Marvel Comics’ Deadly Hands of K’un-Lun #1 was released on the eve of Iron Fist’s 52nd anniversary on Feb. 19, and it opens the five-issue miniseries with a bang. Writer Yifan Jiang and artist Paco Medina take on the responsibility of wrapping up a dangling storyline from Alyssa Wong and Michael YG’s 2022 Iron Fist run.

But what a way to shock readers right from the start!

Let’s dive into this first issue and discuss the writing, art, and more.

SPOILER ALERT! Please refrain from reading if you haven’t read Deadly Hands of K’un-Lun #1 and don’t want major spoilers. Otherwise, you’re good to go.

The Covers

The main cover of Deadly Hands of K’un-Lun #1, illustrated by Leinil Francis Yu and colored by Federico Blee, features Danny Rand as Ghost Fist, Lin Lie as the current Iron Fist, and Pei, the former Iron Fist-in-training. It feels like a genuine family moment with all three in their respective costumes.

This is the first time we’ve seen all three Iron Fists together on a cover, and it’s a beautiful way to showcase the legacy. I also like the Deadly Hands of K’un-Lun logo, along with the dragon emblem behind it.

Blee’s colors really pop, making the comic book stand out among the other titles on the shelves. I’m also glad Leinil kept elements of Afu Chan’s design for Pei’s costume and face mask from 2018’s Immortal Iron Fists. It honors what came before and, more importantly, affirms that the digital-first series is in continuity.

Grade: A

The variant covers are by Adam Kubert with Arthur Hesli and Léo Chiola with Erick Arciniega.

Kubert’s variant features many of the main martial arts characters appearing in the series, with Lin Lie’s brother, Lin Feng, menacingly looming behind them. Aside from the trio of Iron Fists, Elektra as Daredevil, White Tiger, White Fox, and Karnak are featured. Among them, only Karnak does not appear in this issue, as he is likely set to appear around issue #3.

Grade: B+

Lastly, there’s Chiola’s character variant, which is a solo cover for Danny. However, it still features the Undead Iron Fist logo instead of a Ghost Fist one (there isn’t a Ghost Fist logo yet). This could be confusing for readers, as Danny now appears to be operating under two names.

It’s an action-packed cover that likely includes a dragon, possibly T’an-Long, the dragon Danny encountered in the Underworld during The Undead Iron Fist series by Jason Loo and Fran Galán. Chiola’s style reminds me quite a bit of Kim Jacinto’s. The colors are vibrant, and Ghost Fist looks powerful. I like it a lot.

Based on solicitations and variant cover reveals, Chiola is expected to feature one protagonist from Deadly Hands of K’un-Lun per issue. For issue #1, it’s Danny.

Grade: B+

The Story

The Immortal Weapons No Longer

Right from the first few pages, you can tell this is not your ordinary Iron Fist comic.

There are deaths. A lot of them.

We see Lin Feng, now the ruler of K’un-Lun, working with Davos. That isn’t a surprise, but it’s significant because we haven’t seen what became of Davos since the end of Iron Fist: The Living Weapon in 2015. It’s good to see him back in the fold.

They destroy the Kingdom of Spiders and kill the Bride of Nine Spiders, who’s the first of the Immortal Weapons to fall.

Reading this, I couldn’t believe Jiang had the guts to make such a bold move by killing a fan-favorite character from the Iron Fist mythos.

Then we move to the Under-City, which is also being destroyed. The other Heavenly Cities—Z’Gambo (home of Dog Brother #1), K’un-Zi (where Steel Serpent serves as the Immortal Weapon), Tiger Island (home of Tiger’s Beautiful Daughter), and Peng Lai (home of Fat Cobra)—are no safer.

The Immortal Weapons had no chance against him. I had no idea Lin Feng was this powerful!

We also discover that someone has taken the mantle of Tiger’s Beautiful Daughter (who died in Iron Fist: Heart of the Dragon), and she’s called Tiger’s Faithful Daughter. But instead of opposing Lin Feng, she joins him.

Then we see Loki in Peng Lai, where Fat Cobra is brutally murdered by Feng’s forces. We last saw Loki in Wong’s Iron Fist run, and here he appears to be playing both sides since he will show up later in the Underworld alongside Osiris and Danny Rand. Knowing Loki, he clearly has a stake in this war, though his motivations remain unclear.

Lin Lie and Pei: A Brother-Sister Rivalry

After the credits page is shown, we see Lin Lie alongside White Fox battling an octopus-like creature. Lie shows that he can use the Iron Fist power in ways that Danny never did. It’s a good way to distinguish them, allowing for the newbie Iron Fist to shine on his own.

Once the creature is defeated, we’re reintroduced to “Uncle” Fooh, an inventor exiled from K’un-Lun. Lie appears to be taking direction from Fooh, who has effectively taken in the two young Iron Fists after Danny’s death.

