The MCU’s next TV show, Ironheart, is fulfilling a promise I honestly thought the MCU had forgotten. Marvel Studios is often criticized for recent movies, but the franchise has never been quite as surefooted as many suggest. There were actually countless course-corrections and redirections; The Incredible Hulk‘s post-credits scene even required a one-sH๏τ to make it fit with the franchise’s overarching narrative.

Take, for example, the introduction of magic and the supernatural. Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk set up a universe built on pseudo-science, but Marvel wanted to add the Norse gods into the mix. That’s why Thor added a veneer of science to Asgard, with Thor insisting he came from a realm where magic and science are one and the same. A few years later, a little more sure-footed, the MCU doubled down on sorcery – but in a very different way.

Doctor Strange Introduced Magic Into The MCU, But Marvel Swiftly Changed Direction

Let’s head back to 2016, when Doctor Strange embraced the supernatural. Marvel doubled down on the pseudo-science, recruiting the likes of Adam Frank (a theoretical/computational astrophysicist, professor, and head of his own research group) to help them figure out a scientific basis for Doctor Strange’s magic. He introduced director Scott Derickson to some theories of quantum mechanics and the multiverse theory, aspects that subtly informed the movie.

Marvel chose to head in a very different direction after Doctor Strange, delving deeply into the mystical and pretty much abandoning the pseudo-science. You can see it pretty clearly with Thor: Ragnarok, where Taika Waiтιтi ditched any idea the Asgardians were “ancient aliens” and explicitly called them gods. Sam Raimi’s Doctor Strange sequel didn’t even pay lip-service to the ideas from the original.

Ironheart Is Finally Returning To The MCU’s Science-Sorcery Concepts

Ironheart is the next MCU TV show, featuring the return of Dominique Thorne as RiRi Williams from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Made by Ryan Coogler (of Black Panther and Sinners fame), this will see Marvel’s Iron Man replacement go up against a surprising villain – Anthony Ramos’ the Hood, a crime boss who’s heavily involved with the supernatural. It’s a surprising match-up, because the hero and the villain’s powersets are so different.

The first wave of MCU movies became known for “mirror image” villains – enemies who were basically the perfect inversion of the heroes. Iron Man fought men in armor, the Hulk clashed with another Gamma-powered rage monster, and Captain America tussled with super-soldiers. The modern MCU mixes things up a lot more, with Sam Wilson’s Captain America tangling with a super-genius and the Red Hulk, and Ryan Coogler is taking that same approach.

But there’s more to it than that. The recent Ironheart trailer proves RiRi is more than an Iron Man replacement; her own armor looks to blend science and sorcery in a staggering way. Suddenly it’s clear the decision to pit RiRi Williams against the Hood looks a lot more sensible – because the show is actually going to fulfill the promise of Doctor Strange, bridging the gulf between magic and technology.

This Is The MCU Story I’ve Been Desperate To See

I can understand why the MCU chose to explore the supernatural, but it’s always irritated me that Doctor Strange‘s pseudoscience was ditched. There’s something interesting in the idea of a scientist working hard to figure out the rules of magic, something even the comics have toyed with on occasion; it’s not a coincidence that Doctor Doom is both a scientific genius and a rival for Doctor Strange, while there’s a future timeline in which Tony Stark became Sorcerer Supreme. The MCU is now boldly going where the comics have only tried to do.

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The timing is fascinating, though. Doctor Strange established close ties between magic and the multiverse; the Ancient One described magic as “the source code that shapes reality,” and explained that sorcerers “harness energy drawn from other dimensions of the multiverse, to cast spells, conjure shields and weapons to make magic.” If RiRi is a scientist cracking the source code of the multiverse, learning to wield magic and integrate it into her armor, then it’s surely no coincidence this is happening as the Multiverse Saga builds to a climax.

The end of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness saw Stephen Strange head out into the multiverse, apparently working to prevent incursions – cosmic events that can destroy entire branches of the multiverse. Whatever Marvel’s planning with magic, it’s pretty clear that it plays into Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret War. And that makes Ironheart far more than the unexpected fulfilment of a promise I thought Marvel had forgotten; it’s also thrilling setup.