Iron Fist (Daniel "Danny" Rand-K'ai) is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the Marvel Comics Universe, and a practitioner of martial arts. Created by Roy Thomas and Gil Kane, he first appeared in Marvel Premiere #15 (May 1974). The character starred in his own solo series in the 1970s, and shared the title Power Man and Iron Fist for several years.

Publication history[link]

Iron Fist, along with the previously created Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu, came from Marvel Comics during a pop culture trend in the early 1970s for martial arts heroes. Debuting in a story by writer Roy Thomas and penciler Gil Kane in the umbrella title Marvel Premiere #15-25 (May 1974 – October 1975), he was then written successively by Len Wein, Doug Moench, Tony Isabella, and Chris Claremont, with art by successive pencillers Larry Hama, Arvell Jones, Pat Broderick, and, in some of his earliest professional work, John Byrne. Following this run, Iron Fist was immediately spun off into the solo series Iron Fist, which ran 15 issues (November 1975 – September 1977). The solo series was written by Claremont and pencilled by Byrne. A subplot involving Steel Serpent left unresolved by the cancellation of the series was wrapped up in issues #63-64 of Marvel Team-Up.

Iron Fist joined the cast of the Luke Cage series in a three-parter story in Power Man #48-50. The title series changed to Power Man and Iron Fist with issue #50, although the indicia did not reflect this change until issue #67. Iron Fist co-starred the series until the final issue (#125, September 1986).

Two solo miniseries followed a decade later: Iron Fist (vol. 2) #1-2 (September – October 1996), by writer James Felder and penciller Robert Brown; and Iron Fist (vol. 3) #1-3 (July – September 1998), by writer Dan Jurgens and penciller Jackson Guice. Also around this time, he was among the ensemble of the group series Heroes for Hire which ran 19 issues (July 1997 – January 1999).

Following a four-issue miniseries by writer Jay Faerber and penciller Jamal Igle, Iron Fist: Wolverine (November 2000 – February 2001), co-starring the X-Men character Wolverine and cover-billed as Iron Fist/Wolverine: The Return of K'un Lun, came another solo miniseries, Iron Fist (vol. 4) #1-6 (May – October 2004), by writer Jim Mullaney and penciller Kevin Lau. The first issue of a new ongoing series, The Immortal Iron Fist, by co-writers Ed Brubaker and Matt Fraction and primary artist David Aja, premiered with a January 2007 cover-date. Duane Swierczynski took over the series from issue #17.^[1]

Writer co-creator Roy Thomas wrote in a text piece in Marvel Premiere #15 that Iron Fist's origin and creation owe much to the 1940s Bill Everett character, Amazing-Man. Thomas later wrote that he and artist co-creator Gil Kane had...

Iron Fist appearances outside his own title include three Iron Fist stories in Marvel's black-and-white comics magazine Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #10 (March 1975), an additional story co-starring the Sons of the Tiger in issue #18 (November 1975), and a six-part serial, "The Living Weapon", in #19-24 (December 1975 – May 1976). He made guest appearances in such titles as Marvel Two-in-One, Marvel Team-Up, the Sub-Mariner series Namor, Black Panther, and Daredevil.

Fictional character biography[link]

Background[link]

Daniel Rand was born in New York City, the son of American businessman Wendell Rand, a wealthy entrepreneur who discovered the mystical city of K'un-L'un as a young boy. During his time in K'un L'un, Wendell saved the life of the city's ruler, Lord Tuan, and was adopted as Tuan's son. However, Wendell eventually left K'un L'un and became a wealthy entrepreneur in the United States. He married socialite Heather Duncan and had a child, Daniel. When Daniel was nine, Wendell organized an expedition to again seek out K'un L'un, taking his wife Heather, his business partner Harold Meachum, and Daniel. During the journey up the mountain, Daniel slipped off the path, his tie-rope taking his mother and father with him. Meachum, who also loved Heather, forced Wendell to plunge to his death but offered to rescue Heather and Daniel. She rejected his help, preferring to journey without him or die.

As explained in Marvel Premiere #15, Heather and Daniel come across a makeshift bridge that appears out of nowhere and are attacked by a pack of wolves. Heather throws herself on the wolves to save Daniel and is killed even as archers from K'un L'un attempt to save her. The archers take the grieving Daniel to see Yü-Ti, the hooded ruler of K'un L'un. When Daniel expresses his desire for vengeance, Yü-Ti apprentices him to Lei Kung, the Thunderer, who teaches him the martial arts.

Daniel proves to be the most gifted of Lei Kung's students. Rand conditions his fists by plunging them into buckets of sand, gravel, and rock to toughen them. At 19, Daniel is given the chance to attain the power of the Iron Fist by fighting and defeating the dragon known as Shou-Lao the Undying, which guarded the molten heart that had been torn from its body. During the battle, Daniel throws himself against the scar of Shou-Lao, which burns a dragon tattoo into his chest. Having killed Shou-Lao, he enters its cave and plunges his fists into a brazier containing the creature's molten heart, emerging with the power of the Iron Fist. It is later revealed that there have been many Iron Fists before Daniel, making him the modern member of a long lineage of Iron Fists.

When K'un L'un reappears on Earth after 10 years, Daniel decides to leave and find his father's killer. Returning to New York, Daniel Rand, dressed in the ceremonial garb of the Iron Fist, seeks out Harold Meachum, now head of Meachum Industries. After overcoming a number of attempts on his life, he confronts Meachum in his office, only to find the man legless—an amputation carried out when, after abandoning Daniel and his mother, he was caught in heavy snow and his legs became frostbitten.

Impressed by Iron Fist's abilities, Meachum accepts his fate and tells Iron Fist to kill him, but overcome with pity for this pathetic shell of a man, Iron Fist walks away. At that moment Meachum is murdered by a mysterious ninja^[3] and his daughter Joy blames Iron Fist for the death.^[4] Eventually, Iron Fist clears his name and begins a career as a superhero, aided by his friends Colleen Wing and Misty Knight, falling in love with the latter.^[5] Notable adversaries in his early career include the first appearance of the villain Sabretooth (who was not yet known to be connected to Wolverine), the mysterious Master Khan (whom the ninja that killed Meachum once served), and the Steel Serpent, the exiled son of Lei Kung, who coveted the Iron Fist power.

Heroes for Hire[link]

Iron Fist met the hero Iron Man early in his career.^[6] Soon after that, he recounted his first battle with the H'ylthri.^[7]

Just before Rand's battle with Steel Serpent, Misty Knight had been working undercover, infiltrating the organization of the crime lord John Bushmaster. When Bushmaster discovered Knight's treachery, he kidnapped Claire Temple and Noah Burstein, the closest associates of Luke Cage, better known as Power Man, holding them hostage to force Cage to eliminate Knight. Iron Fist was on hand to stop him, however, and after a battle, the truth came out. Rand then helped Cage and the Daughters of the Dragon (Knight and Wing) battle Bushmaster, and rescue Temple and Burstein as well as obtain evidence that proved Cage's innocence on prior drug charges. Iron Fist and Power Man decided to become partners, forming Heroes for Hire, Inc.^[8]

Although Iron Fist and Power Man supposedly were only heroes for money, they were always doing the right thing, which usually left them with less money rather than more. Iron Fist, in his secret identity of Daniel Rand, had reassumed control of his parents' fortune as half of Rand-Meachum, Inc., and was actually quite wealthy. This caused a lot of tension between him and Cage, who was raised poor in the ghetto, even though Rand had actually handed control of his company over to other managers while he learned how to cope in the real world after so long living in K'un-L'un rather than relying on money that he had inherited.

At one point, the pair traveled to K'un-L'un together, where they battled Master Khan.^[9]

Power Man and Iron Fist's partnership ended with Rand contracting cancer from radiation poisoning and inadvertently dying at the hands of Captain Hero, and Cage becoming a fugitive as the prime suspect in Rand's death.^[10]

Resurrection[link]

In the 1990s, the storyline of Rand's death is resolved in the pages of Namor. Although Rand apparently returns from the dead, it is revealed instead to be the Super-Skrull. He admits that he had been Captain Hero, and that the plot to destroy the lives of Rand and Cage had been masterminded by Master Khan. It is also revealed that the "Iron Fist" that had died was actually a doppelgänger created by the extra-dimensional H'ylthri. Rand had, in fact, been kidnapped and replaced by the H'ylthri copy just after he left K'un L'un for the last time.^[11] While in stasis with the H'ylthri, Rand manages to focus his chi, curing the cancer. Iron Fist is later discovered alive in K'un-L'un. With Namor and Misty Knight, he battles Master Khan once more.^[12]

After Marvel's Onslaught crossover event, Rand and Cage reform Heroes for Hire, Inc. with an expanded team, this time working for Namor's Oracle Corporation. Chronicled in a new Heroes for Hire series, the title is eventually canceled due to low sales, ending with Namor dissolving Oracle as well as Heroes for Hire, Inc.

