When the Iron Fist TV series debuted on Netflix, the show and character definitely had their haters. For a variety of reasons, including issues with the project's story and pacing, Marvel fans were critical. However, it sounds like Danny Rand actor Finn Jones has taken that criticism in as he worked out the backstory for what the character has been up to since we last saw him in preparation for his return in Season 3 of Daredevil: Born Again.
Jessica Jones and Luke Cage already made appearances in the series that you can watch with a Disney+ subscription, and all four street-level heroes are reuniting in the third season. Fans who spent years watching the Marvel movies in order have loved seeing characters from the Netflix MCU shows return, and I’m particularly excited to know that Finn Jones is finally joining the party since we haven’t seen his character in Hell’s Kitchen in nearly a decade. And Jones has clearly thought about what Danny Rand has been up to in that time. He told IGN:
I think he's been around the world in various different secret orders, probably a lot of like down in ancient ruins in South America and in Asia and really honing his craft. I think he's gone through a lot of grief and a lot of joy and I think that's really forged the Danny that we see show up in Daredevil Season 3. That's all my own backstory. That's just like where I believe the character has been and then what we see in the show is I think a culmination of that.
To hear the British actor talk about what’s been going on in his character's life since we last saw him not only makes me very curious about what we’ll see of him in the final season of Daredevil: Born Again, but it makes me wonder if we’ll get to hear about any of it during the season. Even if we don’t, it definitely sounds like we’ll see a Danny Rand who’s experienced some things that weigh on him.
Anyone who knows anything about Marvel knows that the casts of their movies and TV shows have to remain tight-lipped about anything and everything related to the projects they’re involved with. As a result, even though it doesn’t reveal anything specific about the upcoming storyline for the new season, I appreciate the insight that Jones provided into his own process. It sounds a bit like revisiting an old friend you haven’t caught up with for a while when hearing him talk about finding his character again:
It's wild to not play a character for 10 years and then come back after all that time. For an actor, it's a wonderful gift. I think personally people grow a lot in 10 years and as an actor you grow a lot, and characters grow a lot as well. So to come back with all of that kind of story and to bring that forward into this what I see is it's kind of like a new version of Danny Rand or more of an evolved, grownup version is really fun. So fun.
Hopefully, this “new version of Danny Rand” will win over the haters. I know that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed how Daredevil: Born Again has managed to bring over the continuity and tone from the original Netflix series while telling new stories. Plus, I can’t imagine a version of the show that didn’t incorporate The Defenders before all was said and done. And you can’t bring in The Defenders without including Iron Fist.
Getting to see Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, and Danny Rand again in Matt Murdock’s world makes me wish that we could continue to get new seasons for the other characters as well. I know I’d love to get a deeper peek into Luke and Jessica’s complicated relationship, as well as Danny and Luke’s playful friendship. But hearing how excited the actors were to get the band back together makes me excited to see how it all plays out before the series finale closes the book on this chapter of the street-level heroes’ story.
