“I am the Iron Fist.”
Thus begins the final marketing push for Netflix’s next big superhero show, and with it their hopes that all four members of upcoming series The Defenders are loved by fans and are a huge draw for the team-up show in the pipeline. The teasers thus far have been intriguing, but of all the members Danny Rand (aka The Iron Fist) is the only one whose show hasn’t premiered on the platform yet, leaving his draw mostly up in the air. With a new featurette, which offers and extensive look at who The Iron Fist is and what he can do, Netflix hopes to nail down their audience and hook new viewers at the same time.
For those unfamiliar with who Danny Rand is and what his abilities entail, the featurette shows off lots of picturesque shots of him sitting on top of mountains meditating and wandering through the grounds of the monastery where he gained his abilities. While the origin story might not be unique among the world of superheroes — assumed dead, trained in a secret location, returns to his home city after more than a decade — the martial arts inspiration is something that is few and far between in today’s on-screen comic book adaptation landscape.
But there are also treats for longtime fans as well. While some may know that his fist glows based on a unifying power throughout the universe, and that there is an evil counterpart to this energy, but looks at how the show will set up this battle is an intriguing peek at how the show will set up such a battle. There is the requisite “who is good and who is evil” set of unknowns, so it will be important that the show finds a creative way to lay it all out in a way that replicates Daredevil or some parts of Luke Cage. Star of the show Finn Jones also hops in the featurette here and there to offer commentary on character motivations and his portrayal.
Watch the full video above and decide whether Netflix’s latest Marvel partnership looks like your cup of tea or not.
