With mystical powers channeled through his fist, Danny Rand has been an integral part of the Marvel comics pantheon since the 1970s. Since then, he has had his individual comics as well as a stint with Luke Cage for Heroes For Hire. A Netflix series only added to his popularity further.
But still, there are some aspects to his powers and personality that only diehard comic book fans would know. For instance, Danny Rand's original version has itself gone through alternate avatars in storylines like House of M and Secret Wars. Additionally, there are also other lesser-known characters who took up the mantle of Iron Fist.
One Of The Last Living Heroes In 2099
Deadpool 2099 is a Deadpool comic book arc set in its titular year, centered upon Deadpool and his efforts to fight his own daughter, Warda. To prevent her from unleashing an ancient monster, Deadpool seeks the help of his oldest living friend: The Immortal Iron Fist.
Emaciated and wrinkly, this version of Danny Rand has created a group of chi-wielders like him. Collectively known as Iron Fists, they are based in Little Italy. He's willing to aid the mercenary but the monster is still set free and swallows Danny whole. But Danny still doesn't die as he ends up punching his way out of the creature.
He Is Also A Babysitter
Iron Fist has fought alongside Luke Cage for years but at times, he can also be involved in work that is less violent. In the Wolverine comic book issue Hunt For Wolverine, Iron Fist didn't get involved in any fight. In fact, all he did was babysit Danielle, Luke Cage and Jessica Jones' daughter.
As the couple set out to find Wolverine's body with Iron-Man and Spiderman, Iron Fist is given babysitting duties. Even in Luke Cage Everyman, Danny is shown to be teaching basic exercises and martial arts to young Danielle.
Posed As Daredevil
Given that they are both based in New York, Iron Fist and Daredevil have been allies for a long time. Daredevil does owe him favors as Iron Fist even helped in concealing his secret identity in several Daredevil comic books.
In Daredevil vol.2 #87, Matt Murdock's cover is about to blow off until Iron Fist steps in. He poses as the masked vigilante for the media convincing them that Murdoch isn't Daredevil. He continues this facade even in Civil War as he s Captain America's side while posing as Daredevil.
His Father Could Have Also Been Iron Fist
As Marvel Premiere #16 and Immortal Iron Fist #6 reveal, Danny's father Wendell Rand also found his way into the mystical city of K'un Lun where he trained in several martial arts. He gained further respect when he saved the Lord of K'un Lun's son. This act of bravery allowed him to train with Lei Kung.
Lei Kung's son Davos also competed with Wendell to face the dragon (that would eventually decide the Iron Fist like in Danny's case). Even though he managed to defeat Davos, Wendell didn't complete the final test and went back to his everyday life.
Scythe Was His Major Villain
In Marvel Premiere #16, Iron Fist faced off with his first-ever villain, Scythe. The mercenary faced off against the 'Living Weapon' for a 10 million dollar bounty placed on his head. When Iron Fist makes his first trip to New York City, he engages in an intense duel with Scythe, defeating him with ease.
Scythe was known so for he wielded a distinct scythe with a chain attached to it. Even though the character didn't appear in an Iron Fist comic since then, he still had a major appearance in the Netflix superhero TV show.
Power Man's Mentor
Luke Cage has fought crime under the name of Power Man at times, forming one of the best bromances in Marvel Comics. However, a new Power Man was introduced in Shadowland: Power Man. This character is revealed to be Victor Alvarez, a survivor of a building explosion triggered by Bullseye.
Even though he seems to be misguided in his actions, Iron Fist empathizes with Victor and agrees to serve as his mentor. The two even ended up becoming a team in this particular miniseries.
The Creators Are Comic Book Stalwarts
Iron Fist was created by legendary Marvel comic writer Roy Thomas and artist Gil Kane both of whom have been visionaries for Marvel, DC, and other comic book publishing houses.
Thomas has also created other iconic Marvel characters like Wolverine, Vision, Ultron, and Iron Fists' regular companion Luke Cage. As for Gil Kane, he co-created Adam Warlock for Marvel and also significantly revamped the Green Lantern series for DC with creations such as Hal Jordan and Sinestro.
Trained Hope Summers To Fight X-Men
As its title suggests, The Avengers vs X-Men was a crossover event that pitted both superhero teams against each other. As Dark Phoenix possessed the mutants of X-Men, Iron Fist and Lei Kung used Hope Summers as their last resort.
The two martial artists trained her at K'un-Lun. Her superpower manipulation coupled with Iron Fist's manifestation of the chi (life force) proved to be an extremely strong combination. With her newfound abilities, she and Scarlet Witch go on to engage in direct combat with a Phoenix-controlled Cyclops.
Fan Fei Accidentally Became Iron Fist
In 1,000,000 BC, a K'un-Lun native Fan Fei grew fascinated with the cavemen outside the city and even went on to train some of them in the mystical martial arts. Given K'un-Lun's secret status, Lei Kung saw Fan Fei as a threat and chained her up. If this wasn't enough, her students were also fed to the dragon Shou-Lao.
She broke her chains and went on to battle the dragon. Little did she know that her punch on the dragon's chest tattoo would bestow the Iron Fist's powers on her. Lei Kung exiled Fan Fei from K'un-Lun following this event.
Aided Spider-Girl In The MC2 Universe
In Spider-Girl #24 (which takes place within the alternate MC2 universe), Iron Fist is old and retired from his superhero duties. A major reason behind his retirement was the death of Misty Knight. Even though Danny and Misty have had an on-and-off relationship in comics, they ended up getting married in this timeline.
However, as Spider-Girl prepares herself to face off against the Dragon Fist, Iron Fist decides to don his costume yet again.
