The Accidental Subtext of Iron Fist

So...Just finished the first season of Marvel's Iron Fist on Netflix, and...

I've got BIG problems with the execution that are pretty far-ranging, but that's been made obvious by the fact that this entry even exists. There is definitely a lot to unpack, but let me get one thing out of the way first. It's not the absolute worst. There's certainly a lot to be desired, and I'll get to that, but the show is not complete garbage. It's not The Cape. That said, I'm about to air some grievances like it's Festivus. Spoilers ahead...

I've got A LOT OF PROBLEMS with this show...and you're gonna read about 'em!!

Let's get the smaller issues out of the way first. The fight choreography of this show is...shit. It's shit. Here's a breakdown that may make sense to a few people out there in a single sentence: Iron Fist should be a modern Wuxia show. By that I mean that as it is a story that deals with martial arts fantasy and mysticism set in present day, the style of fight choreography and overall tone of the show should match. To establish a point of reference, let's look at some of the works of Jet Li. Like Jackie Chan and other stars from the Hong Kong film industry, his films include period pieces as well as stories set in the present. His present-day films are more straight-forward action films that happen to feature martial arts. Examples would include movies like High Risk, Kiss of the Dragon, or Black Mask as opposed to Hero, Kung Fu Cult Master, or Once Upon a Time in China. The Marvel equivalent to these in terms of fight sequences would be Daredevil or...just about every other movie the studio has produced, if we're being honest.

The emphasis will never be on the specific style of martial art being used, but the characters are clearly trained in a style. In Wushu or Wuxia films, martial arts are very much an integral part of the narrative and the lives of the characters. Any of this sounding familiar...?

That's why your lousy form bothers me, Finn...

So, the feel of the fight sequences shouldn't be like Daredevil's at all. However, they should still be quick-paced and intense with a focus on the specific ways in which the fighters move. They are not. The consensus has been that the fights in Daredevil far outshine any scene in Iron Fist, and that is a problem. For a show whose titular character's unique power comes from his skills as a martial artist, that should stand out most. Right now, it looks like Danny Rand would get his teeth kicked in by a blind guy from Hell's Kitchen.

Well, you don't have to be smug about it...

But this brings me to a major problem with the show: Danny Rand sucks. Not simply as a martial artist (and that's on Finn Jones and the production as a whole, mostly), but as a character.

Many comic book heroes are ultimately masculine power fantasies, but that's not all there is to their character. As that's the case, there are components to who these characters are that make them compelling. For Bruce Wayne, it's his desire for a sense of family that directly contradicts his convictions to be on the front lines of crime fighting that craft much of his inner turmoil. Steve Rogers is (or was) a man with a strong moral center that's rooted in a different time and general sensibility that hinders his ability to connect to the world he finds himself in. Danny Rand is presented as a man with no such shortcomings.

Throughout the run of the show's first season, Danny remains unchallenged. Whether it be physical fights or ideological battles or even legal battles, the plot consistently manages to unfold in a manner that protects him. Blocked from access to his family's company? Well, isn't it a coincidence that the one person maintaining the upkeep of Danny's parents' grave sites also happens to be the most cutthroat lawyer in the Marvel Universe.

Fist fights? Maybe if he wasn't mostly fighting security guards, assassins with no unique superpowers, or an encampment of children there might've been a chance of him losing. But even in the instances where he fights someone truly skilled, these characters are never presented as being as skilled as he should be and they definitely don't have a one-punch win button to rely on.

The plot even shields Danny from moral quandaries time and again. Wanna kill Madam Gao because he suspects her involvement in his parents' death? Good thing Bakuto shows up to imprison her and neutralize that threat without you getting your hands dirty huh, Danny? Especially seeing as you were too stupid to recognize your father's business partner who gained full control of your family's multi-million dollar company for his own family upon their deaths as the most obvious suspect!

Even his son treats you with resentment, you idiot!

The world is crafted into Danny Rand's safety net by the narrative. Other writers have likened him to the Donald Trump of superheroes, but that's only looking at his material worth. What Danny Rand is in this show is much worse: the Bella Swan of superheroes.

As bad as the show is for all of the instances where Danny is protected from his own ineptitude, it's even worse in the ways it proves him right. Case in point brings us back to Bakuto.

When we first meet him, Bakuto is introduced to the audience as Colleen Wing's teacher who seems genuinely helpful and knowledgeable. He knows about capabilities of the Iron Fist that Danny didn't (and frankly should) know, and offers to teach Danny what he knows. What this did was present the potential for a new and interesting trajectory--a sect within The Hand that was actually benevolent. Yes, the reveal is that Colleen Wing, comrade and love interest to Danny Rand, is a member of the organization that he as the Iron Fist has sworn to defeat. You'd think this would lead to a genuine conflict for Danny...if you hadn't been paying attention to anything I've said so far. That this sect of The Hand turns out to be no different from the organization as a whole does nothing for the story or the world it's set in, but the biggest problem it presents only becomes clear if the view is taken from Colleen's perspective.

Something the writers must not have done...

Obviously, this is a reveal due to Colleen withholding that she was a member of The Hand from Danny. And as expected, he takes it with the kind of calm reservation anyone that endlessly talks about destroying The Hand would. So, this was the telegraphed 2nd act conflict in their little love subplot...except that the progression of the narrative proves Danny right...again. So, it's not a conflict for him at all. To him, The Hand are nothing but a ruthless and manipulative network of murderers that could never be anything more than that. But to Colleen, they're her rock. These were the people that took her in and taught her life skills. They cared for her and gave her strength and guidance as well as a sense of purpose when she had nothing and no one to turn to. These were friends, mentors, and a surrogate family. So, of course she expresses this sentiment to a man that she had begun to care for deeply. And he wasn't hearing ANY of that. He questions her feelings for him, and weaponizes her loyalty to The Hand against her. He casts doubt on the intentions of the organization to shift her perception of them to his point of view. And when she (correctly) points out that he's been trained from childhood to hate The Hand without ever even encountering a single member until the past week, he responds by saying that she's the one who has been programmed to believe what this "cult" told her to believe. Do I have to keep going at this point? 'Cause that's at least 4 examples of Gaslighting.

Don't get me wrong. I don't think this was intentional at all (hence the title of this post), but by falling into the tired territory of tropes, Marvel's Iron Fist presented the viewing audience with a textbook example of a toxic relationship without a shred of self-awareness. But then again, what should you expect from a show that showcases trust fund kid fresh from his study abroad program Danny Rand teaching his far-more-interesting Asian girlfriend martial arts techniques in her own dojo...?

Not a good look, my dude. And you form is still terrible.