Riri Williams is a brilliant young woman with a mind full of big ideas—chief among them, carrying on the legacy of the late Tony Stark. Her dream is to create a line of armor suits that will revolutionize safety around the world. She’s all-in on her vision, but a major obstacle stands in her way: a lack of funding and resources. Desperate to continue her work, Riri resorts to unethical means, including selling completed assignments to students across multiple universities.

Her ambition leads to trouble. The damage caused by her inventions sparks backlash from the institution, and her refusal to play by the academic rules ultimately gets her expelled from MIT for repeated violations and plagiarism. Forced to pack her belongings, she retrieves the Iron Suit she’d been secretly developing and takes it home, only to experience a mid-air crash when the tech shuts down due to her revoked access to MIT’s servers.

At home, she’s met by her mother, who already knows about the expulsion thanks to a janitor she paid to keep tabs on her. Before walking inside, Riri overhears her family discussing her emotional state, suggesting that she may still be grieving the loss of her stepfather and best friend, Natalie, both of whom were tragically killed by stray bullets. The weight of failing to live up to the expectations of her lost loved ones—especially while watching her stepfather’s old auto shop fall into neglect—causes Riri to lash out. But at the heart of her frustration is the feeling that she’s stuck, unable to achieve her dreams because of financial limitations.

In a desperate attempt to get money, Riri visits a pawn shop, where she meets a mysterious man named John. He offers her a chance to work for his boss, someone who would truly appreciate her genius. Riri follows him to an abandoned pizzeria, where she’s trapped inside an elevator filled with poisonous gas. It turns out this is her job interview: survive and escape. Riri manages to do just that and meets Parker, the charismatic leader of a diverse and mysterious crew of thieves.

Though initially wary, Riri is swayed by Parker’s charm and a box full of cash. He promises that her work will be non-violent, but requires her to repair her Iron Suit overnight. Back at home, Riri gets to work, enhancing her armor’s endurance and installing a new A.I. system based on her own brain patterns. But she’s stunned when the A.I. manifests as a digital version of Natalie, her late best friend.

Meanwhile, in Parker’s lair, we witness an unsettling tattoo session where Parker’s back is inked with a web-like design, seemingly tied to the mysterious red cape and hood he later locks away. The camera lingers on the hood as the door closes, leaving viewers to wonder what secrets it holds.

This premiere is a solid reintroduction to Riri Williams, reestablishing her motivations, emotional depth, and relentless drive. Dominique Thorne shines in the role, bringing warmth and determination to Riri’s character. The episode moves at a high-energy pace and sets a bold tone for the series. While some moments feel a bit over-explained, the episode succeeds in laying a compelling foundation for what’s to come.

Rating: 7.5/10