Finn Jones thinks he knows why critics hate Iron Fist – and it has to do with Trump
The star of Netflix and Marvel's latest series admits that a "white American billionaire superhero" isn't exactly the easiest character to root for, but insists that fans will love what critics hate
Iron Fist star Finn Jones is well aware of the early critical mauling that the new Netflix series has received – and thinks it has something to do with President Donald Trump.
The actor admitted to RadioTimes.com that he understood why some early viewers might have struggled to warm to the hero with the titular 'iron fist' because of the character's privileged background.
"I think the world has changed a lot since we were filming that television show," he said. "I’m playing a white American billionaire superhero, at a time when the white American billionaire archetype is public enemy number one, especially in the US.
"We filmed the show way before Trump’s election, and I think it’s very interesting to see how that perception, now that Trump’s in power, how it makes it very difficult to root for someone coming from white privilege, when that archetype is public enemy number one."
He insisted that while reviewers have only seen the first six episodes, it will take the whole series and the Marvel follow-up The Defenders to truly understand Danny.
"Danny is a fish out of water, and you don’t really understand where he’s coming from," Jones said. "But I think there’s also a level of intrigue. People need to see the full series – Iron Fist doesn’t end until the last episode of Defenders. He really goes on a journey of self-discovery, and grows into the role. It’s paced out; it’s a long journey."
This is the fourth series Marvel has made with Netflix following Daredevil, Jessica Jones and Luke Cage, and has received by far the worst reaction from critics. RadioTimes.com's review points out that the drama shows "a privileged white guy [Danny Rand] mansplaining martial arts to a female Asian sensei (Jessica Henwick’s Colleen Wing), and it’s hard to believe that no-one found the optics of that troubling."
However, Jones hit back at the critical response: "I think it’s very clear and very simple; these shows are made for the fans, not for critics. I think the fans of the source material and the fans of the Netflix and Marvel shows will love what we’ve created. I think it’s that simple."
