We are, at the time of writing, exactly two months out from the premiere of Iron Fist. Following in the footsteps of Daredevil, Jessica Jones and last year’s Luke Cage, the Finn Jones-fronted solo series will expand Marvel’s small-screen universe in a whole new direction. But perhaps most exciting of all, Iron Fist stands as the fourth and final cornerstone of The Defenders team-up series, lending viewers ample time to get acquainted with one Danny Rand before the inevitable ensemble series.
It’s on course to hit Netflix sometime this summer, followed by a Jon Bernthal-led Punisher series later in 2017. For Game of Thrones actor Finn Jones, The Defenders represents the defining next chapter in Rand’s story, who compared the transition to moving from adolescence to a more responsible, refined hero.
Per Entertainment Weekly, here’s how Jones previewed Iron Fist’s arc going into The Defenders:
“Iron Fist is like Danny in his adolescence, and The Defenders is like Danny taking responsibility and moving forward with his purpose. He’s craving desperately for family, for help, for guidance, for people to learn from, and for a team [in The Defenders]. But because of what happens in Iron Fist, he’s very untrusting. It’s really his way or no way.
“I see it as kind of this journey where Iron Fist and The Defenders is like the complete first season of Danny’s journey. It’s really nice to play it back-to-back because Danny does go through this awesome huge arc, so the end of Iron Fist is like the halfway point… In The Defenders, he’s got a grasp of who he is and he’s trying to do something with it. It’s great to play that consistently over the year and not have that broken up.”
After Mike Colter discussed their dynamic from Luke Cage’s perspective, EW’s interview with Finn Jones goes on to talk about the “wisdom-versus-youth” partnership between his Iron Fist and Colter’s Hero for Hire. Elsewhere, the latter also touched base on his blossoming relationship with Rosario Dawson’s Claire Temple, with set photos hinting that the twosome will continue their romance following the Luke Cage solo series. Does Cage see Daredevil as a threat? Not necessarily.
“Daredevil didn’t have a romance [with Claire], we didn’t see that,” the actor deadpans, vigorously shaking his head. “I didn’t see it. My story is that she spent the night and then she slept in another bedroom. So I’m sorry, I need some kind of evidence that Claire and Daredevil did it. This is just hearsay. She’s my girl.”
There’s still nothing to report when it comes to The Defenders‘ potential premiere date, but we’ll keep you posted as Marvel and Netflix narrows down the show’s release window.
