IRON FIST Season 2 Trailer Teases Danny's Mask & The Steel Serpent

The Living Weapon vs. The Steel Serpent, Round Two.

Netflix has released the first full trailer for the second season of Iron Fist, based on the Marvel Comics character.  The two minute, fifteen second trailer teases the long-awaited arrival of Iron Fist's traditional yellow mask and the return of Davos, the villainous Steel Serpent.

The trailer opens in New York City, with Iron Fist/Danny Rand (Finn Jones) taking over as the city's guardian following the presumed death of Daredevil in the final episode of The Defenders crossover miniseries.  "You have not been home for days," says Colleen Wing (Jessica Henwick) in a voiceover as we see Danny in a hoodie and a mask covering his lower face taking on several armed criminals.  "You barely sleep when you are home.  How many times a night you light that fist up?"

In a separate scene, we see Colleen and Danny talking.  "I see how much you're pushing yourself," she tells him.

"Just trying to keep the peace," replies Danny.

In another exchange, Danny tells someone, possibly Colleen, "What am I supposed to do?  I didn't ask for the Iron Fist."

"I'm fighting for what I believe in, whatever the cost," Colleen remarks to Danny before we see her fighting an unknown woman.  "What are you fighting for?"

"I'm trying to do what's right," replies Danny.

We cut to another scene, where Danny meets Davos (Sacha Dhawan) at night.  "I didn't expect to see you here, brother," says Davos.  "We have family matters to discuss."

A different scene has Colleen telling Danny, "You and Davos, you will train together."  We see a sequence in a temple, where Danny and Davos are facing off against one another and wearing yellow Iron Fist masks.

"I fought my brother," Danny says in a voiceover.  "There is no changing what happened."

Davos tells Danny, "You feel that you can just walk through this world as if it belongs to you.  The Iron Fist...It's not a weapon to be held, it's a weapon to be used."  We see Davos training several disciples as Joy Meachum (Jessica Stroup) watches, followed by Danny and a hooded woman finding the decayed corpse of another Iron Fist.  We then see the hooded woman attacking Danny in the subway.

"Now you'll give me what's mine, brother," Davos tells Danny.  "You...will suffer."

As we Davos and Danny fighting in a separate scene, Colleen remarks to Danny, "The Iron Fist...that was one of them."

Davos is shown having a glowing red Iron Fist of his own, which he uses to punch through a brick wall.

"We can stop him," Danny responds to Colleen, "but I need help."

Enter Misty Knight (Simone Missick), now rocking a bionic arm after the events in Luke Cage Season 2.  "You're not alone," Misty tells Colleen as we see Misty and Danny sparring, "but you can't save everyone."

"I can't just sit here and do nothing," Danny says in a voiceover as we see him and Davos fighting once again.

"I have become the thing you never had the strength to be," a bloodied Davos tells Danny, who lies on the ground before him.

"History doesn't decide what happens next," Colleen remarks in a voiceover as we see the masked Danny use his Iron Fist on an armored car, totaling it.  "We do."

In the trailer's final scene, we see Danny and Colleen having dinner at a Chinese restaurant.  "We should do this more often," Danny remarks as we see fleeting images of both of them fighting bad guys.  "Dinner out, a movie.  Date night."

"Mm-hmm," replies Colleen as she sips her coffee.

If you'd like to check out the trailer, you can view it below thanks to the official Netflix account on YouTube...




Iron Fist returns to Netflix for Season 2 on September 7th.

IRON FIST Casts Alice Eve as Typhoid Mary

Iron Fist is about to catch a case of Typhoid fever.

During yesterday's Iron Fist panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2018, Marvel Television head Jeph Loeb announced that Alice Eve will play the supervillain Typhoid Mary in the Netflix show's upcoming second season.

When asked about appearing in Season 2, Eve responded, "What I loved about it was that it was very, very violent.  But the reason that I took the role was because I got to play someone with multiple personalities."

Eve, 36, is best known as Carol Marcus in the movie Star Trek Into Darkness, and has appeared in the movies Men in Black 3, Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb, Sex and the City 2, She's Out of My League, The Raven, Criminal, and The Decoy Bride.  Her other television appearances include episodes of Black Mirror, Entourage, Robot Chicken, and Agatha Christie's Poirot.

Created in 1988 by Ann Nocenti and John Romita, Jr., Typhoid Mary first appeared in Daredevil (vol.1) #254 as Mary Walker, a woman whose condition was accidentally caused when Matt Murdock had tracked a villain down to the brothel where Mary worked.  Matt attacked the man, but surprisingly, the girls working there came after him.  Panicking, Matt lashed out, knocking Mary out of a nearby window.  It was at this moment she somehow became "Typhoid Mary" and vowed no man would ever hurt her again.  In later appearances, however, she would imply that she was a victim of child abuse.

