There had previously been rumors that Marvel might cast an Asian actor in the role of Iron Fist, a character that, in the comics, is a blond Caucasian. Ultimately, Marvel remained faithful to the source material and cast ‘Game of Thrones’ star Finn Jones as Danny Rand on the upcoming Netflix original series. But the show will reportedly feature a significant Asian character, Shang-Chi, the Master of Kung Fu.
Marvel is reportedly “exclusively” seeing actors of Asian descent to play this character, who was originally introduced in 1973 and was, let’s face it, a comic book version of Bruce Lee, who was exploding as a movie star at the time. Both Shang-Chi and Iron Fist were Marvel’s attempts at cashing in on the martial arts craze that was sweeping the nation, just as Luke Cage was their attempt to cash in on the blaxploitation film fad.
Shang-Chi played a prominent part in the ‘Daredevil’ comic arc “Shadowland” which many are speculating will be the basis for the formation of ‘The Defenders’, the team-up show that will combine its Marvel headliners, Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist. He also served as a member of Heroes For Hire, a group founded by Luke Cage and Iron Fist. Is this how he will be introduced on the show?
Scott Buck (‘Dexter’, ‘Six Feet Under’) serves as showrunner on “Iron Fist’. He previously expressed, “I’ve always been drawn to writing complex, intriguing characters, and that’s what most excites me about the opportunity to bring Danny Rand and Iron Fist to life with Marvel on Netflix.”
Here is the show’s synopsis:
Returning to New York City after being missing for years, Daniel Rand fights against the criminal element corrupting New York City with his incredible kung-fu mastery and ability to summon the awesome power of the fiery Iron Fist.
Are you excited that Shang-Chi will be part of ‘Iron Fist’?
Source: Comic Book Movie
