Iron Fist packs much more than a mean punch, here are his powers

Dear Netflix and Marvel, not every superhero needs to fight his inner demons all the time. This is what I kept thinking as I binged through the first season of Iron Fist over the weekend. To me, the series seems to be forced, it seems like Marvel and Netflix made this series simply because it had to introduce the hero Iron Fist.

Now, I’m not a film critic, but I am a comic book fan, and Iron Fist has been a long term favourite. The hero has a Batman-esque side to him, in the sense that he’s reached the peak of human abilities. Yes, he comes from a mystical land, but the concept of ‘Chi’ has long been talked about by martial artists. In fact, Stan Lee explored this once, in his series – Superhumans.

For one, Netflix’s version of Danny Rand can’t fight. For a man who has been training since he was 10, this Iron Fist can’t fight. Ignoring the fact that they completely ruined Zhou Cheng (the Iron Fist killer in comic books), in the fight against the Drunken Master, Danny Rand is noticeably outmatched. That, in my opinion, is not a real Iron Fist.

What’s most disappointing, though, is that Netflix and Marvel are showing you an incomplete Iron Fist. This Danny Rand doesn’t know his powers, and hence, you don’t either, unless you’re a comic book fan. So, here are a few powers that Iron Fist has, and we’ll hopefully see in future seasons, Defenders, or other series.

Healing

In the series, Rand heals Colleen Wing by focusing his Chi and burning off the poison in her body. It drains Rand’s own Chi and leaves him vulnerable, but it’s the best feature of Danny’s power that the new series shows you. How do you make this power even better? When he’s stabbed by Bakuto, Claire Temple (the Night Nurse) tells Rand to heal himself. Rand says he can’t. A real Iron Fist, though, can do so, by focusing his Chi.

Casting illusions

The Iron Fist can cast illusions in front of others, making them believe in something that isn’t there. So, his enemies may find themselves faced with an entire army when fighting Iron Fist, when in reality, there’s no one there. While the enemies deal with these illusions, Iron Fist can go have a cup of coffee if he wants to. Neat, right? This power comes after Rand reads the Book of the Iron Fist, obtaining it from Orson Randall, another one of Lei Kung’s disciples and an Iron Fist.

Superhuman senses and reflexes

You barely get to see this side of Danny Rand’s powers in the series. As the Iron Fist, his senses are so finely tuned that they’re superhuman. In fact, Rand can even sense what others are thinking, or even what an animal is about to do. Like Daredevil, Iron Fist can also tell when people are lying, although he does so by his senses, rather than hearing the heartbeat. In addition, he has superhuman hearing and sight, not as advanced as Superman, but well beyond human levels. They say the Iron Fist can hear sweat trickling down a person’s body.

Similarly, his reflexes are also well beyond normal human levels. While in the series Danny Rand keeps getting hit by almost every enemy, a real Iron Fist would actually be able to dodge most of those attacks. Years of training (in Kung-Fu of all things) has given him heightened reflexes. This, when combined with his Chi wielding abilities, can take them to super-human levels. You see a glimpse of this in the last episode, when Rand uses his fist to deflect a bullet shot at him.

Creating shields

Wielding his Chi is one thing, but the Iron Fist can actually use it to create a shield around him, a shield that can even protect against energy attacks. If only Danny Rand had finished his training with The Thunderer.

Pressure Point manipulation

To the Iron Fist, pressure points on the human body are weapons to be used against his enemies. He knows how to use these pressure points to his advantage, potentially immobilising an enemy, or even killing him if he wants to. So, he can essentially turn your own body against you, and he can do that to both humans and superhumans.

Opening portals

Iron Fist falls in the mystical side of Marvel’s superheroes, alongside Doctor Strange. While he doesn’t control magic, the way the Sorcerer Supreme does, Danny Rand can open portals just like Strange. What’s more? He doesn’t need a ring like Doctor Strange does, he can open portals by simply focusing his Chi anywhere.

Oh by the way, eventually in the story, Iron Fist also becomes immune to magic.

He ages slowly

Like Wolverine, Iron Fist also ages very slowly, vastly increasing his lifespan. He will live longer than humans around him, and even longer than most of the superheroes he is associated with in the larger Marvel Universe.

Telepathy

Well, kind of. He’s no Professor X, but he can use his Chi to literally share all his knowledge with you. Seems like a power that would have been useful in explaining where Danny Rand was for the last 15 years, doesn’t it?

Frankly speaking, like my colleague Adamya, I do not agree with all the racial criticism this show has faced. However, it must be criticised for the disappointing fight scenes and portrayal of Kung Fu, which is perhaps the most exilerating of all martial arts, to watch.

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Prasid Banerjee

Trying to explain technology to my parents. Failing miserably. View Full Profile