Iron Fist is far from dead, despite Marvel’s Editor-in-Chief C.B. Cebulski teasing me otherwise at SuperManila Comic Con over two weeks ago. He knows it, and the whole world knows it. We’re dealing with comic book characters, after all—and if there’s one thing we can count on with superheroes, it’s that they don’t stay dead for long.

Such is the case with Danny Rand, who met his demise at the hands of the Ch’i-Lin in last month’s Iron Fist 50th Anniversary Special #1. In a brutal fight-to-the-death battle, Danny was killed in the final story. But if you scan the QR code on one of the last pages, you’ll find that he comes back to life… sort of. 

After reading the book, I knew I had to talk to C.B. about it, especially since I’d be seeing him at SuperManila in just a few weeks. He was the first person I lined up to see at the Con. I even brought him a gift as a token of appreciation for the exclusive interview he granted me at SuperManila 2023 last December. That interview was one of my best, especially since I was given the privilege of breaking the news about the upcoming 50th anniversary one-shot for Iron Fist. I couldn’t thank him enough for that.

Next, I handed him my copies (yes, “copies!”) of the anniversary special for him to sign. When he saw that I was wearing an Iron Fist shirt and cap, he joked that I shouldn’t be wearing them because “Iron Fist is dead” and that I was being “disrespectful to the dead.” I laughed and replied, “Yes, I know, but I’m here representing the Iron Fist community.” (“I know,” C.B. interjected.) Then I asked, “Is there something you can tell us to give us hope about Danny’s future?”

C.B. continued to tease me, repeating, “Iron Fist is dead.” I could tell he was being guarded about Danny Rand’s future. “But he raised his hand at the end,” I reminded him, referring to the epilogue from the anniversary special. That’s when C.B. possibly hinted at Danny’s resurrection.

“K’un-Lun works in mysterious ways,” he said.

“Yes, it does,” I replied, suspecting that C.B. knew more about Danny’s return but was keeping it under wraps. I decided to switch topics.

I mentioned that many in the Iron Fist community disliked having to access the epilogue via a QR code. In fact, one of my co-hosts at The Immortal Iron Fist Podcast: Sons of the Dragon didn’t even know the epilogue existed when we discussed the anniversary issue. C.B. nodded, but he didn’t comment further. I guessed it wasn’t the right time or place to dive into that topic, especially with a long line of fans waiting to meet him.

As he signed one of my copies, C.B. asked if I liked the “Rest In Peace” teaser on the cover. (You have to tilt it slightly to see it at the top.) I told him I thought it looked cool!

He also asked for my thoughts on Von Randal’s artwork in the Iron Fist 50th Anniversary Special. I told him Von did exceptionally well and that Marvel should give him more projects. C.B. agreed and added that both Von and fellow Filipino artist Miguel Mercado—who was seated just a few feet away—were set to receive more work from Marvel.

The very busy yet always approachable Marvel boss then thanked me for bringing the Iron Fist community together and for supporting Marvel. I think I responded with something like, “You’re welcome,” but the whole moment felt surreal.

I love it when C.B. goes into fan-appreciation mode—he looks you in the eye, remembers your name, and makes you feel truly acknowledged.

Afterward, we had our photo taken with the signed Iron Fist comics and the free postcards C.B. was giving away at SuperManila Comic Con.

Takeaways from my conversation with Marvel’s head honcho:

1. K’un-Lun is primarily responsible for Danny’s resurrection.
“K’un-Lun works in mysterious ways” could mean that the mystical city that turned Danny Rand into the Living Weapon is behind his resurrection. It’s possible that Sparrow or others from K’un-Lun learned of Danny’s death through Lin Lie or Pei, and took steps to break the barriers between life and death to bring him back.

2. Marvel has immediate plans for Danny Rand.
Despite some backlash from Iron Fist fans over Danny’s death, it seems Marvel has near-future plans for him. If they didn’t, they could have left him dead without the epilogue hinting at his return.

3. Major speculation: Von Randal will be an artist for a future Iron Fist project, and Miguel Mercado will do one of the covers.

This is purely speculative, but I believe C.B. mentioning Von’s work might hint at a future Iron Fist project involving him. Von told me during an interview that he’d love to collaborate again if given another Iron Fist project. Plus, Miguel Mercado told me at a recent event that he’d love to draw an Iron Fist cover someday. So, when C.B. mentioned both artists to me, it felt like a subtle hint that they might be working on something Iron Fist-related in the future.

I don’t know for sure, but I’m hoping I’m right.

Psylocke Solo Title

Psylocke is my favorite female character, so I wanted to share another anecdote from my time with C.B. I returned to his table the next day to have my Psylocke covers signed.

I thanked him for giving Psylocke her own series again after such a long time. I asked if it was going to be a mini-series or an ongoing title, and he said it would be the latter. If I remember correctly, he mentioned it would be a five-issue mini-series. However, the announcements say it’s an ongoing title. I’m hoping the solicitations and AIPT Comics are right, and that C.B. may have simply misspoken.