Suffering from dissociative identity disorder, Mary Walker has three other abnormal personalities in addition to her seemingly healthy one.  Her "Mary" personality is a timid, quiet pacifist, while her "Typhoid" personality is adventurous, lustful, and violent.  Her "Bloody Mary" persona is brutal, sadistic and a misandrist.  Mary once claimed that there was a fourth personality who is "lost" but has not since been mentioned.  Aside from highly developed martial arts skills, she also possesses telekinetic powers and pyrokinesis.

In her first appearance, she met Murdock, and was hired as an assassin by the Kingpin.  She then battled Daredevil, while beginning a romance with Murdock.  She temporarily reverted to her "Mary" personality, but then reverted to her "Typhoid" personality, and began a romance with the Kingpin.  She hired Bullet, Bushwacker, Ammo, and the Wild Boys to attack Daredevil, and then personally led these criminals against the blind vigilante.

At some point after the superhuman Civil War's events, she was found by Henry Peter Gyrich and recruited into the Initiative program as "Mutant Zero", although her identity as Typhoid Mary was kept secret from her teammates.  Gyrich revealed that Mutant Zero was a mutant that not only remained empowered following M-Day, but one that was not included in the official record of the remaining mutants.  Technically not existing in any official capacity, her true identity was made classified.  According to Dr. Leonard Samson, Mutant Zero was still mentally unstable and referencing any of her other identities could lead to a period of instability.  Mutant Zero was brought into the Shadow Initiative (the Initiative's black ops team), but she could only be activated once per mission due to her mental instability.

During the event known as Shadowland, Typhoid Mary answered Daredevil's call for superpowered people to join The Hand in providing martial law for an ever-increasing area of New York City.  She claimed that her time in the Initiative was successful in integrating her fractured mind, but Daredevil did not believe her.  Following the war, the Kingpin used secret code words to activate her fourth personality, revealing that she was an inside agent who was ignorant of her "true" goal all along.

Eve will be the second actress to portray Typhoid Mary in live-action, after Natassia Malthe in the 2005 film Elektra.  The character has also appeared in the animated series Avengers: Secret Wars, voiced by Tara Strong.

Iron Fist returns to Netflix for Season 2 on September 7, 2018.

ARROW Casts Kirk Acevedo as Richard Dragon

Green Arrow just got another enemy.

Deadline has revealed that the CW series Arrow has cast Kirk Acevedo as Ricardo Diaz, better known to DC Comics fans as Richard Dragon.  Acevedo is one of three new Arrow villains for Season 6, along with Michael Emerson and David Nykl.

According to the article, Richard Dragon is described as "A hardened ex-con recently released from prison for crimes he didn’t commit, Ricardo Diaz (Acevedo) is bent on taking over Star City’s criminal underworld.  A master in hand to hand combat, honed by years of life on the street, Diaz has yet to meet a foe he can’t take down."

Acevedo, 45, is best known as Miguel Alvarez on the HBO series Oz, and as FBI Agent Charlie Francis on the Fox series Fringe.  He's appeared in the films Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and The Thin Red Line, and on episodes of The Walking Dead, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., 12 Monkeys, Grimm, Band of Brothers, Kingdom, Blue Bloods, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Legends, Person of Interest, The Mentalist, and Prime Suspect.

Created in 1974 by "Jim Dennis", a pseudonym for Dennis O'Neil and Jim Berry, Richard Dragon first appeared in the novel Kung-Fu Masters, Richard Dragon: Dragon's Fists as Richard Drakunovski, a teenage sneak thief in Japan who broke into a Chinese dojo outside of Kyoto to steal a priceless jade Buddha.  Before he could get away, Richard was caught and beaten by the dojo's teenage student, Ben Turner.  O-Sensei, the dojo's master, saw something worth nurturing in Richard, and for the next seven years taught Ben and Richard, side by side, mastery of the martial arts.  Richard came to find an inner peace, only using his skill when absolutely necessary.  Once he felt there was nothing more he could teach them, the O-Sensei left the two.  Turner and Dragon were recruited by Barney Ling, head of the law-keeping espionage agency known as G.O.O.D. (Global Organization of Organized Defense), to join the organization. Together, Ben and Richard would defeat the corrupt businessman Guano Cravat, foiling his plans to instigate a war for his own benefit.  Ben and Richard founded a martial arts dojo in Manhattan, and Richard would go on to battle international threats such as Telegram Sam, the Preying Mantis, the League of Assassins, and his former superior, Barney Ling.

The character was brought into the DC Universe in 1975, starting with his own series, Richard Dragon, Kung-Fu Fighter.  As one of the DCU's top martial artists, Richard later trained heroes such as The Question, Oracle, and The Huntress.

