25 greatest Marvel-Netflix characters of all-time

12. Danny Rand

The first of the Defenders on the list and yes, it is slightly controversial that he doesn’t make the top 10. Danny Rand was the son of a billionaire whose plane went down somewhere over the Himalayas. As the sole survivor, Danny was taken in by the monks in K’un L’un and began his training in martial arts. Eventually, he became good enough to challenge for the right to meet the dragon, Shao Lao, and claim the power of the Iron Fist for himself.

After gaining the power, he returns to New York City armed with a new destiny — to destroy the hand. When he first returns, nobody believes he really is Danny Rand. This is because he went missing years earlier and was presumed dead, so, people believed that he was simply a con-artist trying to gain Danny’s fortune.

Eventually, he was able to prove his identity and went on to take his place in Rand Enterprises. It was here that he learned that the company was being used as a front for Madame Gao to sell heroin. Of course, this enraged Danny and he set off to put this right.

He met a martial arts instructor named Colleen Wing and the two started a relationship. However, this was stretched as Danny learned that she was actually a student of the Hand. Danny was able to convince Colleen to fight on his side as they defeated Madame Gao and Bakuto, before finally ridding New York of the Hand in the battle of Midland Circle.

After Matt Murdock’s apparent sacrifice, Danny went on to become a costumed vigilante who took on Daredevil’s mission to save the city.