Summary

Marvel's Eyes of Wakanda series is set in the MCU's Sacred Timeline, providing context for Wakanda's history.
The show introduces a new Iron Fist named Jorani and showcases the superhero's abilities.
Despite past failures in the Netflix series, Eyes of Wakanda highlights the potential of Iron Fist in the MCU.

Marvel's new Disney+ series Eyes of Wakanda is many things. It continues Ryan Coogler's streak of producing entertaining projects no matter the context, which should be somewhat unsurprising after the success of Sinners earlier this year. Unlike X-Men '97, What If...?, and Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, it takes place in the MCU's so-called "Sacred Timeline." It is an engaging anthology series that provides context for the country of Wakanda, from the ancient past to the far-flung future. Simply put, Eyes of Wakanda is an entertaining (if short) ride through the history of one of Marvel's most interesting creations.

Eyes of Wakanda also manages to right one of the biggest wrongs of Marvel's past decade. "Lost and Found," the third episode of the show, takes viewers all the way back to 1400 AD and kicks off in China. It is there where viewers are introduced to the two main characters of the episode, Basha and Jorani. Basha is a headstrong Wakandan War Dog on a mission to recover a stolen artifact, while Jorani is the Chinese woman who saved his life by nursing him back to health after Basha found himself stranded in snowy mountains. All is not as it seems to be with Jorani, though, as it turns out that she is the Iron Fist. Yeah, we're going there. First, a little context.

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By Megan Lorich

Iron Fist Is A Beloved Legacy Character In Marvel Comics

The Best Known Incarnation Is Danny Rand

On the heels of the martial arts film craze of the 1970s, Iron Fist was introduced in 1974's Marvel Premiere #15. Co-created by Roy Thomas and Gil Kane, Danny Rand's Iron Fist has appeared in numerous comic series with his best buddy and crime-fighting partner Luke Cage. Rand can concentrate his chi and the superhuman energy from Shou-Lao the Undying's dragon heart into his hand to devastating effect. He's also, unsurprisingly, a martial arts expert and a skilled gymnast who can hold his own with other fighting masters like Chang-Chi.

Iron Fist was turned into a genuine legacy character thanks to the 2000s ongoing series The Immortal Iron Fist. Ed Brubaker, Matt Fraction, David Aja, and Travel Foreman came together to create a legacy for the title of the Iron Fist that goes back into the annals of history. For example, a character named Fan Fei became the first Marvel character to gain Shou-Lao's power in 1,000,000 BC. While Danny Rand is undoubtedly the Iron Fist, he is far from the only Iron Fist.

Danny Rand's Iron Fist Had His Own Netflix Show

It, Um, Didn't Go So Great

Alongside the likes of Daredevil, Luke Cage, and Jessica Jones, Danny Rand got his own Netflix show in the late 2010s. Iron Fist debuted in 2017 to negative reviews from fans and critics. Finn Jones did his best as Rand and Jessica Henwick was a standout in the series, portraying Colleen Wing, but the Iron Fist series suffered from a lack of originality and a dearth of great fight scenes. At a time when Daredevil was wowing fans with elaborate long-take battle sequences, it wasn't a great look for the Iron Fist series to struggle with memorable fights.

There was little about the show that made it standout from other drama shows of the time, which makes almost no sense for a superhero series. Iron Fist ultimately ran for 23 episodes over two seasons and Jones appeared as Rand in the crossover Defenders series alongside Netflix's other Marvel heroes. Before both Jessica Jones and The Punisher got long in the tooth for the Marvel fandom at large, Iron Fist failed to catch on entirely. In turn, casual Marvel fans have been left to wonder why they should've cared about Iron Fist in the first place.

Eyes Of Wakanda Shows How Great Iron Fist Can Be In The MCU

Failures Of The Past Shouldn't Dull The Future

Eyes of Wakanda goes out of its way to prove how cool the Iron Fist can be. Like Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings proved on the big screen, having a supernaturally powered character who is proficient in martial arts can open the doors to awesome fight scenes. One criticism of superhero shows and films over the past two decades is how all the battle scenes can become like white noise due to them all hitting the same beats. Jorani's Iron Fist gets the chance in Eyes of Wakanda to show off her fighting prowess and boy does she.

“I am Jorani, guardian of the mountains. I defeated the immortal dragon Shou-Lao and drew power from his molten heart. I am the Iron Fist!”

Watching Jorani’s Iron Fist effortlessly take down an entire room of Wakandan War Dogs is quite enjoyable. Getting to see her unleash the power of the Iron Fist on Basha near the end of the episode is a delight. Jorani's Iron Fist mask is even cool as hell. Her mission to break into Wakanda's Golden City to recover the artifact that Basha stole from her people provides her with numerous opportunities to highlight the Iron Fist's power.

"Lost and Found" isn't some groundbreaking piece of narrative. There are few surprises in store for fans and it ends rather abruptly. But, it doesn't have to be anything more than it is: a showcase of how cool the Iron Fist is. That should be enough for Marvel fans.

Eyes of Wakanda is available to stream on Disney+.

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