I think the main reason this criticism of Iron Fist seems so out of bounds from hardcore comics fans is that Danny Rand has ALWAYS been white (since 1974).

In defense of the critics, one of the great things about exploring an "old" comic is that you get to evolve the character, as long as that evolution is in-line with the core attitudes and values of the character being evolved).

It would be hard to argue that Luke Cage, for instance, wasn't started so that Marvel could cash in on the Blaxploitation boom in cinema in the 70's. But, when Luke Cage came out on Netflix in 2016, the new Luke (while still Black) was hardly the Shaft with superpowers from the original comics. He remained rooted in Harlem but was MUCH more concerned about social justice than looking fly and cleaning up the cartoonish pimp buffoons of some imaginary ghetto straight out of white fears.

Iron Fist was, similarly, an attempt by Marvel to cash in on the Kung Fu craze in cinema in the 1970's. The mysticism was pure dime-store appropriated Colonization of and reduction of Asian culture to only the things that Americans appreciated (butt kicking). Asian's in America had become so reduced to caricatures by cinema that it became a frequent joke for comic characters to ask a potential Asian opponent if they "knew Kung Fu" before engaging in a fight with them.

It could be fairly argued that the original Daniel "Danny" Rand represented the ultimate end-game of Colonization. A white person who, through contact with Asians, mastered everything that white people could ever use of need from Asian culture.

So, while I understand entirely why comic book fans get mad when an obvious non-comic book fan criticizes Danny Rand's whiteness, this criticism actually has some historical merit. It isn't enough to simply say Danny Rand was "always white." You have to also be able to defend why it is okay that Danny Rand was "always white."

In addition, it is 100% fair to ask why Netflix didn't evolve the character.

There is ZERO evidence in the first seven episodes that this Danny Rand is trying to deconstruct the orientalist box his character originally sprung from.

On the good side, Danny doesn't spend a lot of time nodding to Asian mysticism (there is some gobbledygook about his Chi and meditation, but even here it isn't explained very well). But, on the bad side, the show is almost entirely grounded in the same stereotypes of Asians and of Asian New York City that have been trafficked in by Hollywood since the days of the studio system.

There is no attempt to show Asian culture in any light other than secretive conclaves (usually housed in the backs of Chinese restaurants) full of Kung Fu fighters and devious "wise and powerful" matrons and patrons.

And worse than that, in the ultimate colonial insult he even starts to teach actual Asians how to be better at martial arts. At some level, I understand since he is The Iron Fist, this was inevitable. But I think the creators and the folks at Netflix could have at least tried to diversify their presentation of what Asian culture in NYC was and is.

I am not saying Asians should be good at martial arts, but when you reduce Asian culture to 70's Kung Fu tropes, can't they even be better at that?

I get that we are in a new "post-PC" universe just like, supposedly, for the last 8 years we were in a post-racial society. But the truth is that "post" universes are just cloaks we provide ourselves for insincerity and carelessness.

Why do we think it is okay to reduce Asian culture down to ONLY Chinese Restaurants filled with martial arts fighters? To have the only other Asian character be a Kung Fu instructor (I have been informed she mostly teaches Kendo, my mistake, apologies)? To have almost all of the Masters of the Universe in this universe be either white or be orientalist caricatures?

Just Because PC sucks?

That makes no sense.

I don't think the problem is that Danny is white. I think it is the way they constructed an uncritical Orientalist universe around Danny's whiteness.

How you depict people matters.

Netflix had a real opportunity, they could have broadened the lens, they chose not to.

Iron Fist is Just Good Escapist Fun (The Colorblindness Argument)