This page may contain one or more affiliate links, which means that if you purchase a product through that link, I may receive compensation. The links will be identified with the text "affiliate link". Click to learn more.
If you thought Shang-Chi was a cheap Kung-Fu rip-off, wait until you hear about Iron Fist. Playing off the martial arts trend of the 70s, Iron Fist was created to ride the wave like an ice cream truck was created to follow children. The original Iron Fist series of comics only lasted 15 issues before facing cancellation, so you know it must have been good. They had to team him up with Luke Cage to regain any momentum before they wised up and had him killed. But what was Iron Fist’s origin? Did he have any powers?
To answer the question of Iron Fist’s origin we are going to look at Uncanny Origins 14 from 1997. Danny Rand, Iron Fist’s real name, goes on a family trip. And by family trip, I mean they go on a freezing cold mountain hike in the Himalayas in search of his father’s “Shangri-La” . His father, mother, himself and his father’s business partner are all together on this trip. If you thought that it was odd that his father’s business partner tagged along, you would be right. A stomping of his hands led the father to his death, and a pack of wild wolves killed his mother. The business partner escapes while Danny finds the mysterious city of K’un-Lun lead by Yu-Ti.
When Danny is offered to have anything he wished by Yu-Ti, he said he only wanted one thing: revenge. He was warned not to hold this hate but he did not listen. He was trained in the martial arts until the age of 16. Unable to be offered anything more, he was directed toward a dragon cave to achieve power. He battled the dragon and succeeded, but at the cost of a dragon appearing on his chest. He painfully inserts his hand into a bath that gives him the power to be called Iron Fist. This is the essence of his origin.
So what kind of powers done Iron Fist have now? Basically everything. Super strength, speed, agility, etc. How convenient.
What is interesting is that Yu-Ti turns out to be his uncle. He offers him to taste fruit from the tree of immortality. Iron Fist refuses because is going back to civilization to find the man that killed his father. The artwork in Uncanny Origins 14 (Affiliate Link) is less than stellar. Many panels have no background and are only filled with a solid color. Do you have any thoughts about Iron Fist’s origin? Let me know in the comment section.