HERO WORSHIP: IRON FIST

"... like unto a thing of iron."

Hero: Iron Fist

Breakdown: "Heaven is real." That's what Danny's father told him. And the two of them and Danny's mother were going there. Danny was only a little boy when his father took them high up into the K'un Lun mountains of China, named after one of the seven heavens of Chinese mythology. Danny's father Wendell talked endlessly about the mystical city of K'un Lun, a land of immortals, dragons, and deadly martial arts. The city was said to appear once every 10 years on the earthly plain. And today was the day. The three of them, along with business partner Harold Meachum, set out on a quest to find the heavenly city.

They were deep into the mountains when Danny's father fell from a cliff side to his death. Harold Meachum had a chance to save Danny's father, but instead let him fall to his death. Supplies were low. Meachum took what little they had and made his way back down the mountain. Danny and his mother couldn't turn back. That night the howling of wolves echoed through the pass. The wolves had their scent and were hungry. His mother told Danny to run while she stayed back. The wolves tore her apart giving him a few minutes to escape, but escape to where? He could hear their snarls gaining on him. Just when they were about to sink their teeth into him, in a blinding flash of light, the gates of K'un Lun appeared before him. Inside Danny discovered that everything his father told him was true.

Danny was taken in by the immortals of K'un Lun. He was trained in the mystical martial arts of heaven like every boy born there. They are trained from the day they can walk to the day they reach adulthood. They are all personally trained by Lei Kung, the Thunderer (the Chinese god of Thunder). Every year when the oldest class comes of age each student is pitted against one another in a contest to decide who is the champion and who will earn the honor of facing the Trial of Shou Lao.

The god of K'un Lun is a giant fire breathing dragon named Shou Lao the Undying. The trial pits the champion of heaven against the raw might of the dragon with nothing but his bare hands. The dragon has one weak spot, its heart. The area around its heart is exposed. To defeat Shou Lao one must plunge his hands into its heart and take the dragon's life force or "chi" into one's self. If one can accomplish the impossible they gain the power of Shou Lao. But the dragon doesn't just roll over. It defends itself with all its power and has ripped countless combatants to pieces.

The trial occurs every year. In the millenniums that this city has existed only 66 people have overcome the dragon. Those that have survived become the immortal Iron Fist. Danny defeated the best martial artists of his class. He faced the trial of Shou Lao. And survived. He became the 66th Iron Fist of K'un Lun, heaven's immortal weapon. Becoming the Iron Fist, Danny felt the power of Shou Lao flowing through him. Already one of the deadliest warriors in existence due to his mastery of the heavenly martial arts, now Danny was armed with unimaginable power.

Danny can channel the dragon's chi into his fists and with it he has enough power to punch the Hulk across a city block! But the power of the Iron Fist only begins there. He can focus the chi internally and heal wounds. He can channel the power into arrows or bullets like previous Iron Fists have before him. He can use the dragon's power to create illusions and confuse enemies. All this and untold more possibilities. The Iron Fist is K'un Lun's champion, defender, and hero.

Soon after Danny became the Iron Fist the day approached when K'un Lun would appear on the mortal plain. At his earliest opportunity Danny took his newfound powers and left home for Earth on a revenge mission against the man who betrayed his father and left him and his to die, Harold Meachum. This is where Danny's story truly begins and the legend of the Iron Fist is cemented forever in the history of the Marvel Universe...

Review: Iron Fist is one of the hidden gems in the Marvel Universe, or was... Created by Roy Thomas and Gil Kane in May of 1974, first appearing in issue #15 of Marvel Premiere. Originally the character was designed to cash in on the 1970's kung fu craze that was growing popularity. Iron Fist had kind of a rocky start to say the least. In the twenty some odd issues he had between Marvel Premiere and the end of Iron Fist vol. 1 writing credits changed hands at least three times, artists even more so. Eventually he landed in the capable hands of legendary comic creators Chris Claremont and John Bryne. But even they couldn't catapult Danny into stardom.

It wasn't until they combined one exploitative character with another that magic was born: Power Man and Iron Fist, the Heroes for Hire! It was in this comic book that the two characters achieved cult classic status and both received their longest runs in comic book history. Lasting for nearly 100 issues (the first 49  issues were Power Man's solo title) the comic book carried them through the 1970's and nearly through all the 1980's before the inevitable cancellation. John Byrne later revived Iron Fist in the pages of the 1990's Namor: The Sub-Mariner comic book (my introduction to the character) with a grand and marvelous story connecting plot threads from way back in the 70's with those from the 80's interweaving it with Namor's own story (so not only is Namor responsible for recovering and rescuing Captain America, but now Iron Fist too).

From here he appeared in various comics, some his own short lived titles and some guest spots. But no matter what they tried nothing really seemed to grab readers. Then in 2006 writers Ed Brubaker and Matt Fraction combined their talents and turned out a truly remarkable comic book: The Immortal Iron Fist. This comic book proved to be the character's most successful title, one that finally pushed Danny Rand from cult classic to legitimate super hero legend every bit as special as Iron Man, Hulk, or Spider-Man.

From here on Iron Fist has been constantly featured in comic books, to the point where we can't rid of him even if we wanted to. From co-starring in various Avengers titles, numerous Heroes For Hire relaunches, and back to his own solo title once again. Now he can be found in various video games, in multiple cartoons, and a soon to be Netflix Original TV series. If you had never heard of Iron Fist before today, rest assure that in the coming years almost everyone will know his name. And if any character in Marvel's stable deserves it, it's him (although I'm sure many fans would argue with me on that).

All in all, Iron Fist was a fun character before but after his 2006 title he has become something far more. If you haven't read it yet my blog post on The Immortal Iron Fist (click here) will fill you in on why that story is so amazing (it's the story that made me a life long fan of the character). You can purchase collections of nearly all Iron Fists books on Amazon or at your local comic book shops, from his original solo title, his Power Man and Iron Fist team-up book, and the wonderful Immortal Iron Fist volume. Check um out! And keep an eye out for more of heaven's immortal weapon!

Overall Ranking: 8 out of 10