Coming in 2022 it almost appears that a lot of people who want to believe that Iron Fist should have been an Asian character might get their way finally, as a new Iron Fist is going to be developed for Marvel comics in a limited series that will introduce a brand new character. The only thing about this is that it’s not certain at the moment that his powers will stem from the same source. Many comic fans might already know that Danny Rand gave up his powers to save the world in a selfless act, but it would appear that even this isn’t enough for a lot of people to let go of the idea that a ‘white savior’ trope is a serious negative for a series like Iron Fist. It’s kind of amusing to think that there was a time when people were actually accepting of Caucasian heroes that had found a way to delve into Asian mythology, as it helped by making it appear that Asian characters weren’t going to be left to be the only ones to experience what it was like to be a martial arts legend.
But the era we currently live in has done a great deal to reverse this idea by shouting the word ‘cultural appropriation’ at anything they don’t happen to like when it comes to pop culture or, well, anything. The funny thing about Iron Fist is that in the comics he did just fine, and existed without much of an issue until recently. Having been released in the comics back in 1974 it doesn’t appear that people had much of an issue with this character for a very long time, and the biggest controversy didn’t really come until Netflix decided to stick with the source material and keep Danny Rand as a Caucasian who had lost his family and been rescued and subsequently taught by those who gave him the power of the Iron Fist. In other words, how dare the writers plot out a story that would turn a Caucasian male into a superhero that drew upon Asian mythology. I mean come on Marvel, how dare you use fiction loosely based on mythology to create a likable story. It’d be nice if there was a sarcasm feature for the site since it’s being laid on thick and heavy right at the moment.
Let me walk it back just for a moment and say this: it’s a good thing that Iron Fist is being given a new chance to switch characters at this point since a lot of comics might benefit from this if it could be done in a manner that didn’t toss their original heroes aside. At this point a lot of heroes and villains have been around for decades, meaning that in real time they would be incredibly old and unable to do even half of the things that they do. This switch represents the need to push the story forward and have someone else take the mantle, but the need to push the idea that it should be an Asian individual really wasn’t needed, nor was it necessary to vilify Danny Rand as a character that’s negative in the least bit for being white while being a master of the martial arts. The Iron Fist series on Netflix was horrible because of the acting and the way the story was put together, it had nothing to do with the fact that the main character, who was taken from the SOURCE MATERIAL, was a Caucasian male, one of the most controversial things to be within the last decade.
Despite not having been a comics fan for so long, this might actually interest me enough to check it out when the series is released in 2022, as it’s supposed to hit stores in mid-February. Danny Rand is another hero that could stand to take a break since he’s been around for a while, and the fact that he had to give up his power is at least one mark in his favor since he did it for a good reason obviously. But for all those that are cheering that a Caucasian no longer wields the power that comes from Asian mythology, chill out. Those who want to worry about the gender or race of a fictional character need to take a step back and then take a few deep breaths before realizing how silly they sound.
It could be fun to see how a new Iron Fist will take to the streets and utilize the power that’s been given to him, and where that power might actually come from if the rumors are true. We’ll have to wait and see what’s going to happen, but it does sound interesting to think of what a new hero will be like, and what kind of personality he might have.
Danny Rand
