Will Marvel Recats Iron Fist? 3 Actors Who Would Be Great for the Role

Marvel Cinematic Universe evolved massively over the last decade or so. From Incredible Hulk and the first Iron Man movie to adventures in space, MCU branched out worldwide and introduced us to many superheroes. However, before Marvel Studios decided to create their own TV series and stream them on Disney+ platforms, Netflix superhero shows were really popular. New York-based Marvel superhero Daredevil was the staple for multiple spin-off shows that included Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Punisher, and Iron Fist. The first three shows were quite popular among the fans and were decent, but Iron Fist was a huge disappointment. After Marvel decided to cancel the series on Netflix and decided eventually to reintroduce the characters to the MCU, the media and fans started speculating who could potentially be cast as the new Iron Fist, which will be the main topic of this article.

There is a huge possibility of Finn Jones’ Iron Fist being recast for Marvel Cinematic Universe, despite Charlie Cox’s Daredevil and Jon Bernthal‘s Punisher returning. Finn Jones wasn’t a bad Iron Fist, and his portrayal mostly suffered because of bad writing, which is why he could return one day to MCU. Other three actors include Jessica Henwick, who played Colleen Wing in Iron Fist, and Lewis Tan, the actor who portrayed Shatterstar in Deadpool 2. Finally, Tanner Buchanan from Cobra Kai also seems like a good candidate for the role.

A recasting of Iron Fist might happen, and if we are to believe the media over the last few years, we could say that another actor will replace Finn Jones as Iron Fist. However, the media also reported once upon a time that Daredevil and Punisher would be recast as well, but we got Cox and Bernthal back in MCU, which totally contradicted the reports at the time. We will list three names and our reasoning behind their picks.

Why was Iron Fist show bad?

So, this might be the “old news” because years have passed since the Iron Fist show was canceled, but before we dwell into the “core” of the topic, let’s remember why Iron Fist was the worst of Netflix Marvel shows.

When the critics saw the early screening of the show, they slammed it immediately. The reasoning behind the bad reviews was simply the bad writing and just poor characterization of Danny Rand.

In the first season of Iron Fist, Danny Rand’s origins were in focus, and despite the series’ following the source material, the character and writing it was lackluster. There was never a clear intent or motivation of Danny Rand, who seemed so lost at times in his own series. When writers purposely try to be vague to create mystery around the character, most of the time, this leads to writers not having a proper idea of their storyline path.

Danny Rand’s character was a massive victim of that, and in comparison to other Defenders, Iron Fist was plain, boring, and just a disappointing character. Another major issue about the show was bad action scenes, and unfortunately, Danny Rand was at the forefront of that problem.

Iron Fist is a very balanced combatant, graceful yet brutal when he needs to be. The show doesn’t portray that part well at all. Netflix superhero shows were quite graphic, allowing action scenes to be brutal as they were in Marvel Comics. However, Iron Fist in the series was quite bad and uninspiring. There were rumors of Finn Jones not having martial arts training for the role, which some fans didn’t like, but it was eventually established that long filmings of the episodes prevented the actor from doing anything more significant in his preparation for action scenes.

The editing was also quite bad, which was surprising compared to other Netflix shows. The show’s writing was also poor; plot holes overshadowed good moments, and guest appearances overshadowed the main character.

Overall, the show was underwhelming, to say the least, and Finn Jones’ portrayal of Iron Fist was criticized heavily by the media. The actor wasn’t shining in his own show; frankly, that wasn’t all his fault. Fans are the opposite, and most of them didn’t mind Finn Jones portraying Iron Fist and always emphasized poor writing and mischaracterization of Iron Fist first over the actor’s performance. With all that being said, who would be recast as Iron Fist in MCU? Let’s find out.

Jessica Henwick

This pick is actually one of the fan favorites for the recast of Iron Fist. The actress who portrayed another character in Iron Fist, Colleen Wing, is actually a really good candidate for the Iron First mantle. The last time we saw Colleen Wing, she gained Iron Fist powers bestowed on her by Danny Rand himself. The end of season two sees Colleen Wing gaining Iron Fist powers, defeating Davos, another candidate for the Iron Fist title, and acting as a superhero during Danny Rand’s temporary absence.

Colleen already has Iron Fist powers, which would make her induction to MCU easier, and another plus is that she is the actress is an Asian – the current Iron Fist in Marvel Comics is a young Chinese man, Lin Lie.

Jessica Henwick has expressed the wish to return to MCU and reprise Colleen Wing’s character, but maybe she would be open to portraying Iron Fist instead; who knows? Nevertheless, fans wouldn’t mind her being a new Iron Fist since her character’s storyline makes sense in the context of the MCU.

Lewis Tan

Another Asian on this list is Lewis Tan. Marvel fans know this actor from Deadpool 2, where he portrayed Shatterstar. Tan is an English-Asian actor with vast experience in martial arts projects like Mortal Combat and Deadpool 2 and would fit perfectly as Iron Fist.

Besides being an Asian and a good actor, Tan’s vast experience in martial arts is something that would propel Iron Fist’s character and excitement tenfold since this particular part of the character is lacking in Finn Jones’ portrayal.

I’m not a huge fan of casting actors that already were part of one superhero project, but Tan seems quite suitable. However, because Lewis Tan already appeared in season one of the Iron Fist show as a villain, Zhou Cheng, this entry might not be possible, but it’s worth mentioning.

Tanner Buchanan

We are staying with experienced martial arts actors, or at least the ones that portrayed a role where this particular skill is needed, and that’s Tanner Buchanan. The mentioned experience stems from the popular comedy-drama TV series Cobra Kai, where Buchanan portrays Robby Keene.

He is an American of Filipino descent, a good actor, and has the charisma to portray Danny Rand, or even Lin Lie, as the new Iron Fist in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Buchanan might be too boyish for the role of Danny Rand, but why not go with Lin Lie, the current version of the Iron Fist in Marvel Comics, with which the young actor could fit more – and Marvel is yet to truly form Young Avengers or Champions team in MCU. It’s worth trying, isn’t it?

Finn Jones

This last entry is basically an honorable mention since Finn Jones is quite liked among Marvel fans. If we check Marvel forums, most fans would like the actor to return to MCU as Iron Fist. They believe that Jones can portray Danny Rand and that better writing and characterization of the superhero would do wonders for the actors’ portrayal.

Finn Jones expressed multiple times that he would love to return as Iron Fist in MCU, but knows that the show’s reception and his portrayal weren’t always hailed as great. Knowing that Mike Colter, who portrayed Luke Cage, hinted at probably not returning to MCU as Power Man might indicate that Jones won’t return either as Iron Fist.

Finn Jones didn’t have a very easy job of working with a bad script, and it seems that bad reception from the media, and a slightly better reaction from the fans, won’t help the return of Finn Jones to the MCU, as Iron Fist.