6 Things We Learned From The Iron Fist Panel And Teaser Trailer

This past weekend, Marvel and Netflix finally pulled back the curtain on Iron Fist with the release of the first teaser trailer and a revealing panel at the New York Comic Con. There's obviously still an awful lot we don't know about the series (after all, it isn't set to be released until next March), but some interesting new details have now found their way online. As the last of The Defenders to get their own series before the superhero team-up show debuts on the online streaming service next year, it's up to Iron Fist to not only establish Danny Rand's world, but potentially set the stage for the adventure he'll embark on with Daredevil, Jessica Jones and Luke Cage. The pressure is on then, and it should be very interesting to see how it shapes up. Thanks to both the trailer and panel mentioned above, we've rounded up the biggest reveals from this weekend and taken an in-depth look at what they mean for both the future of this series and The Defenders. Needless to say, potential spoilers for Iron Fist and more will follow. 6) Iron Fist Is A Sworn Enemy Of The Hand The first teaser trailer for The Defenders heavily indicated that the team will be squaring off with The Hand, and it's fair to say that most of us assumed that it would be Daredevil who assembles the rest of these street level superheroes in order to battle the villainous clan of ninjas. While that could still be the case (especially with Stick involved), one of the Iron Fist clips shown during the panel revealed that Danny Rand is also closely tied to The Hand, and that could very well mean he's the one leading the charge when the time comes for The Defenders to go to war with them. What's particularly interesting about this is the fact that Daredevil and Iron Fist are now linked by The Hand, while Jessica Jones and Luke Cage are tied together by IGH, the mysterious company who played a role in them getting their abilities. It's easy to imagine both of those storylines converging in the upcoming team-up series, but if Danny's training was done solely with the purpose of him being the one to stop The Hand, he may just be the most pivotal character in this corner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As a result, his series will clearly be worth keeping an eye on. 5) The Show Isn't Shying Away From Classic Iron Fist Lore One of the biggest fears fans had going into Iron Fist is that the series wouldn't delve into the character's mystical background. The upcoming release of Doctor Strange obviously makes that much easier now, but given the very grounded nature of these Marvel shows on Netflix, it still wouldn't have been a massive surprise to see much of that left on the cutting room floor. While we still don't know how much time we'll spend in the magical realm of Kun L'un, a scene shown to fans at the New York Comic-Con confirmed that Danny Rand spent years there after disappearing. Seemingly under the influence of drugs, Danny confesses to Harold Meachum that he was trained in one of the seven capital cities of heaven and is the latest in a long line of people to hold the title of the Immortal Iron Fist. The trailer showed the hero in a snowy location meditating and as a youngster after the plane crash which kills his parents, so chances are the series will indeed delve into his origin story and take us to Kun L'un. If so, that again opens up a very different side of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and it will be interesting to see what sort of impact it ends up having. 4) Colleen Wing Is A Force To Be Reckoned With Just like Misty Knight emerged as a standout in Luke Cage, it appears as if the same will be the case for Colleen Wing in Iron Fist. Fans in attendance at the New York Comic Con panel were apparently rabid after being shown a fight scene featuring the martial artist taking on two men almost twice her size inside a steel cage. Subduing them in a very bloody and violent fashion, Colleen quickly emerges the victor, and snippets of this battle could be seen in the first teaser trailer for the series. Unfortunately, further details about her role in the series weren't really revealed. We do of course already know that she and Danny will ultimately team up, as that was confirmed in some set photos which did the rounds a little earlier this year, while the season finale of Luke Cage featured Claire Temple picking up a flyer for martial arts lessons offered by Colleen. Throw in the fact that Misty and Colleen form a private detective agency known as the Daughters of the Dragon in the comic books, and fans shouldn't be the least bit surprised if Iron Fist is just the beginning for the character as she makes her presence felt in this world in a major way moving forward. 3) Danny Rand Isn't Welcome In New York After Danny Rand went missing as a child along with his parents, Harold Meachum took over Rand Industries from his seemingly deceased business partner. When Iron Fist begins, the company is now being run by his children. Understandably, when Danny returns to New York City, he wants to get his hands on his legacy and the fortune which belongs to him, but a clip shown during the panel on Saturday revealed that Joy and Ward want him to go back to wherever he came from (it also appears as if there's some doubt surrounding whether or not he's actually who he says he is). There's some serious tension here then, but that doesn't stop Danny from attempting to save Joy when a horde of attackers try to kidnap her during what looks set to be Iron Fist's version of one of Daredevil's now famous hallway fight scenes. However, by far the most interesting reveal here is the fact that Danny has hired Jeri Hogarth to help him get back what is rightfully his. Played by Carrie-Ann Moss in Jessica Jones, it looks like we can expect to see her make an appearance in this series as well. Plus, with Foggy Nelson now under her employ, it wouldn't be too shocking if he shows up, too. 2) Madame Gao Will Return As it is just a teaser trailer, our first proper look at Iron Fist is obviously careful not to spill too many major plot details. However, look closely and you'll notice a familiar face from Daredevil. It's not the Man Without Fear himself unfortunately, but it's someone he's encountered on a few occasions now: Madame Gao. She's responsible for pushing Steel Serpent heroin in Hell's Kitchen and is known for blinding those who work for her. The ruthless criminal also betrayed Wilson Fisk and later manipulated both Daredevil and The Punisher to go after one of her rivals, The Blacksmith. It makes sense that Iron Fist would want a shot at her (it's also worth noting that Luke Cage mentioned that the Chinese are up to something in Hell's Kitchen), especially as many fans believe that Gao is actually a character known as Crane Mother. In the comic books, she's the powerful ruler of K'un Zi, one of the Seven Capital Cities of Heaven, and seeing as we've seen her display some abilities not all that different to Danny's, you have to believe that it's possible we'll get confirmation of that in this series. How that will tie into the overarching story in season one remains to be seen, but color us intrigued. 1) Sigourney Weaver Is Going To Battle The Defenders While it doesn't directly relate to Iron Fist's solo series, the reveal that legendary actress Sigourney Weaver will battle The Defenders is huge. It was confirmed during the panel that she'll play the villain, but no further details were provided about who that will be. Some fans believe that the fact she came out on stage wearing green may have been a sign that she's Viper, a character also known as Madame Hydra who has ties to both the villainous organization and The Hand. However, given what we now know about Danny Rand, there's an even more believable possibility. If he truly is the one destined to stop The Hand, then looking at a Daredevil story arc called Shadowland may offer up some clues. It wasn't very good, but after the Man Without Fear was possessed by an ancient demon known as The Beast, Danny saved him and defeated the monster with a chi punch. Something similar playing out here (but with Weaver as The Beast) could work really well, especially if the power of the Iron Fist is the only thing that can stop the demon the clan of ninjas unleash upon Hell's Kitchen. This is just a guess for now, of course, but it seems very likely.