Iron Fist at one point also lost his powers to Junzo Muto,^[13] the young leader of the Hand, but subsequently regained them.^[14]

In the Iron Fist miniseries, Miranda Rand-K'ai also returns from the dead. The H'ylthri revive her and promise to restore her to full life if she retrieves the extra-dimensional artifact known as the Zodiac Key. To this end, she takes the identity of Death Sting, bringing her into conflict with Iron Fist as well as with S.H.I.E.L.D. When the H'ylthri try to kill Iron Fist, Miranda turns the power of the Zodiac Key against them, seemingly killing herself in the process. However, exposure to chemicals from the H'ylthri pods prevented her death.

During the "House of M" crossover event, Rand is shown to be a part of Luke Cage's resistance group.

[edit] Civil War and Daredevil

Rand disguises himself as Daredevil to convince the media and the public that Matt Murdock is not the masked vigilante.^[15] Rand believes that he had been hired to pose as Daredevil by Foggy Nelson. In reality Nelson had faked being murdered and was in witness protection.^{[volume & issue needed]}

During the Civil War, he was opposed to the Superhuman Registration Act, joining Captain America while still pretending to be Daredevil.^{[volume & issue needed]} Rand was apprehended by Pro-Registration forces, calling Tony Stark 'Judas' and giving him a silver dollar, which he says makes thirty one pieces for him.^{[volume & issue needed]} He was later freed from the Negative Zone Prison, joining Captain America's team for the final battle with Iron Man's forces.^{[volume & issue needed]}

New Avengers[link]

After the arrest of Captain America, Rand joins the New Avengers, an underground group provided with secure accommodation by Doctor Strange and which includes his former teammate Luke Cage.^[16] Also, in the public eye, Rand is able to avoid arrest with legal loopholes.^[17]

During the Dark Reign storyline, Rand leaves the New Avengers due to a variety of problems but lets them know if they ever need him to give him a call. He then participates in searching for Luke and Jessica's daughter Danielle, taking out a HYDRA cell with Spider-Woman thinking the Skrull Jarvis has contacted Earth villains looking for a way out of New York or the Earth.^[18]

Rand was taken captive by Norman Osborn's Thunderbolts and brainwashed into fighting Luke Cage as part of a mental reconditioning project Osborn created to use on other heroes to do his bidding. However, Rand manages to shake off the brainwashing by using his focused chi energy to clear his mind.^[19] Later along with Misty Knight, Doctor Strange, Doctor Voodoo, Hellcat, Valkyrie, Daredevil, and the Thing aid the New Avengers in locating and rescuing Cage from Osborn after he suffered a heart attack and summarily taken into custody as a fugitive.^[20]

[edit] The Immortal Iron Fist

This section's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed. Please help improve it by removing unnecessary details and making it more concise. (June 2009)

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2009)

In 2006, Marvel launched a new ongoing series, The Immortal Iron Fist, co-written by Ed Brubaker and Matt Fraction and featuring art by Spanish illustrator David Aja. "The Immortal Iron Fist" began with a six-part arc, counter-intuitively titled "The Last Iron Fist Story". The story reveals the Iron Fist to be a legacy power conferred on the champion of K'un Lun roughly once a generation. There have been sixty-six Iron Fists. K'un L'un is also revealed as one of the Seven Cities of Heaven, each of which has an analogous champion Warrior.

The story introduces Orson Randall, Daniel Rand's immediate predecessor, who reneged on his responsibilities to K'un L'un after suffering immense psychological trauma during the First World War. Randall is discovered in Thailand, apparently preserved by the spirit of Shou-Lao and in full possession of his powers, but living in drug-soaked seclusion. Randall is pursued by agents of the Steel Serpent and the terrorist group HYDRA. Jolted out of his decades-long ennui, Randall seeks out Daniel Rand in New York and gives him The Book of the Iron Fist, a sacred ledger supposedly containing all the Kung-fu secrets of previous Iron Fists, which Randall claims will be necessary if Rand is to compete successfully in the coming tournament of the Seven Champions.

The Steel Serpent, whose powers have been greatly augmented by Crane Mother, quickly dispatches Randall in single combat. On the brink of death, Randall surrenders his Chi to Rand, giving him sufficient power to battle the Serpent to a standstill. After the battle, Rand is immediately summoned by his master, Lei Kung (who is also the father of Steel Serpent) to compete in a tournament that will decide the cycle according to which each of the Seven Cities of Heaven appears on Earth. However, the leaders of the Seven Cities had secretly erected gateways between Earth and each city without the knowledge of the populace. The corruption of the leaders of the Seven Cities of Heaven has spurred Iron Fist, his master Lei Kung the Thunderer, Orson Randall's daughter, and John Aman to secretly plan a revolution. Iron Fist discovers that Crane Mother, and Xao, a high-ranking HYDRA operative, are planning to destroy K'un Lun by using a portal. Upon learning of the plot Steel Serpent helps Rand and the other Immortal weapons to defeat Xao.

Rand destroys the train intended to destroy K'un Lun by extending his chi to find the train's electromagnetic field, transforming himself into "a human bullet." Meanwhile, the revolution orchestrated by Lei Kung and Orson's daughter proves successful, with Nu-an, the Yu-Ti of K'un Lun fleeing in terror. When Rand confronts Xao, Xao reveals that there is an eighth city of Heaven before killing himself. Steel Serpent ultimately seeks to redeem himself to his father and to the populace. Rand suggests Lei Kung as the new Yu-Ti, with Orson's unnamed daughter as the new Thunderer.^[21]

After the events, and learning that the Randall fortune that started Rand International was formed from the oppression of the Cities of Heaven, Rand decides to transform the company into a non-profit organization, dedicated to helping the poor. He also sets up the Thunder Dojo in Harlem to help inner city children, buys back the old Heroes for Hire building as the new Rand International Headquarters, and his new home, while offering Luke Cage a position at the company. He also tries to reconnect with Misty Knight. Rand (on his 33rd birthday) soon learns a disturbing fact about the previous Iron Fists: every single one has died at the age of 33, except Orson Randell, who vanished at that same time.^[22]

Soon afterward Rand is attacked by a servant of Ch'l-Lin, defeating Rand easily. He claims that he has killed many Iron Fists. However, Luke, Misty, and Coleen arrive just as the servant prepares to slay Rand. Luke manages to get hold of the mysterious assassin, but he then suddenly vanishes. Rand searches for answers in the Book of the Iron Fist to try to understand how Orson Randall was able to avoid being slain by the Ch'l-Lin's assassin. However, one of Rand's new business associates calls Rand up to alert him of the Ch'l-Lin assassin staking out the Thunder Dojo.

Rand heads for the dojo, where he finds the assassin, whose real name has been revealed as Zhou Cheng. Cheng has placed some sort of telepathic command upon the students to kill each other if Rand does not surrender. Rand bows before him, but this is quickly revealed to be only a ploy, as Luke, Misty, and the other Immortal weapons arrive to aid Rand. While still formidable in combat, Rand correctly guessed that an opponent who was tailored to fight the Iron Fist would not be as effective against the other weapons. The group defeats Cheng, but he vanishes into thin air.

The Immortal weapons embark on a hunt for Cheng, while Rand attempts to learn about his new adversary. He soon learns that Orson Randall was only able to escape Cheng by addicting himself to heroin, thus damping his chi and leaving Cheng under the assumption that he had died. While searching for a way to defeat Cheng in the Book of the Iron Fist, Rand discovers that his assistant, Nadine, is an accomplice to Cheng, after she poisons his coffee. While Rand's chi prevents the poison from killing him, it is sufficiently strong to weaken him significantly. All of a sudden, Cheng arrives in Rand's office, thanks Nadine (who, although being Cheng's "beloved," appears to have been a rather reluctant accomplice), and prepares to finish what he and Rand started. Just then, Nadine steps in and attempts to stop Cheng, revealing to him that she is pregnant with his child, and does not wish for their baby to be the child of a murderer. Cheng, is it revealed, is seeking to retrieve the heart of the Iron Fist in order to enter K'un Lun and devour the egg that births the next Shou-Lao the Undying every generation, thus wiping out K'un Lun's Iron Fist legacy. Despite having slain evey previous Iron Fist who did not otherwise fall in battle or relinquish their power (excepting Orson Randall), Cheng has always failed to reach the egg.^[23]

Cheng, who it is also revealed has been slowly buying out Rand Int. over the past 20 years, throws Nadine out of the way, and continues his attack. Rand has his shoulder dislocated during the battle, but manages to defeat Cheng even in his weakened state. Following the duel, the Immortal Weapons, Luke, Coleen, and Misty arrive, and reveal to Rand that they have discovered a map in Cheng's apartment that leads to the Eighth City of Heaven, whose existence was mentioned by Xao during the tournament of the seven cities. Rand and the others realize that his is where the Ch'l-Lin originated, and depart for the Eighth City.^[24]

Before their departure, Davos arrives at the behest of Lei Kung to inform Rand that the Eighth city is, in fact, a prison constructed to hold demonic creatures that had once threatened K'un Lun and the other cities of Heaven and its gate only allows for passage in but not out, making it effectively synonymous with Hell. However, Davos also informs Rand that the previous Yu-Ti had housed anyone who attempted to rebel against his rule in the Eighth city, and Lei Kung commissions Rand and the Immortal Weapons to rescue the wrongful prisoners, and informs them that the in-not-out rule can be bypassed by all six of the Immortal Weapons.