In 2013, as part of the DC Universe continuity relaunch known as The New 52, Richard Dragon was reinvented by Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino in Green Arrow (vol.5) #23 as Ricardo Diaz, Jr., the son of a drug kingpin who had been killed by John Diggle (posing as Green Arrow).  He revealed that after his father's death and the fall of his criminal empire, he sought out and found the League of Assassins where his sensei taught him to become a living weapon.  He claimed that when his sensei also taught him patience and compassion, which he perceived to be a weakness, he killed his sensei and took his name.  Dragon placed a $30 million bounty on Green Arrow, which three members of the Longbow Hunters (Brick, Killer Moth, and Red Dart) intended to split.  Green Arrow was able to defeat all of them with the help of his young half-sister, Emiko.  Green Arrow was then reunited with his old partner, John Diggle, after Dragon attempted to kill Diggle by defenestration.  In a fight against both Green Arrow and Diggle, Dragon was able to significantly injure both of them, but was ultimately defeated.

Arrow returns to The CW for Season 6 on Thursday, October 12th.

MARVEL'S INHUMANS Casts Ken Leung as Karnak

I don't see a flaw with this casting.

Marvel has revealed that the upcoming ABC television series Marvel's Inhumans has cast Ken Leung as the Inhumans' martial arts master, Karnak.  The 8-episode series will explore the never-before-told epic adventure of the Inhuman royal family.  Leung joins Anson Mount (Black Bolt), Serinda Swan (Medusa) and Iwan Rheon (Maximus the Mad) in the series.

Karnak is described in the announcement as "Black Bolt’s cousin and closest advisor.  His gift is an ability to see the fault in all things – people, plans, structures, everything.  He’s Black Bolt’s most ardent supporter and strategist and is often seen as the royal family’s planner and philosopher."

Leung, 47, is best known as Miles Straume on the ABC series LOST and recently appeared as Admiral Statura in the film Star Wars: The Force Awakens.  His other film appearances include X-Men: The Last Stand (as Kid Omega), Red Dragon, Saw, Saw V, Vanilla Sky, A.I. Artificial Intelligence, and Rush Hour.  He's also appeared on episodes of The Night Shift, Zero Hour, Person of Interest, The Good Wife, The Sopranos, Oz, and Law & Order.

Executive Producer Jeph Loeb remarked, "Ken brings both a wisdom and a power to the role that no one else could match.  His Karnak will be awesome."

Executive Producer and showrunner Scott Buck added, "Ken Leung has a great natural intelligence that reads clearly and will add depth and complexity to the very complicated character of Karnak."

Created in 1965 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, Karnak first appeared in Fantastic Four (vol.1) #45 as Karnak Mander-Azur, the brother of Triton and the cousin of Black Bolt, who was never exposed to the mutagenic Terrigen Mists so he never developed additional powers. Triton's Terrigenesis was so extreme that his parents, Mander and Azur, begged that Karnak not have to endure the procedure.  Instead, he was sent to a monastery, where he became a martial artist who can find the weakness in anything and then use his training and strength to exploit it.

In his comics debut, Karnak first appeared as a member of the Inhumans when he attempted to retrieve his cousin and queen, Medusa from the outside world and take her back to Attilan.  This led him into conflict with the Fantastic Four, the first humans he met, who were harboring Medusa after rescuing her from the villainous Frightful Four.  Karnak battled Maximus alongside the Inhuman Royal Family, and became trapped in Maximus' "negative zone" barrier around the Great Refuge.  He was freed from the "negative zone" barrier along with the rest of the Inhumans by the Fantastic Four and left the Great Refuge with the Royal Family to visit the outside world.  He teamed with the Thing, Human Torch, and Black Panther against the Psycho-Man, and aided the Inhuman Royal Family in defeating Maximus' next attempt to overthrow the Great Refuge.

Following Attilan's destruction during the Infinity storyline, Karnak went on a rampage in New York at the start of the Inhumanity storyline, and was stopped and imprisoned by the Avengers.  After warning Medusa to forget what she knew in order to prepare for a coming cataclysm, Karnak commited suicide by leaping out of one of the windows in Avengers Tower.  Karnak wound up in a strange afterlife that he believed to be Hell, but he and an ally he met there successfully found a door out while holding off strange creatures.  Karnak used his ability to see the weakness in things to open the door, and found himself bursting out of the NuHuman Lineage's chest in the real world, killing Lineage in the process.  He realized that what he thought was Hell was inside Lineage, as Karnak is one of his ancestors. Karnak told Medusa he knew that she has been an outstanding queen in his absence and rejoined her council.

