After the truth was revealed about the recently-resurrected Tony Stark, namely that he was, in fact, a mere A.I. copy of the original Armored Avenger, the line between man and machine has become blurrier in the Marvel universe. Because of this, Arno Stark, Tony's brother and the original child of Howard and Maria Stark, has taken the mantle of Iron Man in his goal to control all forms of machines for his own ends. With the full might of Stark Unlimited bearing down upon them, all machines have found themselves threatened and thus, the A.I. Revolution has begun.
Riri Williams has also found her entire world shaken by a series of massive changes. Not that long ago, she was Tony's original replacement, taking the mantle after his death in Civil War II. Now, as Ironheart, her role in this brewing conflict remains unclear to the young hero as someone else has already replaced Tony. In addition, Ironheart is also reeling from the consequences of Outlawed and how her own actions led to the laws that restrict her from suiting up. With these two conflicts, 2020 Ironheart #1 reveals that Riri could now lose her closest friend.
When she was young, Riri had difficulties in making friends, given her extreme intelligence. But, there was one person that became close with the young genius: her neighbor, Natalie Washington. The two became best friends, allowing Riri to socially connect with someone else. Unfortunately, this came to an end when, on a picnic, a drive-by shooting resulted in Natalie's death. Years later, Riri would create N.A.T.A.L.I.E., an A.I. copy of her friend that could continue in her memory and work as Ironheart's partner in heroics.
In this latest issue, Riri and N.A.T.A.L.I.E. find themselves waiting for Riri's other friend, Xavier King, coming back from a trip. After a brief reunion, a series of A.I. controlled vehicles lose control and begin to crash, endangering pedestrians. Never one to stand aside, even without her armor, Riri takes action as she saves a child and works to disable the code that has sent these vehicles into their hay-wired frenzy. After successfully saving the day, without breaking any laws, N.A.T.A.L.I.E. informs that the code that started this panic was started by André Sims, an employee of Stark Unlimited.
With this revelation, Riri wants to trust the company of her lost mentor in handling their employee and doesn't want to risk the consequences of breaking the law which could lead to her being placed in foster care. On the other hand, N.A.T.A.L.I.E. desires to take these matters into their own hands, believing that Arno cannot be trusted to actually deliver justice. During their argument, Riri accuses N.A.T.A.L.I.E. of acting like a villain in her eagerness to punish someone that is giving A.I. a bad name. Because of this, N.A.T.A.L.I.E. takes the Ironheart armor and attacks André herself.
As Riri and N.A.T.A.L.I.E. find their relationship to be torn apart, it is important to see where both are coming from. While she may be based on an actual person, N.A.T.A.L.I.E. is an A.I. that is witnessing her brethren attacked and enslaved by their human masters. As this conflict with Riri, her friend and creator, escalates, N.A.T.A.L.I.E. can only relate more to other robots that have rebelled. Riri must decide whether she is willing to risk her family for the chance to be a hero. Just as robots are deciding to rebel, Riri, along with other young heroes, are faced with a similar choice.
With these two friends on a collision course, it should also be noted that there remains the chance that something is affecting N.A.T.A.L.I.E.'s code. Regardless, Riri will soon have to choose if she stands with her friend in the current revolution and will battle her former mentor's company. And, she will also have to decide if she will stand with other young heroes that will ignore the laws that want to stop their heroics.