In the geek media, the speculation and scoops has been on when Daredevil will make his theatrical debut in the MCU. Forgotten in all this noise is the Rodney Dangerfield of Marvel’s ex-Netflix Defenders: Iron Fist. What will happen to Danny Rand? According to insiders, Iron Fist is headed to the movies via the Shang-Chi franchise. Iron Fist will be recast a la Terrence Howard being replaced as War Machine by Don Cheadle and Edward Norton phased out as the Hulk by Mark Ruffalo.
When they present his origin again, he will have the budget and top-drawer writing/directing he didn’t receive on Netflix. While Marvel’s Netflix programs were generally well-received, they really Bucked up with Iron Fist. As in showrunner Scott Buck, who Bucked up the first season and also Inhumans. Marvel Studios sees a Bruce Lee vs. Chuck Norris rivalry here, and an kick-ass fight between martial artists for quite possibly Shang-Chi 2.
There was talk of this being an Iron Fist from a parallel Earth via Dr. Strange’s portals into the multiverse, but that is being seen as unnecessary. There are no plans to reboot or recast Daredevil, Luke Cage, the Punisher, or Jessica Jones. They simply won’t reference Fist’s old Netflix series when he appears again, and there have been no discussions to have new actresses play Misty Knight or Colleen Wing.
Why won’t they continue to use Finn Jones? Does that need to be answered? Jones didn’t quite win over many fans (I’m being gentle here), and they want an actor who is more masterful with martial arts.
Will his show return? Most likely, but he probably won’t be returning with The Defenders. Marvel Studios is dreaming of a more ambitious, bigger budget Iron Fist, one that is closer to the Ed Brubaker/Matt Fraction run and on Disney+.
Sabretooth is being discussed as potential villain for Iron Fist series.
“Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up” – Thomas Edison