Marvel's animated Black Panther anthology will feature Iron Fist, but "not the Iron Fist you expect"

The director of the upcoming Black Pather animated series Eyes of Wakanda has revealed that Iron Fist is returning to the MCU in the series, but not exactly in the way that Marvel fans might think. While we still don't know if Finn Jones will reprise the role at some point in Daredevil: Born Again, another iteration of the superhero is set to debut later this year, when Eyes of Wakanda releases on August 6, 2025.

"There will be an Iron Fist in here, and not the Iron Fist you expect," director Todd Harris said during a panel at the Annecy Animation Festival (via Variety), where the first episode of the series was revealed ahead of its debut this summer.

Harris didn't offer any further details about how the martial arts expert will be included in the story, and he teased even more Marvel characters making appearances in the show. The most obvious cameos should come from the Black Panther movies, although the director noted that "it was never my goal to make 'another one,’ my goal was to make something new.”

With four 30-minute episodes, Eyes of Wakanda includes self-contained stories set in different time periods that follow agents from Wakanda as they retrieve different artefacts stolen from their nation. "It's mostly a spy story," Harris explained, describing the show as a study of how these agents react to the real world, and their journey "balancing what they see with their nationalist agenda".

Per Variety, the first audience reactions are generally positive, with fans "highlighting the show's feeling of cultural authenticity."

As for Iron Fist, will we ever see him again in a live-action project? With Krysten Ritter confirmed to return as Jessica Jones for Daredevil: Born Again season 2, fans are thinking that Finn Jones could reprise the role again. The actor would be up for some much-needed redemption.

"I'm very aware of the critiques of the character and my role in it," Rand said recently. "My response to that is, 'Give me a fucking chance, man. I’m here and I'm ready, and I wanna prove people wrong.'"

Eyes of Wakanda is set to premiere on Disney Plus on August 6, 2025. For more, check out our guide to all the other upcoming superhero movies and all upcoming Marvel movies on the way in 2025 and beyond.