Andy @ andrewrgross @slrpnk.net

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Joined

2 yr. ago

Gaza has collapsed. It is beset by famine and starvation. Widespread unavailability of fuel is exacerbating the collapse of infrastructure and systems essential to preserve life. Gaza is in large parts no longer habitable.

I'm so sick of articles saying it's on "the edge of collapse" or "teetering on famine" or "soon to be uninhabitable".

It happened. It's a killing field. All life in Gaza is now persisting in spite of efforts to extinguish it. Nursing mothers cannot produce milk. The elderly die for lack of basic 20th century medicines. No food can grow and what water there is is tainted and unsafe to drink. Hospitals are barely more thanpiles of rubble at which the doctors who've not yet been assassinated tearfully go to provide insufficient care to the dying on sites that were once known as houses of modern medicine.

We are watching a ruthless genocide and no humanitarian need can be fulfilled without ending the brutal blockade intended to kill all living on this land. And this is not a "looming" or "imminent" risk, it's reality.

I don't believe you could really meaningfully deter their operations through casual poor performance. I think either you'd have to directly sabotage them or you'd have to be complicit.

I do think everyone should flood their applications systems with time-wasting fake applications, but actually interviewing and getting hired is unlikely to be productive.

I want to set aside my skepticism that this philosophy can be separated from misogyny.

Even if it could, it hurts the practitioner. This is a philosophy of nihilistic abandon and self-harm. If someone has adopted a radical belief in their own hopelessness and worthlessness, and the associated beliefs that life for them can hold nothing but suffering, that person is in crisis and needs help. There isn't a healthy version of that, and we should consider those people at great risk and in need of assistance.

It does hurt someone. It hurts the person who is adopting these views.

The ending of this is bad. I don't know why they did that. I really want to see Ironheart eventually become an actual superhero, but I don't know what is going to happen to her now.

She never actually became a superhero. She never actually developed a sense of justice or a desire to do good. She never actually took to helping anyone besides her self. And then at the end, she just makes a deal with a demon to resurrect her best friend? For an origin story, this felt more like a retirement. She has no public persona or identity or motivating purpose or network. At least Kate Bishop met an Avenger and declared an intent to fight crime. But what kind of future adventures are we expecting to get with Ironheart, either solo or in an ensemble? It was a superhero origin story where no superhero originated. And it's made worse by my concerns that we'll even see this character in another show or movie. Is this just her whole arc? Is Ironheart in the MCU done now?

What a bummer. I really hope they correct course. Make this a dream or something. I want real Ironheart.

Yeah, I'm just trying to imagine the reactions. Her mom should be pissed that she revived Natalie but didn't ask for Gary too. And Xavier is gonna be all over the place. And then of course we have no idea how Natalie is going to feel about it.

Also, how do you get a drivers license or a social security card? Do you just say, 'Well you see, I was resurected by magic. Yes, my death certificate is 100% valid. It was not a mistake. I was reconstituted from nothing by the devil in a pact made by my best friend for her soul. Yes, really. Yes, I mean this literally, not figuratively. No, no super-science or time travel. No, not THE devil, but yes and actual demon. My original body? Well that's kind of macabre. I hadn't thought about it. I think since I reappeared in a summoning circle there's about a 50-50 chance that either my corpse is still in the cemetery or an urn or that it disappeared at the same time my living body appeared. I don't know. Age? I don't know, um, it's been 5 years, so why don't you just leave my birthday unchanged. Blipped? Hmm, I don't recall. It hasn't come up so I don't really know if I was blipped or not. Lets say yes, that seems to make things easier, right? Thanks.'

It was such a strange choice, because she'd made the wrong decision at literally every point. So having her do so at the last moment felt like the opposite of narrative arrival.

It was like listening to someone tell a joke that goes 'A guy goes into the bar and asks for

<x>

<x>

<x>

It makes no sense, structurally. It was a fall from grace story with no fall.