This will be the first time the character will appear in live-action, although he has been in several animated projects, including Fantastic Four (1978, voiced by John Stephenson), Fantastic Four (1994, voiced by Clyde Kusatsu), Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. (voiced by Fred Tatasciore), Ultimate Spider-Man, Avengers Assemble and Guardians of the Galaxy.

The first two episodes of Inhumans will first debut in IMAX theaters on September 4, 2017, followed by the ABC television series two weeks later.

First IRON FIST Trailer Showcases the Final Defender

The final Defender is about to arrive.

Netflix has released the first full trailer for their latest Marvel Cinematic Universe television series, Iron Fist.  The 2-minute, 10-second trailer gives us our first real taste of the upcoming martial arts drama series starring Finn Jones as Danny Rand.

As the trailer opens on the streets of New York, we see a bearded and barefoot Danny Rand pounding the pavement until he comes across the Rand Enterprises building.  "Hi, I'm Danny Rand," he says warmly to the receptionist upon entering.  "I've been away for a long time."

Based on Danny's appearance, Rand's security team immediately assumes he's a homeless person and starts shoving him toward the door, telling him he doesn't belong there.  Danny tries to explain who he is and that he just wants to talk, but the security team isn't buying it and keeps on shoving him outside, until Danny easily disables them before proceeding up the elevator.

As we see a picture of young Danny with his parents, Danny explains more in a voiceover. "I left here, ten years old, in a jet with my parents," he says as we see Danny's mother get sucked out of the exposed roof of an airplane.  "I became the lone survivor."

"Danny Rand, back from the dead," says Harold Meachum (David Wenham), the ruthless corporate leader who was partners with Rand’s parents at the time of their deaths.  "Why has he waited this long to show up?  How the hell did he learn martial arts?"

We're then introduced to Colleen Wing (Jessica Henwick), an ally of Danny who runs her own martial arts dojo in New York City.  "Where'd you train?" she asks after seeing his skills.

"K'un L'un," replies Danny as we see fleeting glimpses of the mystical city.

"My father instilled in me a love and respect for this company that has never faded," says Danny in another voiceover as he visits his parents' graves.  "This is my home."

We then see Harold with blood spatter on his face, followed by him brutally beating someone.

"This city is no place for Danny Rand," says the mysterious Madame Gao (Wai Ching Ho), whom we remember from Daredevil.  

"Danny, what happened to you?" asks Harold's daughter, Joy Meachum (Jessica Stroup).   "Why are you really back here?"

"Some bad people have gotten on the inside," replies Danny as we see dangerous men with throwing axes.  "Criminals."

"I know what they are," says Claire Temple (Rosario Dawson) as she connects Iron Fist to the other three Marvel Netflix shows, "what they can do.  To fight them, we need someone with special skills."

As Danny reads the message "THIS IS THE ANSWER FOR WHICH YOU SEEK", he looks inside a small bowl and see the image of the Steel Serpent, which Madame Gao used for her drug trade on Daredevil.

"I've been training my whole life for this," remarks Danny as we see Madame Gao watching something (or someone) rather ominously.  "This is my destiny."

From there, we see a number of fleeting images, including Danny's right hand glowing with mystical energy, before getting an exchange between Danny and Colleen.

"I'm going with you," she says as we see a shot of her and Danny running down a street.

"No, you're not," Danny counters as we see a thrown ax just missing his face.

"You need me," replies Colleen as we see her briefly in a sword fight..

"The change is coming, Danny," someone says to him as we see Danny's Iron Fist punch through a wall.  "Become what you were meant to be."

In the last scene, Danny remarks to Claire, "I am the Iron Fist."

Claire simply shrugs.  "What the hell does that mean?"

You can view the trailer below, thanks to the official Netflix US and Canada YouTube account...




All 13 episodes of Iron Fist will be released on Netflix on March 17, 2017.

New IRON FIST Teaser Trailer Debuts at NYCC 2016

The Living Weapon is on his way.

A second teaser trailer for the upcoming Netflix series Iron Fist, based on the Marvel Comics martial arts superhero, debuted yesterday at New York Comic Con 2016.  The one-minute, 15-second teaser premiered during a special panel previewing the new series at New York’s Javitz Center, and gives us our best look yet at Finn Jones as Danny Rand.

"Because of who you are," begins a resonant male voice that may belong to Danny's mentor Lei Kung, the Thunderer, "there will always be forces gathering against you, disguised as a friend, slipping past you as a stranger.  They are everywhere."

We see glimpses of Tom Pelphrey and Jessica Stroup as Ward and Joy Meachum, followed by Jessica Henwick as Danny's ally, Colleen Wing.  We also see the return of the mysterious Madame Gao from Daredevil, played once again by Wai Ching Ho.

