“Iron Fist” Producer Netflix Considered An Asian-American To Play Danny Rand? Fans Defend Marvel Series Amid Critics Casting Backlash

A new interview by Vulture revealed that the original actor for Netflix’s new Marvel series “Iron Fist” could have been Asian.

Asian-American actor Lewis Tan, the son of renowned martial artist and stunt coordinator Philip Tan, was initially considered for the role of Danny Rand, an orphaned monk turned entrepreneur and superhero. According to Tan, he originally read for the Danny Rand role before he was relegated to appear as one-off villain Zhou Cheng, who appeared in the show’s episode eight.

“Yeah, I read for Danny originally. I think they were highly considering it at one point in time, but it would have definitely changed the dynamic of the show. It would have been a different show,” he told the pop culture site.

He essentially points to casting calls as the main culprit behind casting a white actor instead to lead the series. He posits, “That’s what I’ve been dealing with my whole life. So I understand those frustrations of being an outsider. Like Danny’s character. I understand him very well.”

He also said that if an Asian-American actor was cast instead and is not necessarily him, the show would be very different. He added, “It would have been a really interesting dynamic to see this Asian-American guy who’s not in touch with his Asian roots go and get in touch with them and discover this power.”

Tan’s comments came amid the wide backlash it received from critics, especially with the show’s casting of Finn Jones as the legendary Iron Fist. However, fans came in droves on Twitter in support of the series, the Telegraph said. The news site noted that while critics were only given access to the first six episodes, fans of the show would no doubt have watched all 13 for Season One.

“On episode 10 of #IronFist this show is brilliant what where the critics talking about,” one fan tweeted.