NOTE: The following post contains SPOILERS for Marvel's Iron Fist
The Marvel Cinematic Universe branched out from film to television in 2013 with the debut of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., but in 2015 Marvel TV and Netflix teamed up to premiere Daredevil, the first series in a street-level corner of the superhero universe. Season 1 of Daredevil was followed by Jessica Jones, season 2 of Daredevil, and more recently Luke Cage. The next hero to enter Marvel and Netflix's New York City-based corner of the MCU is Iron Fist - a series following Daniel Rand (Game of Thrones' Finn Jones), who disappeared at the age of 10 and returns home as an adult and as the Immortal Iron Fist.
During the Iron Fist panel at New York Comic Con, Marvel TV head Jeph Loeb brought out the cast and showrunner of the series. First up was showrunner Scott Buck, then Joy Meachum actress Jessica Stroup, Ward Meachum actor Tom Pelphrey, Claire Temple actress Rosario Dawson, Harold Meachum actor David Wenham, Colleen Wing actress Jessica Henwick, and, lastly, Jones.
In addition to revealing a second teaser trailer for Iron Fist - the first debuted at San Diego Comic-Con earlier this year - Loeb and the panel debuted five new scenes from what appear to be the first few episodes of Iron Fist. The scenes include Danny returning home to Hell's Kitchen in New York City, him reuniting with Joy and Ward Meachum, a portion of the show's hallway fight scene, a cage fight featuring Colleen Wing, and a scene between Danny and Harold discussing his past as the warrior known as Iron Fist. For those fans unable to attend the panel, we've written up a description of the scenes, which include spoilers for Marvel's Iron Fist.
Danny Rand Returning Home
The first scene shown at the panel appears to be the opening sequence from the series premiere episode of Iron Fist, including a number of establishing shots of New York City and Daniel Rand returning to Hell's Kitchen dressed in the outfit from early set photos of the series. After the establishing shots introducing Danny as he reacquaints himself with his home, he approaches the building of Rand Enterprises. You can read the full description of the scene below:
Danny walks up to the reception desk of the Rand Enterprises building and tells the receptionist that he's there to see Harold Meachum. "I'm Danny Rand, son of Wendell Rand." Danny additionally looks around the lobby of the expensive building, reminiscing about his childhood, "I used to ride my skateboard in here." The receptionist placates Danny by saying someone will be out to see him. Danny wanders over to a screen that depicts the work of Rand Enterprises, including shots of new technology as well as farming industries. Then, the screen depicts Harold Meachum and Wendell Rand shaking hands as partners of the company and Danny is shown reacting with confusion. However, security shows up and forces Danny out of the building. He stays outside for a few moments before (badly) attempting to sneak back in, and when that doesn't work, Danny easily takes on a number of security guards. Danny fights his way through the lobby using his skills and locks himself into the elevator bank. The final shot of the scene sees Danny getting on an elevator.
The scene works to introduce both Danny Rand - including his childlike wonder of returning to New York City - as well as the action that fans can expect from Iron Fist. It's typical of Marvel to also include plenty of humor within its properties and Iron Fist is no different; the shot of Danny attempting to sneak back into the building is played for laughs and hints at a silly side to Danny Rand in Iron Fist.
Danny Meets with Joy & Ward
The next scene shown focused on Harold Meachum's children Ward and Joy, who help their father with running Rand Enterprises. The pair are discussing Danny at a high-end restaurant during lunchtime when he forces himself in - dressed down in jeans and a T-shirt. After forcing himself into the booth next to Joy, Danny confronts the Meachum children:
Danny begins by telling Ward accusatorily: "You were like a brother to me." Danny goes on to accuse Ward of sending someone after him, knowing it was Ward because he was "the only one with me the day I broke my arm." The pair continue to argue, Danny asking Ward why he hates him so much and Ward declaring that, "The Danny Rand I knew is dead." Their argument gets more heated until Ward smacks a glass off the table; Ward and Danny stand up to face each other, but Joy gets in between the two men. She says to Danny, "I’m not your sister, he’s not your brother, and we don’t want you here." There's a beat while Danny reacts to Joy's words, he's hurt and betrayed. Joy attempts to placate Danny, but he proclaims that he's hired Jeryn Hogarth (Carrie-Anne Moss) and he's going to take control of his part of Rand Enterprises.
Although the scene is taken out of context, it seems clear that Danny hopes to follow in his father's footsteps by working at Rand Enterprises and Joy and Ward are not happy with his reappearance since it likely created plenty of problems for the Meachum siblings. Still, there's an emotional throughline of the scene that showcases the relationship between Joy, Ward, and Danny prior to Danny's disappearance. Plus, the scene explains why Moss' Jeryn Hogarth will appear on Iron Fist after being introduced on Jessica Jones.
