Lin Lie is the current Iron Fist, though he's not carrying the mantle alone as he's got his predecessor Danny Rand (now known as Ghost Fist) and his protege Pei at his side. Now all three will have to join forces with White Tiger, White Fox, and Elektra of Daredevil fame to defend the mystical city of K'un-Lun, where the power of the Iron Fist originates.
They'll all unite in Deadly Hands of K'un-Lun, a new five-issue limited series written by Yifan Liang, one of the writers of the hit video game Marvel Rivals, in which Lin Lie appears as Iron Fist, and drawn by veteran Marvel artist Paco Medina.
Liang describes Deadly Hands of K'un Lun as a "mini event" which brings the story of Lin Lie and his arch-enemy, the demonic Lin Feng, to its "climax."
"It's like a mini event in scope, it's about an unlikely group brought together by a shared crisis, in this case, Lin Feng's invasion," Liang tells Newsarama. "Without spoiling anything, we're going to see how Feng is able to pull it off, and how each step of his plan forces someone to rise up and stop him. Feng has his own path to walk, what's waiting for him at the end of the road is... well, it's not what you'd expect."
And it's an ensemble not unlike Rivals. That's the magic of the vast stage for storytelling the Marvel U provides. I still can't believe I got to write Karnak and Elektra. I never thought I got White Tiger before and yet here I am, having way more fun with her than I ever expected, can't wait for you to see how cool we made her!"
"At the center of it all is Lin Lie," the writer continues. "We're drilling deeper than ever before, we're exploring who he really is through his relationships with these characters, and how his choices would shape him beyond DEADLY!"
Along with Elektra, White Tiger, and White Fox, the Iron Fists will be joined by Karnak of the Inhumans and newer hero Aero, with Liang saying Deadly Hands is "an ensemble, not unlike Marvel Rivals."
"That's the magic of the vast stage for storytelling the Marvel U provides," Liang explains. "I still can't believe I got to write Karnak and Elektra. I never thought I got White Tiger before and yet here I am, having way more fun with her than I ever expected, can't wait for you to see how cool we made her!"
And though Liang didn't work on Iron Fist while writing for Marvel Rivals, the game still informs aspects of how Deadly Hands comes together.
"What I am carrying from writing for Marvel Rivals, is my attention to the dialogs. Because you have to make a personality pop in just a few lines, across almost every map and with almost every possible character pairing. It really pushed me to dig deep, find their similarities and differences, experiment, and make them shine."
Artist Paco Medina, who has drawn everyone from the X-Men, to the Avengers, the Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, and just about everyone else in the Marvel Universe, is instrumental to bringing Deadly Hands of K'un Lun to life.
"I adore his amazing work on Spider-Boy and X-Men! As soon as I found out we got Paco, I told my editors Mark and Lauren that he's too good for me and I don't deserve him. I asked for a refund but they said get the hell out!" Liang jokes. "His lines are clean and precise, the action is dynamic as you'd expect in a kung-fu book, and his ability to draw facial expressions! Paco is absolutely the best partner I could hope for, every day is a blast, and I do feel sorry for all the crazy scenes I'm throwing at him."
Along with some of Medina interior pages from Deadly Hands of K'un Lun #1, we've also got a gallery of character design sheets, as well as the newly revealed cover of Deadly Hands of K'un Lun #3.
Here's the cover:
"THE IMMORTAL IRON FIST GAINS AN INHUMAN EDGE…BUT AT WHAT COST?! IRON FIST, ELEKTRA and WHITE FOX are overrun as the conquering army of WAR FISTS descend upon Manhattan!" reads Marvel's official solicitation text for Deadly Hands of K'un Lun #3.
"Even with the help of the INHUMAN’S most powerful fighter, KARNAK, and promising upstart, AERO, Iron Fist makes a desperate gamble at great personal cost – but is he prepared for the repercussions?! Meanwhile, PEI has uncovered the secret of how the War Fists are gaining their powers, and the truth is even more horrifying than they could have ever imagined and could spell the end to the Iron Fist Legacy - forever!"
And here's the character gallery:
"I'm an Iron Fist fan from way back, just like y'all. And you have no idea what's waiting for you! K'un-Lun has always had a very special place in my heart because I'm Chinese, I'm rooting for it by default. And it's not just Lin Lie, it's Danny and Pei, too," Liang concludes.
"DEADLY brings Lin Lie's story that's been cooking for years to a climax. Like I said, it's a mini event. Long-time fans are in for a feast; for the new readers, we're making it as accessible as we can, so don't hesitate, jump on board with us. From the bottom of my heart, I'm pouring everything into this book, and I sincerely hope you like it!"
Deadly Hands of K'un-Lun #1 goes on sale February 18, followed by #2 on March 25, and #3 on April 29. Release dates for Deadly Hands of K'un-Lun #4 and #5 have yet to be announced. For more, read up on the best Marvel Comics events of all time.
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