Member
Real Name: Daniel Thomas Rand
Aliases: Iron Fist, Thunderer, Immortal Weapon of K'un Lun, Danny
Age: 29
Gender: Male
Appearance: Danny is 5'11" tall, weighs 175 lbs, and has blond hair and blue eyes. A large stylized dragon is tattooed on his chest.
Personality: Early in his career, Danny was motivated solely by seeking revenge on his parents' killer. After becoming friends with Luke Cage and Misty Knight, his heart gradually softened. Danny has a strong sense of loyalty and duty to his friends, as well as a fun-loving streak. A consummate martial artist, Danny views each challenge he faces as a personal test and treats his enemies with respect. Danny is also extremely bad with money, and is prone to making impulse purchases. Danny's outgoing, happy-go-lucky attitude covers up a fear of being ostracized and isolated. He greatly values the time he spends with his best friend, Luke Cage, but Luke's wife and daughter has put a wedge in their relationship, and Danny fears being left out.
Powers/Abilities: Even without the power of the Iron Fist, Danny is one of the most skilled martial artists on Earth. At 19 he exceeded all other students in his class, and as his final exam he had to slay a dragon with his bare hands. After being granted the power of the Iron Fist, he gained the ability to manipulate chi. At first, his power to manipulate chi was very limited. He could only channel his chi into his fists, and the effort was extremely taxing. As he has grown in experience, his powers have expanded. He can channel chi to enhance his speed, strength, and durability, as well as project energy, heal himself, see and touch spirits, levitate, and perform a tactile form of telekinesis.
History: As a child, Daniel Rand was taken with his father Wendell, his mother Heather, and his father's business partner Harold Meachum on a quest in the Himalayas to find the city of K'un Lun, which was reputed to hold to appear once every ten years, and held the secret of immortality. Meachum betrayed the Rands and left them for dead. Wendell and Heather perished, but Danny was found and adopted by the people of K'un Lun. The next 10 years of his life were devoted to studying martial arts. After earning the mantle of the Iron Fist, Danny left K'un Lun to seek revenge. Seeking out Meachum in New York, Danny found him a remorseful invalid. Danny abandoned his quest for vengeance, but couldn't avoid being framed for Meachum's untimely death shortly thereafter. While in New York, Danny formed friendships with other vigilantes, namely Power Man and The Daughters of The Dragon. They banded together to form the company known as Heroes For Hire.
Since then, Danny has fought shoulder-to-shoulder with some of most illustrious and the most obscure heroes in the Marvel Universe. Currently, he lives in a penthouse suite provided by his Rand Industries trust fund and is training his young apprentice Pei to be the next Iron Fist, with himself having been granted the title of "Thunderer". At the same time, he is trying to wrangle the newest incarnation of Shou-Lao, the immortal dragon, as well as all his previous incarnations, who have all suddenly been resurrected in the heart of New York City.
The reveal of Hydra's infiltration of SHIELD was shocking to him, but Danny has always been a "punch first, ask questions later" kind of guy, and his adventures rarely had anything to do with the organization, so while he jumped (literally) at the chance to fight Hydra goons, his life has gone on virtually unchanged. He is excited to be included in the new Avengers team.
Allies: Danny still has close ties with the original members of Heroes For Hire: Coleen Wing, Misty Knight, Luke Cage, and Paladin. Currently, Danny and Misty are estranged ex-lovers. Danny is Luke Cage's best friend, and is known as "Uncle Danny" by Luke's daughter, Danielle. Danny and Paladin have never been friends, but they have been able to put aside their differences to work together.
In K'un Lun, Danny is held in high esteem as a hero and a champion of martial arts. He was also childhood friends with K'un Lun's current leader, Sparrow. Danny is also a member of the fraternity known as The Immortal Weapons, each of whom is a master of their own style of martial arts, equal to the Iron Fist in their own communities. Though their paths do not often cross, Danny counts other martial arts-based heroes, such as Shang-Chi and White Tiger, as allies.
Danny has had more than his fair share of trouble with the law, having fought on the anti-registration side in the Superhero Civil War, and joined the outlaw New Avengers. Despite this, he was later invited to joint the reformed Avengers, which at the time had its largest roster ever.
Danny is currently raising Pei, a young female monk from K'un Lun. She is the youngest person to ever wield the power of the Iron Fist, and is already proving to be a natural. He also became romantically involved with Brenda Swanson, the daughter of Harold Meachum (it's complicated). However, she left him after being torn between her desire to avenge her father's death, and her growing feelings for Danny. It is unknown when, if ever, she will return.
Enemies: Danny has fought against numerous secret martial arts societies as well as common criminals. Due to the often deadly nature of martial arts, many of them have not survived. His most dangerous foe, however, is Davos. Davos is the envious son of Lei-Kung, Danny's mentor. His current whereabouts are unknown.
Notes: This version of the character is basically the same as at the end of Iron Fist, The Living Weapon, ignoring any development of the character since then.