‘Iron Fist’ lead actor addresses ‘white savior’ controversy

When it was announced that Finn Jones had been cast as Danny Rand in the upcoming Netflix TV show “Marvel’s Iron Fist,” many netizens didn’t hold back from expressing their disappointment.

Introduced in 1974, Danny Rand, the man behind the mask of the superhero Iron Fist, was originally conceived as a white superhero—and he remains so to this day. However, he was created during a time when the US was still not ready for Asians in the lead role, despite the country’s fixation with Eastern martial arts. It is for this reason many critics of Iron Fist feel the character is representative of Orientalism and cultural appropriation—an issue they believe could have been resolved had an Asian-American actor been cast to play Rand.

The move would have increased the visibility of Asian-American talents in the entertainment industry, as well.

The casting reveal of Jones, an English actor who previously played Loras Tyrell in “Game of Thrones,” was immediately followed the #AAIronFist hashtag which decried the choice.

This is what we get? Really? #AAironfist @TheLewisTan come save us please pic.twitter.com/sCcxLVJtgG

— S. S. Minnow Johnson (@DreadPirateRada) December 6, 2016

I'm sorry. I'm bitter about #AAIronFist but aside from that I can't take Danny Rand seriously. He looks like he's gonna sell me bad weed

— Arthur Chu (@arthur_affect) January 12, 2017

The fact that @TheLewisTan was like "I wanna be #AAIronFist" and the casting director was like "yeah, but what if you weren't?" ???????????????? https://t.co/iLkQyYRydX

— The Nerds of Color (@TheNerdsofColor) February 11, 2017

In an interview with BuzzFeed News, Jones said that he “gets” why people are frustrated and said he understands the need for diversity on film and TV. However, he added, “[W]hat I struggle with and what frustrates me is that people are commenting on the headline without understanding the full picture, without understanding the full story. What you’ll find with the way that we’re telling this story is we’re addressing the issues that people are very concerned about in a very intelligent and modern way.”

“Danny Rand is not a white savior,” Jones continued. “Danny Rand can hardly save himself, let alone an entire race of people. He is a very complicated, vulnerable individual. He doesn’t just show up, like, ‘Hey dudes, I’ve just learned martial arts! I’m going to save the world.’ Actually, it’s the complete opposite. He’s gone through and suffered immense trauma and he is struggling to claim his own sanity and identity back.”

In the comics, the mystical city of K’un Lun—where Rand winds up and trains to be a martial artist—has always been Asian. In the Netflix TV show, however, the region will be more diverse.

“You’ve got South Americans there, you’ve got Europeans there, you’ve got of course Asians there,” Jones said in the same BuzzFeed interview.

Danny Rand also learns how to speak Mandarin fluently during his stay in K’un Lun. The writers use this to bring focus to Danny’s inaccurate perceptions in a scene where he meets the character Colleen Wing (Jessica Henwick, also from “Game of Thrones”). Wing is of Asian descent in the comics and the show. In the show, she is an accomplished martial artist and a dojo owner.

In said scene, Danny speaks in Mandarin to impress Colleen, only for the latter to explain she can’t understand him, as she is only fluent in Japanese and English.

“Just because we have this color skin, it doesn’t mean we have to conform to preconceived notions of our culture,” said Jones in reference to the scene. “We are human beings on this planet, and we all individually have different attributes. We’re not stereotypes, and hopefully, that’s what the show does. Hopefully the show doesn’t—I don’t think it does—deal in stereotypes, which I think people are worried about.”

Netflix's 13-episode “Marvel’s Iron Fist” will premiere on March 17, 2017. — BM, GMA News