Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
I love Iron Fist. I’ve been a fan of the character for 10 years. I’ve read his most acclaimed comic book runs and loved his tenure as a New Avenger in the ’00s. I even dressed up as him for Halloween in 2011, yeeeeears before Netflix announced they were bringing Marvel’s street-level vigilantes to the small streaming screen. And while I really did not like Season 1 of that Netflix show, Season 2 gave me the leaner and meaner Iron Fist I’ve been waiting to see come to life. I preface everything else I’m about to write with this, just so y’all know that I mean this with love and the best of intentions: Marvel’s Iron Fist has an Iron Fist problem.
Danny Rand, the zen billionaire martial arts master with a love of Moo Shu Pork, has consistently been the least interesting part of his own show. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. You want a show to be stacked with captivating characters, and I think you can argue that the supporting players and villains in Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and Luke Cage all hold their own against the heroic leads. But it’s different with Iron Fist. There’s just something… off about Danny. He’s not as tortured as Matt Murdock or as cool as Jessica Jones or as warm as Luke Cage. He’s just kinda there, a whisper of a dude in Converse with a mean right hook.
And I actually think Iron Fist knows this about its lead, too, as all of Season 2 is built around the idea that Danny Rand is literally nothing without his mystical fist. That’s why he gets beat up, sidelined, and then lets Colleen and Misty take the lead. Whereas Season 1 tried to focus on Iron Fist and found the results less than interesting, Season 2 actually knows that Danny is a sweetheart schmo and lets the women around him do the real superheroing. It makes for a better season. But… the show is called Marvel’s Iron Fist. You gotta give us a character worth naming a show after.
So, here’s the solution: let Finn Jones be Finn Jones.
Seriously. Just watch any interview with Finn Jones. The problem with TV’s Danny Rand is not Finn Jones; the problem is the way TV presents Danny Rand. As a guy that loves Marvel Comics’ Iron Fist, I can say without a doubt that Finn Jones is perfect casting–for an Iron Fist the show isn’t giving us.
More On:
Marvel's Iron Fist
-
Stream It Or Skip It: ‘The Visitor’ on Amazon Prime Video, Another Small Budget Blumhouse Production Aiming For Big Scares
-
'Moon Knight' Episode 1 Recap: Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go
-
Now That 'Iron Fist' Is on Disney+, You Should Maybe Try Season 2
-
Woman Crush Wednesday: See Rosario Dawson Save America in HBO Max's 'DMZ'
The Iron Fist I love is the modern one, the one re-conceived by writers Matt Fraction and Ed Brubaker in the 2007 ongoing series Immortal Iron Fist. He’s the one that Brian Michael Bendis brought to New Avengers around that time, and he’s the one that David Walker recently wrote in last year’s Power Man and Iron Fist series. That Danny Rand is, like the TV version, a kind of doofy dude, the pinnacle of privilege and an example of failing upwards. The Iron Fist show gets that part right. But what it misses is Danny’s whole vibe.
The show presents Iron Fist as a kind of zen Superman, a morally upright dude with zero humor. He’s earnest AF, to the core. That’s maybe what Rand was in his first appearances in the ’70s, when solo heroes had a much more cut-and-dry personality, but it’s not who he is now. The Danny of the comics is goofy and cheesy, armed with as many ill-timed jokes as he is spin kicks. He’s earnest, yeah, but he’s ridiculously irreverent and has zero self-awareness at times. He is, essentially, martial arts Star-Lord. That’s Iron Fist.
Now, watch any interview with Finn Jones. That’s who Finn Jones is. He talks fast, he’s charming, he’s endlessly goofy, he’s got a whole lot of personality–and I know this because I have interviewed Finn Jones! Look at what he did when we said that a social media game about stunt work was called “Getting Physical.” He started singing Olivia Newton-John!
And look at the dynamic between him and co-star Jessica Henwick, especially when she drops the bombshell that Moo Shu Pork isn’t real Chinese food!
And here he is, in all of his big kid glory playing our “Ultimate Iron Fist” game.
You can see why he was cast as Iron Fist, but I have no idea why that’s the Iron Fist they’re not letting him play! That’s kinda the Danny you see when he pops up in ensemble and supporting roles in Defenders and Luke Cage, but he loses all of that childish charm the instant he takes the lead.
A note to whoever is in charge of Iron Fist Season 3: let Finn Jones take the lead. Seriously. Write more of him into the character, how he would react and his speaking rhythms, because that’s Iron Fist. That’s also a drastically different character from Daredevil, Punisher, Luke, or Jessica. That’s a character that would really spark with Colleen and Misty, too! The show has figured out so, so much in the jump from Season 1 to 2. Killer fight scenes, tight pacing, terrifying villains–so close to perfection! The show has the perfect Iron Fist in its arsenal, and they can’t be afraid to use him.
