Summary
Warning! Spoilers ahead forIron Fist 50th Anniversary Special #1!On a milestone anniversary,Iron Fistmeets his maker in one of his most tragic battles ever. Despite being one of the best martial artists in the Marvel Universe, even Danny Rand can’t outrun the Grim Reaper when his time comes.
Danny has come a long way in the last several years. He’s been K’un-Lun’s greatest champion,a Hero for Hire, and even an Avenger. Not only has he been a great fighter, but Rand’s proven himself to be a great mentor when it comes to training thenext generation of Iron Fists. However, on what should be a happy occasion, tragedy befalls Iron Fist and it could be just the beginning.
Iron Fist is Murdered on His 34th Birthday
InIron Fist 50th Anniversary Special #1’sstory “Happy Birthday, Danny” by Jason Loo, Whilce Portacio, Alex Sinclair, and Travis Lanham, it’s Danny’s 34th birthday and he’s celebrating with a night out. Danny is joined by his best friend Luke Cage and close confidante Jeryn Hogarth. Everyone’s having a good time, but no one’s happier than Iron Fist, who’s overjoyed he made it to 34.Danny reveals he’s the only Iron Fist who’s ever made it to this ageas previous ones were hunted down by the Ch’i-Lin.
Danny slices off one of Ch’i-Lin’s arms, but the monster responds by taking one of Iron Fist’s legs.
The guys spend the rest of the evening swapping war stories and rehashing some of their greatest battles and oddest foes. Eventually, they call it a night and Danny returns to his penthouse, where he’s suddenly transported to a different realm. To make matters worse, Iron Fist isn’t alone. He’s suddenly struck by a blade belonging to Razor Fist. But as the two battle,Iron Fist realizes there’s something different about this foe and realizes that Razor Fist is possessed by the evil Ch’i-Lin.
Once Danny realizes what he’s up against, he fights valiantly. Unfortunately, without Shou-Lao’s power, Iron Fist struggles against the more powerful Ch’i-Lin. Rand puts up a good fight, but Ch’i-Lin manages to nick an artery in Danny’s neck, putting him at an even worse disadvantage. Danny slices off one of Ch’i-Lin’s arms, but the monster responds by taking one of Iron Fist’sr legs. Iron Fist collapses on the ground andCh’i-Lin ends their fight and Danny’s life by plunging a blade into Iron Fist’s chest.
Iron Fist Wasn’t Able to Escape His Destiny
When Danny Rand bested Shou-La the Undying, he became just the latest in a legacy of Iron Fists. But unbeknownst to Danny, there was a force that was determined to have Shou-La’s power for itself. Unable to feast on the reincarnated Shou-La in its egg form due to the heavy protection in K’un-Lun, the Ch’i-Lin took to possessing people to accomplish its goals. The Ch’i-Lin would take their hosts andseek out Iron Fists and kill them on their 33rd birthday so that Shou-La’s power would be at its most vulnerable.
However, as the Ch’i-Lin’s actions became predictable, later Iron Fists learned how they could avoid the monster’s wrath. Orson Randall, Danny’s predecessor, managed to live well past the age of 33 by dampening his chi, rendering him invisible to Ch’i-Lin. When Ch’i-Lin came for Danny Rand, the younger Iron Fist did the same thing. But instead of running as Orson did, Danny stayed and fought. With the assistance of his friends and by tapping into his rage,Iron Fist accomplished what previous ones couldn’t and defeated the Ch’i-Lin.
Danny’s epic battle with the Ch’i-Lin can be seen inImmortal Iron Fists #20 (2008)!
Recent years have seen additions to the Iron Fist legacy, such as Pei, a young monk from K’un-Lun who is the youngest person to gain Shou-Lao’s power. There’s also Lin Lie, the current Iron Fist, who replaced Danny after he transferred his power to save the dragons of the heavenly cities. Though Danny does not possess the Iron Fist powers anymore, he actively mentored Pei and Lie. The formerIron Fist even assisted his friends in events such as “Devil’s Reign” and “Gang War”.
What’s Next Now That Iron Fist is Dead?
Interestingly enough, this isn’t the first time Iron Fist has had a brush with death. The hero appeared to die in the final issue of Power Man and Iron Fist, though that was later revealed to be a doppelganger that perished instead of Danny. Here, it’s unequivocally Rand who dies, and with such a powerful, over-the-top death, it’s hard to see how it could be faked. But with Danny now deceased,the future is looking grim for his Iron Fist protegees, Lie and Pei.
…the priority right now is keeping Lin Lie and Pei safe.
Before it plunged the blade into Danny’s heart, the Ch’i-Lin mentioned it would “enjoy ripping them apart too”, meaning Lie and Pei are not safe. Sure Lie has Shou-Lao’s power at his disposal and Pei has seen a lot of fights despite her young age, but neither of them has the experience that Danny did when he took on the Ch’i-Lin. Worse, Danny onlybarelysurvived the first time he went up against this monster, who hascenturies worth of experience killing Iron Fists far more powerful than Lin Lie.
As tragic as the untimely death of Danny Rand is, the priority right now is keeping Lin Lie and Pei safe. Pei’s just a kid and Lie is the last line of defense keeping the Ch’i-Lin from gaining Shou-Lao’s godly power. Thankfully, the two have a lot of allies who are willing to help them, but with death being a mere inconvenience for the Ch’i-Lin, it’s practically unstoppable. Now that Danny’s out of the picture,it’s up to the two younger Iron Fists to figure out a way to stop their mentor’s killer.
Is Iron Fist Ever Going to Come Back?
While death hasn’t stopped other heroes from returning after being killed, it looks like things have ended in Danny’s world for now. He went out like a champ, but without Shou-Lao’s power, going up against Ch’i-Lin was always going to end terribly. Hopefully, Danny will be able to find his way back to the living one day. But until then, the currentIron Fisthas a duty to safeguard his power and bring Danny Rand’s murderer to justice.
Iron Fist 50th Anniversary Special #1is available now from Marvel Comics.
