Marvel Fixed Iron Fist In One Episode

With Luke Cage Season 2, Marvel has finally succeeded in achieving something viewers once thought impossible: they've fixed Iron Fist. Finn Jones' version of the Immortal Iron Fist was always going to be controversial. For years, a vocal minority of fans had pushed for Marvel Television to race-swap the character, going for an Asian version of Iron Fist. They argued that the comic book version exemplified the "White Savior" trope, an overused and outdated idea that should really be consigned to the trash can. But Marvel chose to go with a comic book accurate Iron Fist instead, casting Jones in the role.

There's a reason Iron Fist Season 1 was the last Marvel Netflix show to launch before The Defenders. In July 2015, Birth.Movies.Death reported that Marvel was struggling to work out a solid pitch. "One of the big hold-ups is the mystical element," BMD reported, "with lots of different opinions on just how much weird wuxia to bring in to the show." The popular and critical reaction to Mike Colter's Luke Cage, who premiered in Jessica Jones Season 1, gave Marvel a breathing-space. According to Luke Cage showrunner Cheo Coker, Marvel had originally planned his show to be the last one developed, but they decided to fast-track Luke Cage and move Iron Fist to the back of the queue.

Even with the benefit of this extra time, though, the first season of Iron Fist was something of a car-crash. Scott Buck's series was heavily criticized, and not just for the standard Marvel Netflix pacing problems; the story, the character-work, and even the fight choreography was generally viewed as disappointing. Critics were savage, and the show's critic score on review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes sits at a shocking 17 percent. Iron Fist was still a hit according to Netflix, but the series most definitely created a negative buzz for Marvel. Given the viewing figures, it didn't take long for Marvel and Netflix to renew Iron Fist for a second season - but it was obvious Marvel would need to work hard to fix the hero's obvious flaws. With Luke Cage Season 2, that process is already complete.

This Page: Marvel's Iron Fist Problems
Next Page: How Marvel Has Fixed Iron Fist

Marvel's Iron Fist Problems

The Danny Rand of Iron Fist Season 1 is a strange, flawed and conflicted man. He's wrestling with questions of his identity, struggling to cope with the demons of his past. Tellingly, that internal conflict actually means he's unable to access his greatest power, the "Iron Fist." Incredibly, over the course of 13 episodes, Danny Rand only summoned the power of the Iron Fist for just three minutes.

But here's the problem; in order to become the Iron Fist, Danny Rand has trained for years under a mystical quasi-Buddhist philosophy. And there's simply no way any variation of Buddhism would leave those deep-rooted psychological issues alone during his training. In order to become the Iron Fist, Danny Rand would have needed to face every one of his inner demons, and to reconcile himself to the losses he'd suffered in his past. He wouldn't even have been allowed to go face Shou Lao until he'd achieved a place of inner harmony. It's true that the return to New York could have unsettled that delicate balance, but not to the extent we saw in Iron Fist Season 1. It's hard not to conclude that showrunner Scott Buck simply didn't understand Buddhist philosophy, and as a result the hero's entire character arc fell flat.

Season 1's portrayal of Danny Rand was also, frankly, seriously annoying. Viewers mocked the show for Danny's habitual introduction of himself. "I am the Immortal Iron Fist," the hero told anyone who'd listen, "protector of K'un Lun, sworn enemy of the Hand." He also had the absurd habit of repeating his origin story to the most random members of the secondary cast. The show's pacing was already problematic, but this interrupted countless scenes, causing the narrative to stumble even more.

And then there was the fight choreography. Iron Fist is supposed to be one of the greatest martial artists in the Marvel Universe. Unfortunately, Iron Fist Season 1 had the worst fight scenes in the entire Marvel Netflix range. The core problem was that Jones doesn't come from a martial arts background and wasn't given time to train. Incredibly, Jones claimed that the tight production schedule meant he was "learning the fight scenes 15 minutes before we actually shot them." Jones's lack of practice and skill combined with choppy editing to give the sense that Danny Rand was something of an amateur when it came to hand-to-hand combat. The script didn't help, for that matter, calling upon Danny to demonstrate different levels of martial arts ability at different times, purely to service the plot.

