Could Marvel be bringing back Iron Fist? It may not be the way fans would expect!
For a long while, it looked like the MCU was going to ignore the Netflix Defenders shows. That seemed a shame given how much fans loved Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and the group all coming together in The Defenders.
Thankfully, things have changed. Charlie Cox returned as Daredevil in Spider-Man: No Way Home and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law before a full revival of the show in Daredevil: Born Again. And Daredevil: Born Again season 2 will have Krysten Ritter back as Jessica Jones.
That raises questions about whether the rest of the Defenders can show up as well. In his monthly Q&A at The Cosmic Circus, Alex Perez shared a tidbit on a possible return for Iron Fist that would take a surprising direction.
“I’ve heard that Finn Jones’ return would be as both hero and mentor. He’ll still be Iron Fist, but he’ll be looking for someone to replace him. The last time I heard, they wanted Lin Lie.”
Iron Fist was always the lowest-rated and least well-received of the Defenders shows. The tale of Danny Rand returning from years in a mystical kingdom and becoming a martial arts master was criticized for its pacing and Finn Jones being miscast in the role.
The second season ended with Danny passing the mantle of Iron Fist to Colleen Wing (Jessica Henwick) while gaining strange new powers of firing glowing rounds from his guns. This was never followed up on with the show being canceled, yet this report indicates that may change.
Are we getting a new Iron Fist?
The Lin Lee mention is another interesting tidbit. Introduced in 2018, the character is a descendant of an ancient Japanese swordmaster and a master duelist himself. In 2022, he took over as the new Iron Fist with Danny as his teacher.
This would be a good way to reintroduce the Iron Fist mythos into the MCU. Jones wasn’t as bad in the role as some claimed but still wasn’t captivating enough to carry the series. Having Colleen take over had some potential, but the long gap between seasons is a good excuse to redo things, not unlike Born Again.
Having Jones as an Obi-Wan Kenobi-like figure fits the mythos with Danny coming full circle as the teacher to a brash youth who has to learn to harness the Iron Fist power. It’s a fresh perspective that will be accessible to newcomers while still appealing to fans of the original series and give the MCU a new hero to root for.
It sounds like Jones may return in a planned project, based on the mini-series Devil’s Reign, where Daredevil organizes various street heroes to topple Mayor Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) from power. That would also be a good excuse for Danny to decide he needs to find a new protégé to carry on the Iron Fist legacy.
This is still in the early stages, and things can change, but it’d be good for Iron Fist to get a second chance with viewers and finally live up to its potential as an MCU favorite.