Wednesday, November 25, 2015

There is No Doubt That "Iron Fist" is White

Iron Fist
With "Daredevil" and "Jessica Jones" already out in the market, Marvel has two more solo Netflix outings left before the eventual Defenders team-up. The production for "Luke Cage" is already underway, with Mike Colter set to star, but not enough is known about "Iron Fist," the fourth and final piece of the team.

However, because of the mysterious production, several pathetic group espousing "political correctness" to further their selfish interest are proposing that Marvel deviate from the original material and change the race of the martial arts master and make him Asian.

"Iron Fist" is a classic, if not highly recognizable, superhero — a martial arts icon with a deep connection to Marvel's mystical mythos. And according to the decade old canon, he is Caucasian. There was no doubt about his race, but an unqualified group of comic critics want to change all that.

With that in mind, casting for this show is going to be important, and Marvel's head of TV Jeph Loeb recently told Comic Book Resources that news is on the way. Comic purists should pay close attention to what's announced. Considering how loyal and emotional Marvel fans are, it'd be a bad idea for the company to cast its next hero using another race.

Diversity in cinema is good, but it should not be made just because of somebody’s whim or to appear chic. One of the reasons why the rebooted "Fantastic Four" movie was a BIG flop is because it changed the race of Johnny Storm just because the actor was a good friend of the director. Now, they are paying the price of underestimating the influence of comic book aficionados who critically slammed the movie.

"Iron Fist" was created back in 1974 by Roy Thomas and Gil Kane, right at the height of the American Kung-Fu craze. People who'd just seen movies like Enter the Dragon wanted to see martial artists in a very big way, so Marvel capitalized on the trend by creating Danny Rand, the legendary “Iron Fist.”

As a boy, Danny found himself in the mystical land of K'un L'un, and, after meeting characters like Yu-Ti and Lei Kung the Thunderer, was trained for years in the martial arts, eventually earning the power of the "Iron Fist." Danny then found his way to New York City, where he'd go on to team up with Luke Cage to take down criminals in the city's gritty underbelly.

Danny Rand is a great character, having enjoyed a popular run during his disco-era heyday before eventually becoming a key Avenger in more recent years. And there's no question that he is a white man whatever the pseudo "political correctness" police are saying.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe does need to address the question of diversity in the industry. That’s not their job. Casting Danny in any other race aside from Caucasian would invite criticism similar to what Fox received when the decided to change the original race of Johnny Storm of the "Fantastic Four."

Now that "Jessica Jones" is getting rave reviews for staying true to the source material, attention is now going to start shifting to Marvel's upcoming projects. The pressure is on for the company to keep delivering quality television. Marvel has already found out what it means to ensure that the original story, character and race with the success of "Daredevil" and "Jessica Jones." Nothing less is expected with "Iron Fist."

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