Danny Rand
Danny Rand is a male comic superhero who features in Marvel Comics.
Contents |
Biography
Origin
Daniel Rand was the son of Wendell Rand and his wife Heather Rand. (Marvel Premiere v1 #15)
According to one account, Wendell was driven from K'un-Lun by his 'brother' who wanted to rule the city for himself and had been a rival for their love of the woman named Shakirah. (Iron Fist v1 #6)
The orphaned child was brought to the city where he was taken before the Yu-Ti who stated that the people of K'un-Lun grieved the loss of his parents. He then offered the boy anything he desired to which Danny Rand replied that he wanted revenge with the Yu-Ti deciding to grant it. This involved him to undergo training in martial arts and he was placed under the tutelage of Lei Kung the Thunderer. (Marvel Premiere v1 #16) Lei Kung came to test the child to see his will to live and fight where he named him Daniel Rand-K'ai. (Iron Fist: The Living Weapon v1 #3) The next level of training for him was bringing the boy to the Raksasa ko Jela (Translation: The Prison of Demons) where he was to confront his inner demons and fears. (Power Man and Iron Fist v3 #7)
He then took part in the trials of the Iron Fist where he went to the cave of Shou-Lao the Undying and fought the ancient dragon. After a long struggle, he came to defeat the large reptile and plunged his fist into the heart of the dragon thus attaining the power of the Iron Fist. (Marvel Premiere v1 #16)
Rand then went before the Yu-Ti and the Lung-Wang Dragon Kings who had him take part in the Challenge of the Many that saw him battle four martial art masters. It was then that he took part in the Challenge of the One where he fought against Shu-Hu. (Marvel Premiere v1 #16)
It was then that he met with the Yu-Ti who offered him two paths where he could either join the immortals of K'un-Lun by eating from the Tree of Immortality or go out into the world. Ultimately, Daniel decided to choose the path of revenge where he wanted to leave to find and kill Harold Meachum. (Marvel Premiere v1 #16)
Iron Fist
He remained trapped within the illusionary world of the feeder pod until Misty Knight and her allies came upon him. Though her comrades were captured, she managed to briefly free herself but was unable to fight off the H'ylthri where she begged for Danny to wake up. He came to hear her words and managed to break free from the feeder pod where he used the last of his strength to defeat the H'ylthri around him before collapsing. (Namor the Sub-Mariner v1 #23)
Hero for Hire
Civil War
During the Civil War, Rand as Daredevil came to oppose the Superhuman Registration Act where he came to be apprehended by the authorities. All those arrested were then transported to Prison 42 that was located in the Negative Zone. (Civil War v1 #5) He was later freed by Captain America's side and joined him as they opposed the forces assembled by Iron Man. (Civil War v1 #6)
New Avengers
In the aftermath, he came to join a new incarnation of the Avengers assembled by Luke Cage and which were going to be based at Avengers Mansion. (New Avengers v2 #1) At that point, the Eye of Agamotto appeared with Cage being possessed by a force looking to claim the relic as it had similarly taken control of Doctor Strange and Daimon Hellstrom. (New Avengers v2 #2) After grabbing onto it, Iron Fist was transported into another dimension where he met the Ancient One. (New Avengers v2 #3) The Ancient One seemingly told Rand that Strange had stolen the Eye with its rightful owner looking for its return. Thus, he returned Danny back to Earth where he was gifted a new costume in order to confront Strange over his deception regarding the Eye of Agamotto. (New Avengers v2 #4)
Immortal Weapons
At Rand Enterprises, Daniel had a meeting with representative of Wai-Go Industries who offered a business proposal to which he refused. This was because he was suspicious about the other company and went to investigate as the Iron Fist where he came to learn that they were a front of Hydra. (Immortal Iron Fist v1 #1) In his fight with them, he came to be badly injured and fell unconscious with Hydra being forced to flee the scene when the authorities arrived. He was recovered by Luke Cage who took him to a nearby clinic in order to recover from his injuries. Around this time, he came to learn that Wai-Go Industries through shell companies and subsidiaries were buying shares in order to take over the Rand Corporation. However, Danny came to sense a disturbance in his chi but could not determine the cause for this incident. (Immortal Iron Fist v1 #2)
Danny sided with the Avengers and was part of the team sent to attack Utopia and extract Hope Summers. He later traveled to Wakanda to search for Hope after she fled. After the Phoenix Force split into five pieces Danny was confronted by Lei Kung the Thunderer and Master Yu Ti about the role of the Phoenix in the history of the Iron Fist. Danny decides to bring Hope to K'un Lun as a safe place to train for her role as the Phoenix. He told her the story of a red haired Earth girl who became the Iron Fist and mastered the power of the Phoenix centuries prior. Iron Fist participated in every major battle against the Phoenix Five. After the Phoenix Five were defeated, Luke Cage disbanded the New Avengers. (New Avengers v2 #34)
