Hey everyone, welcome back! Today we’re going to quickly discuss the sudden casting for Iron Fist. For those that don’t know who Iron Fist is, here is a short summary:
Danny Rand was the son of the successful business owner of Rand Industries. When he was young, he went on a retreat with his family and his father’s second in command of Rand Industries in the Asian mountains. When they were near a cliff Danny’s father’s friend tricked Danny’s dad into coming close to the edge. A minute later Danny’s dad fell and his father’s friend was hanging on to the ledge as well. Since the situation looked really suspicious, Danny and his mother ran away.
They made it to a bridge and saw temples in the distance, but before they reached the shelter, there were rapid wolves that started to chase them. Danny’s mother told him to get to the other side of the bridge while she held the wolves off. When Danny nears the end, he turns around to see his mother get eaten alive.
Gruesome.
The wolves continued to approach him, but out of nowhere monks appear and they stop the wolves, and take Danny to the temple compound. They train him in their ways and he learns the power of the IRON FIST.
Who did Marvel decide to play this interesting character…
FINN JONES
Wow, He’s not Asian… or at least half Asian…
Well, that’s disappointing.
But, I can see him wearing the mask, once he cuts that hair, but that’s a simple fix. I guess I’m tired of another British actor playing in a role designed for a minority. I do believe from his appearances on Game of Thrones that he can play the character that is needed for Iron Fist though.
*Cough* *Cough* very little.
So, yeah I have hope, but I am disappointed that Marvel didn’t cast an Asian -American. I’m not sure if I can see him working alongside Luke Cage in HEROES FOR HIRE!
But I am going to keep an open mind and place my faith in Netflix. They have done a great job so far with shows like Jessica Jones and Daredevil.
My boy Luke Cage! Sorry had to share this pic.
What are your thoughts on the casting of Finn Jones?
~Seppin
SeppinRek 
I wonder if the actor is able to pull off the physical part of the role, but so far Marvel had a really good hand when it comes to casting, so I trust them that they know what they are doing.
Concerning his race: I think this is impossible to judge. There is nothing inherent racist which casting a white guy for a character which always has been white, and putting an Asian into a Kung-Fu role has a couple of questionable implications in itself. Personally this is a case at which I wouldn’t have cared if they had cast a native American or Latino. What I am trying to say: I was pretty open minded towards an unusual casting, but I am also not particularly angry or disappointed that it didn’t happen, especially since I haven’t seen the show yet. Depending on the story they want to tell, it might be important that this character stays white. For example in order to provide a contrast to Luke Cage. If they want to emphasis on the “white privileged guy who encounters the black guy who grow up in the wrong part of the town” aspect, Danny Rand kind of had to be white.
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Your points are valid. I am not angry, as much as I am disappointed. The original character of Danny Rand was a blonde haired, blue eyed pretty boy, so if they want to go with the original story I am okay with that. I just feel like they missed an opportunity in casting an Asian-American. Iron Fist is not a A list character or even a B list character. He’s a C at best. The whole idea of them reshaping the character and maybe adding that his successful family wanted to travel back to Asia to reconnect with their homeland could have been a nice way to finally introduce a ground breaking role as the first major Asian-American character in the Marvel Universe. People talk about comic book canon, but that is entirely subjective, and as any Marvel fan knows, they haven’t followed canon story lines to the letter. Some people argue that casting an Asian-American falls prey to the stereotype that only an Asian can understand Martial Arts, but I believe it would have only added more to the richness of the mysterious K’un Lun and how Iron Fist triumphed as he learned their ways.
We do not know any details yet and the casting would have only made the story line deeper in my humble opinion.
Do I still like the idea of a rich, white guy teaming up with a street smart black man? Yes, I do and I am going to watch no matter who they choose because Luke Cage is my favorite Marvel character and the thought of them even making or thinking about making a Heroes For Hire show is mind blowing.They are a great team and seeing them work together will be amazing.
I do think both comic book powerhouses are taking decent strides in their development with Black Panther, Cyborg, Wonder Woman, and even casting a Pacific Islander as Aquaman instead of the typical blonde haired guy who talks to fish, but there is a part of me that yearns for even more.
Like I said, it’s just my opinion and I will wait to cast judgment until I see Finn Jones in action.
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Oh, I certainly get where you are coming from…my personal theme is more female characters, but I keep a very close look on the level of diversity in the MCU in general. It is slow going, but they are moving in the right direction. To be fair, they are kind of hampered because Fox owns the X-men, which are the most diverse bunch of them all (not that Fox ever bothered to use this fact to their advantage), so I cut Marvel a little bit slack in this regard. They are certainly working on it, partly though race-bend (Nick Fury, Quake), partly by adding new characters into the mix (Melinda May, Mack) and partly by building up c-listers to greater popularity (Falcon, Luke Cage). It is slow going, but I am more in the mindset of cheering them on (though they will get hell if they keep Black Widow out of their Toy-lines yet again….)
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