"If you choose to continue as you are," continues Lei Kung, "know that you risk everything."

Next we see some fleeting images of Danny as a child in the snow, as the words "The Last Defender" flash briefly.  "A child, touched by fire," continues Lei Kung as we see Danny's fist begin to glow with the mystical energy of Shou-Lao, "destined to be our greatest warrior."

Using the power of the Iron Fist, Danny punches down a large metal door, then proceeds to fight several axe-wielding men who look like Yakuza.  "You are a living weapon," continues Lei Kung.  "Drive all other thoughts out of your mind except this."

Lastly, we see more fleeting images, this time of Danny and Colleen fighting and growing rather intimate.  As we zoom in on the dragon tattoo on Danny's bare chest, we hear Danny say "This is my purpose."

You can view the trailer below, thanks to the official Netflix US and Canada YouTube account...




All 13 episodes of Iron Fist will be released on Netflix on March 17, 2017.

IRON FIST Casts Jessica Stroup as Joy Meachum

Meachums...Meachums EVERYWHERE...

Variety revealed yesterday that the upcoming Netflix series Iron Fist, based on the classic Marvel Comics martial arts superhero, has cast Jessica Stroup in the role of Joy Meachum, while Tom Pelphrey will play her on-screen brother, Ward Meachum.  

The article describes the character as "The children of Harold Meachum (David Wenham), Joy and Ward have spent their lives building Rand Enterprises to its current standing in the world, only to have all their work put in jeopardy when Danny returns to claim his birthright. They are childhood acquaintances of Danny Rand’s who now play an important role in Rand Enterprises."

Stroup, 29, is best known as Erin Silver on 90210 and Max Hardy on The Following.  She has a a considerable horror movie background, including the films Prom Night, Vampire Bats, Left in Darkness, and The Hills Have Eyes 2.  She also appeared as Tracy in the movie Ted, and has appeared on episodes of True Blood, Reaper, Grey's Anatomy, and Zoey 101.

Created in 1974 by Doug Moench and Larry Hama, Joy Meachum first appeared in Marvel Premiere #18 as the daughter of Harold Meachum, the man responsible for the deaths of Iron Fist's parents.  She was a brilliant businesswoman and was groomed to eventually take over Rand Meachum, Inc. from her father.  After her father had been murdered by the Ninja, she found Iron Fist next to his corpse, naturally blaming him for her father's death.

Partnering with her uncle Ward Meachum, she tried for years to avenge her father and kill Iron Fist.  They teamed up with Davos the Steel Serpent, who would work for them as long as he could get revenge on Iron Fist.  Asked by Joy to investigate her uncle Ward, Davos complied as he agreed to work for them until he killed Danny Rand.  During a meeting with Joy, Daniel Rand and Rand's lawyer to discuss the return of his father's shares of the Meachum company, they were attacked by local crime boss Chaka Kahn.  When Rand changed into his identity of Iron Fist, she was brought to safety by Steel Serpent, who defied her orders to attack Iron Fist.  Davos confronted Ward threatening him to quit and disappear and leave the running of the company to Joy.  He told her that his debt was paid in full and it was now time for his revenge.

Boss Morgan and his goons took Joy hostage, as Rand Meachum, Inc. was apparently cutting into his turf.  Iron Fist saved an ungrateful Joy from Morgan and his goons, and afterward, Joy offered Morgan millions of dollars to shoot Iron Fist.  Morgan, not wanting to be around when the ambulances arrive left Joy to deal with her own revenge.  Iron Fist, maintaining his innocence in the murder of Joy's father, told her to go ahead and kill him. Joy couldn't and the two decided to end their rivalry.  Later on, Danny relinquished control of his shares of Rand Meachum to her, until a time when he believed he's earned the wealth from the company.

Iron Fist is expected to debut on Netflix sometime in 2017.

IRON FIST Casts David Wenham as Harold Meachum

And here comes the man responsible for the deaths of Iron Fist's parents.

Marvel has revealed that the upcoming Netflix series Iron Fist, based on their classic martial arts superhero, has cast David Wenham in the role of Harold Meachum.

According to the announcement, Meachum is described as "A ruthless corporate leader, Harold Meachum was partners with Danny Rand’s parents at the time of their deaths.  What role he plays in Danny’s past and future will be revealed over the course of the series."

Wenham, 50, is best known as Faramir in the Lord of the Rings trilogy by Peter Jackson.  In addition to playing Scarfield in the upcoming movie Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Wenham has appeared as Dilios in 300 and 300: Rise of an Empire, Carl in Van Helsing, and in the films Moulin Rouge, Dark City, Public Enemies, and The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course.

