Warning: spoilers for Iron Fist #1 are ahead!
A new chapter for formerly known as Sword Master, has stepped into the role after his uncertain end in Death of Doctor Strange: White Fox #1 from Wong, Andie Tong, and Luciano Vecchio. While this change had been previously hinted at in promotional art, the new logo for the Iron Fist series is an easter egg that harks back to Lin Lie's roots as Marvel's Sword Master.
Lin Lie's backstory in Marvel Comics is heavily based in Chinese mythology, as he is the descendant of the emperor Fu Xi, whose glowing green sword he was in possession of until it was shattered by a kumiho in Death of Doctor Strange: White Fox #1. As described in the Sword Master solo series from Shuizhu, Greg Pak, Gunji, and Amy Chu, the Sword of Fu Xi is an extremely powerful weapon on par with the likes of Black Knight's Ebony Blade, and it was forged in order to defeat the ancient Chinese god of war, Chiyou, many centuries earlier. Banding together with two other tribes, Lie's ancestor Fu Xi imprisoned Chiyou's head, body, and heart in three different tombs to prevent Chiyou from ever rising again. The Sword of Fu Xi was responsible for protecting the tomb of Chiyou's head, but with it now shattered beyond repair, Chiyou may finally be able to make his return.
It appears that Marvel will continue this element of Lin Lie's story, as a subtle clue in Iron Fist #1 hints at the hero's ongoing struggle with Chiyou. On the cover of Iron Fist #1, there is a symbol in the "o" of "Iron" that is a reference to a key element in the Sword Master solo series. This symbol is the Sign of the Three Emperors, which can be seen in Sword Master #11 when Lin Lie enters the tombs of Chiyou with Ji Xiangyun, the leader of the Nü Wa clan that aided Fu Xi's efforts to defeat Chiyou long ago. The Sign of the Three Emperors is thus a reference to the three tribes that worked in tandem to bring the god down. The symbol is emblazoned on the Lock of the Eight Ways, a complex device keeping the doors to Chiyou's tombs secure.
What is significant about the Sign of the Three Emperors appearing in the Iron Fist logo is that it subtly presents Chiyou as the series villain and ties the Iron Fist mythos into a larger tapestry of Chinese mythology. The conclusion of the Sword Master series made it clear that Lin Lie's story was far from over, and the huge threat of Chiyou's return was an event likely to be explored in the near future. Now, it appears that Lin Lie will properly get to fight Chiyou in the present, this time as the Iron Fist.
Lin Lie is already a vastly different Iron Fist from Danny Rand, represented in the fact that his fists are powered by pieces of the Sword of Fu Xi embedded in his hands. With the destruction of the Sword of Fu Xi, the Marvel Universe is more vulnerable than ever to the catastrophic destruction of Chiyou. While Marvel Comics safely has a new Sorcerer Supreme, Iron Fist may hold the clue to the publisher's next big fight.
