One of the few Marvel characters who didn’t get the proper treatment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it’s Danny Rand, aka Iron Fist. Oh, but you knew that already if you’ve watched the Marvel Netflix shows. The guy said it plenty of times, at it got old very fast. It’s kind of a shame, because that show can be considered Marvel’s first real flop. And what came after that was the Inhumans show and the entertaining, but ultimately underwhelming Defenders show. That show unfortunately got low ratings and my theory is because it came out after the Iron Fist show in 2017. The Defenders itself was disappointing, but the dull presence of Danny Rand didn’t help it. His fight scene with Luke Cage was pretty cool though.
But come on, who didn’t get annoyed with Danny Rand constantly telling everyone that he was the immortal Iron Fist? I initially put the blame on the bad combination of bad writing and the dull performance of Finn Jones. However, I will say that season 2 was a big improvement from the first season and Finn Jones did do better. Then we got to see him in Heroes for Hire form with his buddy Luke Cage in his second season. Once again, he actually did better. I guess all he needed was better writers, but then again, I just never really pictured him as Iron Fist. And for the record, I don’t think anyone else did either.
I think most fans would agree that the casting of Finn Jones as Danny Rand/Iron Fist was a bad call. Will he improve overtime? Well, we’ll probably never know, because the show was canceled after season 2. I was kind of sad about that, but out of all the Marvel Netflix shows, that one made me the least excited. I quickly got over the show’s cancellation, but I still really want to see the real Iron Fist make his proper MCU debut. And out of all the Defenders, I don’t think fans are too pumped for Finn Jones to reprise the role. If Marvel does plan on bringing back Iron Fist, I think the best course of action for them to take is recasting. It honestly sounds like Kevin Feige wants to reboot those shows anyway, so by all means, it’s time to accept a new Iron Fist.
Where do they start? Well, they can either make another attempt at the show on Disney+ or just give him his own movie. The idea of the Kung Fu master superhero in the MCU getting his own movie or show excites me a lot. But wait, that’s already happening with another Kung Fu master superhero in the MCU. His name is Shang-Chi, and he’ll be taking on the real Mandarin in the MCU. If you’ve seen the trailer for the movie, you know we’ll be in for a super fun martial arts adventure. If that’s happening, then what’s the need for Iron Fist?
My answer: because Iron Fist is awesome and he needs proper movie treatment. And I’ve been reading some interesting theories recently that talk about Iron Fist possibly being rebooted in the Shang-Chi movie. It’s a plausible theory, considering how much Shang-Chi has in common with Iron Fist. They’re both martial arts masters and were raised in mythical cities. Speaking of which, Michelle Yeoh explained how her character will be the guardian of a “mythical city”. Her character, named Jiang Nan, isn’t from the comics, so I wonder what her role really means. Is she really an original character or is she using another name to conceal her true identity?
I know I’m speculating here, but when she’s talking about the “mythical city”, can she possibly be talking about K’un-L’un? If she is, then that settles the Iron Fist connection. Maybe she is an actual character from the comics, or a variation of one, but I’m seriously interested if she has any connection to Danny Rand. Then again, the mythical city could be something else entirely, but I’d like to think she’s a guardian of K’un-L’un. That’s the theory building up on the web and I think there’s some validity to this theory.
But we should seriously ask ourselves if Iron Fist is necessary if Shang-Chi is getting his own movie. The answer would still be yes, at least for me, since Danny Rand still comes from a different background than Shang-Chi. Danny Rand came from a wealthy family, so for the early years of his childhood, he knew nothing but privilege. Once he became a part of K’un-L’un, he was the outsider who had to learn the ways of a culture that’s totally different from his. It all worked out for him in the end, as he learned the best martial arts and was tested by fighting an actual dragon. Yes, the man actually fought a dragon using only Kung Fu. How can you possibly sideline a character like that?
What’s really cool about Danny Rand is that he’s a character who wasn’t born with powers or got them by accident. He actually worked to become the immortal Iron Fist since he was a young boy and went through the most rigorous training methods. The fact that he’s an outsider is even more interesting, because he brought elements of that culture back home with him. Since he is the son of a millionaire, he inherited a large fortune, but that money means little to him. We saw parts of this in the Netflix shows, but in the comics, he takes it much further. He uses most of his fortune to help the needy, and even runs his own soup kitchen. Danny Rand is a rich boy, but he’s one who truly gives back.
And here’s something comics Danny Rand has that the Netflix version seriously lacked in and that’s swagger. As the Iron Fist, he’s the most skilled martial artist in Marvel, but he can also be funny and kind of cocky. This gives him a good personality to work with, rather than have him just be the stoic Kung Fu master. And pair him with his longtime buddy Luke Cage, we’ll have a Heroes for Hire series possibly coming.
What are your thoughts, Marvel fans? Would you like to see Iron Fist come back to the MCU?Iron Fist
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