Marvel Studios Just Revealed This Man Was Iron Fist's Secret Lover

Marvel's newest animated project included a special and unexpected relationship between the Iron Fist and Wakanda.

By Richard Nebens Posted:
Iron Fist, Black Panther

Marvel Studios gave fans a look into a unique relationship between an Iron Fist and a secret lover hailing from Wakanda. While Marvel has introduced fans to a few different Iron Fists, the hero's place in the greater Marvel Universe is still unclear after his time starring in Netflix's Defenders Saga. However, a new take on the world-famous martial artist took the spotlight in the MCU's latest release, making quite an impact upon arrival.

Eyes of Wakanda's third episode included a secret romance between Jacques Colimon's Basha and Jona Xiao's Jorani. Telling stories from across the greater Marvel timeline, Eyes of Wakanda highlighted the country's long line of spies as they searched the world for stolen Wakandan technology. This episode introduced viewers to a new take on the Iron Fist as well, giving the famous warrior an unexpected throughline with the Wakandans.

The episode centers on Basha's mission to China. He is tasked with retrieving a piece of Vibranium stolen from Wakanda 1000 years prior. During his mission, he gets knocked out in the snowy mountains before Jorani finds him in a massive storm.

Jorani in Eyes of Wakanda
Marvel Animation

After the episode quickly goes through their relationship as secret lovers, Basha steals the artifact and flies back to Wakanda in his ship. Jorani finds her way onto the ship and sneaks into Wakanda undetected. Upon finding Basha again, she reminisces on having taken him in "against [her] every instinct" to find out what he was doing in her country:

Jorani: "I took you in against my every instinct. To see what you were up to. I guess this was it."

Basha: "You should not have followed me here, Jorani."

Jorani and Basha in Eyes of Wakanda
Marvel Animation

Basha expresses his disbelief in how the relationship played out, lamenting to Jorani that he believed she "actually cared" about him. While she admits she did start to care about him, she also made it clear that she was suspicious of his intentions all along:

Basha: "And to think, all this time, I thought you actually cared about me."

Jorani: "The sad thing is, I actually started to. Although, honestly, I’m a little offended you thought I would believe you were some…lost traveler."

As they chase each other through Wakanda, the two jab back and forth about seducing one another in order to accomplish their respective missions, with Jorani verbally jabbing about how "adorable" his attempts were:

Basha: "Who are you?"

Jorani: "I'm the fool who seduced a thief."

Basha: "Wait, no, no, no, I seduced you!"

Jorani: "That's adorable."

Jorani feeding Basha soup in Eyes of Wakanda
Marvel Studios

Basha makes it clear to Jorani that his "mission had to come first" before Jorani offered him the same sentiments. She also declared herself as the Iron Fist, proclaiming that she "defeated the immortal dragon Shou-Lao" and took her power from his heart:

Jorani: "I am Jorani. Guardian of the Mountains. I defeated the immortal dragon Shou-Lao and drew power from his molten heart. I am the Iron Fist."

Basha and Jorani in Eyes of Wakanda
Marvel Animation

Developed by Ryan Coolger, Eyes of Wakanda is the newest Black Panther-adjacent project in the MCU (although it toes the line of being canon to the MCU). Told over four episodes, the show highlights Wakandan warriors and spies traveling the world in search of lost vibranium artifacts that have been stolen across the generations. Eyes of Wakanda is now streaming on Disney+.

What To Expect From the Iron Fist in the MCU

Finn Jones' Danny Rand sitting in front of his parents' grave in Iron Fist show
Marvel Studios

While upcoming MCU projects have a few Iron Fist-related nods confirmed, many are wondering when this character will return to the main timeline after his years with Netflix. Even though the Iron Fist solo series was one of Marvel's worst-reviewed projects, plenty are still clamoring for the character to get another chance in live-action MCU stories.

In early 2024, actor Finn Jones shared a cryptic social media image showing a comic with Iron Fist and Luke Cage on the cover, possibly hinting at a return to the MCU. Nothing has been teased or reported in the time since then, although Jones has been vocal about wanting a second chance to do the character right.

Looking ahead, Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 will bring Krysten Ritter back to the franchise as Jessica Jones, letting her team up with Charlie Cox's Daredevil and Jon Bernthal's Punisher. This leaves Jones and Luke Cage star Mike Colter as the only original Defenders stars not to move into the main MCU timeline yet from the Netflix shows.

With so many old and new stories being integrated into the greater Marvel saga, many remain hopeful that the Iron Fist will get his due in the foreseeable future.

- 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.