Luke Cage and Iron Fist were both products of the 70s and attempts to capitalize on two of the biggest flavors of the month during that erablaxploitation and kung fu movies. Luke Cage was a street tough who was framed for a crime and sent to prison. There, he underwent an experimental procedure that granted him superhuman strength and steel-hard skin. He broke free and established himself as a Hero For Hire. Danny Rand is the son of a wealthy entrepreneur and when on an expedition to locate the mystic city of Kun Lun, Dannys parents are killed and hes found by the inhabitants of the city and raised there. After defeating the dragon Shou-Lao, Danny gains the power of the Iron Fist and travels to Earth to find his fathers killer. When the sales of both the solo titles were flagging, Marvel decided to merge the two books together. The new title, Power Man and Iron Fist, proved to be a very good experiment. Although they had never interacted prior to the title merge, Luke and Danny proved to be a match made in Heaven. They were the epitome of the buddy cop formula that would later prove so popularthey were Riggs and Murtaugh before Riggs and Murtaugh. Since the series cancellation, Luke and Danny teamed up again in the 90s in the Heroes For Hire comic, albeit with a whole host of other characters. They remain good friends in the comics, but there has sadly not yet been another series focused on just the pair of them. Both Luke Cage and Iron Fist will receive their own Netflix series as part of the companys deal with Marvel, and they will team up in the Defenders series that will also see them join forces with Daredevil and Jessica Jones. But hopefully it will prove successful enough for Marvel and Netflix to continue a Heroes For Hire series starring just the two of them. What are your favorite superhero bromances? Sound off in the comments!
Percival Constantine is the author of several novels and short stories, including the Vanguard superhero series, and regularly writes and comments on movies, comics, and other pop culture. More information can be found at his website, PercivalConstantine.com
