Yes it is true. While superheroes owe their lineage to the archetypal storytelling that has been handed down from one generation to the next going all the way back to Mesopotamia, some of the problems inherent within the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe Neflix series, Ironfist seem to be very similar to the problems that defined Anakin Skywalker in the Star Wars prequels.They both have issues regarding loss, which corrupts their energy with anger and they are also both chosen ones who are vulnerable as a result of this. To a certain extent they also are naive and have father figure problems as well as brother figure problems too. They both are sworn enemies of practitioners of a similar art form, but their ideologies are polar opposites. Just with these broad strokes alone, I hope one can see the similarities. There were other unexplained problems with the storytelling such as how did a barefoot man dressed in sweats make it from the Hymilaya mountains to New York City? Just getting down a mountain barefoot would most likely yield extreme frostbite and the real possibility of his feet becoming so frozen that he would lose all sensation, fall into the snow if not off the mountain and his feet even if he were rescued would probably have to undergo surgical amputation at the toes, which would hinder his special abilities let alone his ability to walk. Another big question is how did he get to New York without any money? Later they make the act of reaching the top of such mountains seem like it is no big deal when training and the ability to adjust to the thinner oxygen would be something not anyone can do period.
Then the problem of characterization takes hold. In a story this muddled, one would think the writers would work hard on their characterizations, but the story arc is unfocused with no clear villain and no sense of closure. When Madam Lau becomes the best character in an entire series, there are problems. I think I would be more interested in seeing a miniseries just about her character and since ultimately she is the "kingpin" of this series, the story should have focused more on the dichotomy between Danny Rand and Madam Lau rather than adding extra villains that are flat and offer little payoff to the storyarc. I think they should have spent more time developing the first series so that it flowed more like Luke Cage, Daredevil and even Jessica Jones.
While Rosario Dawson is easy on the eyes, her character seems shoehorned into this series too and since she got fired from her hospital job, how the Hell is she supporting herself? The answer, "Well this is supposed to be a comic book series" doesn't cut it either because there have been many comic inspired shows that do not suffer from the same problems that Ironfist has. Hopefully having the character in The Defenders with other stronger established characters to work with will help develop Danny Rand more.
The series producers have stated that it was never their intention to have Danny Rand become Ironfist in the first season so I have no problem with that we're it not for the fact that there are about five other Netflix series coming and by the time we meet Ironfist again, we may not care.
Let's hope when we reach that point it will be a more straight forward and entertaining series with more fleshed out characters that make the viewer really care about them and a story that is not as convoluted as the first season. Ironfist is streaming now on Netflix.
(C) Copyright 2017 By Mark A. Rivera
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