Also, why are they doing this to a character we're supposed to like? They are really doing Riri Williams so dirty. We all so badly want to like Ironheart, and she's got such an almost impossible challenge ahead of her because she's going to invariably have to weather comparisons to Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man. And I can forgive trying and failing, but at the end it seems they're not even going to try? They're just going to make her a heel? That's fucking nuts.

Also, what is their plan for this? This show and character don't seem nearly strong enough to be essential viewing or a tent-pole storyline. But if they don't get a second season or make her a major character in films then I'm worried this is the end of Riri. If this is the complete Ironheart ark we get from Disney and Feige then it's going to be one of the biggest television betrayals since Wanda Maximov was turned evil and then shoved unceremoniously off to her death. Why do this? The stories are already disappointing so many fans. Why make choices that make it worse?

If I can try to build on this constructively, I think sometimes conversations about diversity in media become a little bit too categorical, and dare I say overly race-focused.

I want to see characters like Riri Williams because her lived experience is different than that of Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, Bruce Banner, and so on. It's not just that she's got melanin. It's that her age and place of birth and the resources available to her and the obstacles that she faces are different from those of those other characters. It makes stories fresh. It gives people from that background more media with which they can more closely relate, and it gives people who aren't from that background an ability to better relate to and appreciate the experiences of those who are.

I just feel like this sometimes doesn't get acknowledged enough. I'm not looking for more "black people". I'm just looking for more people. And black people happen to be among many kinds of people we haven't seen as much of in these stories so far.

I've been very disappointed. My brother shared a podcast with me that was talking about it, and I thought they captured a lot of my feelings very well: https://www.theringer.com/podcasts/midnight-boys/2025/06/26/ironheart-episodes-1-3-and-fantastic-four-final-trailer-reactions-the-midnight-boys

They came at it -- like I do -- from a place of love. I loved Riri in Wakanda Forever, I love the idea of the character, I really like the actors and I really want to like this show. Ultimately, I think it has not been a good show, but I do believe it was made with love, and I absolutely want everyone involved to get more chances to make this better.

It's very weird. It should've been listed for $44 million.

This was a better episode than the last few for me because there was less story. The story has been bothering me for making no sense, and it still does bother me and makes no sense here, but at least we see some fighting which gives us a break.

That said, WTF is wrong with Riri's support system? Her Mom is like 'This is our home!': c'mon! Get the fuck outta town! You're gonna lose your daughter! You lost your husband to street violence and you clearly don't get how this works! Get to safety! The solution to all these problems is not more powered armor! And Xavier: how did he come around on the Natalie AI? He's right! Riri is wrong! Why are the writers of this taking her side??

Lastly, my biggest issue: the portrayal of Zeke when he finds out he's been turned into a drone is... a choice. They went with comedy? He's issuing apologies while his body is used to kill people? This is the greatest form of violation. It reads like the old 80's comedies like Porkies or Revenge of the Nerds back when writers rooms seemed to think non-consensual sex was a great source of comedy. I don't get how the writers chose to go this way, and the director, and the actor. No one at any point said, 'This isn't gonna play on screen. This is pure distilled horror and the character is reading as embarrassed instead of desperately wanting to be dead.'

I will finish the show and keep hoping for a better version of this character. I like Ironheart and I like Dominique Thorne, but this show is killing me slowly.

I'm sorry, but I've got more.

Parker and the gang are like, 'Wow, sure is weird that a stranger's gear showed up in our heist. Seems like Riri had an outside partner she didn't tell us about, and also brought some gear she didn't tell us about to the mission that wasn't part of her assigned job. And also snuck off to the room where John was killed. I guess the world is funny like that!'

The story doesn't even need magic to explain why Parker knows Riri killed John. What they do need to explain is why Riri would imagine that they all wouldn't know that she killed John after her betrayal and fingerprints are on the evening news.

Also: this show has too many faceless deaths. Parker in particular has murdered a lot of faceless guards in cold blood, and Riri is very okay with that. Riri, you should be in jail. You are so guilty of those people's deaths. Maybe you can feign ignorance before it happens, but afterwards if you show up to the gang meeting when you know this is the kill-kill kind of street gang and not the simple muggings and beatings kind, that's on you. You're signing your approval to this guy making widows and orphans. Those security guards aren't AIM or Hydra, those are blue collar Chicagoans who have been the victims of inexcusable violence.