Upon arrival at the gates of the city, Rand and the others are literally sucked into the depths of the city, whereupon they are attacked by the prisoners of the Eighth city, which is ruled by the nefarious Changming, and forced to fight the demons of the city one by one, each time beaten nearly to death (their Chi weakened by having been pulled into the city) and rotated repeatedly, while being allowed to heal just enough to be able to fight again. While Rand is in his cell after a fight, he hears a tapping on his cell wall, and realizes it is being done in Chinese, with the message "You are an Iron Fist. Just like me."^[25] Meanwhile, it is revealed that Davos has not been honest with Rand and the Immortal Weapons about their mission, as he has posted a spy outside of the gate of the Eighth City, who reports there being "no signs of life," but that "something is clearly happening," and Davos determines that this requires him to battle Rand once again.

Rand's fellow prisoner reveals himself to be Quan Yaozu, the very first Iron Fist. Quan reveals that in the early days of K'un Lun's history, Changming had risen to power during a time of moral decadence in the city. Changming had been the one who had originally summoned all of the demonic creatures that had once plagued K'un Lun into the city, including Shou-Lao the Undying, and used them to quickly conquer the city. One day, however, a lone warrior had entered the dragon's cave to challenge it.

Before Quan can finish, he and Rand are removed from their cells and brought into the arena for a fight. By now, Changming has learned that Rand and the Immortal Weapons have been formulating a plan to rescue the prisoners of the Eighth City and make their escape, by leaving each other Morse code messages in the arena after each fight. Changming declares that Rand and Quan will fight to the death. Rand refuses to "fight an old man," but Quan, now in his Iron Fist suit, replies, "Sorry, Young Fist. I've been waiting for this chance for freedom Far Too Long."^[26]

However, once the fight begins, Rand immediately senses that his opponent lacks any perceivable martial arts skills and realizes that he is not the true Quan Yaozu. As the Immortal Weapons manage to escape and defeat the guards during the fight, Changming reveals that he is, in fact, the true Quan Yaozu. He explains that he voluntarily stayed in the Eighth City to keep K'un Lun's demons from escaping. However, upon seeing his lost love thrown into the Eighth City, Quan became disillusioned, and believed that K'un Lun was not worth saving, eventually rising up to rule the Eighth City as Changming. Rand and Fat Cobra manage to defeat Quan in the battle, and prepare to ask him the true nature of the Eighth City and why they have been sent there.^[27]

However, Rand soon discovers that the Immortal Weapons are pawns in a plan Quan has hatched. As the door to the Eighth City can only be opened from the inside by the Immortal Weapons, his plan was for the Immortal Weapons to make an escape attempt, thereby opening the gate and unleashing Quan and his army to take his revenge on the Seven Cities for having sentenced him and many of their citizens to an eternity in the Eighth City.

Quan forces Rand to lead him out of Eighth City and back to K'un Lun, but after making it outside the gate, the two encounter Davos, who is waiting outside the gate with a sniper rifle. He tells Rand that he has been sent there by Lei-Kung to assassinate Quan, as he and Lei-Kung believe that Rand lacks the ability to take a life. In the ensuing battle, Rand manages to defeat both Davos and Quan, going as far as to take a bullet in the hand for the latter. Rand's actions impress Quan, who decides that Rand may be living proof that K'un Lun is not the corrupt city it once was. Rand and Davos agree to guide Quan to K'un Lun and arrange a meeting between him and Lei-Kung to give Quan a forum for his grievances.^[28]

However, when Rand returns to New York, he finds a HYDRA cell waiting for him at Rand International, seeking retribution for the death of Xao, and holding Misty hostage. In the ensuing battle, Rand Int. is destroyed, but Rand and Misty escape unharmed. With Rand Int. destroyed and now left with only a fraction of his former net worth, Rand and Misty purchase a new condo in Harlem, and Rand decides to focus all of his attention and remaining resources at the Thunder Dojo. While moving into their new home, Rand asks Misty to marry him. Initially skeptical of the offer, thinking it may only be "one of those honor things", Misty accepts and reveals that she is pregnant with Rand's child.^[29]

Thunderbolts[link]

Rand is surprised one day when he finds Norman Osborn waiting for him in his office, and is then ambushed and captured by several of the Thunderbolts. Osborn uses new technology to brainwash Rand, using a mentally-induced simulation in which Rand kills Wolverine, Spider-Man, and Captain America but cannot bring himself to kill Luke Cage. Ghost suggests completely mind-wiping Rand, but Osborn does not want him to lose his skills so he forces Rand to undergo a dangerous procedure where his mind is further tampered with. Iron Fist assists in capturing Luke Cage, who later escapes thanks to the Ghost's tampering. Iron Fist attacks Cage (who had been assisted in his escape by Ant-Man, whom he had previously swallowed), and Rand makes it appear that he killed Cage, allowing the two to escape by surprise. It is later revealed that when Rand used his focused chi to punch Cage, it had cleared his warped mind.^[30]

Heroic Age[link]

In the aftermath of Siege, Rand rejoined the newly reformed New Avengers.^[31] While fighting a demonic invasion of New York apparently originating from the Eye of Agamotto, Iron Fist was teleported into another dimension when he came in contact with the Eye, simultaneously creating a rift on Earth that Doctor Strange claimed would mean the end of everything.^[32] As the Avengers battle the demons back on Earth, Iron Fist finds himself in a white void where he encounters the Ancient One, who claims that he is responsible for the current invasion due to his anger at Strange's recent 'failures'.^[33] When Iron Fist returns to Earth- now dressed in a new costume-, he claims that the Ancient One has told him that Strange stole the Eye from the Ancient One rather than being given it by his master, challenging Strange to admit the truth.^[34] Although it is subsequently revealed that Rand was actually being manipulated by Agamotto as part of his attempt to destroy this reality,^[35] he retains his new costume even after Agamotto's defeat and Doctor Voodoo's sacrifice.^[36] After finding out that Misty's pregnancy was false, Misty and Danny decide to move out of their apartment and live separately, but continue their relationship.^[37]

Shadowland[link]

Iron Fist is amongst the heroes who battle Daredevil and the Hand. Luke Cage and Iron Fist are asked by Captain America, Iron Man and Thor to speak to Daredevil concerning the Hand's martial law imposed in Hell's Kitchen. As the former Heroes for Hire make their way to Hell's Kitchen, they witness Daredevil brutally murder Bullseye.^[38]

Danny later has an encounter with someone who is going by the name of Power Man. He and Luke Cage discover that the Power Man is Victor Alvarez who was a survivor of the building that Bullseye blew up.^[39]

The day after Bullseye's murder, Iron Fist and Luke Cage are discussing Murdock's actions when they are visited by the Kingpin, who comes to warn them that soon they will need to take Murdock down. Iron Fist later joins Luke Cage and the other street heroes when talking to Daredevil. When Kingpin unleashes Ghost Rider upon Shadowland, Daredevil suspects them behind Ghost Rider's attack and orders his ninjas to hunt them down.^[40]

In the final battle for Shadowland, Iron Fist uses his chi to heal Murdock's body and soul, giving Daredevil the power to fight back against the beast inhabiting his body.^[41]

After Shadowland, Iron Fist becomes the new Power Man's mentor and the two become a team.^{[volume & issue needed]}

Fear Itself[link]

During the Fear Itself storyline, Iron Fist and the Immortal Weapons are summoned to Beijing China to close the gates of the Eighth City that are on the verge of opening. However, Doctor Strange's prediction that Iron Fist is the problem and not the solution comes true when Danny is placed under mind control which is also creating a mystical interference with the ability of the Immortal Weapons to close the gate. He is then forced to battle his allies, including War Machine who had accompanied their group on this trip. Thanks to War Machine knocking him out, the mission is completed successfully. However, Doctor Strange realizes that Iron Fist is now an Immortal Weapon of Agamotto.^[42]

Powers and abilities[link]

Plunging his fists into the molten heart of the dragon Shou-Lao the Undying infused the dragon's superhuman energy into Rand; this along with training by Lei Kung the Thunderer gave Rand the power of the Iron Fist, allowing him to summon and focus his chi (or natural energy) and enhance his natural abilities to extraordinary levels. His strength, speed, stamina, durability, agility, and reflexes and senses can all be greatly intensified, making his already formidable martial arts skills even more so.

The ultimate expression of this focus is the ability to concentrate his body's natural energies into his hand, manifesting as a supernatural glow around his clenched fist, making his fist "like unto a thing of iron". So concentrated, this "iron fist" can smash into its target with superhuman hardness and impact, while his hand becomes impervious to pain and injury. However, the feat of summoning the power required leaves Rand physically and mentally drained, unable to repeat the act for a time, as long as even an entire day in certain instances. Such an ability is described as "quasi-mystical".

