Along with a petition to send to Marvel, supporters of an Asian American Iron Fist are sharing posts from sites like Nerds of Color and Comics Alliance, explaining why casting an Asian American actor would be a good idea for the new Netflix show.
Nerds of Color makes a good case:
“My call for an Asian American Iron Fist is not meant to displace Danny Rand from the story,” wrote Keith Chow, a contributor to the site. “It is, in fact, the opposite. In my mind, casting a young Asian American in the lead role does nothing to change his classic origin: He can still be the son of a wealthy businessman. He can still accompany his family on an expedition to seek out K’un L’un. He can still train under Lei Kung, the Thunderer. He can still seek revenge against the man who killed his father. Danny being Asian American precludes none of these things.
What does change, however, in making Danny non-white is that it removes the white savior syndrome of the original story.”
Chow goes on to add, “if Danny is Asian American, the scenes of him embracing the ways of K’un-L’un can be viewed through the lens of cultural reconnection.”
Fans ask Marvel to cast an Asian American in Iron Fist Netflix series.