Showing posts with label Daughters of the Dragon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Daughters of the Dragon. Show all posts

Saturday 8 September 2018

Iron Fist in the MC2

I figured with Iron Fist Season 2 hitting Netflix, now was the time to talk about Danny Rand aka The Iron Fist in the MC2 Universe. Unlike Luke Cage and Misty Knight, Daniel Thomas Rand-K'ai actually makes not only one appearance, but a whole handful of appearances across various MC2 titles.




Iron Fist makes his first MC2 appearance in J2 #11, which I've briefly discussed in another post. Seen only briefly, Iron Fist is among many other fellow martial artists who were invited to a small island to participate in a tournament. When it is revealed the tournament was a death trap orchestrated by the mercenary Deadpool, Iron Fist and the other combatants promptly team up to end his plan. It's worth noting that this initial MC2 outing for Danny is seemingly contradicted by his next appearance.






When we next encounter Danny Rand in Spider-Girl #24, we learn a great deal about him. He married his beloved Misty Knight only to later lose her to cancer. When Misty died, Danny ceased using his Iron Fist and withdrew from the public eye. Opening up a dojo to teach a new generation martial arts, Danny trained many students including Spike Yi






After a new super villain calling himself Dragonfist begins committing robberies wielding what appears to be the chi of the Iron Fist while adorned in a tattoo resembling Shou-Lao, the legendary dragon of K'un-Lun. Implicated in the crime, Rand is drawn out of his self-imposed isolation. Believing his former pupil Yi - now a major action movie star - is responsible, Danny confronts him only to learn that Spike has instead chosen to squander his martial prowess making movies and selling merchandise.









When Dragonfist attempts another robbery, Spider-Girl confronts him but has no success, finding his entire body impervious to her attacks. Danny finally dons his Iron Fist gi and, believing Dragonfist unworthy to wield the power of the Immortal Iron Fist, battles the criminal in an effort to strip it from him by force.





The effort proves fruitless until Spider-Girl, using her spider-sense, directs Iron Fist to aim for Dragonfist's belt. Doing so, the heroes discover Dragonfist was merely Spike Yi's assistant using a personal force field to simulate the power of the Iron Fist. Safe in this knowledge, Danny returns to his dojo.







After this we get a few more appearances from Iron Fist in the form of cameos in Last Hero Standing #3-5. Danny is among the many heroes captured and corrupted by Loki in a plot to bring about the end of the Age of Heroes. He is eventually freed from Loki's spell by Captain America and witnesses the super soldier's death shortly thereafter.






Iron Fist's last appearances are also cameos in the pages of Avengers Next #4 and #5. When Loki's daughter Sylene attempts to restore the devastated Asgard by recreating it on Earth, she creates energy duplicates of various super humans to serve her purposes. Danny Rand is among those rendered comatose in the process of creating these duplicates. When Sylene is defeated, Iron Fist's duplicate dissipates and Danny is presumable restored.






Sadly that's all we see of Daniel Rand in the MC2. As I mentioned above his first appearance in the MC2 canon seems like a contradiction, with Danny in-costume and wielding his trademark Iron Fist. Perhaps that's a discussion for another day? For now, I'm off to marathon Iron Fist Season 2.




Until I stop pointing out continuity errors like a giant nerd, I remain




frogoat



Saturday 23 June 2018

Misty Knight in the MC2

With Luke Cage Season 2 hitting Netflix, I thought I could take a look at one of the show's best supporting characters (and one of my favourites) and cover their counterpart's non-appearance within the MC2 Universe: Misty Knight.



Fun fact about Mercedes 'Misty' Knight: Despite being first mentioned by her good friend and partner in Nightwing Restorations, Ltd, Colleen Wing in Marvel Premiere #20 and first appearing the following issue in Marvel Premiere #21 both published in 1975, a later retcon in Marvel Team-Up #64 (1977) establishes that an unidentified woman who appeared in Marvel Team-Up #1 was Misty. Due to the retcon being introduced by a completely different creative team, and the woman in question having very little in common with Misty Knight, I think it's best to list Marvel Premiere #21 as her true first appearance. Anyway, back on topic!

As Misty Knight doesn't make an actual appearance within the pages of the MC2, you may be wondering why I'm writing this post at all. Well, it's because much like Luke Cage himself, we know Misty's fate in this Universe despite her lack of appearances.

 In the Main Marvel Universe, Misty Knight had long been romantically linked to fellow crime-fighter, Danny Rand aka Iron Fist. When Danny is drawn out of retirement to face Dragonfist, we learn that Misty has died (Spider-Girl #24).



Furthermore, when Danny confronts a former student in an attempt to stop Dragonfist, we learn that Misty Knight and Danny Rand were, in fact, married and she later died of cancer.


A truly heartbreaking end for such a wonderful character but one that speaks to the mundane and worldly afflictions that claim our own loved ones. Now that I've thoroughly depressed you all, go and enjoy Simone Missick as Misty Knight in Luke Cage Season 2 and pray we get a Daughters of the Dragon spin-off.


Until we learn that Misty isn't really dead in the MC2 and it was just a H'ylthri of K'un-Lun who passed away, I remain


frogoat