The start of November saw Marvel announce that a new Iron Fist would be officially taking the reigns from Danny Rand, who recently gave up his power to save the world. (Starting to see a trend in recent mantle passing.) The new Fist will begin his debut with Iron Fist #1 in February, and is expected to be a big deal. With one of the big selling points being that he’s Asian, it’s not hard to see him as a direct response to the…shall we say mixed reception of Finn Jones’ tenure as Danny Rand back in the old Marvel Netflix days.
Speaking to IGN, writer Alyssa Wong recently explained the process of creating this new Iron Fist with artist Michael YG and what the future hero represents. Making him Asian was “something that a lot of people have wanted to see for a long time, myself included, and it feels special to be entrusted with that opportunity.” While there have been previous Fists who were Asian, like Immortal Iron Fist’s Wu Ao-Shi and Iron Fists’ Pei, putting an Asian Fist in the centre felt like “a new chapter” for the nearly 50-year-old character. “What does it look like to become an Iron Fist in 2021, almost fifty years later (in real time, not comics time)? It has to be different,” Wong added.
Those differences will show itself in a few ways, most notably how this new hero fights. Influenced by how Batman became more of a gymnast in the 1970s, Wong said this guy has a different fighting style from what we’re used to. Influenced by the multiple teachers who’ve taught him to fight, some of whom are said to be “familiar,” Wong hopes the style will reflect who he is as a person, which she attributes to YG’s art. “Depicting a superhuman martial artist is always focusing on who they are as a person,” Wong said. “It informs how they fight, how they approach situations…Every good super hero story is, at its core, a character story. And that’s something Michael is great at.”
Exactly who that new person is under the yellow mask is currently under wraps, and it’s planned to be that way until the end of the first issue. Beyond promising that this new character would build on the Iron Fist legacy, Wong said that his path to taking over for Danny Rand was “slightly unorthodox, which not everyone in K’un Lun is pleased about.” The mystery surrounding him will play out over the five-issue miniseries, and Wong further teased some interesting things in store for the character. “As for his powers… they’re strange. They’re tied into his origin story, with an intense Iron Fist twist.”
With how quick the turnaround can be for new comics characters to headline media like shows or games, Wong is certainly interested in exploring his story further once the miniseries has ended. But while she’d be down to “see his story continue, both in comics and other media,” she’s just happy to get the chance to bring the character to fans. “I’m so excited to share this story with you…It’s such an honour to make something that inspires other people.”
Iron Fist will begin its five-issue run on February 16, 2022.
Editor’s Note: Release dates within this article are based in the U.S., but will be updated with local Australian dates as soon as we know more.