Comic fans are going to see one of the medium's best revenge narratives coming to life next year with Netflix's take on Marvel's Iron Fist, and we couldn't be more pumped about it. Oh wait, thanks to some possible character teasing from star Finn Jones, our excitement levels have indeed risen. For if Jones is to be believed, Iron Fist will introduce the martial arts expert Lei Kung the Thunderer during its initial season. Here's the tease.
This short but extremely inspirational speech was delivered to future Iron Fist Daniel Rand by one Lei Kung in the comics, and it's the best way his involvement could have been teased. Well, I guess seeing the actor playing Lei Kung in action would have been cooler, but we've barely seen anything from this show yet, so that wouldn't be feasible. And everybody knows the most important aspect of comic book adaptations is feasibility.
While we obviously have no concrete idea just how Iron Fist would bring Lei Kung into the story, should that happen, I can't imagine the TV show would veer too wildly from the source material where this character is concerned. Daniel's father Wendell discovered the mystical city of K'un-L'un, home of Lei Kung, prior to starting his family. A return trip years later goes badly, and Wendell is murdered, leaving Daniel to mourn as he is accepted into K'un-L'un. Enter Lei Kung.
First appearing on the page in 1974, Lei Kung took on young Daniel as his apprentice and soon found him rising higher than all of the other students. The Thunderer mentors Daniel on both martial arts fisticuffs and the use of weaponry, giving him the skills he needs to take down the man who killed his father. Well, hopefully anyway.
Glad to see that more good guys are being teased for Iron Fist, as the show is reportedly going to go heavier on the villains than any of Marvel's other series on Netflix. Which seems crazy, considering everything Daredevil Season 2 had going. The biggest of the bunch is Steel Serpent, another disciple of Lei Kung's that also happens to be his son. So that should make for some interesting personal politics. And then there are Harold Meachum (David Wenham), Wendell Rand's murderer, and his kids Joy (Jessica Stroup) and Ward (Tom Pelphrey). Expect them to make Daniel's life hell, too.
Iron Fist has yet to get a specific premiere date, but we can expect to find it hitting Netflix at some point in 2017, paving the final path toward the team-up miniseries The Defenders. Luke Cage will hit binge-ready audiences on Friday, September 30, and you can find all of Netflix's other release dates in our premiere schedule. For all your other favorite shows' debuts, head to our fall TV schedule.