Afterwards, Danny came meet a reporter named Brenda Swanson who wanted to interview him about his family. The two came to enter into a relationship where they slept together at the Rand Building when Danny came under attack from undead ninja. It was then that he encountered a young monk named Pei who stumbled in his apartment telling him that he must return to K'un-Lun. (Iron Fist: The Living Weapon v1 #1)
The mysterious figure was revealed to be Zhu-Kong, the God of Fire and Universal Order. Zhu-Kong tried to punish everyone within New York but the One convinced Danny to merge with him, creating a giant robot. Zhu-Kong and the merged Danny battled it out through the streets of New York. Meanwhile, Davos killed the last incarnation of Shao-Lao and Danny's chi once again was depleted. However, the One gave him his last remaining ounce of chi and Rand once again engaged in combat against Zhu-Kong and defeated him as well. (Iron Fist: The Living Weapon v1 #11) Three months later, Brenda and Danny were still dating, and Pei, who had gained the power of the Iron Fist from Shou-Lou's resurrected adolescent form, "Gork", was living with them and being trained by Danny. When he asked Brenda to move in with him over dinner, Brenda attacked him. As they fought, Danny revealed he had fallen in love with her, prompting Brenda to share her story with him. Despite revealing her family history and hatred towards the Rand family, Brenda couldn't bring herself to kill Danny and tried to shoot herself in the head to force him to have to watch someone he loves die, but he managed to stop the bullet from hitting her. After their devastating date, she left. (Iron Fist: The Living Weapon v1 #12)
He was later involved in a fight against the Wrecker with an incident occurring whereby a child fell to their death despite Iron Fist's attempt to save the boy. This led to him falling into grief over his perceived failure with him resorting to drinking and hook-ups with random women in order to alleviate the pain he felt. During this time, he came under attack from a demon named Mo Wang who was King of Yaoguai who was wearing the slain boy's body as a physical vessel with him intending to claim the Chi of the Iron Fist. The demon called Rand Gwai Lo (Ghost Person) and wanted to take his body for his own beginning with by severing one of his hands that was animated and taken by Mo Wang leaving Rand badly wounded. (Iron Fist - Marvel Digital Original v1 #1) Rand's right arm was claimed by the demon who sought to use his chi and power to build his own kingdom among mortals. Mo Wang later came to possess Luke Cage as his host body and sent Danny Rand into Hell where demons intended to punish him for his sins. It was after fighting them that Rand convinced their King Yama that Mo Wang had abandoned his duties and needed to be returned to Diyu. Thus, they aided in Rand's return so that the Iron Fist could battle Mo Wang and return him for punishment. (Iron Fist - Marvel Digital Original v1 #4) Armed with dark chi stolen from his twisted reflection, Danny returned to the living world to stop Mo Wang who still remained in Luke Cage's body. Despite his efforts, the dark chi he stole from his own reflection was unable to defeat Mo Wang. To save Luke, Danny offered his body to the demon who possessed it in exchange for leaving Cage’s form. (Iron Fist - Marvel Digital Original v1 #5) The demon king Yama then arrived on Earth having grown impatient at Mo Wang not being returned to the underworld. He then demanded Mo Wang surrender himself for judgement but the demon refused as he intended to make his own kingdom among the mortals. The two battled with Cage assisting to free Danny where he managed to tell Rand to use his chi to force the demon out of his body. Their plan succeeded and Mo Wang was defeated whereupon Yama abided by the terms of the agreement with Rand in returning every to life including he boy Danny had failed to save. Thus, Danny was returned back to normal but felt different due to having stolen the dark chi from his other self that was beginning to influence his actions. (Iron Fist - Marvel Digital Original v1 #6)
Heart of the Dragon
Travelling to the Heart of Heaven, Fooh guided them to the Pagoda of Universal Compassion in order to meet Quan Yin the Mother of Mercy. Only the Iron Fist could meet her where she warned that the danger came from the Hidden City which sought dominance by destroying the dragons that powered the Seven Capital Cities of Heaven. The Mother of Mercy warned that this would bring about universal imbalance and told him to manifest the cities on Earth as well as rally its heroes to fight alongside the Immortal Weapons to fight back against the threat. Heeding her words, he had Fooh activate a machine he had created that weakened the dimensional barriers allowing for the cities to manifest on Earth. This included opening a portal to the Hidden City where Iron Fist along with the Immortal Weapons sought to prevent the doorway from being opened by the forces seeking to escape it. This involved battling an army of undead headed by Midnight Sun with Danny attempting to stop the gate of the Eighth City from being forced upon. (Iron Fist: Heart of the Dragon v1 #2)
