Iron Fist is back in his second series, and as usual we’re going to be reviewing every episode of the series – one per day – providing analysis, Easter egg spots and speculation for those who aren’t planning to binge it all in one go. All discussion is welcome but please don’t spoil future episodes in the comments.
This review contains spoilers.
2.10 A Duel Of Iron
They did it. They actually did it. After easily the worst opening season in all of Marvel-Netflix’s extremely variable outings, they turned Iron Fist season two into one of my top three Netflix seasons, and I’m only ranking it that way because I refuse to choose between my beloved Daredevil and this extremely good season.
Let’s examine this episode by looking at how it left the characters:
Danny Rand. No longer the Immortal Iron Fist but… well, wait until the post-credits. Danny has given up his claim to the Iron Fist, relinquished his obsession with wielding it, and gone off in search of answers with Ward. He’s taken back his actual birthright: his childhood best friend and the company they run. And while he’s left Colleen, one imagines they’ll both see each other again soon.
Colleen Wing. Now a true Daughter of the Dragon, and I could not be happier. As I could tell from the last episode when the story of her ancestor turned out to be the story of the Pirate Queen of Pinghai Bay, she’s a descendent of the first female Iron Fist. Davos may have styled himself “the last son of K’un Lun”, but there’s a daughter out there and the Iron Fist is hers now. Maybe it was Danny’s destiny to just deliver it to her rather than keep it for himself. And now that she’s got the power, maybe we can see a proper Daughters of the Dragon show?
Misty Knight. She got her arm wrecked and is planning to bling out a new one, an obvious suggestion that her new robo-arm will be gold like the comics version. And hey, if this season teaches us anything, it’s that *I* certainly enjoy these shows when they stick close to the comics. The joke about “Knightwing” making a good name works on two levels (Nightwing is the name Robin took when he grew up, as well as the name of Misty and Colleen’s agency in the Marvel comics). I’m still not 100% convinced I want to see those two actors co-starring in a show, but I’ll watched Jessica Henwick: Iron Fist wherever they put her next.
Mary Walker. They basically confirmed that Bloody Mary is the other personality at work here, and I think I’m right in saying she’s going to turn up in future Netflix shows. I guess we’ll find out. I’m mostly hoping they give her superpowers so she can go full Typhoid – it seems wrong to have Typhoid Mary without her Pyrokinesis – but that’s just my love of comics nonsense coming through again, because the character as portrayed on the show was a decent enough addition.
Ward and Joy. I’m glad to see their relationship is somewhat healed, and I don’t feel like there were any dropped threads. Bethany’s acknowledgement that he’s trying to improve but also keeping him at arm’s length was a perfect ending to that arc too. I don’t know where Joy goes from this – she’s going to be paying for her transgressions for a long time to come, and always looking over her shoulder – but she’s done nothing that can’t be forgiven either.
And finally, Davos. I’m glad they didn’t kill him, if only because I like the idea of him working out his issues and once again standing by Danny’s side to figure out what happened to K’un Lun. He’s not the best villain the Netflix shows have produced, but he’s certainly one of the more tragic.
Oh, and we have to talk about the epilogue. “You want comics nonsense?”, they seem to ask, “Then how about Danny holding Orson Randall’s Pistols!?”
I forget if we’ve been over this before (probably, because tbh I cannot help myself) but Orson Randall was the first outsider (i.e. someone not born of K’un Lun) to become an Iron Fist. In the comics, he’s also still alive when they learn about him. Randall learned to extend his Chi through his pistols and it seems that they had some of that Chi left in them when Danny picked them up. You can start learning about Orson Randall in Immortal Iron Fist #1 (2007)
Sure, the effect was a little ropey – but a dive into the mythology of the Iron Fist’s lineage is everything I want from this show. Likewise, Colleen can extend her chi into her Katana, which is something her comics incarnation could do for a time (though not because of the Iron Fist). I cannot wait to see the show come back with both Danny and Colleen mystically-powered by the heart of the Dragon – let’s hope that’s the sequel they make. Who’d have guessed we’d end up here, after we watched the car crash of cultural appropriation and poor writing that was season one?
Oh, and last of all, the episode is named for Iron Fist #1 (1975).
See you back here soon for Daredevil season three.
Read James’ review of the previous episode, War Without End, here.