Let's drop all pretenses — Netflix's Marvel universe is really the story of Claire Temple, a nurse destined to cross paths with super-powered New Yorkers and ultimately become the greatest hero of them all. When each new series drops, I go into "Claire watch," just waiting to see how she shows up this time. There spoilers for Iron Fist ahead, in case you really do want to be kept in suspense. Claire shows up in Episode 5 of Iron Fist (same as Luke Cage, incidentally) and gets into the action quickly.
In both Daredevil and Jessica Jones, Claire finds our heroes at their time of need. While she treated Matt, Jessica, and Luke in apartments, she was a nurse at Metro-General until Daredevil Season 2 — when the Hand attacked the hospital. After leaving that job, she went back up to Harlem to spend time with family... and then got caught up in Luke Cage's drama. Luke Cage turned Claire into a bit of mad scientist, which I loved. However, when the dust settled from that adventure, she decided to take a more active role and signed up for self-defense classes taught by Colleen Wing.
Episode 5 of Iron Fist introduces Claire right in the middle of a private class with Colleen. Danny crashes the class for what appears to be a romantic dinner date, but with a boy like Danny Rand, honestly, who knows. Claire is a pal and sticks around until she's sure that Colleen is comfortable with a situation that could have gone Fifty Shades in a bad way pretty fast. However, soon enough she discovers Danny's involvement with the Hand, and Claire's Marvel adventures are back on track.
Claire and Colleen's partnership is one of my favorite aspects of Iron Fist. They make a really good team. While Claire is older, and probably New York City's foremost expert on the West Side vigilante scene, Colleen is her self-defense teacher. They have a really nice mutual respect; they need each other. It's a great dynamic, unlike anything I've seen before on a show like this.
When Claire shows up on other Netflix Marvel series, its often but not always as a love interest. There are glimpses at her home life (and those mad scientist skill) on Luke Cage and she's always in control on Daredevil, but on Iron Fist, Claire truly gets to be herself, and that's awesome.
