Summary
Marvel’s newDisney+seriesEyes of Wakandais many things. It continues Ryan Coogler’s streak of producing entertaining projects no matter the context, which should be somewhat unsurprising afterthe success ofSinnersearlier this year. UnlikeX-Men ‘97,What If…?, andYour Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, it takes place in the MCU’s so-called “Sacred Timeline.” It is an engaging anthology series that provides context for the country of Wakanda, from the ancient past to the far-flung future.Simply put,Eyes of Wakandais an entertaining (if short) ride through the history of one of Marvel’s most interesting creations.
Eyes of Wakandaalso manages to right one ofthe biggest wrongs of Marvel’s past decade. “Lost and Found,” the third episode of the show, takes viewers all the way back to 1400 AD and kicks off in China. It is there where viewers are introduced to the two main characters of the episode, Basha and Jorani. Basha is a headstrong Wakandan War Dog on a mission to recover a stolen artifact, while Jorani is the Chinese woman who saved his life by nursing him back to health after Basha found himself stranded in snowy mountains.All is not as it seems to be with Jorani, though, as it turns out that she is the Iron Fist. Yeah, we’re going there.First, a little context.
Iron Fist Is A Beloved Legacy Character In Marvel Comics
The Best Known Incarnation Is Danny Rand
On the heels of the martial arts film craze of the 1970s, Iron Fist was introduced in 1974’sMarvel Premiere#15.Co-created by Roy Thomas and Gil Kane, Danny Rand’s Iron Fist has appeared innumerous comic serieswith his best buddy and crime-fighting partner Luke Cage. Rand can concentrate his chi and the superhuman energy from Shou-Lao the Undying’s dragon heart into his hand to devastating effect. He’s also, unsurprisingly, a martial arts expert and a skilled gymnast who can hold his own with other fighting masters like Chang-Chi.
Iron Fist was turned intoa genuine legacy characterthanks to the 2000s ongoing seriesThe Immortal Iron Fist.Ed Brubaker, Matt Fraction, David Aja, and Travel Foreman came together to create a legacy for the title of the Iron Fist that goes back into the annals of history. For example, a character named Fan Fei became the first Marvel character to gain Shou-Lao’s power in 1,000,000 BC.While Danny Rand is undoubtedlytheIron Fist, he is far from theonlyIron Fist.
It, Um, Didn’t Go So Great
Alongside the likes of Daredevil, Luke Cage, and Jessica Jones, Danny Rand got his own Netflix show in the late 2010s.Iron Fistdebuted in 2017 tonegative reviews from fans and critics.Finn Jones did his best as Rand and Jessica Henwick was a standout in the series, portraying Colleen Wing, but theIron Fistseries suffered from a lack of originality and a dearth of great fight scenes. At a time whenDaredevilwas wowing fans with elaborate long-take battle sequences, it wasn’t a great look for theIron Fistseries to struggle with memorable fights.
There was little about the show that made it standout from other drama shows of the time, which makes almost no sense for a superhero series.Iron Fistultimately ran for 23 episodes over two seasons and Jones appeared as Rand in thecrossoverDefendersseriesalongside Netflix’s other Marvel heroes.Before bothJessica JonesandThe Punishergot long in the tooth for the Marvel fandom at large,Iron Fistfailed to catch on entirely. In turn, casual Marvel fans have been left to wonder why they should’ve cared about Iron Fist in the first place.
Eyes Of WakandaShows How Great Iron Fist Can Be In The MCU
Failures Of The Past Shouldn’t Dull The Future
Eyes of Wakandagoes out of its way to prove how cool the Iron Fist can be.LikeShang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Ringsproved on the big screen, having a supernaturally powered character who is proficient in martial arts can open the doors to awesome fight scenes. One criticism of superhero shows and films over the past two decades is how all the battle scenes can become like white noise due to them all hitting the same beats. Jorani’s Iron Fist gets the chance inEyes of Wakandato show off her fighting prowess and boy does she.
“I am Jorani, guardian of the mountains. I defeated the immortal dragon Shou-Lao and drew power from his molten heart. I am the Iron Fist!”
Watching Jorani’s Iron Fist effortlessly take down an entire room of Wakandan War Dogs is quite enjoyable. Getting to see her unleash the power of the Iron Fist on Basha near the end of the episode is a delight.Jorani’s Iron Fist mask is even cool as hell.Her mission to break intoWakanda’s Golden Cityto recover the artifact that Basha stole from her people provides her with numerous opportunities to highlight the Iron Fist’s power.
“Lost and Found” isn’t some groundbreaking piece of narrative. There are few surprises in store for fans and it ends rather abruptly. But, it doesn’t have to be anything more than it is:a showcase of how cool the Iron Fist is. That should be enough for Marvel fans.
