Now that Marvel’s Iron Fist has found its showrunner to lead the next installment of the Netflix superhero shows, discussions are heating up amongst fans as to which actor should be cast in the role of Danny Rand.
Canonically, the character has always been portrayed as white, but now fans are asking Marvel and Netflix to look at casting an Asian-American actor in the part. According to The Hollywood Reporter, sources say Marvel and Netflix had initially been sitting down with Asian-American actors to consider them for the role–but with the implementation of Dexter‘s Scott Buck as showrunner, they may only be looking at white actors now. Per THR, however, Marvel has declined to comment.
It’s not a new request from fans; Keith Chow, founder and editor of The Nerds of Color, wrote a piece back in 2014 urging Marvel to cast an Asian-American actor as Danny Rand. But with things really starting to look as though they’re being put in motion with the announcement of a showrunner, fans want to make sure their voices are heard.
Searching the hashtag #AAIronFist on Twitter brings up any number of reasons why casting an Asian-American actor as Iron Fist would be a good idea for Marvel and Netflix–and there’s really nothing wrong with adding more diversity to superhero adaptations, in my opinion. Daredevil and Jessica Jones were on the right track when they cast actors of color in roles that had canonically been white–but those were also supporting roles. With Iron Fist, they have the opportunity to take it one step further–and for the better.
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