Daniel "Danny" Rand[6] once held the title of the immortal Iron Fist, the living weapon of K'un-Lun with deadly hands that flowed with the mystic energies of Shou-Lao the Undying. Born as the heir of the financial business empire of Rand Corporation, he became an orphan as a young child when his father obsessively searched for the lost city of magic K'un-Lun in the Himalayas.[4] For a decade, he was trained in martial arts and earned the mantle of the Iron Fist. Seeking revenge against his father's murderer, Harold Meachum, Rand left K'un-Lun to return to Earth.[23] On Earth, he has balanced his origins as Danny Rand with his prowess as Iron Fist, becoming a champion who fights for worldly and heavenly justice.[24]
His adventures made him cross paths with Luke Cage,[25] with whom he formed a deep friendship and a solid partnership[26] in the form of the organization Heroes for Hire to provide services as detectives, bodyguards, and vigilantes.[27] Alongside Cage, Iron Fist has fought many battles and has faced several villains. Their partnership came to an end when Rand apparently paid the ultimate price in a convoluted scheme involving the H'ylthri and the Super-Skrull usurping his identity.[28][29] Eventually, Iron Fist returned to action.[30] At Cage's side, he was part of the reformed Heroes for Hire as a superhero team,[31] the New Avengers,[32] and the Defenders.[33] Simultaneously, he has revisited his origins several times, returning to K'un-Lun to protect it.[34][35][36]
Rand took in the young monk Pei as his protégée,[37] since she also wielded the energies of the Iron Fist.[38] As her Thunderer, he faced challenges in understanding his pupil's perspective.[39] In order to save the dragons of the Seven Capital Cities of Heaven, Danny Rand was forced to relinquish the Iron Fist, leaving him depowered.[40] Even without the mighty power of the Iron Fist, Rand still deployed his formidable skills as a martial artist for the greater good.[41]
Rand encountered his successor Lin Lie and took the new Iron Fist under his wing.[42] Like many Iron Fists before him, Rand met his untimely death at the hands of the Ch'i-Lin on his birthday, but is later resurrected and gifted with new powers by the god Osiris as the Ghost Fist.[43][44]