"I’m very excited to have David as our Harold Meachum," said Executive Producer and Showrunner Scott Buck.  "David is capable of displaying raw, visceral strength as well as extremely keen intelligence.  This will add up to a character of complex depth who will keep us off balance all season."

"David brings both a vulnerability and a danger to his many diverse roles," added Executive Producer/Head of Marvel Television, Jeph Loeb.  "This key quality creates a gravitas our series requires as Danny unravels the secrets behind Rand Enterprises."

Created in 1974 by Roy Thomas and Gil Kane, Harold Meachum first appeared in Marvel Premiere #15 as the business partner of Wendell Rand, who discovered the mystical city of K'un-L'un as a young boy.  During his time in K'un L'un, Wendell saved the life of the city's ruler, Lord Tuan, and was adopted as Tuan's son.  However, Wendell eventually left K'un L'un and became a wealthy entrepreneur in the United States.  He married socialite Heather Duncan and together, they had a son named Daniel.

Wendell later organized an expedition to again seek out K'un L'un, taking his wife Heather, Meachum, and nine-year-old Danny.  During the journey up the mountain, Danny slipped off the path, causing his tie-rope to take his mother and father with him.  Meachum, who also loved Heather, forced Wendell to plunge to his death but offered to rescue Heather and Danny, although Heather refused his help.  Heather was soon devoured by wolves as she attempted to shield and protect Danny.  Danny survived, was rescued, and spent his formative years in K'un-Lun, eventually becoming the martial arts master known as Iron Fist.

Returning from the expedition, Meachum became lost and almost froze to death.  He was saved by residents of a small village on the bottom of the mountains.  However, his legs had to be amputated because they had been damaged too badly.  Lying in the village, Meachum learned that Danny had survived and was living in K'un-Lun.  Harold Meachum returned to the United States, leading the company he had co-owned with Wendell, preparing for the day that Danny would return to take his revenge.

When K'un L'un reappeared on Earth after 10 years, Danny left to find his father's killer. Returning to New York, Daniel Rand, dressed in the ceremonial garb of the Iron Fist, sought out Meachum, now the head of Meachum Industries.  After overcoming a number of attempts on his life, he confronted Meachum in his office, only to find the man legless. Meachum, by now, had accepted his fate and told Iron Fist to kill him.  Overcome with pity, Iron Fist walked away, but Meachum was murdered by a mysterious ninja, while his daughter Joy blamed Iron Fist for the death.  Eventually, Iron Fist cleared his name and began a career as a superhero, aided by his friends Colleen Wing and Misty Knight, falling in love with the latter.

Iron Fist is expected to premiere on Netflix sometime in 2017.

IRON FIST Casts Jessica Henwick as Colleen Wing

From a Sand Snake to a Daughter of the Dragon.

Entertainment Weekly reports that the upcoming Netflix series Iron Fist has cast Jessica Henwick as Marvel Comics martial artist Colleen Wing.

According to the article, Colleen Wing will be the series' female lead and is described as "A martial arts expert running her own dojo, Colleen will serve as an invaluable ally to Iron Fist, aka Danny Rand (Finn Jones), as he returns to his life in New York."

"I’m very excited to have Jessica as our Colleen Wing," said Executive Producer and Showrunner, Scott Buck.  "She’s shown us that she can bring both a sense of quiet strength as well as an engaging vulnerability to the character."

"Jessica brings both a youthful vitality mixed with a strong sense of authority crucial to the character," said Executive Producer/Head of Marvel Television, Jeph Loeb.  "And as anyone who’s seen her in Game of Thrones can attest, she can throw down with the best of them, making her the perfect Colleen Wing."

Henwick, 23, is an English actress best known as Nymeria Sand on the HBO series Game of Thrones, which also featured Finn Jones as Ser Loras Tyrell.  She recently appeared in the film Star Wars: The Force Awakens as X-Wing pilot Jessika Pava, and has appeared in the television series Fortitude, Silk, The Thick of It, and Spirit Warriors.

Created in 1974 by Doug Moench and Larry Hama, Colleen Wing first appeared in Marvel Premiere #19 as the daughter of Professor Lee Wing, a teacher of Asian history and culture at New York's Columbia University, and an unnamed Japanese woman, whose ancestors were samurai and daimyo.  Colleen grew up in the northern regions of Japan, raised by her grandfather Kanji because Colleen's mother was killed very early in her childhood.  Her grandfather taught her the ways of the samurai, in which she later became very skilled.

Professor Wing learned from a monk who had been to the other-dimensional realm of K'un-L'un that a young warrior, Iron Fist, would come from that land to seek vengeance on his father's killer, who was now based in New York.  Professor Wing calculated when Iron Fist would come to New York and sent Colleen to meet him.  Professor Wing and Colleen befriended Iron Fist, and Colleen has acted as his ally in many of his adventures.

