Hamilton star Anthony Ramos has addressed the negative backlash to Marvel’s latest Disney+ series Ironheart, that began online before the series’ debut.
A belated spin-off from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever focusing on side character Riri Williams, Ironheart’s first three episodes launched last week, while its concluding three episodes arrive tomorrow, July 1.
But before a single episode was released, user reviews had already started criticising Ironheart, and in particular its focus on a Black woman as its lead. Now, Ramos has addressed the online reaction to Ironheart so far.
“You’re gonna have negativity no whatever what,” Ramos told Buzzfeed, comparing the project to his turn in the Transformers franchise, in 2023 movie Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.
“I’ve been in Transformers, and people are talking s**t. This one, people talking… Everybody’s gonna say whatever they wanna say, but at the end of the day we know what we made, and we’re proud of what we made.
“We’re not necessarily the first to do this, but of all the shows we’re definitely different,” Ramos continued, “and I think that when you’re stepping out a little bit like that, you put yourself in a position… for people to say whatever they want.
“I think everybody’s entitled to their opinion and at least they’re talking about it. Because if they ain’t, then I’d be worried.”
Set in Chicago, Ironheart sees Williams building a magic-infused Iron Man-style suit of armor with the help of Ramos’ character, a gang leader known as The Hood.
The show’s stars were recently backed by MCU legend Robert Downey Jr., who released a video message stating he “couldn’t be happier” to see Ironheart star Dominique Thorne in the role. “Long story short, Iron Man loves Ironheart,” Downey Jr. said in support.
Overall, Ironheart has received a mixed response from critics, while Marvel itself has repeatedly teased the show’s introduction of a major comic book villain in the show’s final episodes, encouraging fans to tune in again this week.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
