Iron Fist Would anyone have a problem with Iron Fist being played by an Asian actor?

[eon001]

Instead of the fish out of water/white savior, you have a character that's reconnecting with with his roots and discovering his heritage.

I'm sure there's purists out there that will hate it, but if there is character that would be best suited for a race swap it would be Iron Fist. Feels like a great way to add diversity without it feeling forced.
*Not a particularly famous character with spiderman-esque fanboy baggage. *Asian character in an Asia like backdrop.
Make sense to me. Thoughts?

 

[Silvermoth]

Not at all but I think this thread is going to get a bit heated very soon

 

[superman-mos]

Not at all but I think this thread is going to get a bit heated very soon

Heated to say the least

 

[Dasher10]

Considering that Danny Rand is a quarter Chinese on his father's side in the comics, it's not nearly as untrue to the source material as people think. He's just have to die his hair blond though.

 

[Zarex]

In this case, I would actually prefer a race swap. As stated above the "White guy joins an ancient culture and becomes the best member ever" trope has been done to death. Also, unless a Shang-Chi series is greenlit there aren't a whole lot of opportunities to introduce an Asian male hero into the MCU.

With an Irish Catholic male, a Jewish female, an African American male and an Asian male, the Defenders wouldn't be lacking in diversity.

 

[metaphysician]

I used to have no problem. Then I participated in a really, really horrible thread, in which my lack of 100% fanatic passionate advocacy for a non-white Danny made me one of history's great monsters.

I am now 100% in favor of white skin, blond hair Danny Rand. Part of his point is that he's an outsider both in K'un L'un and in the outside world.

 

[The Question]

I used to have no problem. Then I participated in a really, really horrible thread, in which my lack of 100% fanatic passionate advocacy for a non-white Danny made me one of history's great monsters.

I am now 100% in favor of white skin, blond hair Danny Rand. Part of his point is that he's an outsider both in K'un L'un and in the outside world.

And as we all know, an isolated Asian community will immediately accept any Asian American kid who shows up in town, and said kid will magically understand all of the customs and traditions of that isolated community instantly, making it entirely impossible for an Asian American to feel like an outsider in such a community, because that's how Asian people work.


Anyway, I'd be all for it.

 

[metaphysician]

And, of course, when you want to expand Asian representation, you. . . use a martial arts character.

You hit race cliches either way.

 

[3dman27]

I used to have no problem. Then I participated in a really, really horrible thread, in which my lack of 100% fanatic passionate advocacy for a non-white Danny made me one of history's great monsters.

I am now 100% in favor of white skin, blond hair Danny Rand. Part of his point is that he's an outsider both in K'un L'un and in the outside world.

by any chance would that be the iron fist discussion thread on the hype ?

 

[The Question]

And, of course, when you want to expand Asian representation, you. . . use a martial arts character.

You hit race cliches either way.

It's a thousand times better than having a character who is steeped in and defined by Chinese culture and folklore be a white dude with blue eyes and blond hair.

 

[Random490]

In this case, I would actually prefer a race swap. As stated above the "White guy joins an ancient culture and becomes the best member ever" trope has been done to death. Also, unless a Shang-Chi series is greenlit there aren't a whole lot of opportunities to introduce an Asian male hero into the MCU.

I agree. The first few times you see that trope used it's interesting but by now it's so cliched that it sometimes comes off as borderline racists. Also I feel like Asian Americans have been fairly under-represented in most American media. While it seems like that's starting to change, Hollywood does have a long history of whitewashing asian roles. I get some people don't like it not because of racism, but because they want to see the character from the comic jump of the page and if they look completely different they might have trouble buying that this is the character.

I really have no problem with changing race to be more representative because in reality there's more to a character than their ethnicity, as long as they get the right actor for the role asian or caucasian doesn't matter to me.

 

[SlamAdams]

Inherently? No. But it depends on the actor. I keep seeing this idea about casting an Asian actor but with very few suggestions. Frankly, I am ok with race changes because most of the time I honestly believe there is an actor involved who can bring something to the character. Idris for Bond. Glover for Spiderman. I get that. They are worth the change IMO. If this is a direction they want to go, it has to be worth it.

 

[MessiahDecoy123]

I like the rich white kid who is empowered by mystical Eastern martial arts.

Then again it covers the same ground as Dr. Strange.

 

[eon001]

And, of course, when you want to expand Asian representation, you. . . use a martial arts character.

You hit race cliches either way.

