Even if you didn’t catch the first season of Marvel’s Iron Fist when it debuted last year, you likely heard about the negative reception it received. Or perhaps you caught wind of the controversy surrounding it due to its casting decisions. A lot of people were upset – and rightfully so – that the House of Ideas chose to forgo picking an Asian or Asian-American actor to play the lead character. Casting controversies aside, though, Iron Fist had a number of other issues and unfortunately, not a whole lot of them were fixed for its sophomore season.
To be fair, there were some areas which showed improvement, but on the whole, season 2 was still steeped in the same problematic writing that plagued the first run. As such, it’s no surprise to learn tonight that Marvel and Netflix have gone ahead and cancelled the series, meaning it won’t be returning for a third outing.
In a statement released along with the announcement, here’s what they had to say:
“Marvel’s Iron Fist will not return for a third season on Netflix,” said the Disney-owned comic giant and the streamer in a joint statement to Deadline today. “Everyone at Marvel Television and Netflix is proud of the series and grateful for all of the hard work from our incredible cast, crew and showrunners,” Marvel and Netflix added. “We’re thankful to the fans who have watched these two seasons, and for the partnership we’ve shared on this series. While the series on Netflix has ended, the immortal Iron Fist will live on.”
What’s interesting here is that they mention at the end that the show will live on. What exactly that means is unclear, but Deadline believes Iron Fist could find a home on Disney’s upcoming streaming service, which launches next year and already has Marvel series based around Loki and Scarlet Witch in the works.
Now, that doesn’t necessarily mean we’ll get a full-blown third season, but perhaps Finn Jones’ hero could pop up here and there in other shows, or maybe some sort of spinoff could materialize? Right now, it’s tough to say what lies ahead for Iron Fist, but after just two seasons, Danny Rand has received the axe and given the dwindling popularity of the other Marvel/Netflix shows, it kind of has us wondering who’s next?