We finally come to it: the final Defender, Iron Fist. By now, you’ve been treated to the full live tweet of Iron Fist, led by our very own Alice W. Castle. Now sit down, get some tea, and get ready for these full breakdowns of each episode. Get comfortable, cause if the first episode is any indication, Iron Fist is going to be a very bumpy ride. Also, be warned, there will be spoilers.
1. The Elephant In The Room
In Iron Fist, Danny Rand is played by Finn Jones, a white male. Despite many folks’ desire to “stay true to the comics”, there is no reason why Danny Rand shouldn’t have been played by an Asian American. I am a huge fan of many of his solo adventures over the years and an even bigger fan of his friendship with Luke Cage (which is something I am eager to see develop), and none of that would change if an Asian American actor were in the role. In fact, given the way this first episode goes, this casting was a huge misstep. Danny Rand in Iron Fist is your college friend who visited China on the summer trip his parents paid for and came back “woke.” Asian American Danny Rand could have provided the different perspective that all three other Marvel Netflix series have. With that said, it is my goal in these reviews to present something fair that will look at every aspect of the series, however, this will come up again because it’s relevant to what the series aims to achieve.
2. A Familiar Origin
Like Green Arrow and Batman, Danny Rand has an origin that involves the death of his rich parents. Like Green Arrow in particular, he is gone for a long time, learns some kind of combat and then comes back to claim his family’s business. Origin stories are always a great place to start but Iron Fist doesn’t try to be different from either of those heroes. You can take out a bingo card of superhero origins and win because he checks off every single one and normally that wouldn’t be bad but as I mentioned, the Marvel Netflix shows have all had a very specific perspective. That’s missing here and we’re only on the first episode. Jessica Jones dealt with trauma, Luke Cage tackled being black in America in 2017, Daredevil tackles tragedy, depression and violence. What does Iron Fist want to tell us?
3. Who Is Danny Rand?
One of the things about all three previous Netflix shows is that they came out the gate strong with who these characters are. Iron Fist leans in hard on Danny being a wise cracking goofball but then switches to lean in hard on him being full of this kind of rage. Even in the comics, Danny has always kind of been the wise cracking opposite to a more serious leaning Luke Cage. Iron Fist in its first episode makes Danny possibly crazy but also everyone else is out to get him but also he’s quoting Buddha. The scenes where Danny is a bit more of a goofball are great. That’s him and it makes this easier to watch. However “Snow Gives Way” is all over the place with who he is and what he wants and it really makes me wonder what we’re getting ourselves into with this show.
4. The Colleen Wing Show
Colleen Wing is in just a few minutes and I already love everything about her. Unlike Danny, she’s a part of the real New York City and she’s got much more of a consistent characterization. Finn Jones comes across a little flat but Jessica Henwick is the opposite. Her reactions to everything Danny tells her brings something fun to the episode and she’s way more interesting than Joy and Ward. What this show plans for her is still unknown (to me at least) but I find myself wishing this was her show.
5. Visuals Are Everything
A first episode, even something on Netflix, should pull you in and with a series like Iron Fist, it should have a sense of style. It should have the thing that makes it unique and that’s lacking in this first episode. There is nothing special about this part of New York City that Danny is in. There is nothing special about what anyone wears, how the show is shot, the soundtrack or even the colors on screen. Aside from the Chinatown scene and Colleen’s dojo, it’s all very basic and I hope that it can find a visual voice as the season goes on.