This show needs a superhero to fight Riri, because she's a bad, bad, person.

I'm sorry to be the guy who kvetches about everything, but as much as I want to like this show, I don't get how the writers can not see how flimsy and senseless all of this is.

Why didn't Ezekial immediately turn Riri in for a plea bargain? Having some weird rubber is not a crime. He can just say that he gave it to Riri with no idea what she was planning, which is true and almost certainly be out on bail that afternoon. Does richboy not have a lawyer or anything?

Why did he break out? Again, where the fuck is this dude's lawyer? Don't trust the magical man in the cloak! Did you learn nothing from your last betrayal??

And then you go so far as to let strangers do crackhead backyard surgery on you?? What is this guy's fucking malfunction? It's such a flaw in the writing that he appears to have no friends or family at all. He doesn't get out of jail and find anyone he can trust? He just learned how untrustworthy strangers are and he's lying down in a surgery machine with a bunch of creepy criminals who look and sound just like Riri at the controls and he's going to let them slice and dice him with no protection or anyone he trusts even watching? This guy is going to be lucky to wake up, let alone wake up without his brain in a jar.

Also, the sorcerers are like, 'Riri, this is dangerous as hell! Any smart or caring person would immediately dispose of it! Good luck finding such a person!'

If someone brought me something like that, I'd immediately take care of it. Why did they make it her problem? Aside from obviously the plot seems to demand a ton of stuff happening with no justification at all.

Follow-up mention to Riri introducing that guy to his dead sister's AI hologram. Bro, what the fuck did you expect?

Also, Riri's friends and family suck. Intervene! What kind of mom puts up with this? What her family should be saying is 'Sweety, I've been very forgiving of you having obviously joined gang as soon as you got kicked outta school but now you're clearly tits deep in high-level supervillain bullshit. Go call the Avengers or get the fuck outta my house.' And: 'Oh my god I thought I was having trouble healing from the death of Natalie but you've won the trauma olympics. Here's your medal now pack your bags for therapy and not the voluntary kind.'

Fuck, it makes me mad and sad that they're doing this with a good character in a show that had so much potential.

Also, not only do they rely on "just vision", crucially they rely on real-time processing without any memory or persistent mapping.

This, more than anything else is what bewilders me most.

They could map an area, and when observing a construction hazard save that data and share it with other vehicles so they know when route setting or anticipate the object. Not they don't. If it drives past a hazard and goes around the block it has to figure out how to navigate the hazard again with no familiarity. That's so foolish.

Oof.

This month is really feeling like one gut punch after another.

This is a genuine concern that we should recognize.

I'm about 99% confident it isn't, but considering it is the kind of caution we should all be exercising these days.

I have a lot of problems with this episode. The writing on this show just feels like it's gotten way too loose.

The reveal that Joe is Zeke is because he has "Obadiah S." written on a ziploc bag containing his father's ashes? Who labels a bag like that?

Riri's sneak into the base requires her to swim around under water and find a vent? And then cut a lock using a laser underwater? I know we already tend to just ignore the fact that real life lasers don't cut things like this, but now we're doing underwater lasers? She just found that, cut it, and then went in like she doesn't need to breathe any more. How's she even seeing shit? She's got no goggles!

And then she sneaks into the guy's lair and is just trying to discretely cut a piece of a a guy's clothes with a high powered laser!? How does that work? It's like the least discrete thing ever! He's just walking around talking to this billionarie and she's blasting off this lock cutting laser everywhere, except for some reason now it takes longer to cut through leather than it does steel. The guy should be cut in half and on fire and everyone screaming.

Why are there all these people-sized vents that are covered by openings that are taped on? They don't even screw that on? Why design a gate that traps people in the vent? Why not just put a permanent obstacle inside your vent? Why wasn't that their break-in plan? That was effortless? But the labs have no fire escape. The most obvious requirement for every lab. But she has no trouble getting out of the vent. We don't even see how she gets out, she just kind of gets trapped and then we see her leave.

