Iron Fist's Jessica Henwick Hopes to Rejoin MCU as Another Marvel Hero

Jessica Henwick from Netflix’s Iron Fist would love the chance to take on another MCU hero

By Richard Nebens Updated:
Avengers background, Jessica Henwick

Monday has been a potentially big day for the addition of more characters into the Marvel Cinematic Universe with the rights to the heroes from Marvel’s Netflix series beginning to make their way back to Marvel Studios. This could mean eventually bringing these powerful heroes into the MCU in a truly meaningful way later down the road now that The Defenders and its solo-hero based series are all cancelled, but there are no indications of any of the actors from the shows will be brought back to reprise those roles.

The first of these heroes to return to Marvel Studios’ custody is Iron Fist, who had incredibly mixed reactions to his appearance in both The Defenders and Iron Fist on Netflix. Recently, one of the series’ biggest stars opened up on if she would return to the MCU, even if it was in a brand new role going forward.

NEWS

In a new exclusive from Comic Book Movie, Iron Fist star Jessica Henwick was asked if there were any particular roles she’d be open to taking on given the right opportunity with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. After portraying Colleen Wing in Iron Fist, Luke Cage and The Defenders on Netflix from 2017-2018, Henwick gave this insight on a potential new role in the MCU:

“Gosh, I don’t know. I’d love to return to the Marvel Universe, and it was really important to me seeing how many children would look up to those characters. For them to get representation and say, ‘Oh my God, a female superhero,’ or ‘Wow, an Asian superhero.' That was such a wonderful moment as an actor, and I would definitely do it if the project was right and the character was right.”

WHAT THIS MEANS

Iron Fist undoubtedly had its fair share of criticism and malign upon its release on Netflix, even though there are bigger reasons likely in play leading to a lack of plans for Danny Rand or any of the other The Defenders characters to be rebooted at this time. This means dozens of actors from these series that are available to potentially take on new roles within the franchise, and it’s exciting to see Jessica Henwick so enthusiastic about a potential comeback.

Her portrayal of Colleen Wing helped keep Iron Fist grounded and she was regarded as one of the bright spots of the series by fans worldwide. With so many new superhero roles on the way for Phase 4 and beyond, specifically with a new focus on Asian heroes in films like Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, there should be plenty of opportunity for Henwick to take on a bigger role in the franchise with the right opportunity. 

Henwick has a solid history with major franchises already with appearances in Game of Thrones and Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens under her belt. If she were to return to the MCU, it likely wouldn’t be until further down the road, but she should have a good opportunity to do so should everything fall into place for both her and Marvel Studios.

- About The Author: Richard Nebens
Richard Nebens joined The Direct in March 2020, now serving as the site's Senior Writer and also working as an assistant editor and content creator. He started his journalism career as a hobby in 2019 and is passionate about sharing news and stories from the entertainment industry, especially comic book movies, comedy, and sci-fi. Richard looks to expand his knowledge about movies and TV every day, and he is eager to stay locked into the latest releases and breaking news at every opportunity.