Iron Fist Can Be The Best Defender In Season 2

Iron Fist Season 2 could turn Danny Rand (Finn Jones) into the best Defender. As unlikely as that may seem, especially after the poor critical and fan reception Season 1 received when it premiered on Netflix in 2017, Iron Fist has since been on a quiet road to redemption. When his second season arrives later this year, Danny Rand might just overtake his fellow street-level Marvel heroes Daredevil (Charlie Cox), Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter), and Luke Cage (Mike Colter) as a fan favorite.

The rehab of Danny Rand's image has already begun. When he was introduced in Iron Fist, Danny alienated many fans (and his fellow MCU allies). Returning home to claim his company, Rand Enterprises, after 15 years of living in the mystical city of K'un-Lun where he became the Immortal Iron Fist, Danny proved to be inexperienced, short-tempered and needed a lot of help in his quest to defeat the Hand. By the end of the season, Danny only won a partial victory against his enemies, discovering K'un-Lun mysteriously disappeared because he abandoned his duty to return to New York.

The Defenders picked up the story a few months later, but as he teamed with his fellow superheroes to ultimately defeat the Hand, Danny's status slowly improved. Though he was still the butt of everyone jokes - Daredevil's sensei Stick even declared "The Immortal Iron Fist... is still a thundering dumb ass!" - Iron Fist finally won against his ancient enemies. Upon his apparent death, Daredevil charged Iron Fist with a new cause: become the protector of New York City. In Luke Cage Season 2, Iron Fist's image rehab continued. Danny guest starred and he appears to be excelling in his mission. Iron Fist is now centered, cool, and most importantly, he's treated with respect. Wherever in Harlem Luke took him, people were in awe to meet Danny Rand, billionaire superhero. He even had words of wisdom for Luke, placing him in the role of mentor for the Hero of Harlem.

All of this sets the stage for Iron Fist Season 2. Here's why, when it arrives, the redemption of the Living Weapon of K'un-Lun could finally be complete:

The blame for the poor quality of Iron Fist Season 1 falls on the shoulders of its former executive producer Scott Buck (Dexter). Issues with the season included the unlikable way Danny was written, the disappointing fight scenes (especially after Daredevil set the bar high), and how the series centered on the shady corporate dealings of Harold Meachum (David Wenham) and the Hand as opposed to what fans had hoped to see: an exciting kung-fu superhero adventure story. Buck left Iron Fist to become the showrunner for Marvel's Inhumans, which likewise fared poorly. Luckily, Iron Fist is under new management.

Replacing Buck as the new showrunner is Raven Metzner. No stranger to Marvel, Metzner co-wrote the failed 2005 Elektra feature film starring Jennifer Garner but his filmography afterward greatly improved. As a writer and executive producer on Falling Skies, Heroes Reborn, and Sleepy Hollow, Metzer shows he's adept at the sci-fi and superhero genres. In addition, Marvel TV Head Jeph Loeb touted Metzner's lifelong love of martial arts films; this is the type of expertise the adventures of Iron Fist desperately needs. The jury is out until fans get to see Season 2, but there's reason to be optimistic that Iron Fist will benefit from and improve under Metzner's guidance. Finn Jones has already promised season 2 will indeed be special.

Developing the rich backstory of Iron Fist will hopefully be one of Season 2's priorities. Fans justifiably groused that very little of Season 1 was actually set in K'un-Lun and that outside of a few brief flashbacks, the mystical city was mostly avoided. Danny spoke ad nauseam about how he became the Immortal Iron Fist by defeating a dragon called Shou-Lao, which nearly everyone scoffed at upon hearing, but it's time fans got to see this legendary battle and how Danny earned the power of the Iron Fist. Season 2 will hopefully delve into not just Danny's time in K'un-Lun but also the history of the ancient city and of the many Iron Fists who preceded him.

What's more, there are major story threads to pick up on. Chiefly, the fact that K'un-Lun has left this Earthly plane. Where did it go, and can Danny find the ancient city? There is also the fact that Danny's former best friend Davos is still alive and was last seen recruiting Joy Meachum (Jessica Stroup) to his cause against Danny at the end of Season 1. Davos believes that he is much more deserving of the power of the Iron Fist and his alliance with Joy threatens Danny's existence on every level.

Moreover, there's hope Season 2 markedly improves upon Season 1's bad fight scenes since Finn Jones should now have had ample time to master the necessary choreography; he was infamously given little notice of when season 1 began. Iron Fist simply needs to become the kind of kung fu superhero show fans deserve and that will hopefully be what Season 2 delivers.

Tags: the defenders, iron fist

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