For the remaining people still invested in the Netflix Marvel universe, the trailer for season two of the polarizing Iron Fist has been released.
The first season of Daredevil premiered in April of 2015, kicking off an ambitious journey to form The Defenders, a street level version of The Avengers. After two stellar seasons with Matt Murdock and two other successful debuts from Jessica Jones and Luke Cage, the team was one piece away from being perfect. Unfortunately, the first season of Iron Fist was far from perfect.
The show was already losing before its premiere with the controversial casting of Finn Jones as the titular character. When the studio had a clear opportunity to cast a more diverse lead, it chose to take on cultural appropriation critiques by strictly adhering to the blonde, blue-eyed description of Danny Rand. The corporate subplots were dull, the action was lackluster, and Rand never becomes very likeable. Then when all four characters unite for season one of The Defenders, Iron Fist comes off as the brat who is constantly coached by Luke Cage or Matt Murdock.
It is not hard to argue that the character single-handedly threw off the tremendous momentum that the universe was utilizing. These seasons are usually 13 hour marathons, and any misstep can derail the entire track.
While it is still safe to say that Iron Fist is the most skippable show of this universe, this second season trailer is… promising.
The fight sequences in the trailer seem more precise and inventive then those in the first season. Rand defeats a group of criminals with an Iron Fist punch in the ground, a move that always works in the show and should always be his first move at the beginning of every fight. His rival, Davos, is back with a glowing fist of his own, which should make for some exciting scuffles. The lack of one true rival in the first season did contribute to its scattered plotting, so making Davos the primary antagonist might be the right move.
The most promising part of the trailer (at least for all of the comic readers), is the reveal of the Iron Fist mask from the original 1970’s costume. Iron Fist is known for having one of the most visually striking costumes in all of comics, and the addition of the mask could provide the show with the adrenaline to restart any lost momentum.
The other promising feature is that this season is only 10 episodes, which is a brilliant move by the studio. Even the best seasons of the Marvel shows have suffered from pacing issues with 13 episodes. Non-relevant characters are introduced, pointless subplots are formed, it’s clear that even the second season of Daredevil could have been trimmed to 10 episodes. A leaner season of Iron Fist, with a menacing villain and a wholehearted embrace of its campy costume, could just be what this universe needs.
The new episodes are scheduled to be released on September 7, 2018.
