MCU Fans Are Fighting Back On Rotten Tomatoes After Ironheart Review Bombing

Sadly, Ironheart has been subjected to a review bombing campaign, but MCU fans are fighting back. Ironheart finally landed on Disney+ with a three-episode premiere on June 24, with another three episodes due to round out the series one week later on July 1.

It stars Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams, reprising her role in the MCU after debuting in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Until the Ironheart season finale next week, Riri’s future in the MCU remains unclear, though it is likely she’ll continue to play a role, possibly as a member of the MCU’s Young Avengers.

So far, genuine sentiments surrounding Ironheart are mostly positive, with critics praising it as a solid addition to the MCU’s roster of shows on Disney+. It certainly isn’t perfect, but it maintains the same quality that fans have come to expect from the MCU’s shows (Secret Invasion notwithstanding).

These Ironheart reviews were published after Ironheart aired. Unfortunately, they were preceded by a wave of poor reviews that were not only entirely disingenuous but also perpetuated a tragically common trend that Disney often faces.

Ironheart Was Review Bombed On Rotten Tomatoes & IMDb Before The Show’s Release

Some People Gave Ironheart A Poor Rating Without Seeing It

Hours before Ironheart‘s first three episodes landed on Disney+, review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes displayed a “rotten” score from audiences at 32%. This feature of the website enables audiences to express their collective opinions about a show or movie, often highlighting a disparity between audience and critic perspectives.

The fact that the newest MCU show hadn’t even aired before earning negative reviews illustrates an unscrupulous effort to harm the show for reasons that have escaped very few.

Nevertheless, there is no question that this feature was abused in the case of Ironheart. The fact that the newest MCU show hadn’t even aired before earning negative reviews illustrates an unscrupulous effort to harm the show for reasons that have escaped very few.

Ironheart Season 1 Review: Marvel’s Ironheart Isn’t Perfect, But It Deserves The Chance Many Are Not Willing To Give It

Ironheart is not an MCU home run due to previous Marvel Television trappings, but it has a lot of good elements that prove it is worth a chance.

Sadly, it seems the same efforts were unleashed on IMDB, with Ironheart earning a low 4.7/10 within moments of its release. While there will undoubtedly be genuine reviews in the mix that either help lower or raise the score, it has at least fared better in the aftermath.

Ironheart’s Ratings Have Since Improved

MCU Fans Are Fighting Back

Since being review-bombed on Rotten Tomatoes, Ironheart‘s audience score has risen from 32% to 69% at the time of writing. This is now more or less in line with the critics’ score, which is currently sitting at 70% at the time of writing, which currently matches the critics’ score for Echo.The fact that the audience score is now higher than Echo‘s 59% shows that fans are kicking back against the wave of unjustified hate. This is reflected in some reviews that award Ironheart 5/5, but note their criticisms nonetheless, suggesting that the perfect score is being wielded to elevate Ironheart and counteract the review bombers who sought to undermine it.

Although Ironheart‘s rating on IMDB remains at 4.3 at the time of writing, a similar picture is being painted there. The extremes on each end of the scale vastly outnumber those who awarded the show middling scores of 4 to 6, with around one thousand viewers rating the show 10 stars. Unfortunately, these are outnumbered by the two thousand 1-star scores.

The to-and-fro at least seems to have resulted in a relatively accurate score for Ironheart if genuine reviews are anything to go by. While viewers are quick to lavish praise on the show’s stars and soundtrack, it is nonetheless hampered by a formulaic story that has worn thin for some. Nevertheless, the obvious campaign of hate shouldn’t be ignored.

Ironheart’s Review Bombing Fits A Difficult Pattern For Disney

The Correlation Is Now Impossible To Ignore

A review bombing campaign either before or moments after a show’s release is sadly par for the course for a conspicuous few. While some viewers (after a show’s release) have genuine reasons to criticise, it is difficult to ignore the sheer scale and speed of the derision leveled at shows headed up by women of color.

The fact that Ironheart is now the MCU’s lowest-rated show on IMDB, rated lower than Secret Invasion by 1.1 stars, is difficult to reconcile with.

Other shows subjected to similar campaigns include the Star Wars franchise’s The Acolyte and the MCU’s own Ms. Marvel, both of which star women of color as protagonists. Ms. Marvel, in particular, became the MCU’s lowest-rated show on IMDB, despite being the critics’ favorite MCU show on Rotten Tomatoes.

Captain Marvel and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law were also review-bombed.

Now sitting at 6.2 on IMDB, it only clears Secret Invasion, a show believed by most to be the worst in the MCU, by 0.4 stars. By comparison, most MCU shows like WandaVision, What If…?, and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier sit comfortably within the 7 to 8-star range.

The fact that Ironheart is now the MCU’s lowest-rated show on IMDB, rated lower than Secret Invasion by 1.1 stars, is difficult to reconcile with. Combined with the fact that Ironheart was so poorly rated before its release, it is impossible to ignore the glaring correlation that only seems to be getting worse with time.