Answers From the Comic Books

The beginning of Iron Fist Season 2 was just OK, but the final three episodes made up for pretty much every bad decision in the series so far. If you have not watched the Iron Fist Season 2 finale, now is the time to check out one of our spoiler-free articles. The events of the finale and the series at lage will be discussed at length. If you were confused about Iron Fist Season 2, you are not alone. Here is the Iron Fist Season 2 ending, explained.

There are major spoilers for 'Iron Fist' Season 2 ahead. Marvel

Danny Gives Up The Fist

By Iron Fist episode 6, Danny Rand is stripped of the “Heart of the Dragon” (the spirit that powers his glowing fist). Joy and Davos did some digging and found the recipe to an ancient ritual involving a very old bowl from Tibet, the corpse of a previous Iron Fist, some blood and a tattoo assist from the Crane Sisters. This ritual allowed Davos to essentially steal the Iron Fist from Danny, which left Danny near-dead. Thanks to Rand tech, Danny is back on his feet weeks later. He’s ready to reclaim his fist, and enlists Colleen Wing to train him back to 110 percent.

Colleen trains Danny after he loses his Iron Fist. Netflix

She does, but in the process he’s forced to come to some mature realizations. He believes he does not deserve the fist anymore; it brings out the worst in him. He can do more with his wealth and influence, so he tells Colleen she should take the “Heart of the Dragon” from Davos and become the Iron Fist herself.

Colleen Wing's fist glows white. Netflix

Daughter of the Dragon

Turns out, we’re getting Daughter(s) of the Dragon (singular). Colleen Wing is quite literally a daughter of the dragon: Her mother was the first woman to defeat the Shou-Lao dragon on Ku’n-Lun. With the Fist-stealing ritual only half-complete when Davos wakes up, Colleen is forced to square off against Davos--fist to fist--to claim her family legacy.

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Colleen Wing as the Iron Fist. Netflix

This mystery takes us all the way back to the first two episodes. Colleen finds a box containing a brush and comb set that’s marked with the same symbol as her samurai sword. Turns out, her mother used that box as payment to live in the United States as part of a life-debt plan to The Golden Tiger criminal organization. It brought people to the United States, and a shop owner named Frank Choi sold them legal papers.

The dragon symbol on Colleen's family heirloom. Netflix

Queen of Pinghai Bay

Choi recites a story that Colleen remembers her mother telling her as a kid. The story is about a princess and a fisherman who fall in love. But the fisherman is at odds with a pirate, so the princess saves him and takes over the pirate’s ship. The brush and comb were made from the bow of that ship, the bedtime story claims. Colleen recognizes this as the tale of “The Pirate Queen of Pinghai Bay.” Colleen always thought it was a made-up story, but in the Iron Fist Season 2 finale, Danny recognizes it as a classic tale on K'un-Lun.

Colleen Wing vs Davos in 'Iron Fist' Season 2. Netflix

He inspects the back of a medallion in the Colleen’s box, and sees the Shou-Lao dragon engraved. The tale Colleen remembers is actually a true story of the first woman to defeat the Shou-Lao dragon: Wu Ao-Shi, who is likely Colleen’s mother. If she dropped off the box years back, she’s probably still living in New York.

Who is Wu Ao-Shi?

“It may be that the destiny I believed was mine was always hers” Danny writes to Colleen in a goodbye letter, “always yours from the start.” In the comic books, Wu Ao-Shi was discovered by Lei-Kung (Davos’ dad) and left K'un-Lun for Earth after becoming the Immortal Iron Fist. In order to survive, she became a mercenary. She got wind pirates were taking over Pinghai Bay, and saw an opportunity to earn money by saving the city. She ended up doing just that, and fell in love with a fisherman in the process. She’s a highly skilled martial artist who is known to manipulate her Chi not just to form the Iron Fist, but to power inanimate objects such as arrows and swords.

Wu Ao-Shi in Marvel Comics. Marvel

Two Iron Fists?

After informing Colleen of her legacy as the Iron Fist, Danny and Ward leave for China to find answers about the Iron Fist corpse Davos somehow acquired. Time skips to two months later, and they are now in Japan. They find the black market dealer who Davos did business with, and it’s none other than Orson Randall. At one point, Danny stands, opens his peacoat and lifts two pistols from his pockets. Just like Wu Ao-Shi, he’s figured out how to manipulate his Chi. The guns glow orange and obliterate the incoming bullet. It’s still unclear how Danny regained his Iron Fists.

