With former Marvel Entertainment Chairman Ike Perlmutter (and certain Disney executives) setting out to bring the MCU to television, Marvel Television and Jeph Loeb teamed with Netflix to bring The Defenders to streaming.
The end result was something of a mixed bag, though Marvel Studios is now treating the events of at least some of them as canon. Well, Daredevil. It remains to be seen whether the same will apply to Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist, especially when the latter was considered a disappointment among most fans.
Recently, it was reported that the Living Weapon may get another chance on Disney+ as part of Ryan Coogler's animated Black Panther spin-off Eyes of Wakanda.
Very little has been revealed about the show, though the official synopsis for the animated spin-off states, "Throughout Wakandan history, brave warriors have been tasked to travel the world retrieving dangerous vibranium artifacts. This is their story."
This suggests Wakanda's warriors will cross paths with one of K'un-Lun's previous defenders and a new rumour shared by @CanWeGetToast (via Toonado.com) appears to confirm that.
According to the scooper, this new Iron Fist will likely be a woman named Janora. A newly created character for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it's said we'll see her working with a Wakandan named Basha.
On the page, the first Iron Fist was named Fan Fei and she later joined the Avengers of 1,000,000 B.C. We're a little surprised Marvel Studios isn't heading down that route but the show may end up taking inspiration from her and other female Iron Fists such as Fongi Wu, Wu Ao-Shi, and Pei.
The prevailing theory is that the show will focus on members of the Dora Milaje and how they serve their home nation (The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, for example, showed them tracking down an escaped Baron Zemo). This time, it appears we'll follow them throughout the MCU's history.
A cameo like this will surely open the door to Iron Fist making an appearance in live-action. Marvel Studios has given Charlie Cox another chance as Daredevil and Krysten Ritter is also expected to play Jessica Jones again. However, we've heard that neither Finn Jones nor Mike Colter will return to reprise their respective roles as Luke Cage and Danny Rand.
In the comics, Iron Fist is most often associated with the superhero teams Heroes for Hire and the Defenders. Created by Roy Thomas and Gil Kane, the character first appeared in 1974 and the best-known iteration is Danny Rand, a martial artist who gains the power of the Iron Fist after defeating the dragon Shou-Lao the Undying.
His newfound abilities allow him to focus his chi into his fist, enhancing his combat skills. In recent years, Marvel Comics has sidelined Danny and instead passed the mantle to a character of Asian descent called Lin Lie.
Are you excited to see a new spin on Iron Fist in Eyes of Wakanda?