With the recent announcement that Game of ThronesFinn Jones will join Marvel’s stable of Netflix dramas (including Jessica Jones, Daredevil, and the upcoming Luke Cage) as the hero Iron Fist, and the first footage debuting at San Diego Comic-Con, the Defenders have finally assembled. Danny Rand, a.k.a. Iron Fist, isn’t one of the most well-known heroes in the Marvel Universe, but his splash into the world of the Defenders will be a big one if they hold fast to his origin. While Rand may be a street-level hero, his roots are tied into the world of the supernatural, and make for quite the addition to the “Marvel Knight” roster. Iron Fist has actually been a Marvel hero for quite awhile, predating many other heroes who already have movie franchises to their names. Put on your mask, charge up your ki, and let’s get to it!

Everybody was Kung Fu Fighting

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Created by comic legends Roy Thomas and Gil Kane, Danny Rand was the son of wealthy socialites. Danny’s father, Wendell, had discovered a mythical city called K’un L’un when he was a boy, and vowed to return one day with his family in tow. Unfortunately, when trying to rediscover the uncharted land, Wendell and his wife died, thanks to a combination of treachery and wolf attacks (bad way to go). Mourning the loss of his parents, Danny met a group of martial artists from the city of K’un L’un who took the young boy in and taught him their ways. Aside from becoming one of the most skilled martial artists in the Marvel Universe thanks to the training, they rounded everything out with Rand’s final test, defeating the dragon Shou-Lao the Undying. In doing battle with Mr. Undying, Danny received a tattoo on his chest of the beast, but also managed to gain an extraordinary new ability by punching the dragon in the heart. I repeat, Iron Fist got his powers by punching a dragon in the heart. You can see that this is going to be a whole new ball game from the mean streets of NYC that the other Netflix heroes have inhabited so far.

Iron Fist came from a time when martial arts were all the rage, when Bruce Lee and Sonny Chiba were making waves. Alongside other heroes like Shang-Chi, Danny Rand hit the streets of New York City to fight crime with the powers he was bestowed. After having several solo adventures, his series was going to be cancelled! You may be wondering how this was good news. Well, Marvel decided to pair Fist with another new hero named Luke Cage, and the two formed a partnership they dubbed, “Heroes For Hire.” Like Batman and Robin, albeit with neither being the sidekick, Luke Cage and Iron Fist have long been best friends, watching each other’s backs, with a friendship that’s stood to the test of time. It will be great to see how this is approached in the upcoming Netflix series.

Like Unto A Thing Of Iron

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Iron Fist has always somewhat teetered on the precipice of obscurity until the past decade. Granted he’s had his own series from time to time, and whenever there’s been a Heroes for Hire book, he’s been there for the most part. (Though he was never necessarily on the same level as Spider-Man or Wolverine). However, Danny Rand has always had a certain charm to him, and his origins within the realm of mysticism and martial arts give the character something not often seen in the superhero landscape. Iron Fist’s punching of a dragon’s heart not just affects his fist, but it allows him to harness his chi, pushing him to the top of human capabilities in strength, speed, endurance, the works. Think Captain America, but through magic rather than steroids.

Danny’s “Iron Fist” is created by harnessing his energy into his fist, making it so that his hand is basically harder than any substance, and impervious to pain and injury. There hasn’t even really been a limit as to how far Danny can go with this, but he’s accomplished some pretty spectacular feats by doing so. After releasing the energy, it can take a while for Rand to recoup and be back to one hundred percent. The Iron Fist also allows Danny to heal himself and others. It should be great to see how the special effects look for bringing the Iron Fist to life, but considering what we’ve seen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe so far, I’d say we’re in safe hands (I’m not making these puns on purpose, I swear).

Potential Netflix Story

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With the Netflix series, it’s safe to say that if any storyline is going to be used in bringing Danny Rand to life, it will most likely be from, arguably, the most popular Iron Fist storyarc created by Matt Fraction and David Aja. In “The Immortal Iron Fist” storyline, Rand finds himself going head to head with the forces of Hydra as they attempt to gain entry into K’un L’un. To stop them at the pass, and to put an end to the machinations of one of his oldest foes in the Steel Serpent, Rand must join a martial arts tournament within the borders of the city populated by insane foes all tied to the mystical energies of different realms. Iron Fist fights women made of spiders, dog soldiers, and perhaps the greatest comic book character ever created in Fat Cobra, a happy-go-lucky braggart who you can’t help but love.

Aside from simply a story of martial arts and mysticism, it’s also a story of legacy, as Rand discovers a lineage of “Iron Fists” throughout the decades, each having their own motivations. Following this storyline, Rand eventually joins the Avengers (as most heroes did in the Marvel Universe) and continues to fight crime to this day. As you can see, the story of Iron Fist is ambitious and it lead credence to the early rumors that the series might not happen simply due to its scale, however, I’m happy to say that Iron Fist promises to be a worthy addition to the Defenders and who knows, perhaps to the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies down the road.

Iron Facts

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- Sabretooth, the longtime Wolverine and X-Men villain, was originally an Iron Fist villain who was subsequently reworked to be a longtime rival to Logan. Bummer for Danny Rand, as compelling villains for Fist are few and far between.

- Luke Cage eventually gets married and has a daughter with the hard drinking, trash talking Jessica Jones. In honor of their friendship, Cage names their daughter, Danielle Cage, after Iron Fist.

- Aside from simply sharing the title of “Iron” with Tony Stark, Rand also is extremely wealthy, still running the operations of his parents’ company.

- For a time, Matt Murdock found himself in prison after having his identity outed and the FBI tracking him down. A new Daredevil emerged and was revealed to be none other than Iron Fist himself, patrolling Hell’s Kitchen as the horned hero in order to maintain the peace. Murdock wasn’t thrilled.

- Rand has an on-again-off-again relationship with another “hero for hire” in Misty Knight, who is already set to appear in the upcoming Luke Cage Netflix series.