Finn Jones Cast to Play Marvel’s Iron Fist

Marvel just announced the next hero to join their Mighty Defenders. English actor Finn Jones, best known for his role in the HBO drama Game of Thrones, has landed the role of Iron Fist in the upcoming Netflix series. According to Entertainment Weekly, Iron Fist is the fourth collaboration between Marvel and Netflix following the successful installments of Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and the soon-to-be-released Luke Cage.

In Marvel comics, Iron Fist is an American boy who loses his family during an excursion to the mystical city of K’un-L’un. Rand is adopted by the city’s leader and is trained in advanced martial arts and mystical chi techniques before returning to New York as a superhero. Marvel is projected to unite Iron Fist with their other heroes in a new series called The Defenders.

Finn’s casting has been met with reluctance by some fans who hoped Marvel would cast an Asian actor in the lead role, despite the character being Caucasian in the comics. Others have countered that choosing an Asian actor to portray a martial artist would be stereotypical, and do little to promote ethnic visibility.

While Netflix currently has no release date for Iron Fist, it is expected to appear sometime in 2017. One of their other heroes, Daredevil, will premiere it an eagerly awaited second season March 18^th.

*Published 2/26/2016