Is Iron Fist bad? Marvel’s latest Netflix series panned in early reviews

‘In the comics, the man gets his powers from punching a dragon in the heart, but that’s withheld from us?’

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So, is Iron Fist bad? After a succession of mammoth hits, peaking most recently with last year’s Luke Cage, it seems Netflix’s joint venture with Marvel Television has hit its first bump in the road.

Iron Fist was met with controversy when it was announced by the studio. Many had hoped the comic, depicting a white American billionaire kung fu expert, would be revised to feature an Asian protagonist, and there was uproar when Game of Thrones actor Finn Jones was cast in the lead.

Now the first reviews are out, and the critics have not held back. Here’s a round-up of some of the most biting commentary.

The Verge

“Whatever [Finn Jones], Scott Buck, and Marvel attempted in getting this series right doesn’t go far enough. The end result is more often a boring, confused, and offensive mess of a series, one that’s as bad at diversity as it is telling a story that superhero fans will enjoy. It lacks the impact it so desperately needed after the successes of Jessica Jones and Luke Cage. And that’s a shame. Fans feared the worst when the series was announced, and all their fears came true.

IGN – ‘Starts off sluggishly’

“Marvel’s Iron Fist starts off sluggishly, seeming far more like a soap opera than a superhero series, complete with bland, pretty, rich people sneering and scheming over family fortunes.”

Uproxx – ‘Bland’

“If Iron Fist was an otherwise boring series with a hero who kicked butt in exciting ways early and often, I’d forgive the bland expository parts in the same way I do for a lot of action shows and movies. And if Finn Jones couldn’t fight but was otherwise a riveting screen presence blessed with sparkling dialogue and a compelling character arc, I’d get past the alleged living weapon’s lame physical prowess. But when neither part works at all, why would anyone but the most devout, masochistic Marvel completist want to watch?”

The Hollywood Reporter – ‘No characters I care about’

“Through six episodes, in addition to failing to introduce a main character I care about at all, Iron Fist hasn’t given me any season-long arc/objective that I could describe for you, much less one I’m curious to see resolved — and that’s before it hits that wall between episodes seven and 12 that none of the Marvel shows has been immune to.”

Polygon – ‘Iron Fist bad’

“I’m not surprised that Iron Fist isn’t a comedy. I’m surprised that it’s so bad. And it is laughably bad. Netflix has only provided reviewers with the first six episodes of Iron Fist’s 13-episode season, but watching them was baffling experience… I fully expected Iron Fist to be a decent adaptation ultimately hobbled by an unwillingness to stray too far from its dated source material. Instead, I found myself incredulously texting coworkers who also had screener access to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating.”

Collider – ‘Should be so much better’

Iron Fist isn’t terrible, and some of it is actually very good, but it should be so much better. What could have been the boldest series is instead the quietest. Seriously … in the comics, the man gets his powers from punching a dragon in the heart, but that’s withheld from us? If I wanted to focus more on reality I wouldn’t spend so much time watching superhero TV.”

Variety – ‘Plodding’

“Not one element of this plodding piece works. The action scenes lack spark, snap, and originality. None of the flat, by-the-numbers characters makes any lasting impression. And as origin stories go, the tale of Danny Rand, at least as rendered by this creative team, is about as exciting as a slice of Velveeta cheese left out in the sun too long.”

Is Iron Fist bad? The show comes to Netflix Friday March 17.