Summary

• Beau DeMayo has revealed his dream casting for the Iron Fist in the MCU.
• The Acolyte
  star Manny Jacinto wouldn’t work as Danny Rand, but could debut as Lin Lie’s Iron Fist.
• I would love to see Manny Jacinto in the MCU, and his appearance as Lin Lie could support those Agents of Atlas theories ahead of
  Shang-Chi 2
  .

X-Men ’97 creator Beau DeMayo wants Iron Fist to be reinvented in the MCU with a new actor, and I’ve worked out which version of the Marvel hero would be perfect for this casting. Although Beau DeMayo is no longer involved with the development of Marvel Animation’s X-Men ’97, he has still been very vocal about the world of Marvel Studios, and I loved his suggestion of a new actor for the Iron Fist’s MCU return. Finn Jones previously debuted as Danny Rand in Netflix’s Iron Fist series, but I have serious doubts about Jones reprising the role.

Netflix’s Iron Fist released as part of the Defenders Saga, which was recently confirmed to be canon to the MCU. I’m very excited to see so many Defenders Saga actors returning in Daredevil: Born Again, but I’m less certain about the fate of Finn Jones’ Danny Rand, as Iron Fist was my least favorite Defenders Saga series. Finn Jones has recently opened up about his desire to rejoin the MCU (via The Nerd Shepherd/MCU Film News), but I think Beau DeMayo’s new Iron Fist fan-casting would be perfect for a very different version of the character.

I think there’s a lot of room for growth with that character that I’ve always liked to see, and I think I’m in a place professionally where I would like to continue to grow with that character.

Beau DeMayo Wants Manny Jacinto To Play The MCU’s Iron Fist

Following the finale of The Acolyte, the latest Star Wars series on Disney+, Beau DeMayo suggested that Manny Jacinto would make a fantastic Iron Fist in the MCU. Jacinto played Sith master Qimir in The Acolyte, but I also loved his performances in The Good Place, Top Gun: Maverick and Nine Perfect Strangers. The Acolyte gave Jacinto a well-earned chance to show off his action skills, however, convincing me that he’d be great as the MCU’s Iron Fist, but there is a glaring problem with Beau DeMayo’s dream casting.

I Think Manny Jacinto Would Be Perfect As The Iron Fist, But Not As Danny Rand

In Marvel Comics, Danny Rand is the white American son of Wendell Rand and Heather Duncan who finds himself in the mystical city of K’un-Lun following his parents’ deaths on an expedition. Netflix’s Iron Fist changed elements of this story, but kept the broad-strokes the same, and I thought that Finn Jones did a solid job of inhabiting this fish-out-of-water personality, though I still felt his portrayal and the series as a whole had some major problems. Manny Jacinto doesn’t fit the character of Danny Rand, but I think he’d be perfect as Lin Lie, instead.

First seen in 2018’s Warriors of Three Sovereigns #1, Lin Lie was a descendant of Fu Xi, who wielded the powerful Sword of Fu Xi. This sword allowed Lin Lie to operate as Sword Master, but he became the Iron Fist after losing the sword in 2022’s Iron Fist (Vol. 6) #1. Even though Lin Lie is from Shanghai, and Manny Jacinto is Filipino, he would still be an inspired casting choice for the role of Lin Lie in the MCU. Jacinto has proven his acting chops, and the resemblance between him and Lin Lie is uncanny.

Lin Lie’s MCU Debut Could Support Major Shang-Chi 2 Team Theories

Back in December 2021, Deadline reported that a sequel to Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was in development at Marvel Studios, and director Destin Daniel Cretton and lead star Simu Liu have backed up these claims in the years since. There has been increasing speculation that the as-yet-unconfirmed Shang-Chi 2 could introduce the Agents of Atlas in the MCU, perhaps brought together by Randall Park’s Jimmy Woo. I think Lin Lie’s Iron Fist would make an incredible addition to this powerful Asian and Asian-American superhero team.

Lin Lie joined Marvel Comics’ Agents of Atlas as Sword Master during the War of the Realms crossover event, though he leaves prior to becoming the Iron Fist. I’ve spotted several potential Agents of Atlas members in the MCU, including Jimmy Woo, Shang-Chi, Katy, and perhaps even Wong, but Manny Jacinto’s Lin Lie could give the team some real power. This would be a great way to gloss over Iron Fist’s mistakes, and could still allow Finn Jones’ Danny Rand to return, but may replace him with Lin Lie as the primary Iron Fist of the MCU.