Another Marvel series, another media meltdown. This time, it’s Ironheart caught in the crosshairs of what outlets like Screen Rant are calling a “review bombing campaign.” But is that really what’s happening, or is the term just another convenient shield every time audiences reject a Disney-backed product?
Ironheart, which stars Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams, debuted on Disney+ with a three-episode drop on June 24th. Within hours, Rotten Tomatoes showed a dismal 32% audience score—a figure so low that it sparked immediate accusations of coordinated hate.
Riri Williams in Ironheart – YouTube, Marvel Entertainment
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Outlets like Screen Rant have predictably started pushing the same playbook we’ve seen time and again.
“Sadly, Ironheart has been subjected to a review bombing campaign, but MCU fans are fighting back,” the outlet wrote in its latest defense. “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.”
The Hood in Marvel’s Ironheart – YouTube, Marvel Entertainment
There’s no doubt that Ironheart racked up bad reviews before its release — the 32% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes showed up before the episodes dropped. But to suggest that all of the show’s poor reception stems from that early spike is a media deflection. Once the show aired, many genuine viewers expressed valid criticism — and instead of acknowledging that, the press doubled down on the idea that fans simply can’t be trusted
The implication is clear: if you gave Ironheart a low score, your opinion doesn’t count—because it couldn’t possibly be sincere.
From Rotten to Redemptive to Rot Again?
According to the same Screen Rant piece, fans began “fighting back” by flooding the platform with positive reviews. Ironheart’s Rotten Tomatoes audience score jumped from 32% to nearly 70% before quickly falling off again and hitting around 60% as of this writing. But that doesn’t mean viewers suddenly started enjoying it.
Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams in Marvel Studios‘ BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER. Photo by Eli Adé. © 2022 MARVEL.
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Over on IMDb, the show currently sits at 4.3/10, with the majority of ratings being either 1-star or 10-star. Middling, honest reviews are almost nonexistent. This isn’t a balanced audience weighing in—it’s a tug-of-war between extremes. The result? Artificial inflation in the name of “justice.”
The Review Bombing Boogeyman Returns
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen this narrative play out. The moment a Disney project underperforms with general audiences—particularly if the lead character is a woman or person of color—the media reflexively shouts review bombing. It happened with The Acolyte, Ms. Marvel, She-Hulk, Captain Marvel, and now Ironheart.
Brie Larson as Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers in Marvel Studios’ THE MARVELS. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2023 MARVEL.
Each time, the negative reactions are framed not as genuine feedback, but as bad-faith attacks by faceless trolls. The possibility that the show might simply not be very good is never even considered.
But this pattern raises a bigger question: Why are certain platforms so quick to defend these shows, and why do the numbers keep shifting so drastically?
Can We Trust Rotten Tomatoes?
The answer might lie in Rotten Tomatoes itself. The site has long been criticized for its opaque scoring system and its cozy relationship with major studios. Rumors persist that the platform alters or delays the publication of negative audience scores, particularly during opening weekends.
The dislike ratio for the official Ironheart trailer as of June 12, 2025 – YouTube, Marvel Entertainment
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When a $200 million franchise installment is tanking, a sudden burst of 5-star reviews tends to “coincidentally” follow bad press. Critics are often accused of inflating their scores, and user reviews are labeled toxic or fake unless they align with the approved narrative.
Meanwhile, scores that reflect actual sentiment—like those on IMDb, or even better, on Criticless—tell a very different story.
Criticless: The Trus Audience Score They Don’t Want You to See
On Criticless, a new and growing platform designed to reflect pure audience opinion without editorial interference, Ironheart currently sits at a 12% audience score.
Review scores for Ironheart on Criticless – Criticless.com
That number isn’t inflated by last-minute campaigns or hidden behind a critic firewall. It’s just raw data from real people. And it flies in the face of the media narrative trying desperately to spin Ironheart as another misunderstood gem.
The truth is, if a show was genuinely beloved, it wouldn’t need PR reinforcements, review shields, or coordinated “fight back” campaigns. It would speak for itself. The audience would rally behind it naturally. That’s not what’s happening with Ironheart—because audiences just aren’t connecting with it.
Final Thoughts
The term review bombing has lost all meaning. It’s become the go-to excuse anytime Disney releases something that fails to resonate. It’s not enough for the media to disagree with the audience—they now actively discredit them. If you’re not clapping, you must be sabotaging.
But audiences are catching on. Platforms like Criticless are rising in popularity because they bypass the spin. They don’t protect studios—they reflect fans.
Ironheart in the trailer for Ironheart – YouTube, Marvel Entertainment
So if you really want to know how people feel about Ironheart, skip the talking points and head over to where the audience voice actually matters. Because no amount of media damage control can save a show from itself.
Do you think Ironheart is suffering from review bombing? Sound off in the comments and let us know!
Rotten Tomatoes / Legacy Media are destroying its credibility over this show. And, for what? The show was always DOA. Likewise, Disney/Marvel have further corroded the already-busted Marvel Brand. This is called, throwing good money after bad. They feel compelled to go all-in on a busted flush, in a hand where they will always get called. They’re making themselves look stupid. It’s reckless corporate stupidity, because DEI… THE MESSAGE. They should have buried the thing forever.
There’s a maxim in poker: Don’t go bust in a nothing pot, and that’s what Disney/Marvel are doing.
It’s not just their own brand they’re ruining. I feel like Marvel is bringing down the superhero genre as a whole with their constant stream of DEI crap.
Nearly all 10/10 reviews are fake. Conversely, nearly all 1/10 reviews are from actual punters. I noticed on IMDB that, for terrible movies, the fake reviews avoid 10/10 (too implausible). Instead the fake reviews are 7/10 “This show is surprisingly good, and worth a watch”, AI slop fake reviews from Hollywood and their Indian marketing AI sweat shops.
Criticless….thank you! Created an account today.
“There’s no doubt that Ironheart racked up bad reviews before its release — the 32% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes showed up before the episodes dropped.“
That might have something to do with the fact that it just looked awful. Lately, I’ve been noticing a lot of people posting reviews, both positive and negative, for things they haven’t watched yet, or posting positive comments for video games they haven’t actually played yet.
If you read a 10/10 review that is written in perfect English, yeah that is what you thought, it is generated by AI.