Marvel Rivals Season 4 Just Revealed The Fate of a…

Any Marvel fan who hops into Marvel Rivals will likely be surprised by its version of Iron Fist, as his design is strikingly different from what they may be used to. This Iron Fist boasts black hair instead of blonde locks, a mask that only covers his eyes, and a vest where an exposed chest and dragon tattoo used to be. Upon reading his lore, it becomes clear that there’s a reason for this redesign, as this isn’t the Danny Rand version of the character. Instead of the riches-to-rags crimefighter, players control Lin Lie, a NetEase original creation who was once known as Swordmaster. However, this naturally left players with one big question: where is Marvel Rivals’ Danny Rand?

Luke Cage & Iron Fist fighting as allies.jpg

When it was recently revealed that Daredevil is the protector of K’un-Lun in the Marvel Rivals universe, alarm bells started to ring for Danny Rand fans, and it's now clear that fans were right to worry. It can safely be assumed that Daredevil took on the role after the death of his friend and fellow Defender, as Angela encounters a dead Danny Rand in one of the new lore entries added to Marvel Rivals for season 4. In this brief appearance, fans learn that Danny was indeed The Immortal Iron Fist before Lin Lie took his place, though it's his devastating final words that will stick with players most of all.

Danny Rand is Confirmed Dead in Marvel Rivals

Marvel Rivals’ new Vanguard Angela encounters Danny Rand on a journey through Hel, with her goal being to find K’un-Lun, which fans see the outcome of in the Season 4 reveal trailer. It turns out that it was none other than Danny Rand who helped her reach the mystical city, as he grants her a crystalized version of Shou-Lao’s chi, which essentially serves as a compass to the place where he was trained. Angela asks for a way to show gratitude to the kind stranger before he returns to the Shore of Corpses, and he initially refuses, simply wishing to help someone even from beyond the grave. However, he then changes his mind, sorrowfully asking Angela to deliver a message.

For those unfamiliar, Shou-Lao the Undying is a mystical dragon that granted Iron Fist his powers after he was bested in combat. He’s set to be a major focus of Season 4’s ongoing story.

Danny says that if Angela ever meets “someone called Luke” that she’ll tell him that Danny said “hi… and bye…”, which is a moment that will undoubtedly hit hard for fans of the character. The Luke in question is undoubtedly Luke Cage, a bulletproof Marvel hero and Defender who is the closest friend of Danny Rand. Together, Luke Cage and Iron Fist are known as the Heroes for Hire, do-gooders who protect and help people in need while making some money for their efforts. Their dynamic is one of the very best in all of Marvel comics, and it was even a high point of the divisive Defenders television series despite Netflix's take on Danny Rand being largely unpopular. It’s still unclear how Danny died in the Marvel Rivals universe, but his last words being a message to Luke makes for an extremely emotional read.

Danny Rand facing Luke Cage in the Defenders series

Marvel Rivals’ Danny Rand Lore Could Be Setup For the Game’s Future

NetEase could have left Danny Rand’s fate up in the air, but it’s interesting that it went out of its way to touch on his fate, as by doing so it’s opened the door for a number of possibilities:

Considering that Marvel Rivals has fully embraced the multiverse, it’s entirely possible that an alternate version of Danny Rand who is still alive could become playable at some point. Clearly, he’s still on NetEase’s radar, even if the studio ultimately chose its own Iron Fist for the game. Perhaps he could have a different moveset, or maybe he could just be a Mythic skin for Lin Lie with unique voice lines and animations.
Luke Cage being active within the Marvel Rivals universe suggests that he’ll be playable at some point. Marvel Rivals has teased future heroes through its gallery card lore, such as Dizang (AKA Daredevil). A guaranteed Vanguard, Luke could be an extremely durable melee attacker with extra resistance to projectiles.
With Danny Rand’s situation now addressed, Luke Cage confirmed to be in the picture, and Daredevil playable later in Season 4, there’s only one of the modern Defenders lineup who is unaccounted for: Jessica Jones. Perhaps her powers could be expanded like Daredevil’s were to give her a more interesting kit, but with 3 out of the 4 Defenders characters addressed, it seems like only a matter of time before Jessica steps into the spotlight.

While Lin Lie seems like the focus for the time being, perhaps Danny Rand will get to leave Hel further down the road, or he could serve as a cameo in a Hel map like Bats the ghost dog. If he ever does become playable, it would be incredibly interesting to see a Strategist Iron Fist, with Danny potentially healing allies via Orson Randall’s guns and delivering only charged punches that stand out from Lin Lie’s rapid hits. Regardless, it’s clear that NetEase’s take on Danny was a hero, he wasn't as Immortal as his moniker suggested.

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