Image Property of AMC Networks

On March 17, Netflix will debut Iron Fist, the latest superhero series based on a character from Marvel Comics.

Due to its source material steeped in Orientalism and white savior tropes, the Iron Fist series has been mired in controversy ever since it was first announced.

Those interested in seeing more inclusive representations of Asians on television were hoping Marvel would address the character’s problematic comic book origins by casting an Asian actor as Danny Rand a.k.a. the Iron Fist.

Keith Chow from the geek/pop culture site Nerds Of Color, created the popular #AAIronFist hashtag on Twitter championing the case for Marvel to make a more progressive casting choice by hiring an Asian lead for the series.

The hashtag went viral, igniting a media frenzy. However, Marvel decided to adhere to the source material and hired actor Finn Jones for the lead role.

As reviews of the show from mainstream media outlets have begun to pour in, the critical response has been overwhelmingly negative.

Critics have cited issues with Iron Fist’s pacing, internal logic, dramatic structure, and yes, the perpetuation of the white savior trope as reasons for calling the show D.O.A.

“… the show never interrogates Danny’s questionable position. He’s still a privileged white member of the 1 percent drawing power from a fictionalized Asian culture, destined to save his corner of New York from evil. Given that he’s still the one person capable of taking up the Iron Fist mantle, it’s hard to decouple his whiteness from his elevated position.” — The Verge

As the controversy will no doubt continue to wage on regarding the creative merits of Iron Fist, another ambitious martial arts television series will make its second season debut the same weekend.

Enter The Badlands

Set in a post-apocalyptic future, Into The Badlands is a martial arts fantasy created by executive producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar for the AMC Networks.

This groundbreaking series is everything Iron Fist is apparently not.

The following are explanations why Into The Badlands is the television martial arts fantasy to watch.

Daniel Wu

Onscreen, male Asian actors are typically not cast as leads.

They are often relegated to one-dimensional roles either as villains, sidekicks, the intellectual geek/nerd, or the sage mentor who only serves to aid the (usually) white protagonist on his heroic journey.

It’s rare they are ever given their own agency, character arc, or interior emotional life.

Not so with Sunny, the main protagonist of Into The Badlands.

Portrayed by Asian-American actor Daniel Wu, Sunny is the “regent,’’ the chief enforcer for Baron Quinn, a ruthless member of the powerful elite who rule society post-apocalypse.

Though a skilled warrior without peer, Sunny has grown weary of bloodletting, and yearns to escape the badlands for a more peaceful existence.

Daniel Wu (who also is a series producer) is a revelation as Sunny.

Wu brings not just martial arts expertise to the role, but also a soulful portrayal of a deeply conflicted man seeking to break free from a life of violence and servitude.

Being a well-regarded movie star in Asia, Wu was hesitant to accept the role of Sunny.

In his forties, he was concerned about the physicality of the role. He was convinced to accept the part because of the depth and richness of the character.

Romance And Sex

Another troubling trope common in the depiction of Asian men in media is the neutering of their sexuality.

Rarely are they depicted as romantic leads. They are never seen “getting the girl or guy” at the end of the story.

Most are written with the same sexual agency as mannequins, which further dehumanizes them.

In Into The Badlands, not only is Sunny involved in a passionate affair, his lover, Veil (Madeleine Mantock), is a Black woman who is also a brilliant doctor and inventor.

Image Property Of AMC Networks

An onscreen, sexual romance involving an Asian man is a rarity. The fact his partner is a non-Asian woman of color makes the central love story of Into The Badlands a most welcome progressive story element.

Martial Arts Mastery

Without a doubt, the martial arts on display in Into The Badlands is among the best on television.

Wu, himself a trained martial artist, helped design much of the show’s slick and elaborate fight choreography.

To help the less experienced members of the cast look great onscreen, they attended a six-week boot camp, and were trained by master marital artist Huan-Chiu Ku, who worked with Keanu Reeves for The Matrix, and Uma Thurman for Kill Bill.

All of this effort pays off handsomely, because the show’s combat scenes are completely mesmerizing.

As for fight scenes in Iron Fist? Well … they don’t fare quite as well, as one reviewer from Polygon.com described it:

“Speaking of, the fight scenes in this martial arts hero show are, well, bland. Nothing in these episodes approaches what Luke Cage or either season of Daredevil did by combining choreography, cinematography and emotional stakes into scenes that riveted the viewer. An entire episode about Danny fighting Themed Assassins was barely worth sitting forward in your seat for.” — Polygon.com

Post-Apocalypse Redux

Most films and tv series set after an apocalypse look pallid and bled of all color.

Everything is covered in an omnipresent layer of grit and grime.

The post-apocalyptic world of Into The Badlands seems born out of a technicolor dream.

It is a gorgeous show, with a sumptuous color palette of hues so rich and vibrant, they seem to leap out at you from the screen.

Completing its aesthetic is production design borrowing heavily from both Asian and steampunk influences, fused into a look unique on television.

Into The Badlands deserves all the accolades it receives for its breakthrough representation of Asian men, it’s compelling narrative, bold aesthetic, and riveting martial arts pageantry.

If you haven’t seen the show, it’s not too late to catch up. The complete six-episode first season is streaming now on Netflix. The second season will premiere on March 19, 2017 on the AMC network.

Check out the official second season trailer