And this business tycoon expected him... and then wrote a check? And also planned to have the security system entrap him but never considered the idea that the guy who broke him might just physically attack him? And also what are you doing, dude? Why are you gardening at night waiting to be attacked? Go home! And a hire a body guard!

And what is with these motherfucking contracts? I get that it's probably an allusion to Mephisto, but those contracts are worthless. So someone signs a paper promising to give you money. Where do you actually get the goddamned money? Where did they get the physical cash they're throwing around? Did they go to a bank and say, 'I'd like to withdraw $100,000 from my bank account. You'll find I have the money, because I got a billionaire to sign a contract promising me this money.' Like... think how fucking stupid this is. There's a reason why no one holds rich people hostage for a signature. They can do it for crypto. That's actually a real thing that is happening a lot these days. But a paper contract? It's meaningless! You have to actually get someone to execute it! And that's impossible because (A) you can't do that anonymously, you'd have to identify yourself and (B) contracts signed under duress are invalid. They're a legal concept, not a magic wand! This is so goddamned dumb.

Also, why the fuck is Zeke trusting Riri? Because she promised? They're not friends, and have no basis of trust at all. She's like, 'You have my word.' And he's like, 'Okay, be sure not to get me arrested for life. Here's a priceless ...' also what the fuck is that "bio-mesh"? Literally what is it supposed to be? It's like... organic? And how did she make it a metal detector cloak in 10 minutes? And why and how did he have an enormous bone-deep gouge in his arm? And why would you have blueprints for any of this? Blueprints are how they used to sketch out buildings fifty years ago. Was he drawing the dimensions of a new metamaterial with a ruler and compass? Writing out its dimensions? Like what is any of this? This feels like it was written by a 10 year old and ChatGPT.

This story makes no sense. I want to like it, but this is DUMB.

I'm just reminiscing, man.

That's there take. I think context and audience makes a huge difference, so I'd rank it higher.

I remember the experience. I watched it at the Rave Cinema at the Baldwin-Crenshaw mall, in Leimert Park. And let me tell you: the theater was so fucking amped. This theater was built by Magic Johnson in a part of LA that hadn't had a nice theater, and it's held up well. The neighborhood has really come up around it, too, so when Black Panther played, it was filled with folks dressed to the nines. There was LA street fashion, Panafrican garb, kids grown-ups, elders... The movie was good to start with, but it was just hard not to get caught up in the energy in the air. It truly was an event.

I've gotta say that MCU armor peaked around Iron Man 2. And I'm disappointed that they didn't take the opportunity to finally return to greatness.

I don't mind high-tech armor, but I was so disappointed that we see her donning high tech shiny self-assembling armor in the first few minutes of the show.

I miss the gantry. I miss the sense that it was a physical thing. Imagine the prop artists preparing the parts of Riri's suit that weren't pure CGI. The casting and the polishing and the fingerprint removal before she put it on. How about this? Actually design a suit. Imagine you had a high enough power source to power it and repulsors exist. What would it look like? Imagine something like Andrea Piccinno's exo frame with some plating and a motorcycle helmet. Remember the Mark 1? Remember watching the firmware boot up on an old CRT monitor while Yinsin sacrificed himself to buy Tony time?

I feel like what I'm saying is straight-up CRAZY to the people who make these shows. But PLEASE: if you must, work up to the fancy polished CGI stuff by the end! Let us see something that looks a kinda real. Let her impress us by showing us stages of development instead of literally starting with a product that is finished and capable of cross country flight!

Bring back a gantry. Or let us see her step in and tighten a harness! I feel like if these people were in charge of Top Gun, everyone would get in planes by just running onto an air ram in street clothes and getting launched into the cockpit while the plane is flying. 'Flight suit? Ladder? No, audiences will be bored.'

It really disappoints me that this show is dismissing this opportunity. We got a glimmer of it in Wakanda Forever, but oh well.

My understanding was that she used up the grant money and/or overextended the term of her scholarship without graduating.

It was a little hazy, tho