Yes, something good did come out of ‘Iron Fist’.
The Big Picture
- Details about Wilson Fisk’s backstory in
Echo
confirm the Marvel Netflix shows are canon to the MCU, raising questions about other characters from the shows. - Jessica Henwick’s performance as Colleen Wing in
Iron Fist
was highly praised, making her return as Iron Fist desirable. - The film
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
introduces concepts from
Iron Fist
comics, setting the stage for Colleen Wing’s possible return to the MCU.
Fans of Marvel’s Netflix series had reason to rejoice when Echo cemented that those series are now part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Sacred Timeline. The seeds for this integration were sown when Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) — aka Daredevil, the Man Without Fear — made appearances in Spider-Man: No Way Home and She-Hulk, followed by his archnemesis Wilson Fisk playing a role in Hawkeye. In fact, he’s the adoptive uncle of Echo protagonist Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox)! Producer Brad Winderbaum confirmed the connection during an interview, which has led fans to speculate about what other Netflix characters might show up…and a renewed derision for Iron Fist.
Based on the titular martial artist created by Roy Kane and Gil Thomas, Iron Fist chronicles the story of Danny Rand (Finn Jones) as he returns to New York after having been presumed dead with a mastery of martial arts and the ability to channel energy into his fists, making them hard as iron. But to this day, Iron Fist remains one of Marvel’s most unpopular shows. A large part of that is the fact that Season 1 showrunner Scott Buck seemed to have a veiled contempt for the source material, since most of the interesting parts — including the fact that Rand gained his Iron Fist abilities by punching a dragon in the heart (Look it up, that’s actually in the comics!) — never make it into the series. Jones’ performance also didn’t endear him to audiences, who had major issues with the way the fight scenes were displayed. And it turns out that the coordinators behind the scenes were not happy with the results, either. Despite all this, there is one element of Iron Fist worth bringing back: Jessica Henwick‘s Colleen Wing.
Marvel’s Iron Fist
A young man is bestowed with incredible martial arts skills and a mystical force known as the Iron Fist.
- Release Date
- March 17, 2017
- Cast
- Jessica Stroup , Tom Pelphrey , Sacha Dhawan , Alice Eve
- Main Genre
- Superhero
- Seasons
- 2
Season 2 Gave Jessica Henwick’s Colleen Wing the Power of the Iron Fist
Throughout the first season of Iron Fist, Colleen Wing serves as a partner to Danny, both in the fighting sense as they battle the ancient cult known as the Hand and in a romantic sense. A wrench is thrown into their relationship when it was revealed that Colleen was a member of the Hand — albeit a splinter faction that actually wanted to accomplish change without violence. Colleen became somewhat disillusioned after learning that her former sensei Bakuto (Ramon Rodriguez) was secretly trying to kill Danny. But Iron Fist Season 2 ended up giving Colleen superpowers, specifically the power of Iron Fist.
That transformation is triggered due to a series of events that leads to Danny’s former friend Davos (Sacha Dawan) mortally wounding Danny and stealing the power for himself. While recuperating, Danny comes to terms with the fact that he chose to use the Iron Fist as a way to avoid dealing with the death of his parents, and asks Colleen to wield it. She refuses at first, but eventually takes the power from Davos and now defends Chinatown as the new Iron Fist. This change won over many viewers who soured on Iron Fist after Season 1, namely because the new lead was a far more interesting character.
It also helped that Henwick turned in a great performance, and continues to steal the screen no matter what she’s in. Whether it’s a beleaguered personal assistant in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery or a freedom fighter in The Matrix Resurrections, she’s always had a magnetic presence. Henwick’s most recent lead role as Elle in Blade Runner: Black Lotus even has shades of Colleen Wing: a young woman with a hidden strength and intense sword skills. Bringing her back as the Iron Fist would pay off the promise of that show’s final scene while letting Henwick continue to flex her considerable talents.
‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Promises to Deliver “Much Improved” Versions of Your Favorite Characters
“The last few months of work we did was… written beautifully and directed beautifully.”
‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’ Paves the Way for Colleen Wing’s Return
So far, Marvel’s Netflix characters have made appearances via films and television, and one of these films could have set the stage for Colleen Wing’s return: Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. When the titular protagonist (Simu Liu) visits the mythical village of Ta-Lo, he meets his aunt Ying Nan (Michelle Yeoh), who explains that Ta-Lo is part of a society of cities that exist parallel to the dimension we know. This is a concept pulled straight from Iron Fist comics, namely the acclaimed Immortal Iron Fist run from Ed Brubaker, Matt Fraction, and David Aja. K’un L’un, the city where Danny was trained and gained the Iron Fist powers, is one of the seven “Capital Cities of Heaven” that orbit a different plane of existence.
Immortal Iron Fist also introduces a tournament between the Capital Cities of Heaven, where a champion from each city is chosen to fight. With Ta-Lo presumably serving as one of the Capital Cities of Heaven, it would make sense if K’un L’un turns out to be one of those cities as well. Since Colleen absorbed the power of the Iron Fist, she could easily serve as K’un L’un’s champion and make her grand return to the MCU; not to mention the prospect of Henwick and Liu sharing screen time. Destin Daniel Cretton is currently developing the Shang-Chi sequel, so a plot hasn’t been set in stone, but if Daredevil and Kingpin can make a grand return, Colleen and the rest of the Netflix characters should be fair game.
All episodes of Iron Fist are available to stream on Disney+ in the U.S.
This article was originally published on collider.com