Netflix's Iron Fist seems to be going at it one problem after the other. After causing controversy when casting white actor Finn Jones as the titular hero, the series had been getting bashed by critics for being one of the weakest entries in the Marvel Netflix Universe. As it turns out, showrunner Scott Buck has no idea about the controversy until they cast Finn Jones.
As it turns out, some people had wanted an Asian-American actor cast in the role in order to avoid having a "white savior" narrative for Iron Fist. As we all know, the production cast Jones, and some people weren't too happy with the decision. In an interview with the Daily Beast, Buck said:
"It wasn't until after we cast Finn that I became aware that there had been, you know, some controversy over that… We just weren't thinking in that way, at least I certainly wasn't. I was just concentrating on the story and who would be a great actor to play this character."
With the casting of Jones, however, Buck was still determined to have a strong Asian character in the series — enter Colleen Wing, played by Asian-British actress Jessica Henwick. Despite all the negative reaction to the show, there has been some room for praise for Henwick's character.
Now, honestly, I'm just waiting for the series to come out so I can make my own judgements. It kind of seems like stereotyping in itself if critics wanted an Asian-American actor to play a martial artist superhero. Danny Rand was white in the comics, so why does he have to be Asian just so he can learn martial arts?
I think this is one of those no-win scenarios. People get angry because they cast a white actor, but people will still get angry if they cast an Asian-American. We should just take a leaf from the showrunner's book and not care about the casting, and just focus on whether the story and action is good or not.
Iron Fist premieres on Netflix on March 17.
See Also: Iron Fist Star Jessica Henwick Defends Finn Jones as Danny Rand
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