At one point I gave up on the Marvel Netflix shows. Iron Fist season 1 and the Defenders weren’t great and the lack of connections to the larger world left me not wanting to continue that branch of the universe. I did eventually watch some of the remaining content. The week after Matt Murdock showed up in Spider-Man No Way Home and Fisk ended up in Hawkeye, I watched Daredevil season 3. I watched Punisher earlier this year after they said Daredevil would have Punisher, I watched that series. Now that Daredevil will be made canon and they’re looking for ways to bring in the other Defenders, I figured it was time to finally watch the few series that I missed.
I wasn’t expecting a lot when it came to Iron Fist season two. What I expected was to watch and be bored with the show. I expected that it would be as the show’s first season, where Danny is whiney with too many jump cuts in action scenes. I was shocked when Danny wasn’t as whiney and the jump cuts were a lot less. You can tell that they really took the negative feedback they received to heart and turned it around in the second season. Not only is Danny Rand not whining as much, he’s actually a likeable and relatable character this time around. The show delves deeper into his past as well as his deep relationship with his brother.
The fight scenes are miles ahead of where they were in season one. The choreography is sharp and exciting. They’re well executed and they bring about an intense energy that kept me on the edge of my seat. While the jump cuts are still there, they aren’t as many or as jarring as they were during their pilot season.
While the entire cast did exceptionally well, it was Alice Eve’s Mary Walker and Jessica Henwick’s Colleen Wing that really shined this season. Alice Eve’s character has dissociative identity disorder (DID) and so each identity is their own person. Different personalities, different memories, Eve nailed the different characters. Considering Typhoid Mary’s history in the comics, I would love to see her show up again. With Marvel working on a Punisher Special Presentation, it would be interesting to see the two characters interact considering their military backgrounds. Jessica Henwick’s portrayal of Colleen Wing wasn’t bad in the first season or the Defenders, but something about this season made her stand out. Maybe it’s just me knowing that she turned down a role in Shang-Chi in hopes to revive the character, but her love for the character shines through.
The season was not without it’s flaws, much like the first season, there was talk of the dragon, but no footage of the fight. This is probably due to budget restrictions, but it would still be nice to see the fight take place. My biggest complaint about the show is still Danny Rand’s character. He was more relatable and seeing more of his backstory in K’un-Lun helped a lot, but he was still for the most part, boring. I understand, he trained his whole life to be the Iron Fist, he is the Iron Fist and there is no separation between him and Danny Rand. The show does acknowledge that lack of separation though, so it seems to be something that they wanted to develop over time, but it feels like something that should have come in immediately after the Defenders and the destruction of K’un-Lun rather spending so much time reiterating that there is no separation of the two.
Despite it’s flaws, the show was overall enjoyable and after how the season ended, I really hope they bring these characters back. The show ended on a big cliffhanger with some big questions that need answers, most notably who is the Iron Fist now that their entire purpose for existing is gone and who is Danny Rand? I give this season an 8 out of 10.
