Danny & Colleen Are Different In 'Iron Fist' Comics

The newest Marvel Netflix series, Iron Fist, is introducing streaming audiences to Danny Rand, the final member of the future Defenders lineup, who is imbued with the skills of the mystical Himalayan city of of K'un-Lun. Fighting alongside him is Colleen Wing, a trained samurai who (spoilers ahead) soon becomes more than an ally. But do Danny and Colleen ever hook up in Iron Fist comics? All of Netflix's Marvel series have introduced a love interest for the main character, but some of those pairings don't come from the source material or feature original characters (like Luke Cage and Claire Temple, for example), so it's a question worth asking.

In the decades of Iron Fist comic book history, Danny and Colleen are usually friends and co-workers, and both often have a stronger relationship with Misty Knight. Colleen forms the Daughters of the Dragon with her, while in some comics storylines like The Immortal Iron Fist, Danny is in a romantic relationship with Misty, and the two even thought they were going to have a child together. (The Book of the Iron Fist revealed it was a "phantom" pregnancy caused by Danny's chi powers... it's a comic book, after all.)

Though Misty Knight was a big part of Luke Cage, she won't appear in Iron Fist Season 1. She will, however, appear in The Defenders when all of Netflix's heroes unite, so she could strike up a friendship with Colleen and relationship with Danny then. But for right now, Colleen is the one helping Danny battle The Hand, and there is actually a precedent for things to get romantic between them.

During Iron Fist's run on Ultimate Spider-Man, he was a member of a group of vigilantes led by Daredevil (not unlike the Defenders), who took aim at the Kingpin. But when his daughter with Colleen is threatened, Danny betrays the group and helps Kingpin escape in order to preserve the safety of his daughter. Ultimately, Danny winds up offering an assist to Daredevil in the climactic battle against Kingpin, but his love of his family was a major motivation. The focus of the run wasn't on the Colleen and Danny relationship, but there is a canonical precedent for the two being paired up.

But that doesn't mean things will be easy for Colleen and Danny. In February, Jessica Henwick, who plays Colleen, explicitly told Interview Magazine, "The most defining word that comes to mind is alone — in all its positives and negatives. She doesn't want to be anyone's love interest and open herself up in that way." So even as she falls for Danny on Iron Fist — and we see more of that relationship than Marvel Comics ever showed — Colleen Wing is first and foremost a fierce fighter.