‘Iron Fist’ Season 2 Finale Makes Major Changes to Danny Rand’s Powers

This article contains MAJOR SPOILERS!

Iron Fist season 2‘s back half is a pretty exciting rush of big action and big developments, which culminate in some shocking twists that shakeup the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, the biggest development of Iron Fist season 2 has to do with the power of the iron fist, and who holds it.

After Davos’ uses an ancient ritual to steal the iron fist from Danny, It’s up to Danny, Colleen and Misty Knight to get it back. That plan involves drugging Davos and performing an ancient K’un Lun ritual on him – which almost works, until Davos stops the ritual when it is only halfway complete, and with Colleen, not Danny as the new inheritor of the fist. Ultimately, Danny and Colleen beat down Davos and finish the ritual, making Colleen Wing the new Iron Fist of the MCU.

So, does that mean Danny Rand is now just another regular guy roaming the MCU? Hardly.

Iron Fist season 2 ends with Danny and Ward Meachum teaming up together to go on the hunt for the man who possessed the corpse of an old Iron Fist wielder which Davos stole for his ritual: that man’s name is Orson Randall, and some of his other powerful artifacts help Danny unlock a brand new type of power: when he and Ward find themselves facing some Japanese gangsters in a bar, Danny whips out two pistols stolen from Randall, and uses them to channel his iron fist chi through the bullets!

This development for Danny, Colleen and the iron fist power is a big departure from the comics – but it may be Marvel Comics which has, ironically, inspired this new path for the Iron Fist Netflix series.

Orson Randall has an extensive history in Marvel Comics lore, as tales of the older Iron Fist and the mythos surrounding them have become key additions to Danny Rand’s story. The most important details of Randall’s story are these two points:

1. Orson Randall adopted his “Gun-fu” technique from Wu Ao-Shi, Pirate Queen of Pinghai Bai – aka the first female Iron Fist, who the Iron Fist TV series has posited may also be Colleen Wing’s direct ancestor.
2. Randall often teamed with or led “The Immortal Weapons,” the champions of the Seven Capital Cities of Heaven who would fight alongside the Iron Fist.

It seems as though Iron Fist could be setting up an Immortal Weapons storyline for season 3 – or at the very least, a major story arc with Orson Randall. Would you be interested in that?

Luke Cage, Jessica Jones and Iron Fist season 2 are now streaming on Netflix; Daredevil season 3 will premiere in fall 2018.