@eggrollko
Going into phase 2 of the Marvel Netflix shows, Iron Fist Season 2 faces the highest uphill battle. His first season was generally regarded as the worst of all shows and the character was generally regarded as the worst in the Defenders team-up. Given all that, it would take a lot to redeem the character and that redemption began in his guest appearance in S02 of Luke Cage, his best appearance yet.
For all those reasons, I walked into the Iron Fist Season 2 panel in Ballroom 20 cautiously optimistic of what we would see, only to have the panel blow my expectations out of the water…
They began the panel with a short clip of Danny fighting a group of muggers that then revealed the release date of Iron Fist Season 2: September 7th, less than 2 months from now. They then proceeded to bring out the major cast members and show a clip highlighting each of them as they spoke. Here’s a quick rundown and recap of the clips:
– The first showed Danny Rand using his Iron Fist to punch an armored car off the road and then fighting and defeating the armored guards. This clip was honestly the weakest out of all the ones shown, yet was still miles ahead of Season 1.
– Next they showed an excellent scene with Colleen Wing fighting a group of guys in a kitchen.
-Jeph Loeb then namedropped the Daughters of the a Dragon and then showed a clip of Colleen and Misty Knight fighting together. At one point, Misty punches a guy off of a motorcycle. After the clip Jessica Henwick and Simone Missick spoke about Misty coming to this show to help Colleen figure out where she fits, similarly to how Colleen did that for Misty in Luke Cage S2.
– Then came one of the two biggest moments of the panel when they revealed who Alice Eve would be playing this season. They successfully kept her character under wraps until this moment and this is one reveal that was definitely worth the wait as the crowd popped heavily when they announced that she would be playing the iconic Daredevil villain with multiple personalities, Typhoid Mary. They then showed Mary fighting both Colleen and Misty in another excellent fight scene (there seems to be a pattern here).
– The final two clips were the showstoppers starring Davos, the Steel Serpent. When the show actually began the Iron Fist logo was actually momentarily replaced by the Steel Serpent logo, suggesting he’ll be the primary villain this season. The first clip began with Davos and Danny preparing to fight for the right to face Shou-Lao the Undying and revealed both Danny and Davos wearing the classic yellow Iron Fist mask, which got the biggest pop of the panel. The second clip shows Davos fighting his way through the Triad and punching one guy with the classic purple iron fist of the Steel Serpent.
Overall, the constant back and forth between clips and conversation with the cast made the panel feel exciting as there was never a dull moment. The stars of the panel were definitely the clips, which all showcased the greatly improved fight choreography this season, which is thanks to Clayton Barber, the fight choreographer of Black Panther who was confirmed to have assumed that role for this season of IF. Ultimately, this was a highly enjoyable panel that went a long way towards creating excitement for the Defender with the most to prove. 4.5/5 Iron Fists.
-Kevin Palma