When Will Iron Fist Be In The MCU?
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is getting a whole lot bigger, with new characters emerging and some old characters getting back into the mix. Rumors began to circle around the Internet about the Marvel Netflix characters getting into the larger MCU, after Daredevil and Kingpin. Assuming all of them will return eventually, when will Iron Fist be in the MCU?
Iron First is often tightly connected with Shang-Chi in the comics, so we may see them together on the big screen. Other possibilities include She-Hulk, or even Doctor Strange 2. However, his name is rarely mentioned in the comeback rumors.
It’s more likely that we’ll see the return of Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, or the Punisher than the Iron Fist because the character was the worst-received by audiences out of all of them. Still, the Iron Fist powers are hereditary and passed on through generations, so we may see a new Iron Fist instead of Danny Rand. Let’s dive deep and analyze the possibilities.
Who Is Iron Fist?
Daniel “Danny” Rand is the most famous Iron Fist in the Marvel universe. He’s also the Iron Fist appearing in the Netflix TV show. However, he’s not the only one – the powers of Iron Fist are passed on from one person to another through generations.
Danny was the son of Wendell Rand, who once lived in the mythical city of K’un-Lun. The city could only be accessed through an interdimensional portal on Earth that opened every ten years.
Wendell was the heir of Lord Tuan, but his brother had different plans, wanting to rule K’un-Lun himself. After a series of dramatic events, Wendell escaped to America when the portal opened, where he got a son, Daniel.
When Danny was nine, Wendell and Heather (Daniel’s mother) decided to head back to K’un-Lun so that Daniel could live and train there. However, on their way, they both die while the people of K’un-Lun take the boy in.
Danny trained for ten years, becoming a spectacular martial artist. At age 19, he got the opportunity to gain the powers of the Iron Fist, and he succeeded. The ancient mystical powers allow Danny to supercharge his strikes with a supernatural force, making him incredibly strong, durable, and resilient. Combine that with incredible martial arts skills, and you get the Iron Fist.
When the portal reopened, Daniel decided to go back to America to avenge his father’s death, who had been betrayed by his business partner the day he died. However, he felt pity for the man who was now invalid and spared him, only for the man to get slain a bit later by a mysterious ninja.
I don’t want to spoil the story further, so to recap – Iron Fist is not a single person but a mystical power passed on through generations of K’un-Lun warriors. There were Iron Fists before and after Danny Rand, which we saw both in the comics and the Netflix show.
Will Iron Fist Be In The MCU?
First, let’s get this out of the way – the Iron Fist TV show IS a part of the MCU, just like all the other Marvel Netflix shows (Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Daredevil, Punisher, and The Defenders). However, they are somewhat contained within New York City, so they don’t have repercussions or many links to the larger MCU.
The question is, will Iron Fist get reintroduced back into the larger MCU? Well, the possibility exists, but out of all the other Marvel Netflix heroes, I believe that Iron fist is the least likely to reappear in the MCU.
First of all, the entire Marvel Netflix character crew is back into Marvel Studios’ ownership, which means they can legally be introduced into the larger MCU if the writers choose to make it happen.
As Kevin Feige said: “I always say that whenever a character comes back into the Marvel sandbox, it becomes another tool in the storytelling ability of the MCU.“ Therefore, if the right opportunity presents itself, and the fans are eager to see the character, there’s no reason why Iron Fist wouldn’t be introduced in the MCU.
Be that as it may, there are several reasons why I don’t believe it will happen – at least not Danny Rand’s Iron Fist.
First of all, out of all the rumors that have been circling the web for about a month (especially after Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock had a cameo role in spider-Man: No Way Home), Danny Rand and Iron Fist have been mentioned the least.
We’ve heard rumors about Jessica Jones and Luke Cage returning but recast. Twitter was buzzing about Jon Bernthal’s Punisher being in Doctor Strange 2. These were all rumors, but rarely did we hear anything about Iron Fist.
There’s an obvious reason why – Danny Rand sucked in the show. Whether it was the casting choice or lackluster writing, the Iron Fist show was just a huge bust. There was a bright spot in the show, though – and the only way I could see this version of Iron Fist returning to the larger MCU.
Jessica Fenwick played Colleen Wing, and the fans agree she was incredible – quite possibly the only thing that worked throughout the entire show. Well, at the end of Iron Fist Season 2, Wing got the Iron Fist powers herself. Now, that’s a version of Iron Fist that I – as well as other fans – would love to see in the larger MCU.
Even Fenwick said she loved the role and that it “changed her life,” so she would be open to coming back as Colleen if it’s “the right place, and the right time, and the right script.” It would bring more diversity to the MCU and wouldn’t create any continuity problems since the Iron Fist powers are passed on from one person to another.
I bet that if we see Iron Fist in the MCU, it will be either Fenwick’s Colleen Wing or a completely new version of the hero. Seeing that a new Iron Fist comic is just about to drop in February, we might just see Rand or Wing pass on the mantle to a new character.
I don’t see Danny Rand returning to the larger MCU, but who knows what the writers have planned?
When Will Iron Fist Be In The MCU?
Let’s say that Iron Fist is going to be in the MCU. When will that happen? Well, there are numerous options, but I’ll use the comics as a reference point for my assumptions.
In the comics, Iron Fist is tightly connected to Shang-Chi. Sometimes they fight each other, while sometimes, they are allies. Whatever it is, their powers and skills are quite similar, and the source of their power is ancient, mystical, and revolves around ancient eastern martial arts.
Seeing that Shang-Chi just recently got a stand-alone film, Iron Fist would fit right into the mix with the new fan-favorite hero going forward. That leaves us with the question – when will Shang-Chi return?
Well, we’ve seen a lot of Wong in the Shang-Chi movie. Also, Doctor Strange appears in the post-credit scene, analyzing the Ten Rings alongside Wong and a holographic Captain Marvel and Bruce Banner. To add, Wong fought Abomination in the ring in Shang-Chi, and the two have a weird, almost friendship-like relationship.
What does that all mean?
First of all, connecting Shang-Chi, Doctor Strange, and Iron Fist would be quite easy in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, seeing that a huge number of characters will appear, and they already had a connection in the post-credit scene.
On the other hand, Bruce Banner appeared as well, and Abomination was a part of the movie. According to IMDb, both will appear in the She-Hulk TV series that’ll premiere somewhere in late 2022.
If Iron Fist is connected to Shang-Chi or Doctor Strange, while they are connected to Abomination and Bruce Banner, who are both connected to She-Hulk, we could see Iron Fist in the She-Hulk show as well.
Also, Jessica Jones was rumored to return in the same show, which would connect her with Iron Fist yet again. I know, that’s super-stretched and grasping at straws, but if you connect the dots, I can see that happening.
In simple terms, Iron Fist could be a part of Doctor Strange 2, or the She-Hulk TV show, provided that the writers decide to connect Iron Fist and Shang-Chi.
Note that these are just assumptions, and nothing has been confirmed. Who knows? Maybe the writers have a completely different idea about where to put Iron Fist, or if they’ll even include the character in the larger MCU. All we can do is sit back, relax, and watch the story unravel.