Marvel Comics is launching a new Iron Fist series in 2022, and it won't be starring Danny Rand. Instead, a brand hew hero is taking up the mantle and powers of Iron Fist.
The new volume of Iron Fist is a five-issue limited series written by Alyssa Wong (Star Wars: Doctor Aphra) and drawn by Marvel newcomer Michael YG. Artist Jim Cheung (Young Avengers) is handling covers and designed the new Iron Fist's costume.
Marvel isn't revealing much about the new Iron Fist himself, though based on the cover art he appears to be of Asian descent [note – IGN has reached out to Marvel for comment and we'll update as we learn more].
The new series may be intended to address long-standing criticisms surrounding the Iron Fist mythology and what many readers view as its reliance on white savior tropes. That controversy was renewed when actor Finn Jones was cast as the lead in Netflix's Iron Fist series, with many arguing Danny Rand should have been reimagined as an Asian or Asian American character.
We do know the new series is building on the fallout of the recent Iron Fist: Heart of the Dragon comic series, which ended with Danny Rand giving up his power to save the world. Danny will be as surprised as anyone to see a new hero taking up the mantle. Marvel is billing the new series as "a revolutionary transformation of one of Marvel’s most fascinating mystical mythologies," while also teasing that the new Iron Fist's powers may not stem from the same source.
“It’s an incredible honor to introduce a new Iron Fist to the Marvel Universe," said Wong in Marvel's press release. "I’m excited to delve into the comic’s rich mythos and build on it. What does it mean for someone to take up the mantle of the Iron Fist right now, today? As a newcomer, how does one interact with legacy, and how does one honor it while forging a new path?
Wong continued, “I’m so stoked to work with artist Michael YG, colorist Jay Ramos, and the rest of the incredible team on this book. And writing this character, who views things through fresh eyes, feels very special to me.”
Look for Iron Fist #1 to hit stores on February 16, 2022.
It remains to be seen how this Iron Fist shake-up might influence the character's role in the MCU. Currently, it's unknown how or even if Iron Fist and his fellow Netflix heroes will be featured in future Marvel TV and movie projects. We do know the rights to all these characters have reverted back to Marvel, and Charlie Cox is rumored to be reprising his role as Matt Murdock in Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.