Marvel Studios plans to bring back a beloved character from the Netflix Defenders series to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) after a significant hiatus. However, fans should brace themselves for a unique twist in Marvel’s portrayal of this iconic hero.
Iron Fist may return to the MCU in a new Marvel Studios project, but the company is rumored to have plans that involve replacing Finn Jones' Danny Rand in a lead role.
Iron Fist joined Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and more in the line-up of Netflix's Marvel Television shows, which built toward the characters coming together for the Defenders miniseries. Despite being created outside of Marvel Studios' canon, the shows were intentionally compatible with Marvel Cinematic Universe canon, performing well enough that Marvel Studios considered integrating the Defenders into the MCU after they were all canceled following relatively short runs.
Despite the attention to MCU-related detail in the shows, it appeared that Marvel Studios might have de-canonized Daredevil and Jessica Jones alongside Luke Cage, The Punisher, and Iron Fist via omission from an official MCU timeline, leading to a lot of questions about when fans might see these fan favorites again. The wait for at least one of those heroes allegedly won’t be as long as fans might expect, as industry savant Daniel Richtman has revealed exclusively via his Patreon that Marvel Studios has put hands to work on a new Iron Fist project, bringing back one of the Netflix-era characters with a twist; instead of the Danny Rand version of Iron Fist portrayed by series lead Finn Jones, the upcoming project will be headlined by a female lead taking on the mantle. This news does not rule out Jones' involvement but signals that he won’t be in the lead role here, leaving room for another prominent role in the project.
Despite the Netflix series having much that the MCU should keep, the company seems to have decided to consider new opportunities with the proposed Iron Fist project. While the character’s fanbase stems from the live-action series originally on Netflix, the format for the upcoming project isn’t confirmed by Richtman, who suggests that several possibilities are being thrown around behind the scenes, including a potential animated adaptation of the character. While it's still only speculation, the fluidity in the Iron Fist project’s format might indicate that it won’t be closely tied to Daredevil: Born Again, the project that will serve as Charlie Cox's transplant from his highly beloved Netflix series to the mainline MCU. Despite the assumption that Daredevil: Born Again would be the vehicle for all the other characters used on Netflix, that might not be the case any longer.
Unlike Daredevil, Iron Fist was not without its critics, with many fans instead seeing Shang Chi as the quintessential Iron Fist adaptation, as the film was more in line with what fans expected from the series when it first started up. Despite many improvements in Iron Fist season 2, it is still clear why the brass at Marvel Studios doesn’t feel too attached to the previous series when crafting a place in the MCU for the character. The potential involvement of Jones in the upcoming project would be a win, as despite the show not taking off as intended, his embodiment of the character was not lacking. However, until an official announcement is made, fans can only speculate on what form the Iron Fist project will take.
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