I didn’t
do a write-up specifically on Danny back when Iron Fist came out, although I did a few of the show’s supporting
characters, and he remains the only Defender that I haven’t done a full
write-up on yet. I’m on record as being
disappointed in the direction they went with for Danny. Not to rehash all that again, but I’ll
quickly hit the highlights. I know that
Danny is white in the comics, so casting Finn Jones for the show isn’t
whitewashing – it’s in keeping with the comic, even if that comic is rooted in
Orientalist/white savior tropes that feel outdated at best. So, while the show didn’t precisely do
anything wrong with the casting, I am
disappointed that they didn’t take the opportunity to go in a different
direction with the character. However,
given the character and the show that we wound up getting, I’m doubtful that
any hypothetical #AAIronFist would’ve had writing that reflected well on his
character, and Asian-American actors who went out for the role may have in fact
dodged a bullet.
Because
Danny? I’m not a fan. I know that my feelings about #AAIronFist and
what might’ve been with more adventurous casting and far more interesting writing (again, that second part is
critical) color my impressions of the character, but still, he’s no prize. In fact, he’s a little bit like new Who’s series 8 version of Clara Oswald
in that I’m not really sure what the writers think they’re doing with this
character, and whether they entirely realize what they wrote.
The
CliffNotes origin story: as a child,
Danny Rand (scion of the business giant Rand Industries) survives a plane crash
that kills his parents and, as a result, is taken in by the monks of K’un-Lun. Growing up in a mystical dimension makes for
a rather unconventional childhood, and by the time Danny returns home to New
York as a young adult, he’s become the Iron Fist, the keeper of a mantle passed
down among the greatest of K’un-Lun’s martial artists and in possession of a
power forged in the heart of a dragon.
The Iron Fist is supposed to guard the gates of K’un-Lun, but Danny has
left the dimension altogether, both to reclaim his old identity (and
billion-dollar company) back home and to fight the Hand in America.
There’s
some cognitive dissonance between the character we’re informed of and the
character we get. I’ve already discussed
Danny’s fight scenes in the first season, which do little to support the idea
that he’s the greatest kung fu artist ever (because he uses the actual Fist so
sparingly, it’s even more important that his kung fu be insanely impressive,
and we really don’t get that.) There’s a
lot of talk about qi and how in-tune/centered Danny is, but more often than
not, we get an emotionally-volatile kid who runs into things half-cocked and is
easily goaded into ill-advised decisions by his enemies.
I think
what they’re going for is that Danny left K’un-Lun way too soon and isn’t ready
for the mental and emotional demands of his duty (the series argues that he’s
all good on the physical side of things, but like I said, I don’t see it,) and
to be fair, a couple characters remark that he’s a pretty terrible Iron
Fist. But over the season, I don’t see
much of an intentional journey of him realizing he has to fight smarter, that
he needs to reckon more with his emotions, etc.
Things just kind of happen, and I spend much of the season wondering why
he’s the one calling the shots rather than Colleen and/or Claire.
As I’ve
said, I do enjoy Danny more in The Defenders, although that’s really
more about his place in the group dynamic than about improvements to the
character. He works better for me as a foil
for the other characters – self-important, sort of blithely-naïve, and talking
a lot about his qi – than as the main mover and shaker on his own show. I like the incredulous “is this guy for real?”
reactions to him from Matt, Jessica, and Luke.
Is that enough to make him worth it?
I’d have a hard time arguing that.
For my money, Iron Fist is
Marvel’s first big TV misstep, and Danny himself is a major part of that.
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