Other applications of the Iron Fist power include the ability to focus chi energy inward to heal oneself or outward to heal others of injury, as well as the ability to telepathically fuse his consciousness temporarily with another person and meld with that person's mind. In Maximum Carnage, Rand was able to use the mental application of the Iron Fist to temporarily calm a rioting mob. When asked about this by Spider-Man, Rand replied that all humans are, in essence, one divine being, in a constant craving for that oneness, and once it is offered, it cannot be refused. When asked by Spider-Man how long it would take to learn this "meditative technique", Rand replied, "Eight or ten years."^[43]

Orson Randall, Rand's predecessor as Iron Fist, demonstrated applications including hypnosis and channeling his chi energy into projectile weapons to increase their destructive capacity. Randall also showed enhanced resistance to injury, including resilience to poison gas dropped on his fellow combatants in the trenches of World War I, and a greatly slowed aging process. Although almost one hundred years old by the time he encountered Daniel Rand, he demonstrated physical vitality commensurate with a highly-trained martial artist half his age.^{[volume & issue needed]} Rand has presumably acquired powers and abilities at least equivalent to Orson Randall's—though not necessarily the skill to control them—thanks to combining Randall's chi energy with his own. He is also in possession of the Book of the Iron Fist, study of which will greatly expand his kung fu skills.

Rand displayed what he had learned from Orson Randall regarding alternative applications of the Iron Fist when he was able to extend his chi from his fist into the electromagnetic field of the train intended to destroy K'un Lun, transforming himself into "a human bullet." Despite the train being loaded down with "enough raw explosives to make Hiroshima look like a sparkler", Rand was able to destroy the train, and survive the massive explosion virtually unharmed.^{[volume & issue needed]} In combat with other superhumans, he has demonstrated the ability to strike Skaar - the son of the Hulk and Caiera the Oldstrong - with enough force to at least daze Skaar, despite the latter having inherited his father's strength,^[44] later destroying Ragnarok - an android clone of Thor - with Spider-Man throwing him at Ragnarok.^[45]

Even without the Iron Fist, Rand is a master of all of K'un Lun's martial arts and many of Earth's.

In a confrontation with Tony Stark, it is revealed that Iron Fist has been registered as a lethal weapon,^{[volume & issue needed]} as is supposedly required of advanced martial artists in the United States. His lawyer is present during the confrontation and argues the loophole that he is already registered with the government, and that his abilities are skill based and not power based, meaning that he does not technically qualify as a superhero and it is suggested that he has broken no laws.

Other versions[link]

Age of Apocalypse[link]

In Astonishing X-Men (vol. 1) #2, a man is seen running from Holocaust with the Iron Fist tattoo on his upper left shoulder.

MC2[link]

Iron Fist appeared in the pages of Spider-Girl #24, in which he is retired after the death of Misty Knight, his wife in this universe. However, he temporary steps back into costume to aid Spider-Girl against the might of Dragon Fist.^[46]

Marvel Zombies[link]

Iron Fist is shown twice in battle during the Marvel Zombies miniseries. He can be seen in several splash panels,^{[volume & issue needed]} as well being bitten by a zombie version of Luke Cage,^{[volume & issue needed]} and again punching a hole through a zombified Black Cat and once again being bitten, apparently avoiding infection through his healing abilities.^[47] A different Iron Fist appears in Marvel Zombies Return in an alternate universe where he is unaffected by the zombie outbreak until the Wolverine from the Marvel Zombies universe kills him with his claws.^[48]

Ultimate Iron Fist[link]

Daniel Rand has appeared in Ultimate Spider-Man. His first appearance in the Ultimate universe was in Ultimate Spider-Man #1/2. Later, he appeared in the Warriors story-arc (issues #79-85) along with Shang Chi, Moon Knight, and others. He reappears in the Ultimate Knights arc, as a member of a Daredevil-led team trying to take down the Kingpin. In Ultimate Spider-Man #107, however, he has apparently betrayed the group to the Kingpin. Daredevil has uncovered the deception and ends issue #109 demanding answers from Rand. In issue #110 Iron Fist reveals that he has a daughter and the Kingpin threatened her life, so he chose his daughter's life over Daredevil's, and the rest of the heroes that teamed up to take down the Kingpin. He did distract Kingpin while Daredevil grabbed Kingpin's wife. Rand is last seen with his daughter and his daughter's mother Colleen Wing.^[49]

House of M[link]

After Scarlet Witch alters reality, Daniel Rand emerges from K'un-Lun, unaware of the mutant-dominated planet. He is attacked by mutant police, and eventually joins Luke Cage's Human Resistance Movement.

In other media[link]

Television[link]

• Iron Fist appears in The Super Hero Squad Show episode "A Brat Walks Among Us", voiced by Mikey Kelley. He is seen as a member of Heroes for Hire (alongside Luke Cage and Misty Knight) when Brynnie Bratton hires them to help look for her father.

• A teenaged version of Iron Fist appears as one of the main characters in Ultimate Spider-Man,^[50] voiced by Greg Cipes.^[51] He is protrayed as Luke Cage's best friend and voices his opinion that Spider-Man has potential. Danny Rand runs the Rand Corporation, which rivals Oscorp.

• Iron Fist appears in The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes episode "To Steal an Ant-Man", voiced by Loren Lester. He is a member of Heroes for Hire. Iron Fist and Heroes for Hire are hired by Henry Pym to retrieve his Ant-Man suit from a thief who has stolen it. Luke Cage and Iron Fist go to track down some informants to locate the thief that stole the Ant-Man costume. Luke Cage and Iron Fist run into the thief that stole the Ant-Man costume. With help from Henry Pym's Pym Particle tracker, they find the thief and discover that it was Scott Lang, who needed the money to pay off his former partner Crossfire, who had captured his daughter Cassandra Lang. When it came to Scott's meeting with Crossfire and his men, Henry Pym arrived with Luke Cage and Iron Fist where they help Scott rescue Cassandra and defeat Crossfire.

Film[link]

• In May 2000, Marvel Studios brought Artisan Entertainment to co-finance an Iron Fist film,^[52] hiring Ray Park to star and John Turman to write the script in January 2001.^[53] Park read extensively the comics Iron Fist had appeared in.^[54] Kirk Wong signed to direct in July 2001, with filming set for late 2001/early 2002.^[55] Iron Fist nearly went into pre-production in March 2002.^[56] Wong left the project in April 2002.^[57] By August 2002, pre-production had started.^[58] Filming was pushed back to late 2002,^[59] and then to late 2003.^[60] In March 2003, Marvel announced a 2004 release date.^[61] In April 2003, Steve Carr entered negotiations to direct.^[62] In November 2003, the release date was moved to 2006.^[63] In March 2007, Carr placed Iron Fist on hold due to scheduling conflicts.^[64] In 2009, Marvel announced they have begun hiring a group of writers to help come up with creative ways to launch its lesser-known properties, such as Iron Fist, along with others such as Black Panther, Cable, Doctor Strange, Nighthawk, and Vision.^[65] In August 2010, Marvel Studios hired Rich Wilkes to write the screenplay.^[vague][66]

Video games[link]

• Iron Fist appears as a non-playable character in the 16-bit video game Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage (1994), which was released for the Super Nintendo and Genesis game consoles.^[67]
• Iron Fist appears as a playable character in Spider-Man: Friend or Foe voiced by John Rubinow. He is depicted as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who went missing when on Tangaroa Island. After Iron Fist is rescued from the P.H.A.N.T.O.M.s by Spider-Man, he joins him on his quest.^[68]
• Iron Fist is a playable character in the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2, voiced by Peter Dobson. He is locked into the Anti-Registration faction during the Civil War portion of the game.^[69]
• Iron Fist makes a cameo appearance in Ryu's ending in Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds.
• Iron Fist is a new playable character in Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, an update to the original Marvel vs. Capcom 3.^[70] In this game, he is voiced by Loren Lester.^[71]
• Iron Fist is a playable character in the Facebook game Marvel: Avengers Alliance.

