‘Ironheart': Instant Emmy predictions for the latest Marvel series
Have no fear — Ironheart is here. The Marvel Cinematic Universe's newest metal-encased hero flies onto Disney+ today looking to build on some of the pre-Fantastic Four momentum that Thunderbolts kinda-sorta launched. Starring Dominique Thorne, the six-episode series reintroduces us to Riri Williams, a young inventor with Tony Stark-level talent and ambition. The action unfolds in Chicago, where Riri falls in with a group of outlaws led by a hooded frenemy known, appropriately enough, as the Hood (Anthony Ramos).
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So just how high can Ironheart fly at the 2026 Emmys? Here are some instant predictions based on our viewing of all six episodes.
To date, WandaVision remains the first — and only — live-action MCU-affiliated Disney+ series to land a "best in show" level nomination for its single season. Right now, it's unclear whether Ironheart will return for another adventure of this initial six-episode run, and keeping it one-and-done could work in the show's favor come Emmy voting time. Ryan Coogler's involvement as an executive producer certainly lends it major awards pedigree, given that Black Panther is still the sole big-screen Marvel movie to receive a Best Picture nomination. And Ironheart does aim its sights at reaching a similar level of cultural relevance, fusing timely themes of class struggle and minority entrepreneurship into its superhero armor. Riri would be an underdog among Limited Series contenders — and completely out of the running in the case of a Season 2 renewal — but then again, no one expected Iron Man to change the course of comic book movie history.
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Once again using WandaVision as a guide, Thorne could be the first actress since Elizabeth Olsen — and the first Black actress in Marvel Studios history — to receive an Emmy acting nod. (Angela Basset already claimed the Oscar equivalent of that Marvel-ous milestone for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which introduced Riri into the MCU.) It's a performance that builds in intensity as the season progresses and Riri's ideals run into the realities that come with balancing great power and great responsibility.
Read: What you need to remember about 'Ironheart' before the Marvel series premiere
Don't judge a character by his name. Alden Ehrenreich may introduce himself as "Joe McGillicuddy" when his tech wizard meets Riri. But in the third episode, you learn his real identity — and it ties into vintage MCU lore. Turns out that Joe McGillicuddy is none other than Ezekiel Stane, son of Iron Man's first foil, Obadiah Stane, played by Jeff Bridges in 2008's Iron Man. Once he embraces his true self, Ehrenreich starts showing some of the same delight that defined Kathryn Hahn's WandaVision transformation from Agnes to Agatha. Not for nothing, she scored a nod in the Supporting Actress category for that reveal.
Key to Riri's evolution is her relationship with her childhood best friend, Natalie, played by This Is Us star Lyric Ross. Though she's been gone from her life for years, Natalie remains a constant presence — even more so when she returns as a projection of the Ironheart suit. Ross' lively, funny performance provides the right counterweight to Thorne's stoic star turn. This is us predicting Emmy recognition.
Sam Bailey and Angela Barnes share Ironheart directing duties with the former helming the first three episodes and the latter taking the series home in the back half. Both ably handle the technical demands of the effects-heavy production, particularly Barnes whose run of episodes takes the series into more fantastical effects territory.
Whatever their mainline Emmy fates, Marvel shows always perform well on the Creative Arts Emmy side of things and Ironheart has multiple shots at multiple VFX, costume, and make-up categories. But a special shout-out should go to the main title design team, who find unique ways for the Ironheart name to show up in each episode.
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