Years later, Colleen went back to New York City to visit her father. She was caught in a gun battle by the local Manhattan police and some thugs.  Luckily, she was rescued by officer Misty Knight, who eventually became her best friend.  Later, Knight's right arm was severely injured by a bomb explosion and was amputated.  Colleen encouraged Knight to rise above her depression and return to an active role in life.  Knight's right arm was replaced with a bionic steel arm.  As a detective, Colleen Wing and Knight formed a partnership as private investigators and called their firm Nightwing Restorations, Ltd.  Due to Wing's samurai-style training and both partners' expertise in Asian martial arts, they were called "The Daughters of the Dragon."

Colleen teamed with Misty in opposing agents of the criminal Emil Vachon in Hong Kong, until she was captured by Vachon, who turned her into a heroin addict.  She was rescued by Misty Knight, overcame her addiction, and took vengeance on Vachon.  Colleen soon fought Davos, the second Steel Serpent, and met Spider-Man.  She later aided the X-Men and Sunfire in battling Moses Magnum in Japan.  Accompanying the X-Men to Canada, she made romantic overtures towards Cyclops, whose girlfriend Jean Grey was presumed dead at the time.  She was held prisoner by Arcade soon after, until the X-Men freed her.

Following Daredevil's takeover of Hell's Kitchen during the Shadowland storyline, Colleen, Misty, Iron Fist, Luke Cage, and Shang-Chi confronted him in attempt to stop him without violence.  After a commotion happens elsewhere in his castle, he attacked the group, believing they were responsible.  Days after the fight, Colleen was contacted by Daredevil, offering information about her mother.  Upon visiting him again, he revealed to her that her mother actually led a resurrected Hand group of swordswomen called "The Nail." Colleen's mother and the Nail were eventually assassinated by one of The Hand's enemies. Daredevil asked her to lead a new incarnation of the Nail consisting of Black Lotus, Cherry Blossom, Makro, and Yuki.  Colleen later betrayed the Nail and had to defend herself against them.

Iron Fist is expected to air on Netflix sometime in 2017.

IRON FIST Casts Finn Jones as Danny Rand

From the Iron Throne to becoming like unto a thing of iron!

Entertainment Weekly has revealed that the upcoming Netflix series Iron Fist has cast Finn Jones in the lead role of Daniel "Danny" Rand, better known as Marvel Comics character the immortal Iron Fist!  Scott Buck will serve as showrunner on the series.  

Iron Fist will be the fourth Netflix adaptation of a Marvel Comics character, after Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and Luke Cage.  The four character are expected to team up in the miniseries The Defenders, following the release of Iron Fist.

Jones, 27, is an English actor best known as Ser Loras Tyrell on the HBO series Game of Thrones, and has appeared as Santiago Jones (grandson of Doctor Who character Jo Grant) on The Sarah Jane Adventures, as Jamie on the soap opera Hollyoaks, and Barrow in the 2014 version of Sleeping Beauty.

Created in 1974 by Roy Thomas and Gil Kane, Iron Fist first appeared in Marvel Premiere #15 as Danny Rand, the son of Wendell Rand, who discovered the mystical city of K'un-L'un as a young boy.  During his time in K'un L'un, Wendell saved the life of the city's ruler, Lord Tuan, and was adopted as Tuan's son.  However, Wendell eventually left K'un L'un and became a wealthy entrepreneur in the United States.  He married socialite Heather Duncan and together, they had a son named Daniel.

Wendell later organized an expedition to again seek out K'un L'un, taking his wife Heather, his business partner Harold Meachum, and nine-year-old Danny. During the journey up the mountain, Danny slipped off the path, causing his tie-rope to take his mother and father with him.  Meachum, who also loved Heather, forced Wendell to plunge to his death but offered to rescue Heather and Danny, although Heather refused his help.  Heather and Danny came across a makeshift bridge that appeared out of nowhere and were attacked by a pack of wolves.  Heather threw herself on the wolves to save Danny and was killed, even as archers from K'un L'un attempted to save her. The archers took the grieving Danny to see Yü-Ti, the mysterious hooded ruler of K'un L'un.  When Danny expressed his desire for vengeance, Yü-Ti sent him to Lei Kung, the Thunderer, who taught him the martial arts.

Daniel proved to be the most gifted of Lei Kung's students, conditioning his fists by plunging them into buckets of sand, gravel, and rock to toughen them.  At 19, Daniel was given the chance to attain the power of the Iron Fist by fighting and defeating the dragon Shou-Lao the Undying, who guarded the molten heart that had been torn from its body.  During the battle, Danny threw himself against the scar of Shou-Lao, which burned a dragon tattoo into his chest.  Having killed Shou-Lao, Danny entered its cave and plunged his fists into a brazier containing the creature's molten heart, emerging with the power of the Iron Fist.  It was later revealed that Danny is part of a long lineage of Iron Fists.

