Unfortunately, Ironheart has faced a troubling review bombing campaign, yet passionate fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) are actively defending it. The highly anticipated series Ironheart made its debut on Disney+ with a three-episode premiere on June 24, followed by another three episodes that are set to complete the season on July 1. This release strategy aims to engage viewers and build anticipation for the unfolding storyline.

The show features Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams, who reprises her role from the film Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. As the season finale approaches, Riri’s trajectory within the MCU remains ambiguous, but there are strong indications that she might evolve into a central figure, potentially as part of the Young Avengers team within the expanding MCU universe.

Initial reactions to Ironheart have been largely positive, with critics acknowledging it as a valuable addition to the MCU’s growing lineup of series on Disney+. While it may not be flawless, it consistently upholds the high standards that audiences have come to expect from MCU productions, despite some deviations in quality compared to earlier series such as Secret Invasion.

Although many of the Ironheart reviews were published post-airing, they unfortunately followed a wave of unjustified negative reviews that highlighted a troubling trend often faced by Disney productions. This type of backlash is not uncommon in situations where representation is prominently featured, especially regarding characters portrayed by women of color.

Review Bombing of Ironheart on Rotten Tomatoes & IMDb: A Disturbing Trend

Unfair Ratings: Ironheart Received Criticism Without Proper Viewing

Just hours prior to the release of Ironheart‘s initial three episodes on Disney+, the popular review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes displayed a disappointing audience rating of just 32%, categorized as “rotten.” This functionality allows viewers to share their collective thoughts on a film or series, often revealing a significant gap between audience and critic evaluations.

Despite this, there is no denying that the review system was manipulated in the case of Ironheart. The preemptive negative ratings reflect a concerted effort to tarnish the show’s reputation for reasons that are becoming increasingly evident among audiences.

Regrettably, similar negative efforts occurred on IMDb, where Ironheart received a meager score of 4.7/10 almost immediately after its release. Although genuine reviews will inevitably contribute to adjusting this score, the show has managed to garner a more favorable reception in the days following its debut.

Ironheart’s Audience Ratings Experience Notable Improvement

Resilient MCU Fans Rally to Support Ironheart

Since the initial review bombing on Rotten Tomatoes, Ironheart‘s audience score has impressively climbed from 32% to 69% at the time of this writing. This new rating aligns closely with the critics’ score, which is currently at 70%, matching the critical reception of Echo. The fact that the audience score now surpasses Echo‘s lower rating of 59% indicates that fans are actively pushing back against the wave of unwarranted negativity. This is reflected in some reviews that have awarded Ironheart a perfect score of 5/5, while still noting their criticisms, suggesting that such high ratings are employed to counteract the review bombing.

Even though Ironheart still holds a rating of 4.3 on IMDb at present, the overall sentiment seems to be improving. The extremes of ratings on both ends of the scale dominate, overshadowing those who have given the show more moderate scores between 4 to 6. Notably, approximately one thousand viewers have rated the series with a perfect score of 10 stars, which unfortunately is counterbalanced by around two thousand who rated it with a single star.

The ongoing back-and-forth regarding ratings appears to be leading towards a more accurate representation of Ironheart, particularly if genuine reviews are taken into account. While many viewers express admiration for the outstanding performances of the cast and the engaging soundtrack, there are critiques about the show’s formulaic storytelling, which some find to be repetitive. Nonetheless, it is crucial not to overlook the evident campaign of negativity that surrounds the show.

Patterns of Review Bombing: Ironheart and Disney’s Ongoing Challenges

A Disturbing Trend: The Correlation is Clear

The phenomenon of review bombing, either prior to or immediately following a show’s debut, has regrettably become a common occurrence for select productions. While some viewers may indeed have valid criticisms after watching, the speed and scale of the backlash against shows featuring women of color in leading roles cannot be overlooked.

Other series that have faced similar review bombing campaigns include the Star Wars franchise’s The Acolyte and the MCU’s own Ms. Marvel, both of which feature women of color as the protagonists. Ms. Marvel has notably been the lowest-rated MCU show on IMDb, despite receiving critical acclaim as the favorite among critics on Rotten Tomatoes.

Currently, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law has a rating of 6.2 on IMDb, which only surpasses Secret Invasion, a series many viewers consider the weakest in the MCU, by a mere 0.4 stars. In contrast, most MCU shows, such as WandaVision, What If…?, and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, comfortably reside within the 7 to 8-star range.

The unfortunate reality that Ironheart has become the MCU’s lowest-rated production on IMDb, rated lower than Secret Invasion by a margin of 1.1 stars, is hard to reconcile. When combined with the pre-release negative ratings, it becomes increasingly clear that there is a troubling correlation that appears to be worsening over time.