I’ll say it — the backlash against Ironheart has been disgusting. Not just misguided or overly critical — disgusting. And it’s time we stop pretending otherwise.

Let’s be real: the hate against Ironheart has never really been about the story, the suit, or the show. It’s about something uglier. It’s about the discomfort some fans have with seeing Black girls in spaces they were never meant to be in — and the fact that these spaces are finally being cracked open.

The Civil Rights Act was signed just 80 years ago. That’s within the lifetime of people still walking around today. Segregated schools were being abolished around the same time Marvel Comics was being founded. That’s not ancient history. That’s recent memory, and some would love to go back to the way things were before then.

And yet, comic books — from their earliest days — became a place where the marginalized found reflection. The X-Men spoke to civil rights before mainstream media dared. Black Panther stepped onto the page when Black heroes were virtually nonexistent. Ms. Marvel showed Muslim American teens they belonged in the Marvel universe, too.

So why is it that when Ironheart shows up — a brilliant Black girl from Chicago who built her own Iron Man suit at 15 — the internet catches fire?

I’ll tell you why. It’s not about the quality of the writing. It’s not about the CGI. It’s not about “superhero fatigue.” It’s because there are still far too many people who think characters like Riri Williams don’t belong in the conversation — or worse, shouldn’t exist at all.

Let’s be honest. Yes, Disney has struggled. Not every project that highlights minority leads has hit. Some stories weren’t great. Some were rushed. Some were clearly part of a larger corporate checklist. But let’s not pretend that’s why these shows and characters are getting torched online.

Some people act like any attempt at representation is an automatic failure. A bad show with a white male lead is just “bad.” A bad show with a Black woman at the center? Suddenly it’s the downfall of cinema, the death of Marvel, the result of "wokeness." Suddenly it’s “proof” that diversity is killing Hollywood. That’s not criticism. That’s a coordinated effort to poison the well.

You’ve seen the YouTube thumbnails. You’ve read the headlines. “Disney’s Woke Agenda DESTROYS Marvel.” “Ironheart is the Death of the MCU.” These aren’t critiques. They’re clickbait outrage, designed to rile up the worst corners of fandom — the ones who think showing any culture outside their own is a personal attack.

And the hypocrisy? Riri Williams was created in 2016 by Brian Michael Bendis and Mike Deodato — years before "DEI" became a catch-all boogeyman. She wasn't cooked up by some corporate diversity committee. She was created because she was a compelling, brilliant character — and because the Marvel Universe needed someone like her.

Dominique Thorne is portraying Riri, and she’s killing it. She’s not replacing Tony Stark. She’s not erasing his legacy. She’s carving out her own space — one that should’ve existed long before now. But bad-faith actors are intentionally framing her as a “replacement” to stoke rage, as if a young Black genius building a suit of armor is somehow offensive.

Spoiler: It’s not.

What’s offensive is the sheer number of grown adults gleefully fanning the flames of this culture war. What’s offensive is that comic book conversations — a space that once championed the outsider — have become breeding grounds for bigotry. And let’s be clear: if your first reaction to a new character is to question their race, gender, or sexuality before their story — you are not a “true fan.” You’re a gatekeeper. A bigot. A coward hiding behind nostalgia.

Sorry if strong, independent women, make you uncomfortable. I don’t call that regressive. I call that growth. I like characters like Gamora, Yelena Belova, and Selina Kyle — women who don’t need to shrink themselves to fit outdated molds.

If we listened to the same people crying about Ironheart now, we wouldn’t have gotten Miles Morales. We wouldn’t have gotten Kamala Khan. We wouldn’t have gotten Shuri or Sam Wilson or America Chavez. These characters matter. Not just because of what they look like, but because of what they represent.

They said Spider-Man couldn’t be Black.

They said Black Panther wouldn’t work.

They said diversity was the final nail in Marvel’s coffin.

They’ve been wrong every single time.

And if comic book media has no room for people like Riri, like Miles, like Kamala — then maybe it has no room for you.