When K'un L'un reappeared on Earth after 10 years, Daniel left to find his father's killer. Returning to New York, Daniel Rand, dressed in the ceremonial garb of the Iron Fist, sought out Harold Meachum, now head of Meachum Industries.  After overcoming a number of attempts on his life, he confronted Meachum in his office, only to find the man legless, from an amputation carried out when he was caught in heavy snow and his legs became frostbitten after abandoning Danny and his mother.

Meachum accepted his fate and told Iron Fist to kill him.  Overcome with pity, Iron Fist walked away, but Meachum was murdered by a mysterious ninja, and his daughter Joy blamed Iron Fist for the death.  Eventually, Iron Fist cleared his name and began a career as a superhero, aided by his friends Colleen Wing and Misty Knight, falling in love with the latter.

While working undercover, Misty Knight infiltrated the organization of crime lord John Bushmaster.  When Bushmaster discovered Knight's treachery, he kidnapped Claire Temple and Noah Burstein, close associates of Luke Cage, better known as Power Man, and held them hostage to force Cage to eliminate Knight.  Danny helped Luke and the Daughters of the Dragon (Knight and Wing) battle Bushmaster, rescued Temple and Burstein, and obtained evidence that proved Luke's innocence of prior drug charges. Afterwards, Iron Fist and Power Man become partners, forming Heroes for Hire, Inc.

Iron Fist is expected to premiere on Netflix sometime in 2017.

DAREDEVIL Casts Élodie Yung as Elektra

The Punisher...now Elektra...Can Bullseye be far behind?

Ahead of this year's San Diego Comic-Con, Marvel has officially announced that the Netflix series Daredevil has cast Élodie Yung as the deadly assassin Elektra for Season 2.  Elektra is described in the announcement as "a mysterious woman from Matt Murdock’s past whose dangerous and exotic ways may be more than he can handle."

Yung, 34, is an actress of French-Cambodian descent probably best known as Jinx in the movie G.I. Joe: Retaliation, as Mariam Wu in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and as Tao in the film District 13: Ultimatum.

"After a worldwide search," said Executive Producer and Head of Marvel Television, Jeph Loeb, "we found in Elodie the perfect actress to embody both Elektra’s impressive and deadly physicality, as well as her psychological complexity.  Paired with Charlie as Matt Murdock, the two will bring one of the most beloved and tumultuous comic book relationships to life with all the accompanying sparks and spectacular action sequences the show is known for."

Created in 1981 by writer and artist Frank Miller, Elektra first appeared in Daredevil (vol.1) #168 as Elektra Natchios, a female ninja assassin of Greek descent.  At the age of 19, Elektra met Matt Murdock while they attended Columbia University in New York and the two fell in love.

A year later, Elektra and her father Hugo Natchios were kidnapped by terrorists.  A rescue attempt by Matt went wrong, and Hugo Natchios was gunned down, causing Elektra to lose faith and hope.  She quit Columbia and returned to China to study martial arts.  Stick, a member of the benevolent organization called the Chaste, recognized the darkness in her soul and attempted to train her himself, but she ultimately sided with the Hand, a sect of mystical ninja, who trained her as an assassin.  She later broke away from them and became an independent agent, and in this role she again encountered Matt Murdock, who was now active as Daredevil.

Elektra became the chief assassin in the employ of New York City's premier crime lord, the Kingpin.  She attempted to kill Daredevil after he tried to stop her from terrorizing Ben Urich, then The Kingpin assigned her to kill Matt Murdock's partner, Franklin "Foggy" Nelson. When Nelson recognized Elektra as Matt's college girlfriend, she was unable to kill him.

Elektra was fatally stabbed by Bullseye with one of her own sai in a battle over which of them would be the Kingpin's assassin.  Elektra managed to crawl to Daredevil's house before dying in his arms as Bullseye watched the two, hidden among a crowd that had gathered to see what was going on.  Later, members of The Hand stole her body and attempted to resurrect her.  Daredevil, with the assistance of Stone, a member of Stick's order, intervened and together, they defeated The Hand.  Daredevil then tried to revive Elektra himself, and even lthough his attempt failed, it had the effect of purifying Elektra's soul.  Elektra's body subsequently disappeared, as did Stone.

Yung will be the second actress to portray the character in live action, after Jennifer Garner in the 2003 film Daredevil and the 2005 spinoff sequel Elektra.  

Daredevil is expected to return for Season 2 on Netflix sometime around April 2016.