Every Iron Fist in Marvel Comics, Ranked by Importance

Iron Fist is similar to superheroes like Green Lantern and titles like the Sorcerer Supreme. It is a title passed down in Marvel Comics, and heroes are chosen for the right to wield the mystic energies of Shou-Lao the Undying. The first Iron Fist who appeared in Marvel Comics was Danny Rand, a wealthy white heir to a business empire known as the Rand Corporation. However, when his father died searching for the lost magical city of K’un-Lun in the Himalayas, Danny was raised to learn martial arts and earn the mantle of the Iron Fist. However, Danny wasn’t the first Iron Fist, and he hasn’t been the last.

From ancient Iron Fists in Marvel Comics to warriors fighting in World War I to Danny Rand and his successors, here is a look at every Iron Fist who has appeared in the mainline Marvel Comics, ranked by their importance.

10) Pei

Pei has a good chance to improve her status as an Iron Fist in Marvel Comics. However, for now, she is just a young child who has immense powers. Pei was a young monk of K’un-Lun who was attacked by Davos when he attempted a coup. Pei escaped with the egg of the last incarnation of Shou-Lao and fled to New York. The egg cracked, and the baby dragon “Gork” was born, becoming a friend to Pei. However, when Davos showed back up and killed “Gork,” Pei gained the powers of the Iron Fist and defeated Davos before resurrecting “Gork” and training with Danny while also starting high school. She lost Shou-Lou’s powers, but was given an artifact by Danny that offers her powers anyway. While she no longer possesses Iron Fist’s powers, Lin Lie said she was still the dragon’s chosen champion and is an Iron Fist for life.

9) Bei Bang-Wen

Bei Bang-Wen was the Iron Fist in 1860, but he went mad with his power and battled the British Army when the English and French teamed up against the Chinese. However, he lost, and all his allies died. The British Army took him captive, beat him severely, and then enslaved him. Bei eventually teamed up with another prisoner known as Brahman to escape from his prison, and together they went to India to find safety and escape from his pain. Bei had a lot of positives in his repertoire because he was more thoughtful and attuned to tactical strategies in battle. However, the one time he showed it in Marvel Comics resulted in a loss, so his standing as an Iron Fist is lower than that of others.

8) Wu Ao-Shi

Wu Ao-Shi is one of the ancient holders of the Iron Fist mantle. She held the mantle in 1545 A.D. and was a violent and reactive woman who was taken in and trained in the ways of K’un-Lun, which led to her turning her life around and becoming Iron Fist. There is one thing that makes her different from other Iron Fist heroes. She fell in love before winning the role of the Iron Fist. When she won her battle quicker and more soundly than anyone before her, Wu’s lover left her. She quickly left the Heavenly City to find him. Wu Ao-Shi became the warrior known as the Pirate Queen of Pinghai Bay when she downed an entire pirate fleet with her lover by her side, and she lived out her life in that role. There was hope she could be the Iron Fist in Eyes of Wakanda on Disney+, but that ended up as an original character known as Jorani.

7) Bei-Ming Tian

Bei-Ming Tian may not have a long history in Marvel Comics, but his accomplishments are impressive. He was the Iron Fist from 1227 AD and made his debut in Immortal Iron Fist #1 (2006), which was the series that broke down the legacy and history of the Iron Fist warriors. For Bei-Ming Tian, he was there to defend his village close to the Kunlun Mountains when the Mongol Army attacked them. He ended up protecting the villagers, and he achieved the impossible by killing Genghis Khan in the battle. That alone proves his worth as Iron Fist.