Reception[link]

Iron Fist is ranked as the 195th greatest comic book character of all time by Wizard magazine.^[72] IGN also ranked Iron Fist as the 68th greatest comic book hero of all time stating that in the Marvel Universe, mastery of martial arts is enough to qualify as a super-power, and none are more "super" at the art of fighting than Iron Fist.^[73]

Collected editions[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Iron Fist at Marvel.com
• A profile of his father, Wendell Rand-K'ai
• A profile of his mother, Heather Duncan Rand (Silver Dragon)
• Iron Fist at the Internet Movie Database

Look up iron fist in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Iron Fist may refer to:

• Iron Fist (comics), a Marvel Comics superhero/martial artist
• Iron Fist (novel), a 1998 Star Wars novel by Aaron Allston
• Tekken (series) (鉄拳, lit. Iron Fist), a series of fighting games by Namco
• 20th Armoured Brigade (The Iron Fist), nickname of British Army armoured formation based in Paderborn, Germany
• Iron Fist (countermeasure), an Israeli counter-weapon system
• Iron Fists, a chapter of Space Marines in the Warhammer 40,000 universe
• Ironfist (Transformers), a character in the Transformers series
• The Man with the Iron Fist, an upcoming film starring Russell Crowe

In music:

• Iron Fist (album), a 1982 album by metal band Motörhead
  • "Iron Fist" (song), a single from the album
• Iron Fist, a progenitor of the band Helloween
• "Iron Fist", a song from Die Apokalyptischen Reiter's debut album Soft & Stronger
• "Iron Fist", a song from Goldfinger's album Disconnection Notice
• "Iron Fist", an unreleased song by Coheed and Cambria

In sports:

• Dr. Ironfist, the Ukrainian heavyweight boxer and Ph.D., Vitali Klitschko (a.k.a. Dr. Eisenfaust)

See also[link]

• Iron Hand (disambiguation)

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

This article describes a work or element of fiction in a primarily in-universe style. Please help rewrite it to explain the fiction more clearly and provide non-fictional perspective. (October 2009)

Luke Cage (born Carl Lucas and also called Power Man) is a fictional character, a superhero appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Archie Goodwin and artist John Romita, Sr., he first appeared in Luke Cage, Hero for Hire #1 (June 1972). He obtained his powers in an accident that left him with near impervious skin and superhuman strength.

Publication history[link]

A streetwise youth, the man called "Lucas" was sent to prison for a crime he did not commit. In exchange for parole, Lucas clandestinely underwent an experimental procedure, originally intended to generate immunity to all illness; instead, it inadvertently granted him steel-hard skin and heavier, enhanced muscle. After escaping Seagate Prison, he forged the identity of "Luke Cage" becoming a "hero for hire," a sort of super-enhanced private detective—although Cage commonly refused money, or simply received none, for cases gone awry (a fair portion, for the unlucky Cage). Later, he formed a business partnership with the martial arts hero known as Iron Fist in the series Power Man & Iron Fist.

Cage was one of the first African American superheroes to star in an eponymous comic book series. (The first African American character to do so was Dell Comics' western hero Lobo.) Cage was a groundbreaking but controversial hero^{[citation needed]}. He was Marvel's entry into the 1970s blaxploitation trend, and much of "Hero for Hire" saw him using exaggerated slang, including the catch phrase "Sweet Christmas!" Brian Azzarello's Cage series was also criticized for an overly thuggish portrayal of the character.^{[citation needed]}

Subsequently, Cage has been featured in the Brian Michael Bendis-written series Alias, Secret War, The Pulse, Daredevil, and New Avengers.

As of 2010, Cage is the leader of the Heroic Age era Thunderbolts, which was formed in the aftermath of Siege.^[2] He also remains with the New Avengers.^[3]

Fictional character biography[link]

This article's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed. Please help improve it by removing unnecessary details and making it more concise. (February 2011)

Origin[link]

Born and raised in New York City's Harlem neighborhood, Lucas spends his youth in a gang called the Rivals. With his friend Willis Stryker, he fights the rival gang the Diablos and commits petty thefts, often on behalf of deformed crime lord Sonny Caputo, a.k.a. Hammer. In and out of juvenile homes throughout his teens, Lucas dreams of becoming a major New York racketeer until he finally realizes how his actions are hurting his family. He seeks to better himself as an adult by finding legitimate employment. Meanwhile, Stryker rises through the ranks of crime, but the two men remain friends. When Stryker's activities anger the Maggia (a.k.a. the Syndicate), he is badly beaten in a mob hit, saved only by Lucas' intervention. When Stryker's girlfriend, Reva Connors, breaks up with him in fear of his violent work, she seeks solace with Lucas. Stryker is convinced that Lucas is responsible for the breakup, so he plants heroin in Lucas' apartment and tips off the police. Lucas is arrested and sent to prison where contact with his family is sparse due to the resentment of his brother James, Jr., who intercepts Lucas' letters to their father James and eventually leads each to believe the other is dead.

In prison, Lucas is consumed by rage over Stryker's betrayal and his father's supposed death, engaging in frequent brawls and escape attempts. Eventually transferred to Seagate Prison off the coast of Georgia, he becomes the favorite target of sadistic guard Albert "Billy Bob" Rackham, whose brutality ultimately leads to a demotion that he blames on Lucas. Later, research scientist Dr. Noah Burstein recruits Lucas as a volunteer for experimental cell regeneration based on a variant of the Super-Soldier process he had previously used to empower Warhawk. Burstein immerses Lucas in an electrical field conducted by an organic chemical compound; when he leaves Lucas unattended, Rackham alters the experiment's controls, hoping to maim or kill Lucas. Lucas' treatment is accelerated past its intended limits, inducing body-wide enhancements that give him superhuman strength and durability. He uses his new power to escape Seagate and makes his way back to New York, where a chance encounter with criminals inspires him to use his new powers for profit.

Adopting the alias Luke Cage and donning a distinctive costume, he launches a career as a Hero for Hire, helping anyone who can meet his price. He soon establishes an office above Times Square's Gem Theater, where he befriends film student D. W. Griffith.^[4] Burstein, aware of his friend's innocence, also relocates to New York and opens a medical clinic, assisted by Dr. Claire Temple, whom Cage begins dating. Although Cage is content to battle strictly conventional criminals, he soon learns that New York is hardly the place to do so. Stryker himself has become a Maggia agent known as Diamondback and dies battling Cage.^[5] Subsequent opponents included Gideon Mace, an embittered veteran seeking a U.S. takeover; Chemistro (Curtis Carr), whose Alchemy Gun is a weapon later used by others, including his own brother after Curtis reformed; and Discus, Stiletto, Shades, and Commanche, all criminals with ties to Cage's prison days who face him repeatedly over the years.

Superhero ties[link]

Although Cage has little in common with most of New York's other superhumans, an ill-conceived attempt to collect a fee from a reneging Doctor Doom leads him to befriend the Fantastic Four.^[6] He is subsequently hired by Daily Bugle publisher J. Jonah Jameson to capture Spider-Man. Cage, however, comes to sympathize with Spider-Man and forcibly returns Jameson's deposit, earning a place on the publisher's lengthy list of superhuman personae non gratae.^[7] Via much-later retcon, as the character Jewel did not exist at the time, Cage also befriends Jessica Jones, a young woman whose superhuman strength and unconventional style match his own. During a mission in which Cage and Iron Man track down Orville Smythe, who had duped him into stealing an experimental starsuit from Stark International to "test his [Tony Stark's] factory's security system", Cage follows the example of his new peers and takes the codename of Power Man.^[8] Cage battles a rogue Erik Josten (Atlas of the Thunderbolts) for the use of the Power Man name, winning the right.^[9]

Shortly afterward, Luke Cage begins associating with the loose-knit super-team known as the Defenders, alongside whom he battles the super-strong Wrecking Crew^[10] and the racist subversives known as the Sons of the Serpent.^[11] When the Thing temporarily loses his superhuman powers, Power Man is hired to replace him in the Fantastic Four, but his tenure proves brief after the Puppet Master takes control of him to fight his new teammates.^[12] Meanwhile, Power Man continues in solo action against an odd assortment of villains including the maddened professional wrestler X the Marvel, the uninspired Maggia agent Mr. Fish, mobsters Dontrell "Cockroach" Hamilton and Ray "Piranha" Jones, the racist Wildfire, the super-powered informant Cheshire Cat, the vengeance-seeking brothers Mangler and Spear (whose brother Jack had died under Dr. Burstein's treatment), the jungle cat-controlling Lionfang, rival crime lords Baron and Big Brother, the obsessive Goldbug, and Zzzax the Living Dynamo.

Called to assist the Defenders against the Plantman, Cage begins to complain that his participation in their group is interfering with his paying work. Wealthy Defenders member Nighthawk solves this problem by placing Power Man on retainer, giving Luke a steady paycheck for his Defenders activities. For some time thereafter, Power Man serves as a core member of the Defenders alongside the likes of Doctor Strange, the Hulk, Brunnhilde the Valkyrie, Nighthawk, and the Red Guardian (Dr. Tania Belinskya). Together, they defeat minor threats including the Eel and the Porcupine, and major menaces such as the Headmen, Nebulon, Egghead's Emissaries of Evil, and the Red Rajah; but Cage feels out of place in the often-bizarre exploits of the Defenders and eventually resigns. He goes on to battle foes such as Moses Magnum,^[13] and the second Chemistro.^[14]

Power Man and Iron Fist[link]

Having obtained proof of Cage's innocence in his original drug charges, the criminal Bushmaster abducts Burstein and Temple, using their safety and the hope of acquittal to blackmail Cage into abducting detective Misty Knight, who humiliated Bushmaster in an earlier encounter. Cage's efforts lead to a fight with Knight's boyfriend, the martial artist Iron Fist, a native of the extra-dimensional city of K'un-L'un and a newcomer to Earth society. Upon learning of Cage's situation, Iron Fist and Knight help him defeat Bushmaster and rescue his friends. In the course of the encounter, Bushmaster forces Burstein to mutate him as he had Cage, but is nonetheless defeated.^[15] Cleared of criminal charges, Power Man legally changes his name to "Lucas Cage".^[16] He briefly works for Knight's detective agency, Nightwing Restorations, but soon elects to join Iron Fist in a two-man team, Heroes for Hire,^[17] founded by attorney Jeryn Hogarth and staffed by administrative wunderkind Jennie Royce. Although the streetwise Power Man and the unworldly Iron Fist seem to have little in common, they soon become the best of friends. Cage's relationship with Claire Temple proves less durable, and he instead begins dating model Harmony Young.

