riri's "once in a generation mind" to build something "iconic."
After reading Riri's mind, it becomes clear to Mephisto that she wants Natalie back. Despite seemingly rejecting any notion of bringing her back, a reunion with Natalie reveals she's not AI but, in fact, human. The season ends with Riri and Natalie hugging each other, and Riri's demonic scars are shown snaking up her arm.
In a post-credits scene, Parker heads to secret magic shop Stanton's and requests help from Zelma – except he needs "Supreme-like help" and someone with more experience to "show him stuff in the back."
Who is Mephisto?
The main man is finally here. After years of speculation that Marvel's answer to the devil would be showing up in the MCU, Sacha Baron Cohen's manipulator stepped out of the shadows to offer Parker and Riri a Faustian pact.
First debuting in 1968's Silver Surfer #3, Mephisto has often plotted in the background of Marvel's various universes and Hell-set stories. Depicted as a horned demon who can tempt the great and powerful by promising them their wildest dreams come true, the character's perhaps most infamous role is part of the One More Day storyline, which sees Mephisto saving Aunt May's life in exchange for Peter Parker's marriage.
In the MCU, many theorized that Mephisto would be the one behind Wanda's imprisonment in Westview during the events of WandaVision, though that later turned out to be the work of Agatha Harkness.
Are there any more cameos in Ironheart?
Surprisingly, outside of Mephisto, there are no real notable cameos in the Ironheart finale. We should point out, though, that Zelma Stanton's quick scene in the post-credits scene is a cameo-of-sorts and a reference to her Marvel Comics past.
Zelma's appearance could either be setting up a Doctor Strange tie-in or, bizarrely, teasing a show that was reportedly scrapped earlier this year.
According to Deadline, a Strange Academy show was shelved at Marvel Studios. In the comics, Zelma was a librarian at the school, which was an institution for budding sorcerers. Often headed up by Doctor Strange and/or the Sorcerer Supreme (though they are often one and the same), the MCU version would have seen Wong as the head of the academy – so we're a little surprised he didn't show his face in Ironheart given how much it leant on magic in its final moments.
Is Natalie alive?
It certainly seems that way. After being gunned down and killed in a shooting alongside Riri's stepdad Gary, Natalie was brought back as an AI program thanks to Riri's brain functions and razor-sharp intellects.
After using magic to enhance Riri's suit, however, Natalie was seemingly erased due to the spell requiring an equivalent cost for it to work.
Despite that, Natalie returned in the finale. How? It appears Riri traded her soul to Mephisto for the real Natalie to come back to life. That's indicated by her last memories being that of sitting in the garage with Gary and becoming confused when Riri tells her to run diagnostics.
Mephisto, then, has the power to bring people back to life – at a significant cost. Could this come into play later down the line in the MCU?
Why did Riri take the deal?
We may never know, but we can take some guesses. In the absence of a second season of Ironheart (more on that below), it appears that Riri goes against her mantra that the "past is the past."
Throughout Ironheart, grieving Riri is seen struggling to overcome her PTSD caused by the violent deaths of Natalie and Gary. Bringing Natalie back is at least one small step towards easing the healing process, but it may come at the cost of her own soul.
Being the whipsmart genius that she is, Riri may yet figure out a loophole to get out of the arrangement with Mephisto or – like so many before her – think they can fight against the demonic power taking over her body.
Whatever her reasoning, her reaction to Natalie coming back (that of slight surprise) means she may not have explicitly agreed to a deal – but Mephisto took it upon himself anyway.
Who is The Hood looking for?
The Hood needs help. Hood-less and without his usual backup, he finds himself resorting to entering the world of magic at the emporium Stanton's. While there, he reveals he's heard of some Supreme-level help that's being kept under wraps. With Doctor Strange and Clea off battling back Incursions, that might mean Wongers is on the case – but whether he would help Hood (or is even aware of Mephisto's existence) is another matter entirely…
What's next for Ezekiel Stane?
One of the few narrative breadcrumbs left to set up future stories is the plight of Ezekiel Stane. As Joe McGillicuddy, he was a mild-mannered tech ethicist. But as Riri taught him to come out of his shell – via destroying his neighbor's prized flower patch – he slowly became a shadow of his father, Obadiah Stane.
After Riri helped reset his body after it was hacked by The Hood, Ezekiel still felt he had unfinished business with Riri. Reset or no reset, it appears the Iron Man villain's offspring will cross paths with Ironheart once more in the future.
Does Ironheart set up Avengers: Doomsday?
Right now, it's hard to say – but it seems Riri Williams and her story won't have any impact at all on Avengers: Doomsday. That's not to say some moments won't be referenced or factored in (Sacha Baron Cohen's devilish Mephisto would be one of the frontrunners to turn up, should that come to pass), but the vast majority of the Doomsday cast has been revealed and it seems to focus on The Avengers, The New Avengers, X-Men, Fantastic Four and, of course, Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom.
Will there be an Ironheart season 2?
There are currently no plans for a second season of Ironheart. In truth, the standalone series is likely going to be a casualty of Disney's new philosophy when it comes to deciding what will and won't be part of the MCU's Disney Plus output.
"In our zeal to flood our streaming platform with more content, we turned to all of our creative engines, including Marvel, and had them produce a lot more," Disney CEO Bob Iger told Wall Street analysts earlier this year.
"We've also learned over time that quantity does not necessarily beget quality. Frankly, we've all admitted to ourselves that we lost a little focus by making too much. By consolidating a bit and having Marvel focus much more on their films, we believe it will result in better quality. I think the first and best example of that is Thunderbolts*."
Reading between the lines, it appears the days of riskier propositions like Ironheart may be numbered on Disney's streaming platform. That's not to discount Riri Williams showing up in a future project elsewhere, we just can't imagine Ironheart season 2 powering up anytime soon.
For more, check out all the latest on Marvel Phase 6.
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