We've seen Charlie Cox's Daredevil, Krysten Ritter's Jessica Jones, and Mike Colter's Luke Cage in action thanks to Marvel and Netflix's popular superhero shows. Now Iron Fist has been cast, completing the line-up for The Defenders, and it's none other than Game of Thrones actor Finn Jones.
Entertainment Weekly confirmed that Jones - who plays Ser Loras Tyrell in the popular HBO series - has landed the role of Iron Fist (aka Daniel Rand) on the Netflix-Marvel series, which will be run by Dexter and Six Feet Under producer Scott Buck.
The reaction and debate this news has spurred has been immediate and predictable. Even though the casting is very comic book accurate - just like his character, Jones is a white, blue-eyed man - it comes as a disappointment for those who were hoping for a more diverse choice given how the character is steeped in Asian culture.
It's safe to say that there was always going to be some kind of backlash no matter what Marvel decided. However, it's hard not to view this casting decision as a missed opportunity when it comes to diversifying Marvel's ranks. Even so, we're excited to see Jones' take on the character. Unfortunately, we've got a long while to wait; with a cameo in Luke Cage unlikely, Iron Fist probably won't be making his live action debut until 2017 in his own series, which will be followed by The Defenders.
A release date for Iron Fist is yet to be announced.
Images: HBO