Power Man also helps Spider-Man battle a tenement fire.^[18] With Iron Fist and the X-Men, he battles the Living Monolith.^[19] Alongside Iron Fist, he travels to K'un-L'un, and battles Master Khan.^[20]

Power Man and Iron Fist achieve great success with Heroes for Hire, earning an international reputation and fighting a wide variety of criminals, including the genius Nightshade, the international crime lord Montenegro, Sabretooth and the Constrictor,^[21] the third Chemistro,^[22] Warhawk, and the drug lord Goldeneye. They have several struggles involving the nations of Halwan and Murkatesh, including incarnations of Scimitar and the Black Tiger. They occasionally work alongside fellow street-level heroes such as Spider-Man, Daredevil, and Moon Knight, but rarely participate in the larger-scale crises that occupy the likes of the Fantastic Four and the Avengers. Their partnership's downfall begins when the mysterious government agency S.M.I.L.E. manipulates Power Man and Iron Fist into the employment of Consolidated Conglomerates, Inc.; during their first CCI assignment, Iron Fist suffers radiation poisoning. Cage takes him to K'un-Lun for treatment. Iron Fist apparently recovers, and soon after their return to the outside world, he encounters a young boy named Bobby. Bobby can change the molecular structure of his body because of a meteorite that fell from the sky, granting him superhuman powers and calling himself Captain Hero. The meteorite that gave him the powers also gave him a deadly spore that was killing him. During a painful episode caused by his illness, Bobby transforms into Captain Hero and pummels Iron Fist, apparently killing him. Cage is blamed for the apparent murder of Iron Fist and flees.^[23]

Chicago[link]

The following passage refers to events in the 1992–1993 series Cage, written by Marcus McLaurin.

A fugitive again, Cage breaks contact with his New York friends and relocates to Chicago;^[24] but, with Hogarth's help, he is cleared of criminal charges when the real Iron Fist turns up alive.^{[volume & issue needed]} Cage discovers that Iron Fist had been replaced by a doppelganger of the plantlike H'ylthri race, K'un-Lun's ancient enemies during his treatment. This doppelganger's existence and destruction at the hands of the Super-Skrull are part of a bizarre scheme engineered by Iron Fist's enemy, Master Khan.^{[volume & issue needed]}

Wanting a new start after his murder charge is dropped, Cage abandons his Power Man guise and begins operating out of Chicago as the plainclothes Luke Cage, Hero for Hire; he makes arrangements with the Chicago Spectator for exclusive reports of his adventures and frequently works with detective Dakota North. On his first mission in Chicago, he assists the Punisher in battling drug dealers.^[25] Cage soon attracts the interest of the refined assassin Hardcore, an employee of Cruz Bushmaster, son of the very villain whose defeat clears Cage's name the first time.^[26] Cage learns that Cruz, following in his father's extortion footsteps, has abducted Noah Burstein's wife Emma to force the scientist to recreate the process that had empowered Cage, regardless of how many test subjects suffer in the process. Cruz undergoes the procedure himself, but the elder Bushmaster drains the power from his son, reversing his near-catatonia and declaring himself the Power Master. Cage teams with Iron Fist to thwart their plans, freeing the Bursteins while the Bushmasters apparently perish. Cage's power is augmented further by exposure to the Power Man virus.^[27]

While Cage tries to locate his surviving family members with the aid of Dakota North, his brother keeps moving his father around to keep Cage away from them. James, Jr., is eventually recruited by the criminal Corporation, whose power-enhancing scientist Doctor Karl Malus mutates him into the superhuman Coldfire. As Coldfire, James, Jr., hopes to be a match for his brother, whom he regards as a threat, and he uses his hatred of Cage as a focus for his energy powers. Though James, Jr. works with the Corporation quite willingly, Malus has James, Sr. held hostage as extra insurance of Coldfire's cooperation. When Cage learns the Corporation is holding his family, he invades their headquarters and battles Coldfire. The brothers ultimately join forces to rescue their father from Malus, and Coldfire sacrifices himself to destroy the Corporation's headquarters.^{[volume & issue needed]}

Heroes for Hire return[link]

The following passage refers to events in the 1997–1999 series Heroes for Hire, written by John Ostrander.

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

A few months later, Cage investigates the murder of Harmony Young and fights her killer, the demon Darklove, alongside Ghost Rider. Not long afterward, the mystic Doctor Druid recruits Cage to serve in his Secret Defenders against the sorcerer Malachi. Cage returns to New York and, deciding his heart is no longer in superheroics, becomes co-owner of the Gem Theater with his friend D.W. Griffith. Even an invitation from Iron Fist to join a new and expanded Heroes for Hire fails to interest him; yet when the would-be world conqueror called the Master tries to recruit Cage as a spy within Iron Fist's team, destroying Cage's theater in the process, a curious Cage plays along. Cage joins Heroes for Hire and serves with them for some time while reporting to the Master. Cage himself even begins to sympathize with the more benevolent aspects of the Master's goals, and the Master and Cage seem to become genuinely fond of each other; but in the end, Cage can neither betray his best friend Iron Fist nor reconcile himself to the tremendous loss of life the Master's plans of conquest will entail, and he ultimately helps Heroes for Hire destroy the Master of the World's plans. Cage remains with the group thereafter, and dates a fellow member, the She-Hulk. When the Stark-Fujikawa Corporation buys out Heroes for Hire, Cage and Ant-Man are fired because of their prison records, and the rest of the team quits in protest.^{[volume & issue needed]}

Cage, bitten by the hero bug once more, continues to share adventures with Iron Fist and other heroes. Briefly resuming his Power Man identity, he is hired by Moon Knight to join an unnamed team of street-level New York vigilantes, often referred to by fans as the "Marvel Knights"; but mere days after he joins, the group dissolves following clashes with the forces of Tombstone and Fu Manchu. Deciding that a return to basics is in order, he re-establishes his Hero for Hire activities, intervening in a gang war between Tombstone and Hammerhead, and soon learns that, despite his international fame, he is almost forgotten on the streets where he originally made his reputation. He invests his money in a bar and sets about ridding his immediate neighborhood of criminal elements, deciding that the business of world-saving is best left to others.^{[volume & issue needed]}

In the 2001 miniseries Cage, written by Brian Azzarello under Marvel's MAX imprint, an alternate version of Cage is hired to investigate the murder of a teenage girl and becomes involved in a three-way gang war for control of the neighborhood.^{[volume & issue needed]}

Jessica Jones and the New Avengers[link]

After a one-night stand with a drunken Jessica Jones, now a private investigator, Cage's life is briefly thrown into disarray by Jones' reaction to the fling.^{[volume & issue needed]} The two make peace while working as bodyguards for Matt Murdock. Matt's public denial of his Daredevil costumed identity and suing of the Daily Globe costs him a bit of Cage's respect, calling Matt a hypocrite to his face.^{[volume & issue needed]} Shortly afterward, Cage extends emotional support to Jones when she is forced to revisit past abuses by the villainous Purple Man, and Cage's feelings for her grow.^{[volume & issue needed]} When Jones reveals that she is pregnant from their tryst, she and Cage move in together.^{[volume & issue needed]} Soon afterward, Jones becomes a superhuman consultant with the Daily Bugle, where Jameson's ire at Cage has by no means dwindled over the years.^{[volume & issue needed]} After she is attacked by the Green Goblin during a Bugle investigation, Cage, helped by Spider-Man, deliberately attacks Norman Osborn in order to provoke him into revealing he is the Goblin.^[28]

It is revealed that Luke Cage has been one of the superheroes involved in Nick Fury's Secret War in Latveria. With the memories wiped from his mind, Cage is unprepared when he is attacked in his own home by Lucia von Bardas. Cage sustains internal injuries that prove difficult for doctors to treat since they are unable to perform necessary surgical procedures due to his highly durable skin. Months afterwards, Cage is present at the breakout at the supervillain prison 'The Raft' and becomes a founding member of the re-formed Avengers team.^[29] Soon thereafter, following the birth of their daughter, he and Jessica are married.^[30] He also meets the Black Panther (revealed to be one of Luke's personal heroes), joining him and several other superhumans of African descent on a mission against vampires in New Orleans.^[31][32][33]

"Civil War"[link]

