Why Netflix's 'Iron Fist' is a disappointing failure

pulse

March 8, 2017 8:42 PM

"Iron Fist" pales in comparison to other Netflix-Marvel TV shows, and couldn't meet the very high bar the companies set.

6. "Iron Fist" (Netflix)

Arguably, Netflix's fourth Marvel series, "Iron Fist," was the streaming company's most highly anticipated of the franchise. Under great scrutiny from critics and fans, the series definitely falls short of great promises made by both Netflix and Marvel.

"Iron Fist" follows Danny Rand (Finn Jones), who returns to New York City after having gone missing for 15 years. Believed dead after a plane accident that claimed his wealthy parents' lives, Danny actually survived and was rescued by a mystical sect of monks. Schooled in kung fu and entrusted with the power of the invincible iron fist, Danny is back to reclaim his family company. But he has to choose between his familial obligations and his duties as the Iron Fist when a dangerous threat arrives.

Not only is it the last series in the Netflix-Marvel deal leading up to the superhero mash-up series, "The Defenders," but the martial-arts focus of "Iron Fist" has drawn attention among some who believe the title character should have been played by an Asian actor. The show's star, Finn Jones, even temporarily left Twitter after a conflict with one such critic who accused the actor of hypocrisy after he tweeted his support of Riz Ahmed's comments about the importance of diverse representation in entertainment.

To be clear, the source material for "Iron Fist" has always portrayed the character as a white male — one who was adopted by a secret order of Asian monks, but white all the same.

It's one thing (and pretty egregious, in my opinion) to cast a white actor in a role meant for a person of color, but it's another thing to blame a production for simply sticking to the script. Yes, it's progressive to cast people of color in roles originally written for white actors, but I don't think Marvel and Netflix should be held on charges of whitewashing for casting Jones and following the comic book that debuted in the 1970s. Even if appropriation of Asian culture was involved in the original work, Marvel and Netflix shouldn't be held primarily responsible for righting that wrong now.

But there are other crimes that Netflix and Marvel should be tried for in the execution of "Iron Fist," for which I believe they're directly responsible.

First, it doesn't live up to the quality of storytelling found in "Daredevil," "Jessica Jones," and "Luke Cage." Plainly stated, "Iron Fist" is boring.

Second, Marvel's greatest crime arrived when its TV head Jeph Loeb dubbed "Iron Fist" its first real martial-arts action show.

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