Iron Fist has carved out a unique legacy within Marvel Comics, one corner box at a time. From his debut in 1975 to more recent appearances in 2024, the Living Weapon has evolved and is intricately woven into the fabric of Marvel’s visual history.

As we celebrate Iron Fist’s 50th anniversary, let’s stroll down memory lane and look back at his various appearances in corner boxes, from the classic images to the modern renditions of the Living Weapon.

1. First and Early Appearances (1974-1977)

Titles: Marvel Premiere #15-25, Iron Fist (1975) #1-15, Marvel Team-Up (1972) #31, 63; Marvel Two-In-One (1973) #25

Iron Fist’s first corner box is actually a corner ball back when Marvel tried out a different way of showcasing the lead character or characters in that tiny real estate on the cover.

The artwork is classic 1970s style and was drawn by Gil Kane with inks by John Romita. The image was used in Marvel Premiere #15 (Iron Fist’s first appearance) and up to the final issue of his first solo series. The ball/circle was ditched eventually, and Marvel soon returned to its rectangular roots by the third issue of the Iron Fist’s title.

As he gained popularity, Danny Rand soon found himself alongside some of Marvel’s icons, including Spider-Man and the Thing from the Fantastic Four. Iron Fist guest starred on Marvel Two-In-One (1974) once and paired up with everyone’s favorite wall-crawler thrice on Marvel Team-Up (1972), including the Daughters of the Dragon issue (#64).

2. Marvel’s Kung-Fu Mag (1975-76)

Title: The Deadly Hands of Kung Fu (1974) #21-26

One of the greatest “what ifs” for martial arts fans is the Iron Fist black-and-white solo magazine Marvel planned for a September 1974 release. Sadly, those plans never came to fruition, and Iron Fist instead became a regular in The Deadly Hands of Kung-Fu magazine.

He had an epic story arc imagined by writer Chris Claremont and artist Rudy Nebres, which gave the magazine several opportunities to feature Iron Fist in its corner box. It was used in six of the magazine’s 33 issues.

3. Joining Forces (1977-1986)

Title: Power Man and Iron Fist (1977) #50-125

When Marvel Comics paired Iron Fist and Power Man in 1977, the result was arguably the best buddy cop series in comic book history. Power Man and Iron Fist (1977) had three different corner box art versions (with minor tweaks on some covers) during their 76-issue run. The most popular one was illustrated by Kerry Gammill, regarded by many as the best artist of the series.

One of the creative liberties that Marvel’s editors allowed during the series was the use of the red-and-yellow Iron Fist costume in the corner box in four of the last six issues. When Danny became evil in one of the stories by James Owsley (a.k.a. Christopher Priest), the color of his costume changed to red,  a reflection of the change in his character from good to evil. Interestingly, the corner box for issue 122 featured a white Iron Fist costume, though it’s more likely that the color was mistakenly left off during the final printing stages.

4. Weekly Stories, Team Book, and Solo Titles in the ‘90s

Titles: Marvel Comics Presents (1988) #111, 113-118, 125-137, 140-141; Heroes for Hire (1996); Iron Fist (1996); Uncanny Origins (1997) #14; Iron Fist (1998)

Iron Fist appeared in several titles in the 1990s after visionary writer and artist John Byrne brought him back from the dead in the pages of Namor the Sub-Mariner (1990). Because of this, more than a few corner boxes were added to the Living Weapon’s ledger.

Marvel Comics Presents (1988) added new comic boxes showcasing Iron Fist whenever the comic featured him, but only when he wasn’t spotlighted on one of the flip covers. He also had two solo mini-series and led his own team of Heroes for Hire during this decade. His 1998 solo mini-series, despite lasting only three issues, featured a different corner box for #2 and #3.

In 1997, Uncanny Origins #14 retold the origin of Iron Fist and the issue promptly gave him a new corner box. The art was reused from the cover of Heroes for Hire (1996) #5. As you can see, it’s a reverse image of Iron Fist that series artist Pasqual Ferry illustrated.

4. Retro Corner Boxes

Titles: Power Man and Iron Fist (2011); Iron Fist (2017); The Defenders (2017)

The 2000s saw the disappearance of the corner box as Marvel Comics ditched their traditional look for a modern approach, giving more room to the cover artwork. But the corner box made a comeback years later. Iron Fist was featured prominently in a few new titles, including a team-up mini with a younger Power Man named Victor Alvarez, a new ongoing series fueled by his Netflix TV series, and a Defenders team title with Luke, Daredevil, and Jessica Jones.

Naturally, the corner boxes during this era were updated to give them a contemporary feel, with modern coloring techniques and new artwork. Mike Perkins (2011’s Power Man and Iron Fist) and Mike McKone (2017’s Iron Fist and The Defenders) were the artists for the latest corner boxes while the retro design for the second printing of the legacy numbering (no. 73) was an illustration from the 1980s by Denys Cowan.

5. Digital Corner Boxes

App: Marvel Collect! by Topps

The popularity of the corner box made its way to the digital world via Topps’ Marvel Collect!, a trading card game. Only two have been released so far, and both feature modern artwork with a classic, distressed design. As you can see, these gorgeous designs would look fantastic as corner boxes on future Iron Fist books.

The popularity of the corner box cannot be overstated. When artist Mark Brooks campaigned for Marvel to commission him to do corner boxes, his wish was granted last year. But the corner box artworks he created were used as variant covers, not as identifiers for the characters inside the comic book.

Unfortunately, Brooks didn’t include Iron Fist in his New Avengers lineup which was quite a disappointment for the Living Weapon’s fans. It would have been the first time we saw an Iron Fist artwork by the prolific cover artist.

Based on my count, there have been 23 unique corner box artworks on Marvel Comics titles (plus minor variations of existing ones) and two digital corner box collectibles from Topps over the past 50 years. Whether showcased as a solo hero, paired with Power Man/Luke Cage, or as part of a larger ensemble, Iron Fist’s corner box appearances tell the story of a character who has adapted, endured, and remained a familiar face in comicdom and beyond.