Yes this is true, but it's the best of a bad situation. A "cliched" but bad ass Asian lead is better than no Asian lead at all.

 

[Silvermoth]

That's true. Plus when you like at the Chinese box office martial arts films are still massively popular so it's obviously not that big a deal and unlikely to cause offence.

 

[The Question]

That's true. Plus when you like at the Chinese box office martial arts films are still massively popular so it's obviously not that big a deal and unlikely to cause offence.

Kung Fu and Tai Chi are a big part of Chinese culture, and while learning them isn't completely ubiquitous in China, it is also more common there than it is here, both because of their cultural roots and because private gun ownership is illegal in China.

That's actually a pretty good analogy. In terms of how widespread it is and how much it comes up in daily life, Chinese martial arts culture is kind of similar to American gun culture. Not everyone does it, but it's very visible.

The trick is to portray it in a way that is nuanced and respectful and gives the people involved some element of cultural agency.

 

[eon001]

I like the rich white kid who is empowered by mystical Eastern martial arts.

Then again it covers the same ground as Dr. Strange.

There's an argument for a Dr Strange race swap too. For the same reasons I gave for IronFist. But he has already been cast and IronFist would probably be an easier transition for fanboys than Strange is, as he is a lesser known character and isn't as precious. Not to mention he wears a mask when he's in hero mode.

 

[The Question]

There's an argument for a Dr Strange race swap too. For the same reasons I gave for IronFist. But he has already been cast and IronFist would probably be an easier transition for fanboys than Strange is, as he is a lesser known character and isn't as precious. Not to mention he wears a mask when he's in hero mode.

I was proudly on Team Oded Fehr.

 

[Mr.T]

In this case, I would actually prefer a race swap. As stated above the "White guy joins an ancient culture and becomes the best member ever" trope has been done to death.

After reading this, I couldn't help but think:

t:

I'd be all for an Asian American actor. I have very little knowledge of IronFist. I do remember as a kid I thought IronFist was Asian.

 

[BarryAllen]

Yes. It ruins the dynamic with Luke Cage.

 

[eon001]

Yes. It ruins the dynamic with Luke Cage.

How so? I don't believe race was ever a major factor between Luke and Iron fist's relationship. They had different sensibilities and philosophies but that's it.

And by Asian I mean Asian American like Steven Yeun or Daniel Henney (Half Irish, but you get the point).

It won't be the same culture clash you see in Rush Hour between Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker.

 

[Random490]

After reading this, I couldn't help but think:

t:

I'd be all for an Asian American actor. I have very little knowledge of IronFist. I do remember as a kid I thought IronFist was Asian.

Probably the best example of that trope being done right.

 

[3dman27]

as long as marvel is ok with it I have no problem

 

[BarryAllen]

How so? I don't believe race was ever a major factor between Luke and Iron fist's relationship. They had different sensibilities and philosophies but that's it.

Race relations is a big part of the Heroes for Hire mythos, and it affects his dynamic with Luke, Misty, Colleen and others, which is a HUGE part of his character. Having an Asian doesn't have the same subcontext as having a rich white guy partnering up and becoming best friends with a black guy from the streets, nor is it the same as having a white guy fall in love and marry a black woman, especially in America, where these characters live.

Could things like that really work or hold as much meaning if Danny were Asian?
There's a certain interesting blending of races and duality when it comes to the Heroes for Hire mythos (ex. Luke/Danny, Luke/Jessica, Danny/Misty, Misty/Colleen, etc), and part of that comes from Danny being white.

 

[OsGom]

Instead of the fish out of water/white savior, you have a character that's reconnecting with with his roots and discovering his heritage.

I'm sure there's purists out there that will hate it, but if there is character that would be best suited for a race swap it would be Iron Fist. Feels like a great way to add diversity without it feeling forced.
*Not a particularly famous character with spiderman-esque fanboy baggage. *Asian character in an Asia like backdrop.
Make sense to me. Thoughts?

Why spend all that time coming up with a new back story when Danny's current origin is more than acceptable? Part of what drove the character was the isolation he felt living among the Asian residents of K'un L'un. He was an outcast and let that fuel his determination to become the Iron Fist.

I'm not saying it can't be done but it would a lot of tweaking a perfectly good origin.

In addition. Danny being white and having close relationships with Cage and Knight added resonance to his story at a time when interracial relationships of any kind were frowned upon. A story that could be even more poignant today during a similar racial climate.

Wait for Shang-Chi and his story.