Page 2 of 2: How Marvel Fixed Iron Fist

The Defenders Began to Redeem Iron Fist

Marvel and Netflix were both determined to make Iron Fist work, and the process of repairing the damage from Season 1 really began with last year's The Defenders. Showrunners Douglas Petrie and Marco Ramirez made a deliberate, albeit risky, decision; rather than leave Danny Rand in the background, they made him the narrative center of their show. The relationship between Danny and the other Marvel Netflix heroes was core to the series's narrative, allowing Jones to demonstrate a different side of the Immortal Iron Fist.

The flaws were still visible, though. While this version of Iron Fist was a little more centered than the one we'd seen in his solo series, he still had the habit of flying off the handle. When the heroes learned the Hand had been after Danny all along, with the Iron Fist serving as a "key" to an ancient doorway, Danny assumed they were about to betray him. It showcased Danny's character flaws, but also allowed Marvel the chance to show that Finn Jones was becoming a more competent martial artist. The showrunners of The Defenders clearly allowed Jones time to rehearse the fight choreography, and the editing of his fight sequences was a whole lot more effective.

Luke Cage Finally Fixes Iron Fist

Warning: Mild spoilers for Luke Cage Season 2.

It may have seemed crazy at first, but Marvel made a smart decision when they chose to have Iron Fist cameo in an episode of Luke Cage. They explicitly joked about the "Power Man and Iron Fist" team-up, a concept that's lifted straight from the comics, and in so doing delighted comic book readers. They also set up a potential Heroes for Hire series; in the comics, the two heroes are known to work together in that capacity.

Crucially, the Iron Fist of Luke Cage Season 2 is very different to the hero we've seen before. This Danny Rand was much more relaxed and philosophical; he's found his own place of balance, and he spends a lot of his trying to encourage others to find inner harmony too. The character is still recognizable, but he's clearly dealt with his inner demons since we last saw him, and there's no trace of the strange, off-beat anger management problems that were featured in the past. Danny's focus is on protecting New York, and you get the profound sense that this mission is what has brought him peace. Tying into this, that single episode uses the Iron Fist power quite liberally; at one point, he literally shows off his glowing fist as part of a joke.

Perhaps most gratifyingly, there's a proper, if humorous, acknowledgment of Danny Rand's flaws. His habit of identifying himself repeatedly as "the Immortal Iron Fist" is mocked as an example of powerful branding, while Luke cuts short an attempt to once again retell his backstory.

What Does This Mean For Iron Fist Season 2?

Danny Rand's character redemption will no doubt continue in Iron Fist Season 2, under new showrunner Raven Metzner. Although Marvel claimed this was simply because they were moving Scott Buck to Inhumans, the truth is that Metzner's skills are far more suited to this series; he is a far more philosophical writer and director than Buck, and is likely to get the Buddhist philosophy underpinning Iron Fist a lot better.

We can assume that there's a clear direction of travel for the MCU's portrayal of Iron Fist, all with the intention of repairing the damage of Season 1's portrayal. If that's the case, we should expect the Danny Rand of Iron Fist Season 2 to be a man who's committed to protecting New York City, honoring the mission he accepted from Matt Murdock. Just as in Luke Cage Season 2, that sense of vocation will have helped Danny find a place of peace. Also important is that Jones is becoming far more skilled in terms of martial arts; hopefully Metzner has learned from Buck's mistakes and allowed Jones the time to learn the fight choreography well. Jones told Inverse that he started training five or six months before filming began on Season 2, and that training will hopefully have paid off in terms of giving him a chance to develop his skills.

With Luke Cage Season 2, Marvel has completed the redemption of Iron Fist, fixing the character ready for the second season of his own show. We recently learned that Marvel is planning to promote Iron Fist at SDCC next month, and that may mean Season 2 is the next Marvel Netflix show to stream later in this year. And given Marvel how has now built up a fresh momentum around the character, that's no bad thing.