Iron Fist Hallway Fight Tease
The third scene shown at the NYCC panel is Iron Fist's take on the hallway fight scene that have become a tradition within Marvel's Netflix series. The hallway fight sequence from Daredevil season 1 drew plenty of praise from critics and fans alike for its cool action choreography, but Jessica Jones and Luke Cage put their own twists on the concept. Now, take a look at our description of Iron Fist's version of a portion of the hallway fight scene:
Daniel exits a hotel room to see a group of Asian assailants - it's unclear if they're a part of an organization like The Hand - who appear to be kidnapping Joy, pushing her toward the elevator. Danny fights his way through the men, breaking one man's arm and striking a classic Iron Fist pose at one point. The man holding Joy punches her and Danny is spurned on, facing off against a second wave of opponents who wield hatchets. Danny fights his way closer to the elevator, narrowly missing a hatchet that goes by his face, and closes in on the elevator
The scene cuts off before Danny gets into the elevator but Loeb confirmed after the scene screened that Danny does make it into the elevator - though that was all he teased about the remainder of the scene. Based on the sequence, it appears Iron Fist will utilize Danny's unique fighting style for their hallway scene, as well as some fun filming style - one part of the sequence is shown completely from the above. However, it remains to be seen how the remainder of the scene plays out.
Colleen Wing Cage Fight
The fourth scene Loeb presented during the NYCC panel focused entirely on Colleen Wing, in what could potentially be the scene that introduces her to the series. Set in what appears to be an underground fighting ring, Colleen goes up against two men who are much bigger than her. Take a look at our breakdown of the scene:
One of the men antagonizes Colleen by shouting to the crowd: "This little girl thinks she can fight me?" The man running the fight questions Colleen to make sure she wants to participate and when she answers yes, he locks the three fighters in the cage. Colleen quickly begins dominating the fight against both men, at one point headbutting one of the men's fists to defend one of his punches. Colleen is pinned down by one of the men, but she knocks him out on the leg of the other man, though she's stuck under the one that's unconscious. The man still fighting pulls her out from under and she puts one of his arms in a lock until she breaks it. He attempts to keep fighting, but she gets the upper hand. Although he's clearly lost, Colleen continues to punch his face, seemingly losing her control.
The scene is a fantastic introduction to Colleen Wing's talent for fighting, while additionally hinting at emotional turmoil within the character. As it was teased in the Luke Cage season finale and confirmed at the Iron Fist panel, Claire Temple will study under Colleen at her dojo. Given what was shown in this particular fight scene, Colleen will have plenty to teach Claire, and will prove to be a worthy ally for Danny Rand.
Danny & Harold Meachum Talk Iron Fist
The final scene shown at the Iron Fist NYCC panel put the focus on Danny and his father's old friend Harold Meachum. The scene opens with Danny on a bed in what appears to be a private hospital room, though it's dimly lit, as he regains consciousness. The following discussion between Danny and Harold takes place in largely closeup shots as the men discuss their past and Danny's time away:
When Danny wakes up, he's confused by Harold's presence. Harold asks if Danny remembers the song he used to sing when Danny was a boy in order to annoy him; the song is "Danny Boy" and Harold hums a few bars, setting a menacing tone for the scene. Danny tells Harold, "I thought you were dead," and Harold replies, "And I thought you were dead, so I guess that’s something we have in common." Harold digs for information into Danny's time away from New York City, asking about the monks that took Danny in. Danny confirms he was in K'un L'un, one of the seven capital cities in Heaven. He additionally reveals that he understood his place there as a warrior. When Harold pushes Danny about his time as a warrior, Danny reveals he became "one in a long line," a warrior known as the Immortal Iron Fist. Additionally, Danny says Iron Fist is the mortal enemy of The Hand, it is his duty to destroy The Hand, and that he is the only one who can do it.
This final scene sets up an interesting dynamic between Danny and Harold, especially in the revelation that they both thought the other was dead. Additionally, the scene establishes The Hand - which was teased in season 1 of Daredevil and officially introduced in season 2 - as a major antagonist of Iron Fist.
All in all, the scenes the screened at the Iron Fist NYCC panel introduced the main characters - particularly Danny, Colleen, and Harold - while teasing more mythos from the comic books in regards to the Immortal Iron Fist. Snippets from many of the scenes, including Collen's fight scene and Danny's hallway fight, are included within the Iron Fist trailer that screened at the panel. Since the trailer was released online, fans can get some impressions of these scenes, though it's likely the scenes themselves won't be released in their full form until closer to the Iron Fist premiere date - if not until the show actually debuts.
Next: Iron Fist Trailer: You Are A Living Weapon
Daredevil season 1 & 2, Jessica Jones season 1, and Luke Cage season 1 are now available on Netflix. Iron Fist season 1 arrives on March 17th, 2017. The Defenders and The Punisher arrive in 2017. Release dates for Jessica Jones season 2 and Daredevil season 3 have not yet been announced.