Afterwards, he was at the Rand Corporation headquarters as Mayor Wilson Fisk passed a law that forbid superhero activities in the city. At this time, Luke Cage called Danny about this matter with Rand saying that he no longer possessed the powers of the Iron Fist. During their attack, his office was invaded by NYPD officers led by Crossbones who was a deputised member of the Thunderbolts Unit that had come to apprehend Danny. Rand came to fight the authorities as long as he could but was apprehended and imprisoned where he was processed at the Myrmidon facility. (Devil's Reign v1 #2)
He later went to meet Luke and Pei for lunch in Flushing when he came across several demons attacking a Chinese antique shop where they were searching for a mysterious green shard. Danny came to battle the creatures but struggled without his powers which was when he saw a youth dressed in the ceremonial attire of the Iron Fist. With his aid, they were able to defeat the demons where he saw the youth wielded a mysterious green energy and the chi of Shou-Lao but before he could get any answers the young man fled the scene with the green shard. Rand came to track the youth to a rooftop where he confirmed that the young man was an Iron Fist trained in K'un-Lun but that he lacked the experience to wield his powers effectively. The new Iron Fist rebuffed all of Danny's attempted to talk to him and fled with the green shard through a portal to K'un-Lun in a nearby subway. (Iron Fist v6 #1) After more footage of the new Iron Fist and his companion emerged on social media, Danny discussed with Luke, Colleen, Misty and Pei on his sucessor's identity. When Danny wondered how the two were able to create portals to K'un-Lun despite the city being sealed off, Pei and Luke suggested either enlisting Fooh or capturing the new Iron Fist; Danny had another idea instead. (Iron Fist v6 #2) Danny contacted Fat Cobra and the Bride of Nine Spiders with tracking down the new Iron Fist, eventually locating him in Gansu. The two Immortal Weapons confronted him while Danny and Luke were stuck driving alongside the Gansu mountains in their car. After noticing a nearby explosion in the distance, Danny was able to get a glimpse of his successor racing towards the blast. (Iron Fist v6 #4) Danny fought alongside the Immortal Weapons and his successor's companions against Chiyou's demon army and rescued Ji Shuangshuang. When Sparrow and K'un-Lun's warriors arrived as reinforcements, Chiyou's champion Lin Feng stole Sparrow's portal to K'un-Lun, leaving them trapped on Earth. Danny offered housing to the displaced citizens and finally introduced himself to his successor, Lin Lie. Danny complemented Lie on his skills and offered to help complete Lie's training as an Iron Fist, who readily accepted. (Iron Fist v6 #5)
Overview
Personality and attributes
One of his titles he was referred to was the Young Dragon. (Iron Fist v1 #2) At one point, the newspapers came to call him the Kung Fu Killer. (Iron Fist v1 #10)
For much of his life, he became dedicated to getting revenge against Harold Meachum for the death of his parents. (Marvel Premiere v1 #16)
Unknown to him initially, the blonde haired Miranda Rand-K'ai was actually his half-sister with the two sharing a father. (Iron Fist v1 #2)
Powers and abilities
As a young boy, he was brought before Lei Kung and taught martial arts by the Thunderer of K'un-Lun. (Marvel Premiere v1 #16) Part of his training included learning to use all five physical senses. This allowed Danny to compensate for the loss of any single sense by relying on the others. (Iron Fist v1 #14)
A meditative technique he learnt in K'un-Lun allowed him to reach down into the calm center of his soul where he was able to affect himself but the environment as well. Danny was able to centre himself using it that helped him against waves of aggression. It took Rand 8 to 10 years to learn this technique which he could teach others. (Spider-Man v1 #37)
He was familiar with the art of Imori Gakure that was a ninjutsu art of blending with the rocks to avoid detection. (Iron Fist v1 #2)
The Thunderer taught him to be a tracker and that under a trained eye nothing was invisible and that no trail was impossible to find. (Iron Fist v1 #3)
It was shown that he could use a modified Aikido Ryote-Mochi that was a powerful two-handed throw. (Iron Fist v1 #15)
Following years of training, Rand took part in the trials of K'un-Lun that resulted in him battling the dragon Shou-Lao the Undying. After triumphing over Shou-Lao, Daniel plunged his fist into the Heart of the Dragon thus ganing the power of the Iron Fist. (Marvel Premiere v1 #16)
Rand later came to gain possession of the Book of the Iron Fist that contained all the secrets of the previous Iron Fists. (Immortal Iron Fist v1 #8)
Notes
- Danny Rand as Iron Fist was created by Roy Thomas and Gil Kane where he made his first appearance in Marvel Premiere v1 #15 (May, 1974).
Alternate Versions
- In House of M v1 #2 (2005), an alternate version of Danny Rand was shown to reside in the House of M designated as Earth-58163. Danny Rand was shown to had trained to be the Iron Fist in K'un-Lun and was unaware that Magneto resulted in a Mutant dominated Earth. Upon emerging, he came to be attacked by Mutant police leading to him eventually joining Luke Cage's Human Resistance Movement.
