When Marvel first announced that “Iron Fist” would be joining Netflix’s growing slate of Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) original television series with Scott Buck as showrunner, comic book fans and casual MCU viewers alike anticipated something pleasantly different than the typically dark, brooding character iterations already established. Indeed, audiences saw a show with an entirely different tone and feel than those of “Daredevil,” “Jessica Jones,” and “Luke Cage,” but not in a good way; “Iron Fist” was ridiculed by both fans and critics for being tonally uneven, cloyingly gleeful, miscast, and poorly written and executed, particularly in its fight scenes. And when you talk about a series featuring non-stop kung-fu action, that’s not good.
Although Finn Jones in the titular role was generally criticized in season one, over the course of “The Defenders” and, briefly, “Luke Cage,” Jones, who only had two months to prepare for season one, has worked out some of the kinks in his interpretation of Danny Rand, the Living Weapon. The redundant jargon about K’un-Lun and the Hand in the first season is immediately replaced by impressive action and effective pacing in season two.
Created by Roy Thomas and Gil Kane in 1974, adapted by Buck last year, and continued with new showrunner Raven Metzner (“Elektra,” “Heroes Reborn“), “Iron Fist” makes several substantial adjustments to its storytelling style in its second season by simplifying the hero’s conflicts, making the character arc’s more grounded, adding more thoughtful dialogue, and creating superior action sequences. Gone is the happy-go-lucky Rand of the first season, who is replaced by a more mature, weary Rand, aware of the stakes he has in the game now that he has settled down with Colleen Wing (Jessica Henwick) and assumed the role of masked guardian of the city.
Season two of “Iron Fist” picks up shortly after the events of “The Defenders” and “Luke Cage’s” second season. Now that the Immortal Iron Fist has defeated the Hand and lost K’un-Lun, he is technically purposeless, in the grand scheme of things, making for a unique opportunity to explore Danny Rand, the human being. Sure, this isn’t a gripping character study, but we do see Rand getting his hands dirty with manual labor in a nine to five job, wandering the streets of Chinatown looking for conflicts to resolve, making new friends, and figuring out his home life with Wing.
In the Hand’s absence, smaller criminal organizations like the triads are trying to expand their dominance. The Golden Tigers and the Hatchets’ blood dispute is the center conflict in season two’s storyline. As Wing gets drawn into it through the community center she volunteers at, Rand becomes entangled in the conflict through the reacquaintance of his old K’un-Lun rival Davos (Sacha Dhawan), who has joined forces with now-former Rand Enterprises shareholder Joy Meachum (Jessica Stroup). Perhaps most intriguing about season two is the introduction of the comics supervillain Typhoid Mary (played by the scene-stealing Alice Eve). Mary is the glue that holds every conflict together.
Mary Walker suffers from dissociative identity disorder. She has three personalities: “Mary,” during which she is shy and standoffish, “Typhoid,” during which she is flirtatious and violent, and “Bloody Mary,” during which she is sadistic. In “Iron Fist,” it is initially unclear what Mary’s motives are for becoming involved in Rand’s life. What is abundantly clear, however, is Eve’s command of the role; she is able to convincingly switch from damsel in distress to scheming mastermind seamlessly. With Mary, Wing, Sherry Wang (Christine Toy Johnson), interim leader of the Hatchets, and Meachum anchoring this season, “Iron Fist” has become a series that showcases strong female characters. Speaking of which, expect a Misty Knight (Simone Missick) appearance or two, which begs the question: are Netflix and Marvel going to finally introduce Daughters of the Dragon?
If one notices more complex and well-choreographed fight scenes, that’s because “Black Panther” fight coordinator Clayton Barber was brought on board this season. Inspired by old Jackie Chan films, Barber wanted to make the fight scenes in “Iron Fist” feel like a punk rock song sounds. This time around, Jones and the rest of the cast had months to prepare for the difficult fight scenes. This fact is readily apparent, as it appears that Marvel really listened to the season one backlash, especially the criticism of its fight scenes.
American DJ and producer Baauer composed the score for season two. Known for the hit song “Harlem Shake,” Baauer’s score here is more reserved, and appropriately so. He composes “Game of Thrones“-esque pieces that add depth to “Iron Fist’s” daring season. Art has always played a fascinating role in the Netflix MCU television shows. In “Daredevil” season one, Wilson Fisk had an intimate relationship with painting through Vanessa. In season two of “Iron Fist,” Davos and Joy dabble in art dealing. However, they have a much more intricate plan, one that involves a specific artifact meant to give Davos a special power.
“Iron Fist” undergoes a night and day transformation from season one to season two. It feels like two entirely different shows thanks, in large part, to Metzner and Barber. The stakes are higher, the characters are more fleshed out, the fight scenes are smarter, and the storytelling is bolder. Jones has eased into the role of Danny Rand and made it his own. Henwick continues to be a strong point in the show as Colleen Wing. Perhaps most captivating are Eve and Dhawan as Mary and Davos, respectively. Fans of the MCU should be pleased with this installment of “Iron Fist,” one that broods like its more worldly television counterparts the second time around. [B]