8 Characters Who Should Appear In Marvel’s Iron Fist

While audiences are still reeling from the awesomeness of last month’s Daredevil season two, Marvel and Netflix are moving forward with their upcoming series. Firstly, we’ve recently learnt that The Defenders team-up show will most likely go in front of cameras this year, while Iron Fist is now shooting in NYC. Initially, we found out that British actor Finn Jones, previously seen in Game of Thrones, will play the titular role of Iron Fist AKA Danny Rand; billionaire/mystical kung fu expert (beat that, Batman). It has also been announced that Jessica Henwick will be Colleen Wing, the show’s female lead. Likewise, Jessica Stroup and Tom Pelphrey are playing Joy and Ward Meachum, while David Wenham has been cast as patriarch Harold. In the comics, the Meachums are a regular thorn in Danny's side, so expect the same here. But what other characters do we think might turn up in the show? Looking at Iron Fist’s comic book exploits plus hints in the other Netflix shows, we can infer that these 8 individuals will most likely appear in the show at some point. Or at least, we hope they do. 8) Shou-Lao First of all, we would be very hurt if Marvel don’t manage to find a place of Shou-Lao in the Iron Fist TV series. The reason? Because he’s a magical talking dragon, and the world can never have enough of those. Seriously though, Shou-Lao is a hugely important part of Iron Fist’s origins in the comics. It is by defeating the dragon that Danny Rand is deemed worthy enough to wield the mystical powers of the Iron Fist. So, while it might seem a bit of stretch that the up-to-now pretty grounded Netflix series will insert a dragon into their world, the show would be damaged by his absence. In any case, Daredevil managed to keep its gritty tone in season two, even with more supernatural elements introduced, so would it really be so difficult for Marvel to put an tiny little (actually massive) dragon into Iron Fist? 7) Wendell And Heather Rand What's a superhero without the ghost of their dead parents hanging over them? Everyone from Superman to Spider-Man is an orphan, and Iron Fist is no exception. However, the character does have a more in-depth backstory than most, and one which is tied in with his parents. As such, we expect Mr. and Mrs Rand. to have an important role in Iron Fist, presumably largely in flashbacks. In the comics, Wendell Rand earns the mantle of the Iron Fist, but forgoes it by leaving the mystical city of K’un-Lun to return to the normal world. Years later, he travels to the city again and over the dangerous mountains of Tibet, this time with his wife and child. Unfortunately, Wendell and Heather perish on the journey, and Danny is taken in by the people of K’un-Lun. When he is old enough, he takes on his birth right as Iron Fist, the mystically-powered protector of the city. 6) Lei-Kung Just like Daredevil has Stick, Iron Fist also has a surrogate parent who taught him in the ways of beating up bad people. You can’t have a story about a martial artist without a wise mentor figure – it's basically the law – so we expect to see Lei-Kung in Iron Fist. In the comics, Lei-Kung – also known as the Thunderer - is an immortal martial arts expert who trains up every child in K’un-Lun with the aim of one of them taking on the Iron Fist mantle, which is passed down to the individual who most deserves the title through the generations. Again, much like Stick, we imagine Lei Kung will be a significant supporting character in Iron Fist, although he won’t be a frequent part of the action. Given how key he is to Danny Rand’s story though, it's highly likely that he'll feature in the series in some capacity. 5) Misty Knight As previously stated, it has been confirmed that Colleen Wing will appear in Iron Fist, as played by Jessica Henwick. If Wing's appearing in the show, though, it would be strange for her not to be joined by her frequent partner in crime (fighting), Misty Knight. A former cop, Misty lost her arm on the job. Once she had it replaced with a supercool bionic one (courtesy of Tony Stark), she left the force and opened up a detective agency with her friend Colleen. Of the two, she's probably the one with the bigger connection to Danny Rand, having a long-running relationship with him in the comics. Those of you in the know might be aware that Misty is already set to appear in Luke Cage, with Simone Missick having been cast in the part. So, it really wouldn’t be too hard for the character to crossover onto Iron Fist. 4) Jeri Hogarth So far, Jeri Hogarth has been something of a crossover character; like Claire Temple, the lawyer has appeared in both Daredevil and Jessica Jones. The odds are, then, that she will likewise turn up in Iron Fist. Despite her role in those shows, Hogarth traditionally has a larger connection to Danny Rand. In the comics, Jeryn Hogarth (for the character was changed to female for TV) was a friend of Wendell Rand, Danny’s father. He later became the lawyer of Iron Fist’s superhero organization Heroes for Hire. Given this, it seems likely that Carrie Ann Moss will have a significant role in Iron Fist. And while it doesn't seem as likely to happen, it would also be awesome if she got to harken back to her role as Trinity in The Matrix and join Danny in doing some martial arts. Furthermore,, now that Matt’s old pal Foggy Nelson is in Hogarth’s employ, can we expect him to appear in Iron Fist as well? 3) Steel Serpent When running through Iron Fist’s big villains, perhaps the first name you'll come to is the Steel Serpent. When Davos - son of Lei-Kung - loses out on the mantle of the Iron Fist in favour of Danny Rand, he is banished from K’un-Lun and instead becomes the champion of its rival city, K’un-Zi, known as the Steel Serpent. With as much a grasp of the mystical martial arts as Iron Fist, Steel Serpent is one of Danny Rand’s most formidable foes, so he will surely find his way to the small screen as soon as possible. Plus, there has already been some evidence to suggest Davos will make an appearance in Iron Fist, as an easter egg hidden in season one of Daredevil alludes to the character (on each packet of Madame Gao’s heroin was the symbol that is tattooed on Steel Serpent’s chest). Speaking of which... 2) Madame Gao Daredevil has done a fantastic job of teasing out the more mystical side of the Marvel-Netflixverse with the introduction of the Hand, the supernaturally-powered clan of ninjas Matt Murdock fights in season two. Alongside the Hand, he also comes up against the enigmatic Madame Gao. Through her heroin racket, Gao is one of the most powerful people in Hell’s Kitchen . In her last appearance in season one, Gao says that she is from somewhere “a considerable distance further” than China. This most likely refers to K’un-Zi. In the comics, K’un-Zi is ruled over by the Crane Mother, who is responsible for imbuing the Steel Serpent with his powers. The accumulated evidence has led many fans to assume that Gao will turn out to be an alter ego of the Crane Mother. Even if that isn’t the case, it is surely a dead cert that she will appear in Iron Fist. 1) Luke Cage Seeing as Iron Fist will be the last series to air before The Defenders, there will surely be some hints as to the formation of the team will be given in the show. The perfect way to introduce the idea of these separate heroes co-operating would be to feature Luke Cage in the series. Why? Because Iron Fist and Cage are best buds in the comics. In an attempt to cash in on the Kung Fu and Blaxploitation crazes of the 1970s, Marvel paired up Luke ‘Power Man’ Cage and Danny Rand in their own team-up series. For those unfamiliar, the series them form Heroes For Hire, a sort of superhero detective agency. The duo have partnered up several times since then and have actually become one of Marvel’s longest-running superhero friendships. Given that, it would be very surprising if Mike Coulter’s Cage did not turn up in Iron Fist, even if it was just in a small role which hinted at the greater partnership to come.