When the Netflix era of Marvel TV shows ended, it was bittersweet. Shows like Daredevil and The Punisher were well-received, while Luke Cage, Jessica Jones and The Defenders received accolades of their own. Unfortunately, Netflix’s Iron Fist left a lot to be desired.

Iron Fist Season 1 was a hot mess, though Finn Jones improved his performance for Season 2. To this day, fans wonder if Iron Fist could actually be worth reviving in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Fortunately, What If…? Season 3 shows it can be saved and what path forward can be taken to heal its disastrous live-action legacy.

What If Season 3 Has a Heartfelt Iron Fist Origin Story

Kwai Jun-Fan Offers a New Interpretation of Iron Fist

The 2017 Iron Fist did try to pack in heart and soul, but it couldn’t balance Danny’s story properly. It didn’t make him intimidating versus villains like Madame Gao, the Hand and Davos. Instead, it spent a lot of time detailing him coming back to New York and the Meachums stealing his corporate empire and birthright. Had Netflix done a linear origin like Batman Begins, it might have resonated better.

Instead, Colleen Wing’s character arc had stronger potential, and even ended up becoming the new Iron Fist, which is what viewers want more of. Her story as a swordswoman and protector felt more genuine and worthy of the mantle than what Danny Rand had going for him, which unfortunately fell into the trappings of the white savior trope. “What If… 1872?” focuses on this concept of an earnest hero. The episode has Kwai Jun-Fan in action, and he was the Iron Fist of the Wild West in the comics.

Finn Jones Details

In What If…?, Jun-Fan is not an adult, but a young boy working with Shang-Chi and Kate Bishop/Hawkeye. He guides the cowboys to find the Hood, who is a tyrant who is enslaving Chinese people, including his father. In the end, Jun-Fan shows his many moves, helps the heroes, and keeps training. Kate jokes about how he has “iron fists” in a nice nod to the source material. He never gets the mystical power in this alternate reality, but one can easily see him doing so because of him being selfless and brave.

What If Season 3 Confirms an Iron Fist Anthology Could Work

An MCU Cartoon Could Illustrate Various Eras of the Iron Fist

As of this writing, no one knows the plans for Iron Fist. Marvel Studios does have Daredevil: Born Again out in 2025 on Disney+, which will resurrect elements of the Netflix series. It’s possible Danny’s story won’t be too far behind, given where his narrative left off. As of the Iron Fist Season 2 finale, Danny is on a journey of self-discovery, while Colleen protects the Big Apple. An animated would be the best option to continue this narrative.

An anthology series could explore Danny searching for another Iron Fist named Orson Randall. He could use the supernatural guns he found that act as Iron Fists, and his bond with Ward Meachum. This can take them to K’un L’un, on the road to meet more dragons outside of Shou Lao, and to fight Immortal Weapons such as Fat Cobra, the Prince of Orphans, and more. In addition, Danny can learn more about the mystical Seven Cities of Heaven and what the order was about before he got blessed with the gift.

Other episodes can look at the previous Iron Fists to place context over the mantle, the same way Jun-Fan got his side story. The first Iron Fist, Quan Yaozu, would be interesting to explore, as he had a Luke Skywalker-type journey where he began to hate K’un L’un and decided to form his own city and cult. The stories can also look at Orson’s origin with this magical chi, Zhou Cheng (the Iron Fist killer), and villains like Xao who had links to Hydra and a hatred for K’un L’un.

These stories can build a tapestry to Colleen and Danny reuniting, not just as lovers, but as comrades in arms who can work with the Avengers, Shang-Chi, and the Kamar-Taj sorcerers. The foundation can also be set for future Iron Fists such as Lin Lie (the Sword Master). Ultimately, animation would allow more bombastic fights, different time periods, more monsters, and work with actors’ schedules. All of this can also be achieved with a smaller production budget and a quicker timeframe than doing live-action, which would give fans the complete Iron Fist story Netflix couldn’t conjure.

All three seasons of What If…? are now available on Disney+.