Marvel Studios just introduced a new Iron Fist in Eyes of Wakanda, and her arrival was celebrated with a fresh poster. For a long time, fans were left wondering whether the Iron Fist truly existed in the MCU yet. While K'un-lun's martial arts superhero starred in two seasons of Iron Fist that debuted on Netflix in 2017 and 2018, that show wasn't officially canonized until Echo hit Disney+ in 2024 and launched "The Defenders Saga" into the MCU-proper.
Iron Fist's official canonization has major implications for the MCU, as K'un-lun and the glowing fist-infused mantle go back thousands of years. The Iron Fist serves as the guardian of the gate to the mystical lost city of K'un-lun and the destroyer of The Hand, an evil organization formed by those banished from the city long ago.
Marvel Studios released a set of character posters for Eyes of Wakanda, one of which highlights its new Iron Fist, who appears in Episode 3, "Lost and Found." This marks the first Iron Fist poster to be released by Marvel Studios, as the Defender's Netflix show was produced by Marvel Television and ABC Studios.
Jona Xiao boards the MCU in Eyes of Wakanda as Jorani, an Iron Fist with whom Basha became close while recovering a vibranium artifact in China in 1400.
But, as the artifact was contained in an ancient and culturally significant statue, Jorani followed Basha to Wakanda as a stowaway on his ship to recover it, where she showed off her martial arts skills in the process.
Game of Thrones star Finn Jones took the lead for two seasons of Iron Fist on Netflix show that received widespread backlash, so much so that the superhero actor responded to his MCU series' failure.
The lead-up to Iron Fist celebrated the hero's roots on the page with a comicbook cover-inspired poster that highlights Rand's dragon chest tattoo.
Despite the backlash to Season 1, Iron Fist was still returning for Season 2 after Rand joined Netflix's Avengers-esque ensemble, The Defenders. Unfortunately, reactions were only mildly better, and Iron Fist was cancelled alongside the rest of Netflix's Marvel shows around the launch of Disney+.
Danny Rand wasn't the only Iron Fist in his Netflix series, as Jessica Henwick's martial arts master Colleen Wing also got a go at the glowing fist superpowers in Season 2, but the actress admitted she was "torn" about returning.
Although fans never saw his fist glow, Marvel Studios introduced its first Iron Fist in What If...? Season 3 with the young Kwai Jun-Fan in the Wild West, who Hailee Steinfeld's Kate Bishop told Simu Liu's Shang-Chi has "some iron fists on him."
As Eyes of Wakanda came to Disney+, Marvel Studios celebrated its new Black Panther with her own poster ahead of her role in Episode 4, "The Last Panther."
The series brings together an original ensemble cast to play Wakandan warriors throughout history, including Winnie Harlow, Cress Williams, Steve Toussaint, Zeke Alton, Larry Herron, Adam Gold, Jacques Colimon, and more.
What Comes Next for Iron Fist in Live-Action MCU?
Between What If...? and Eyes of Wakanda, Marvel Studios has shown a keen interest in integrating Iron Fist into its historical tales. This only helps deepen the character's lore as, much like the Black Panther, the Iron Fist has been around for countless years, and many have carried the mantle across them.
It's only a matter of time before Iron Fist returns to the current MCU, possibly in a future season of Daredevil: Born Again. Disney+'s R-rated has already brought back three of the five Netflix leads, with Finn Jones' Iron Fist and Mike Colter's Luke Cage being the only outliers remaining.
That said, Danny Rand is in a tougher position given his Netflix show and casting weren't as well-received as his comrades. It seems unlikely that Jones will be recast, but Marvel Studios could always take the opportunity to introduce Lin Lie, a newer Iron Fist who was recently made famous by Marvel Rivals.
