Last week, word leaked that Marvel TV and Netflix had cast Game of Thrones supporting player, Finn Jones as the title character of Iron Fist. But to a very vocal subsection of fans, Jones’ casting was controversial because they had been pushing Marvel to cast the previously Caucasian martial arts hero as an Asian man.
According to a new report from The Hashtag Show, Marvel is looking to add one of its most prominent Asian heroes to Iron Fist, perhaps as a way to mitigate the criticism it received for not race-bending Iron Fist himself. Instead, Marvel may be introducing Shang-Chi, the Master of Kung-Fu to the Iron Fist series.
Related: Game of Thrones’ Finn Jones Is Marvel’s Iron Fist
While the report is far from official, The Hashtag Show was one of the first outlets to break the Finn Jones as Iron Fist story, so there may actually be something to this rumor. And while Shang-Chi isn’t directly tied into Iron Fist’s comic book storyline, both characters originated during the Kung-Fu comics craze in the ’70s.
Shang-Chi was created by Steve Englehart and artist Jim Starlin, and he went on to headline the Master of Kung-Fu ongoing comic before fading away into obscurity. However, Shang-Chi has had a resurgence at Marvel as a member of both the Avengers and the Secret Avengers.
If The Hashtag Report is accurate, casting has already begun for Shang-Chi, and there may even be the possibility of the character getting his own series on Netflix. Iron Fist is expected to begin filming later this year for a likely debut in 2017.
Are you excited about the possible appearance of Shang-Chi in Iron Fist? Or are you holding out for the Sons of the Tiger and the Daughters of the Dragon? Unleash your Kung-fury in the comment section below!