After the Superhuman Registration Act is enacted, Cage and his wife are confronted by Iron Man and Ms. Marvel, who want them to register. Cage refuses, comparing the act to slavery and Jim Crow segregation. He then sends Jessica and his newborn daughter away to Canada where they can be safe, though he himself refuses to leave. As midnight strikes and the act goes into effect, S.H.I.E.L.D. forces commanded by agent Gabe Jones immediately come to arrest Cage. He fights his way to safety with the help of Captain America, the Falcon, and Iron Fist (posing as Daredevil), and joins Captain America's "Secret Avengers".^[34] He fights alongside them in opposition to the act until Captain America surrenders to U.S. authorities.^[35]

[edit] New Avengers

Cage does not comply with the amnesty offered to the Secret Avengers, going underground and reforming the New Avengers alongside Spider-Man, Wolverine, Iron Fist, and Spider-Woman.^{[volume & issue needed]} Luke assumes leadership of the New Avengers after the assassination of Captain America, with the team now operating underground and provided with secure accommodation by Doctor Strange.^{[volume & issue needed]} The New Avengers are driven by two goals; to save people "the way [they] want to", and to investigate the reason why the world has been turned upside-down recently. After a confrontation with Elektra and the Hand to rescue Echo, the team discovers that Elektra has been replaced with a Skrull some indeterminate time ago, but whether more prominent figures on Earth have been replaced with Skrulls by this point is unclear.^[36] However, after returning to Jessica following their mission in Japan, Cage is uncertain about whether she really loves him or if she is merely a Skrull impersonator. The revelation has also made him very suspicious of his fellow Avengers, especially Spider-Man, believing his switching sides during the Civil War makes him a prime suspect.^[37] More recently, he names his daughter Danielle, after Danny Rand.^[38]

"World War Hulk"[link]

In the 2007 storyline "World War Hulk", Luke Cage, along with New Avenger member Spider-Man, tries to aid the Mighty Avengers in the evacuation of New York City. However, he makes it clear that he is not doing this because of Tony Stark's offer of amnesty to anyone who assists in preparations for the return of the Hulk to Earth, and simply sees this as uniting against a common enemy; in the second issue, Cage is defeated by the Hulk's Warbound ally Hiroim the Oldstrong.^[39]

"Secret Invasion"[link]

After the New Avengers battle and defeat the Hood's empire, Jessica leaves Luke and takes baby Danielle to Stark Tower to be registered. After a Skrull ship crashes in the Savage Land, Luke takes the New Avengers there, confronting the Mighty Avengers. During the battle, Luke rips open the Skrull ship, only to have a large group of 1970s versions of several heroes, including himself, emerge and say that they are the real heroes.^[40] They are able to prove that the heroes on the ship are Skrulls, thanks to a device made by Reed Richards that forces the Skrulls into their true forms.^[41] The Avengers along with Reed and Abigail Brand, who saved Richards from the Skrull ship in which he was imprisoned, fly back to New York and meet up with the other heroes to fight the final battle with the Skrulls in Central Park.^[42] During the midst of the fight Jessica Jones come into the battle and fights with the heroes, while admitting that Luke was right and apologizes.^[43] The Skrulls are ultimately defeated, with Norman Osborn killing the Skrull queen Veranke (who had been impersonating Spider-Woman) on live television. Afterward, another Skrull impersonating Avengers butler Edwin Jarvis disappears with Luke and Jessica's baby daughter, leaving the couple desperate and upset.^[44]

"Dark Reign"[link]

Following the Skrull invasion, the U.S. government replaces S.H.I.E.L.D. with a new organization, H.A.M.M.E.R. Norman Osborn is placed at the helm, making him as powerful as Iron Man had been as director of S.H.I.E.L.D.^[44] Captain America (James "Bucky" Barnes) organizes a meeting with the New Avengers at his home, offering it as a base of operations. When Luke, Jessica, and Carol arrive at Bucky's home, the New Avengers contact the Fantastic Four and Iron Fist to begin searching for Danielle. They attack various villains such as A.I.M., HYDRA, Electro, and other villains for any information regarding the Skrull Jarvis, thinking he might have contacted them for a way to escape. Eventually they find a Skrull pretending to be an ex-SHIELD agent at a bar. Before the Skrull can reveal where Danielle is, another agent shoots the Skrull in the head, leaving Jessica convinced Skrull Jarvis is going to kill Danielle. Meanwhile, with the rest of the New Avengers unaware, Luke asks Norman Osborn for help in their search, agreeing do to anything he asks of him.^[45] Osborn helps Cage recover Danielle, but when Bullseye kills the Jarvis-Skrull, Cage reneges on his offer to serve Osborn and returns to the New Avengers.^[46] He is then offered the role as leader of the New Avengers, but turns it down, giving the role to Ronin.^[47]

Some time later, Osborn brainwashes Iron Fist as part of a plot to gain revenge on Cage. Cage is able to use his strong bond with Iron Fist to help him overcome the brainwashing, and the two escape.^[48] When the New Avengers are hit by the reverse engineered power drainer unleashed by Chemistro, Cage experiences extreme heart pain. He has no choice but to turn himself in to Osborn for help,^[49] although the New Avengers are later able to rescue him by drawing the Dark Avengers away from the Helicarrier where he is being held by attacking Camp H.A.M.M.E.R. while a group of allies (including Daredevil, Iron Fist, Valkyrie, Doctor Strange, and Doctor Voodoo) infiltrate the Helicarrier to rescue him. Unknown to all, a tracker is placed on his heart during surgery.^[50] With the help of Doctor Strange and Hank Pym, they are able to remove the tracker leaving it in Norman Osborn's home just before Osborn uses the tracker to target explosives. This results in Osborn's home being demolished.^[51]

"Heroic Age"[link]

[edit] Thunderbolts

Following the Siege of Asgard, Steve Rogers appoints Luke Cage leader of the Thunderbolts program. Soon after, he begins to recruit potential new Thunderbolts, a balanced mix of former and older members, personally inducting the Ghost, Moonstone, the Juggernaut and Crossbones, with MACH-V, Fixer and Songbird's cooperation, and using the Man-Thing's powers for long-distance transportation.^[52]

Reforming the Avengers[link]

When Steve Rogers asks Cage to rejoin the Avengers, Cage and several of the Avengers who opposed the Superhuman Registration Act felt as if opposing the registration act was pointless if they end up working for the government anyway. Steve Rogers and Tony Stark end up selling the mansion (which was recently renovated) to Luke Cage for a dollar, allowing him freedom to recruit his own Avengers team and operate without directly taking orders from Rogers, though Rogers insists on having Victoria Hand join them as a liaison. While inviting his team over for a discussion, Cage and his team are forced to assist Doctor Strange, Daimon Hellstrom, and Brother Voodoo in thwarting an attempt by Agamotto - the original owner of the Eye of Agamotto - to destroy existence, culminating in the apparent death of Brother Voodoo.^[53] Although initially against the idea of being paid for being on the team as it reminds him of the reasons they opposed the Act in the first place, Cage is convinced to accept the offer.^[54]

[edit] Shadowland

Luke Cage is amongst the heroes who battle Daredevil and the Hand. Luke Cage and Iron Fist are asked by Steve Rogers, Iron Man and Thor to speak to Daredevil concerning the Hand's martial law imposed in Hell's Kitchen. As the former Heroes for Hire make their way to Hell's Kitchen, they witness Daredevil brutally murder Bullseye.^[55]

Luke Cage and Iron Fist later has an encounter with someone who is going by the name of Power Man. He and Iron Fist discover that this Power Man is Victor Alvarez, a survivor of the building that Bullseye blew up.^[56]

The day after Bullseye's murder, Iron Fist and Luke Cage are discussing Murdock's actions when they are visited by the Kingpin, who comes to warn them that soon they will need to take Murdock down. Iron Fist later joins Luke Cage and the other street heroes (namely Shang-Chi, Colleen Wing and Misty Knight, with Spider-Man joining later) when talking to Daredevil. When Kingpin unleashes Ghost Rider upon Shadowland, Daredevil suspects them behind Ghost Rider's attack and orders his ninjas to hunt them down.^[57]

Following the fight with Power Man, Luke Cage and Iron Fist end up dealing with Dontrell "Cockroach" Hamilton, Comanche, Specs, Señor Muerte, Discus, and Stiletto.^[58]

Luke Cage is later visited by Lacy Kimbro, who informs him that her son Darris is among the cops that are prisoners of the Hand's Underhand faction (a group of ninjas who are already dead). Luke Cage later calls the Thunderbolts over to the mainland. He informs them that their mission is to locate Darris in the Hand's stronghold, assigning Fixer to lead the group while he goes to reason with Daredevil.^[59]

Powers and abilities[link]

Luke Cage possesses superhuman strength and stamina, and has extremely dense skin and muscle tissue which render him highly resistant to physical injury. Cage possesses these abilities as a result of his participation in dangerous, and highly controversial, experiments while in prison. The cellular regeneration experiment has fortified the various tissues of Cage's body, granting him a high degree of resistance to injury via skin that is as strong as titanium and can resist high caliber bullets, puncture wounds, corrosives, and extreme temperatures and pressures without sustaining damage (It has been noted that he has skin as "hard as steel", but when he went up against an adversary that was going to shoot him with bullets that "can pierce steel", he relates that the "steel" hardness of his skin is just a saying and its much tougher than that^{[volume & issue needed]}). Despite this, it is still possible to cause him injury. For example, it is possible to injure him with adamantium weapons. However, it has been shown that the supernatural fangs of a vampire are not able to pierce his skin.^[60]

A second exposure to said experiments further enhanced his strength and durability to current levels. He is described as being significantly stronger than his first enhancement.^[61]

The same experiment which granted him his great strength and durability has also given him a faster than normal recovery time from injury. Cage's recovery time from physical trauma is significantly shorter than that of a normal human.^[62] A major drawback, however, to his superhuman durability is that when he does sustain serious injury beyond his ability to heal on his own, medical care is difficult, given doctors' inability to get past his hardened skin, as in the Secret War limited series.

