Iron Fist is one of Marvel's underdogs, but the hero's origin has fans asking a difficult question

It's a debate that still haunts Iron Fist and your biggest fans. With Marvel Rivals really taking off everywhere, Danny Rand's biggest fans are taking a new look at the character and wondering if his origin just makes the character too difficult to pull off.

Marvel Rivals has thrilled fans with its huge cast of playable heroes. But a small subset of fans weren't too pleased with his version of Iron Fist, with Lin Lie being the current holder of the mantle. On Reddit, a small debate discussed the change and the problematic Gordian knot that is the Immortal Iron Fist.

Fans debate whether Danny Rand leans too much into the white savior trope

On the other hand, is it problematic to make Iron Fist Asian-only?

On Reddita fan meme taken from social media claiming it made Iron Fist Asian by turning him into a generic martial artist character. The debate took several different turns, with points being made about Danny's origins to some discussing Lin Lie's adoption of the Cloak of the Iron Fist. User BobbySaccaro pointed out that the real problem is the conflicting stereotypes of Iron Fist, saying “The White Savior' is a problem, but so is 'All Asians Know Martial Arts'.”. Some users even noticed that Marvel has faced this problem before with Iron Fist show and later, Shang-Chi.

However, some users took issue with Danny being called a white savior, with some saying that his story actually subverts tropes found in old-school stories that portrayed white saviors in an ironic manner. Many even pointed out thatThe external nature is crucial to the story of Danny and Iron Fist. User McGillis_is_a_Char was angrier because Danny's mantle was given to Lin Lie when Danny already had an adopted daughter, Pei, who was Iron Fist. Another user pointed out that Pei still has Iron Fist's powers, as seen in the Iron Fist 50th anniversary comic released this year.

Some users, such as horc00, have speculated that the change to Lin Lie as Iron Fist is purely commercial to help Marvel in foreign markets due to Shang-Chi's poor performance. But others believed it was simply a way for Marvel to do away with the more problematic nature of Danny's origin. Some have found comfort in the speculation that Danny will return to the comics under the new title 'Ghost Fist' following his shocking death in the 50th anniversary special.

Is there a way for Danny Rand to just be Iron Fist?

Or is it better for Lin Lie to take control?

This debate has been going on for years and is quite expected when discussing Danny. To be fair, it's easy to look at its origins and see how it leans into the “white savior” trope, even if later books have done things to challenge the outdated convention. The reality is that Iron Fist was created when martial arts were incredibly popular in America and Danny was supposed to profit from the craze. But culture moves at a rapid pace and what was seen as incredible one time may become out of reach the next.

Lin Lie becoming Iron Fist bothered some fans, but not so much that it completely poisoned the character. At this point, he already has a few years of experience with identity and Marvel Rivals it's just helping to cement it as the Iron Fist for a new crowd of fans. Admittedly, this must hurt for those who like Danny. But comics are full of legacy characters who eventually emerge from the shadows of their predecessors, becoming even more popular than them.

Marvel is at least aware that Danny has a fan base and isn't abandoning him. His death was immediately followed by a tease that he would return (probably as the Ghost Fist). Perhaps giving him a new identity along with the new Iron Fist could be a good compromiseat least while Marvel sees whether or not Lin is a hit with a wider audience. Is it ideal for hardcore Danny fans? Probably not, but that's the nature of comics.

Characters like Iron Fist don't need to be defined by their past

Growing and changing keep them alive

Whether the argument has merit or not, as long as he's Iron Fist, Danny will simply provoke arguments about his origin being problematic. But this could be a chance for Danny to grow up and find a new path in the Marvel Universe. Few characters remain completely the same forever and maintaining the old Iron Fist Walking around with a new identity is a good compromise for anyone who just wants to read about Danny and stop hearing about his origins.

Source: Reddit