With Charlie Cox's Daredevil officially joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), another actor from Netflix's Marvel series lineup is eagerly seeking a comeback. Finn Jones, who portrayed Danny Rand, aka Iron Fist, across two seasons of Netflix's "Iron Fist," as well as in "Luke Cage" and "The Defenders," finds himself in this position. Critics and fans alike widely deemed Jones' series as the least impressive among Netflix's Marvel offerings, which also featured "Daredevil" and "Jessica Jones."
At the recent LaConve anime convention in Mexico, Jones, via IGN, revealed a "palpable desire among fans" to witness his return as Iron Fist within the MCU. Earlier in February, Brad Winderbaum, Marvel Studios' head of streaming and television, generated buzz by informing Entertainment Weekly that the MCU was "actively considering" the revival of Cox's fellow Netflix heroes, encompassing Krysten Ritter's Jessica Jones, Mike Colter's Luke Cage, and Jones' Iron Fist.
Jones, acknowledging the critiques aimed at his portrayal, admitted, "I'm keenly aware of the criticisms levied against the character and my performance. My riposte to that is a resounding, 'Give me a chance, please. I'm standing by, eager and ready. I yearn to prove the doubters wrong.' Hence, I'd absolutely love to see this happen."
Netflix's Marvel originals journey commenced with the premiere of "Daredevil" in April 2015, followed by three other superhero series and the 2017 crossover event, "The Defenders." Unfortunately, all Netflix-Marvel series met their demise between 2018 and 2019, paving the way for the November 2019 launch of Disney+. A contractual stipulation prohibited Netflix's Marvel shows and characters from appearing in any non-Netflix ventures for at least two years post-cancellation, explaining the extended hiatus between Cox's final Netflix appearance as Daredevil in 2018 and his MCU debut in 2021's "Spider-Man: No Way Home." He reappeared in 2022's "She-Hulk" and now headlines his first solo MCU project, "Daredevil: Born Again."
"I can't divulge much, but suffice it to say, it's thrilling to have the opportunity to play in this sandbox," Winderbaum shared with EW last month, regarding the potential inclusion of more Netflix heroes in the MCU. "Clearly, we don't possess the boundless storytelling capabilities of a comic book—where if you can draw it, you can do it. Instead, we grapple with actors' schedules, time constraints, and the monumental scale of production required to construct a cinematic universe, particularly for television. However, considering all these factors, it's undeniably a creatively exhilarating prospect that we're actively exploring."
