11 Simple Fixes That Would Have Saved Marvel's Iron Fist
1. Cast Lewis Tan
Even putting aside the issue of this being a problematic white saviour narrative, there's a compelling case to be made for having Danny Rand portrayed as an Asian-American character.
Yes, it does take care of some of those issues anyway, but it also leads to a more diverse Netflix Marvel Universe (there'd be something interesting and rather unique in seeing a team of heroes such as The Defenders made up of a a white actor, a white actress, a black actor, and an actor of Asian descent).
Moreover, though, you could do more with the character if he was Asian-American, exploring what it means for him to feel like an outsider in K'un-Lun, and/or trying to connect with his parents or grandparents' homeland (and even that ignores Asia being a huge and varied continent) and then coming home to America after 15 years, where again he could seem/feel like an outsider. It could tackle the notion of stereotypes, and indeed have a relevancy to the current political and societal climate.
Continuing that thread further, Marvel and Netflix even had the right actor in front of them. Lewis Tan (who comes from Manchester, with a father of Singaporean descent) steals the show as Drunken Master Zhou Cheng, once again putting the actor of Asian descent into bad guy martial artist role.
Tan, however, initially auditioned for the role of Danny Rand, and based on his performance it's very difficult to understand how he didn't get the part. Ignore stereotyping and appropriation, Tan would've solved a major problem with Finn Jones' iteration of the character: the he's an absolute charisma vacuum. He wouldn't improve the writing, but he would make for a far more likeable and charismatic hero, not to mention instantly improve the fight scenes because he's obviously brilliant in that department. The show would still have flaws, but it'd be far more interesting to watch.
How would you improve Iron Fist? Do you think it needs fixing at all? Share your thoughts down in the comments.