- In Master of Kung Fu v2 #1 (2015), an alternate version of Danny Rand was shown to reside on Battleworld in the domain of K'un-Lun. In this realm, he was Rand-K'ai where he was a warrior under Emperor Zheng Zu and part of the Thirteen Chambers.
- In Secret Wars: Secret Love v1 #1 (2015), an alternate version of Danny Rand was shown to reside on Battleworld within the Walled-City of New York. It was shown that within that domain that he and Misty Knight had been together leading to them having a daughter named Lucy Rand.
- In Deadpool v4 #19 (2016), an alternate future version of the Immortal Iron Fist was shown in a world identified to be in the year 2099. This version had ad an aged master in a neighbourhood in New York City where he commanded martial artist warriors bearing his emblem. He was said to be the oldest living friend of Deadpool with the two surviving into this era.
- In Captain Marvel: The End v1 #1 (2020), an alternate reality was shown where a great cataclysm devastated the Earth killing most of its population. On this world, Danny Rand and Mist Knight had a daughter named Lucy who grew up alongside Danielle Cage. The two eventually became romantically involved and were married where they lived on the devastated Earth. In 2051, they sent out a signal to call Carol Danvers back to Earth to help them defeat a creature that was preying on the survivors.
In other media
Television
- In The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, Danny Rand as Iron Fist appeared in a number of times in the animated television series starting in the episode "To Steal an Ant-Man" where he was voiced by actor Loren Lester.
- In Ultimate Spider-Man, the Danny Rand Iron Fist appeared as a cast member in the animated television series where he was voiced by actor Greg Cipes.
- In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Danny Rand made a number of appearances in the shared continuity setting.
- In Iron Fist, Danny Rand made his first appearance in the live-action television series where he was portrayed by actor Finn Jones. Daniel Thomas Rand was the son of Wendell Rand and Heather Duncan where as a child he grew up as an acquaintance of the Meachums.
- In Defenders, Danny Rand appeared in the live-action television series where he was once more portrayed by actor Finn Jones.
- In Avengers Assemble, Danny Rand as Iron Fist appeared in the animated television series fourth season Secret Wars where he was voiced again by actor Greg Cipes.
- In Marvel Future Avengers, Iron Fist appeared in the setting of the anime television series where he was voiced by Japanese actor Go Shinomiya and by English actor Johnny Yong Bosch in the dub.
Video games
- In Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage, the Iron Fist appeared as a non-playable character in the 1994 16-bit video game where he was a support ability called by the player in the Super NES and Genesis consoles. When the player was Spider-Man, Iron Fist was a special ability summon where he arrived to heal the player back to full health. In contrast, when playing as Venom then Iron Fist arrived to attack all enemies on screen with a series of flying jump kicks.
- In Spider-Man: Friend or Foe, the Danny Rand Iron Fist appeared as a playable character in the video game where he was voiced by actor John Rubinow.
- In Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, the Danny Rand Iron Fist appeared as a playable character in the fighting video game where he was voiced by actor Loren Lester. Among his fighting techniques included Rising Fang, Crescent Heel and Dragon's Touch. One of his special moves was the Wall of K'un-Lun and another was the Twin Snakes.
- In Marvel: Avengers Alliance, the Danny Rand appeared as a playable character in the Facebook video game with his own Dossier profile entry.
- In Marvel Heroes, the Danny Rand Iron Fist appeared in the MMORPG video game where he was initially a non-playable character voiced by actor JP Karliak then became a playable character where he voiced by actor Johnny Yong Bosch.
- In Marvel Contest of Champions, the Danny Rand Iron Fist appeared as a playable character in the mobile video game.
- In Marvel: Future Fight, Danny Rand as Iron Fist appeared as a playable character in the mobile video game.
- In Marvel Puzzle Quest, Danny Rand as Iron Fist appeared as a playable character in the mobile video game.
- In Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order, Danny Rand as Iron Fist appeared as a playable character in the video game where he was voiced again by actor Johnny Yong Bosch.
Appearances
- Marvel Premiere v1: (1974)
- Iron Fist v1:
- Power Man and Iron Fist v1:
- Namor the Sub-Mariner v1:
- Spider-Man v1:
- Heroes for Hire v1:
- New Avengers v1:
- Immortal Iron Fist v1:
- New Avengers v2:
- Iron Fist: Living Weapon v1:
- Iron Fist:
- Iron Fists v1:
- Doctor Strange: Damnation v1:
- Iron Fist - Marvel Digital Original v1:
- Avengers v8:
- Iron Fist: Heart of the Dragon v1: (2021)
- Devil's Reign v1: (2022)
External Links
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