Luke Cage is an exceptional street fighter and was a gifted athlete before receiving superhuman abilities. He has also studied martial arts under Iron Fist's instruction, learning how to couple leverage with his strength in order to increase his combat effectiveness against more powerful opponents.

He owns a jacket that is as durable as his skin, having been exposed to the "Power Man" treatment during Cage's second exposure.^[61]

Other versions[link]

Earth X[link]

In the alternate future of Earth X, most of humanity has gained superpowers, but it still needs policing. An older Luke Cage is a cop, complete with uniform, and he recruits Peter Parker.^[63]

Exiles[link]

In this reality Luke Cage is Power Fist, a mix between the 616 versions of Luke Cage/Power Man and his friend Iron Fist. He is also this reality's leader of the Avengers. He leads them to eradicate the Vi-Locks and his life is saved by Sunfire when she is stuck on his world. He later moves to Quentin Quire's reality to replace one of his selves who had died when he shouldn't have.^[64]

House of M[link]

After gaining his powers, Luke forms a crime syndicate in Hell's Kitchen, which he later turns into a Human Resistance Movement^[65] and recruits several human heroes to his side, including Cloak, who looks up to Luke as a father figure. He is the first person that Layla Miller comes to 'awaken' from the House of M reality and joins the force that takes down Magneto and his children in Genosha.^[66]

Marvel Noir[link]

In the Marvel Noir universe, former criminal Luke Cage uses his bulletproof reputation to clean up his life and neighborhood after a stay in prison.^[67]

Marvel Zombies[link]

Cage, dressed in his original disco shirt outfit, is a member of the Avengers and one of the first heroes to become infected.^{[volume & issue needed]} He also encounters Ash Williams not long after being infected.^{[volume & issue needed]} He is among the few heroes who manages to eat the Silver Surfer, and receives cosmic powers by doing so.^{[volume & issue needed]} At the end of the Marvel Zombies miniseries, he helps to devour Galactus and becomes a member of "The Galacti" (along with Iron Man, Spider-Man, Giant Man, Wolverine, and the Hulk), who travel across the universe devouring all life on planets.^{[volume & issue needed]} Next, the Marvel Zombies attack a Skrull planet, only to encounter the Fantastic Four - consisting of Black Panther, Storm, the Thing and the Human Torch. It pleases the zombies so much that they attempt to capture the FF and try to transport back to their fully populated reality.^[68] He also has a role in Marvel Zombies 2, joining Spider-Man in fighting against the other Galactus as he realizes that their hunger has faded over time.^{[volume & issue needed]} His lost arm is replaced by a transplanted arm from an unknown being (possibly alien). At the series conclusion, he is transported to another universe which also gets taken by the infection. Cage fights to defeat the hungry zombies of this reality, but is defeated and killed.^[69]

MAX[link]

An adult take on Cage is presented in the Marvel MAX imprint simply titled Cage, working as a freelance detective of sorts in the Harlem ghetto. In this gritty miniseries, Cage is investigating the death of a young teenage girl who was killed in an attempted hit on a criminal. The urban-themed storyline depicts Cage as a hardened ex-convict with the suggestion that he underwent a medical experiment that allowed him to deflect bullets.^[70]

Ultimate[link]

A different version of Power Man appears in the Ultimate Marvel universe as a member of the Defenders, although he is never referred to as "Luke Cage."^[71] In this universe, the Defenders consist of several people who want to be superheroes but have no useful superpowers, and appear to be more interested in the celebrity aspect of being heroes than actually doing anything heroic.^[72] This version of Power Man originally never had any powers, however in Ultimate Comics: New Ultimates he and the Defenders all appear with powers, from a mysterious source.^[73]

Ultimate Origins revealed that Ultimate Nick Fury shares a similar origin story to 616's Luke Cage.^[74] In this series he is shown to have been an imprisoned military criminal during World War II; randomly chosen from among other black prisoners as a "volunteer" for a prototype super-soldier test, Fury is exposed to an experimental serum, grows larger and more muscular, and undergoes a burst of violent anger and super strength which allows him to burst his restraints, fight off armed guards, and smash his way out through a wall.^[74] Following this, he becomes a soldier of fortune for an indeterminate period of time before,^[75] at some point, he begins performing black ops for the U.S. Government.^[76]

In other media[link]

Television[link]

• Luke Cage appears in The Super Hero Squad Show episode "A Brat Walks Among Us" voiced by Lil' JJ.^[77] He is a member of Heroes for Hire alongside Iron Fist and Misty Knight. He also has a cameo appearance in the very first episode of the same series "And Lo... A Pilot Shall Come!".
• A teenage Luke Cage (as Power Man) appears as one of the main characters in Ultimate Spider-Man.^[78] He is more carefree and Iron Fist's best friend, agreeing that Spider-Man is untrained, but has potential. He is voiced by Ogie Banks.^[79] His costume resembles Victor Alvarez's costume, with some tweaks.^[80]
• Luke Cage appears in The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes episode "To Steal an Ant-Man"^[81], voiced by Christopher B. Duncan. He is a member of Heroes for Hire. He and his Heroes for Hire team are hired by Henry Pym to retrieve his Ant-Man suit from a thief who has stolen it. Luke Cage tells Henry Pym that he'll take the case but would like the payment paid upfront. Luke Cage and Iron Fist go to track down some informants to locate the thief that stole the Ant-Man costume. Luke Cage and Iron Fist run into the thief that stole the Ant-Man costume. With help from Henry Pym's Pym Particle tracker, they find the thief and discover that it was Scott Lang, who needed the money to pay off his former partner Crossfire who had captured his daughter Cassandra Lang. When it came to Scott's meeting with Crossfire and his men, Henry Pym arrived with Luke Cage and Iron Fist where they help Scott rescue Cassandra and defeat Crossfire. With Crossfire defeated and Scott Lang the new Ant-Man, Luke Cage asks Henry Pym where he wants Heroes for Hire to forward their bill.

Film[link]

• A film adaptation of Luke Cage is in development for Marvel Studios and Columbia Pictures, with John Singleton directing.

Development[link]

In June 2003, Columbia Pictures acquired the rights for a Luke Cage movie that would be penned by screenwriter Ben Ramsey (The Big Hit) and produced by Avi Arad of Marvel Studios.^[82] In January 2004, producer Kevin Feige said that the Luke Cage movie would target a 2005 release.^[83] At Wizard World Los Angeles in March 2004, newly attached director John Singleton said that the villain Diamondback would make an appearance, and the director hoped to include other villains such as Chemistro and the Wrecking Crew. Singleton hoped to start production by summer 2004 in time for a 2005 release.^[84] However, production for the film was delayed, as Marvel's Peter Cuneo announced in December 2004 that Luke Cage would have a 2006 release date.^[85] In January 2006, producer Avi Arad stated that he hoped that Luke Cage would be "brutal enough" for an R rating and that it would have an urban soundtrack. According to Arad, "The whole idea behind Luke Cage is that he's anything but a hero. He's [a mercenary] for hire, and men like that find out it's a good business by accident. And then [finds out] what's really inside him."^[86]

Screenplay[link]

In January 2004, Feige said that Ramsey had turned in an initial draft that was "totally contemporary Cage and a helluva lot of fun".^[83] At Wizard World Los Angeles in March 2004, director John Singleton said that Ramsey was working on a new draft for the film.^[84] In August 2006, Tyrese, a strong candidate to play Luke Cage in the film, said that the studio was doing a rewrite of the project.^[87]

Casting[link]

On March 2005, producer Avi Arad said that the studio was interested in Jamie Foxx to portray Luke Cage but reconsidered due to Foxx's heightened prominence with his Oscar win for Ray.^[88] At a press junket for Four Brothers in July 2005, director John Singleton said that he was interested in Tyrese Gibson portraying Luke Cage for the film, but said he had told Tyrese that the actor would need to work out to get the role. Singleton also expressed interest in casting Terrence Howard to portray the villain Diamondback.^[89] In January 2006, Tyrese, who recently completed Annapolis, said that he was working out to become massive for the role of Luke Cage.^[86] In August 2006, Tyrese said that he was not yet committed to Luke Cage, but was still interested in the role.^[87] Actor Isaiah Mustafa (star of the Old Spice TV commercial campaign, The Man Your Man Could Smell Like) has also openly expressed interest in the role.^[90]