Danny Rand using Orson Randall's guns in 'Iron Fist' Season 2. Netflix

Who is Orson Randall?

Danny’s new gun-slinging technique is a clear nod to Orson Randall, and Ward even confirms this when he says they acquired the guns from a shipping container in Jakarta. Those guns were Orsons, which confirms he is still alive and was not the corpse shown earlier in the season. (Hopefully, we will find out more about the line of Iron Fists next season).

Orson Randall gave Davos the Iron Fist corpse. Netflix

In the comic books, Orson Randall was the Iron Fist right before Danny Rand. His signature move? Focusing his chi into pistols, which he calls “Gun-Fu.” The technique was first mastered by Wu Ao-Shi. So how did he end up as the Iron Fist? Like Danny, a plane crash landed Orson on K'un-Lun. Orson was in his mother’s womb when the plane crashed because his father believed he could build a pathway between K'un-Lun. Orson was raised in the Heavenly city, and once of age, defeated Shou-Lao the Undying and became the Iron Fist. He soon left K'un-Lun to fight in the first World War. The PTSD got him hooked on opium and alcohol. He’s known for stealing the book of the Iron Fist from K'un-Lun in hopes he would be the last one. He’s in and out of his addiction, and one day comes across a boy who he ends up adopting. This child was Wendell Rand, who would later become Danny’s father.

Orson Randall was known to carry two pistols, an extension of his Chi. Netflix

The introduction of Orson is interesting because in the comic books, he is more directly tied to Davos and the Crane Mother. In his insanity, Orson had killed the immortal weapon of K’un-Zi, the home of the Crane Mother. She enlists Davos to find and kill Orson. Davos was a contemporary of Wendell Rand. He and Wendell fought to fight the Shou-Lao, and Wendell won, igniting a life-long rivalry not all unlike Danny and Davos in Iron Fist show.

And Who Is Typhoid Mary?

Iron Fist introduced a brand new character named Mary, played by Alice Eve. Danny meets her in a coffee shop, but the show quickly establishes that her story is more complicated. Mary’s alter-ego, Walker, comes out when she strikes a deal with Joy Meachum and Davos to capture Danny with the larger goal of stripping him of his Iron Fist.

Mary is a nice, kind artist who wants to get to know Danny as a friend. Walker is a hitman, and a former special operative in the military with combat skills rivaling both Danny and Davos. After she successfully brings in Danny, Walker’s allegiances change; she agrees to help Danny and Joy take down Davos. The catch is every time her persona is is triggered, she forgets everything her previous alter-ego did. She has to communicate with each of her personalities by leaving messages and tape recordings.

Typhoid Mary forgets what happened every time she switches personas. Netflix

After one of the switches, and a few flashbacks triggered by them, she figures out there’s probably a yet to be discovered persona. These flashbacks take us all the way back to her origins, and how she developed dissociative identities. Back in her military days, she was taken hostage in Sokovia (A nod to Avengers: Age of Ultron and Captain America: Civil War). She and the rest of her unit were buried in a hole.

Typhoid Mary in Marvel Comics. Marvel

After being raped, and tortured by the sounds of her unit being executed one after another, she eventually escaped. One day a thunderstorm came, and something in her mind changed. She broke out of captivity, slaughtered all the Sokovia and called the military to come get her. She had no recollection of what happened--both Mary and Walker don’t remember--suggesting there’s a third persona at play: “Typhoid.”

Danny first meets Mary's nice alter-ego, and doesn't discover her "Walker" persona until later. Netflix

Introduced in Daredevil comics, Mary Walker (a.k.a. Typhoid Mary) has psionic and low telekinetic powers. Just like the show, she has three personalities. She’s considered a mutant, and was an assassin for villains such as Kingpin, worked with Deadpool, and was at odds with Daredevil until they developed a romantic connection when she was her quiet, timid Mary personality. She began a romance with Kingpin under her Typhoid personality. She was eventually imprisoned in The Raft maximum security prison.

Any more questions about Iron Fist Season 2? Sound off in the comments.