Their dynamic feels natural. Lie now humbly accepts guidance from a K’un-Lun elder, a stark contrast to his earlier brash attitude toward Danny when they first met. It’s a welcome evolution for the character.

Lie and Pei’s relationship feels like a strained big brother–younger sister dynamic. Pei is still not over Danny losing the mantle of Iron Fist. She tells Lie he’ll never be as good as Danny was. Ouch! That had to sting. 

Her emotional attachment makes sense, given that she saw Danny as more than just her Thunderer. He was a father figure to her. As an Iron Fist fan, this is our first time seeing Pei deal with Danny’s passing, and it should be difficult for her. Other than Mayor Luke Cage and the characters in a quick funeral scene from Power Man: Timeless #1, we’ve never seen anyone close to Danny mourn him.

We also see the weight of Danny’s legacy on Lin Lie. Up until this point, Lie hasn’t felt truly embedded in the Iron Fist lore the way Pei has become to longtime Iron Fist fans. His acknowledgement of the legacy is a huge step in the right direction.

Major props to Jiang for adding these thoughtful subplots.

A Danny Rand Cameo

Next, we finally see what Danny is up to in the Underworld. He looks like he’s having the time of his life at Osiris’ expense. His lighthearted demeanor returns after completing his vengeful mission in The Undead Iron Fist. He’s called Ghost Fist here and described as “technically deceased,” not alive, but not fully dead either. Undead, if you will.

Loki offers to inform Danny about the situation in K’un-Lun. Whether he’s helping or manipulating remains to be seen.

The War Comes to Earth

Later, Lie ends up in Hell’s Kitchen with Elektra as Daredevil and White Tiger, battling Neon Dragon. Lie learns that Neon Dragon knows his brother until the villain escapes via a portal back to K’un-Lun, and we learn that Lin Feng’s army, led by Steel Serpent, is heading to New York.

That’s where the issue ends.

I’m not sure if Feng’s army is powerful enough to realistically threaten New York, given how many invasions the city has survived with the help of Marvel’s greatest heroes, who are mostly stationed within the city. Jiang will need to show us in the coming issues why this particular army can succeed where others failed.

The pacing is fast but controlled. Scene shifts are frequent, but they effectively convey the scale of Lin Feng’s invasion.

Now, let’s go back to the biggest thing that Jiang did in this issue—he really killed off nearly all the Immortal Weapons in the first issue (except for the traitorous Tiger’s Faithful Daughter).

That’s bold.

Before issue #4’s solicitations were released, confirming the Immortal Weapons’ return, many fans (myself included) were bothered. Who eliminates a beloved group in the opening issue?

Still, there’s hope. Issue #4 promises their return alongside Danny Rand.

How Marvel revealed such a major plot point in solicitations is puzzling. Unless there’s a twist coming. My theory? Danny may encounter them in the Underworld next issue, and they could return through a deal with Osiris.

Jiang doesn’t have an extensive writing résumé, his main previous credit being The Eternals: 500-Year War Infinity Comic. He’s reportedly familiar with Lin Lie through translation work on Sword Master.

For someone with limited credits, he handles these characters better than I expected.

Grade: A-

The Art

The interior art by Paco Medina, with colors by Ceci Dela Cruz, looks strong throughout.

Medina is handling a massive cast, and he pulls it off. The characters look the way they should. Even though he didn’t create them, his interpretations feel faithful.

White Fox looks fantastic. Fooh looks great. The backgrounds are detailed. The action is dynamic.

Most importantly, you can clearly distinguish Danny, Lin Lie, and Pei by age and presence. Danny carries a veteran’s weight. Lin Lie feels younger. Pei finally looks the correct age, something that hasn’t always been consistent in previous portrayals.

With this many characters and this much scale, the issue feels like a true Marvel event. Medina is a good pick as the artist for the series, much like Fran Galán was for The Undead Iron Fist.

Fun trivia: Medina previously illustrated Pei and Sparrow in Spider-Boy, which explains his strong handle on Pei’s look. Sparrow, the other Iron Fist character who Medina illustrated previously, is noticeably absent here. She should have appeared in the first issue.

Grade: A-

Final Verdict

The scope feels massive. Deadly Hands of K’un-Lun #1 feels like an event-level Iron Fist story, something I didn’t expect going in.

The pacing somewhat reminds me of Iron Fist: Heart of the Dragon by Larry Hama and David Wachter, which also opened with characters jumping from one place to another from the get-go. That series started strong but faltered toward the end.

So far, though, Deadly Hands of K’un-Lun feels tighter and more focused.

After one issue, I’m cautiously optimistic, but I have a good feeling about this series.

We’ll see where it goes.

Final Grade: A-