10 TV Shows You Were Ready To Hate

The last and least well received of Marvel’s original Netflix efforts at bringing a television universe into line with their big screen cinematic one, Iron Fist suffered in the public perception from the outset. Undeniably less popular than the comic characters upon which fellow Defenders titles Jessica Jones and Daredevil were based, and without the lead-in to fans of the preexisting shows gifted to Luke Cage, marketing was already starting out on the back foot. However, the show then went on to earn itself significant controversy in one of the worst possible fashions: accusations of cultural appropriation.

With the main character Danny Rand’s powers surrounding martial arts and stemming from traditional Chinese culture and mythology, despite being a white American, it was impossible to escape a rightly perceived orientalist, white saviour narrative. Both fans and multiple high-profile comic writers campaigned for the character to be changed to Asian-American as casting for the show proceeded.

Despite this, distinctly not Asian Game of Thrones alum Finn Jones was ultimately cast in the lead role. People were not pleased, and concerns about the direction of the show soon proved themselves warranted, as both Jones’ performance and the narrative representation of Asian culture in the show were unceremoniously panned.

The series did receive strong viewership despite its poor critical reception and perceived problematic nature, sufficient to secure a second season, but it was later cancelled nonetheless. Here’s hoping Marvel intends to reintroduce Iron Fist to the MCU any time soon that they’ll learn from their mistakes.