6) Orson Randall

Orson Randall was the Iron Fist during World War I. He had a lot more Marvel Comics appearances than many other warriors who held the title. Orson was born in K’un-Lun after his dad’s aircraft crashed in the mythical city. The Thunderer adopted him and made him part of his family before training him to become the next Iron Fist. He defeated Shou-Lao to earn the role of the Iron Fist before leaving the city and joining a group of heroes who fought in World War I (including Union Jack, Phantom Eagle, Crimson Cavalier, and Sir Steel). Like many other soldiers, the war changed him, and he went into seclusion, believing that being the Iron Fist meant nothing but nonstop fighting and wars. His legacy remains important, as he sacrificed himself to help Danny Rand increase his powers when the time came.

5) Li Park

Li Park was the Iron Fist from 730 AD. He was unlike just about every other person to serve as Iron Fist because Li Park was a pacifist. His trainer, the Thunderer, couldn’t get him to dedicate himself, but things changed when a plague killed several people in K’un-Lun. With almost no one left to take on the Iron Fist power and protect the city, Li Park reluctantly did so. However, as a pacifist, he discovered a new hypnotic power that allowed him to convince soldiers not to fight him. Unfortunately, he eventually had to fight to save his village, but he proved to be just as capable as any other Iron Fist fighter, even though war was never his first choice.

4) Quan Yaozu

Quan Yaozu will always sit near the top of the best Iron Fist warriors for one big reason. He was one of the first ever Iron Fists when the Eighth City was discovered. While he was once called the first Iron Fist, it turned out that Fan Fei was the first over a million years ago. He first appeared, like many of the others, in The Immortal Iron Fist in 2006. Since he came from the Eighth City, he revealed that he used that city as a prison for the worst evildoers. He was best known for sacrificing himself to close the doors to that city, trapping himself there for centuries to save the Seven Capital Cities of Heaven.

3) Fan Fei

Fan Fei was the first-ever Iron Fist. She was a native of K’un-Lun and trained in kung-fu. She soon snuck out of the city and encountered early cavemen, where she began to spread her teachings to allow them to learn how to defend themselves. However, this branded her a traitor to the city for sharing its secrets, and she was labeled as one of the worst criminals in the city’s history. When the holy dragon Shou-Lao executed all her students at the behest of The Thunderer, Fei attacked the dragon and killed it, becoming the first Iron Fist as a result. At the time, The Thunderer thought the dragon tattoo was a sign of shame, so he banished her once again. She became one of the world’s earliest superheroes, even battling Mephisto, before she joined Avengers 1,000,000 BC. With the team, she defeated a Celestial called the Fallen to prove her might.

2) Lin Lie

After Danny Rand was Iron Fist for several years in Marvel Comics, his replacement finally arrived in 2022. Known originally as Sword Master, Lin Lie ended up taking on the role of Iron Fist in Iron Fist Vol. 6. As Sword Master, he had several big adventures and was even a member of Agents of Atlas. It was during this time that demons attacked him after the death of Doctor Strange, and his allies feared he had died. However, he washed ashore outside of K’un-Lun when Shou-Lao hatched from his egg, and he gained the power of Iron Fist. He ended up accepting Danny Rand’s offer to train him as his successor, and Lin Lie is now Marvel Comics’ only active Iron Fist. Unlike the Iron Fist warriors before him, Lin Lie combines the Iron Fist power with mystical energy manipulation coming from the Sword of Fu Xi, which is embedded in his flesh.

1) Danny Rand

For most of Marvel Comics’ existence, Danny Rand was the active Iron Fist. Danny was a child when his father was lost and presumed dead near K’un-Lun. Danny was raised and trained in kung-fu, with the plan to become the next Iron Fist warrior. It worked, and he won the role and was one of the greatest Marvel Comics street-level heroes for many years. As one of the greatest martial artists in the Marvel Universe, as well as his role as Luke Cage’s best friend and partner in Heroes for Hire, Danny Rand proved himself more than once as a great hero. Danny Rand was also Iron Fist in the Netflix Defenders universe. However, his time came to an end in 2024 when he reached his 34th birthday and was killed by the assassin Ch’i-Lin, who possessed Razor Fist, ending the reign of one of the best Iron Fists in history.

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