When The Defenders arrives later in 2017, Danny Rand (AKA Iron Fist) will be in good company. There’s Matt Murdock and his heightened senses, Jessica Jones with her strength and razor-sharp detective skills – not to mention that wonderfully snarky attitude – and Mike Colter’s Luke Cage, who is at once a bulletproof shield and a force to be reckoned with.
What about Iron Fist, though? As we learned earlier this week, Finn Jones’ title hero has spent the past 15 years housed up in K’un Lun training to become a kick-ass warrior. Now, he’s ready to make his triumphant return to the Big Apple, but as Jones reveals to Empire, Rand Enterprises won’t exactly be rolling out the red carpet to welcome him home. This struggle to assimilate back into the life he once knew will form the narrative spine of Marvel and Netflix’s fourth solo series, as Danny, imbued with the mythical power of the Iron Fist, tackles the dark forces infesting the streets of Hell’s Kitchen.
“Danny has to deal with society’s reaction. He comes back and says: ‘Hey, guess what? I’ve been in this place called K’un Lun for years, I’ve got this thing called the Iron Fist and I met a dragon!’ And everybody’s like, ‘What the fuck are you talking about? You’re insane.’”
Reflecting on his intense training regime, the actor went on to discuss the physical demands of the role, and how he often left the set at the end of a long shift nursing various bruises. It’s all part of the fun though, according to Jones, who stated:
“When you’re in the midst of fights your adrenaline’s so pumped you don’t think about what you’re doing to your body until you wake up the next day and think, ‘Fucking hell!’ It comes with the territory. If you’re doing two or three fights per week for six months you’re going to get some injuries.”
All 13 episodes of Iron Fist will pummel their way onto Netflix on March 17th. That lends subscribers plenty of time to get acquainted with Marvel’s final Defender before the inevitable team-up series later in 2017. Elsewhere, there’s also The Punisher spinoff to look forward to, which continues the story of Jon Bernthal’s hardboiled Frank Castle following the events of Daredevil season 2.
