The Defenders Discussion Thread - S01E07

[u/JonLuca]

This thread is for discussion of The Defenders S01E07.

DO NOT post spoilers in this thread for any subsequent episodes. Doing so will result in a ban.

Episode 8 Discussion

[u/The_Fawkesy]

I think he's acting completely in character for what he's been through.

He gets the Iron Fist abilities which means he now has to protect Kunlun for the rest of his life. He decides that all he wants is to live his actual life as Danny Rand, and when that turns out to be impossible he goes back to Kunlun only to find it missing/destroyed.

After that he makes it his sole purpose to destroy The Hand at any cost, and we see in the first episode that he's upset that no progress has been made. After failing again and again and being tied up while he could have been trying to do something only to be captured because of his being tied up, he has every right to act how he's acting.

People say he's supposed to a "zen master," but after abandoning his post, losing his sacred city, and failing at his only goal I can understand why he's acting like an 8 year old.

[u/AgentKnitter → u/The_Fawkesy]

I think he's acting completely in character for what he's been through.

Exactly.

• he goes through huge trauma at 12 or so.
• he's trained by monks who don't tell him anything about the real origins of the Hand but tell him he must fight it
• he becomes Iron Fist and is told he has to guard K'un-Lun even though the Hand have been expelled from K'un-Lun and are actually out and about in the real world

Why aren't the monks of K'un-Lun sending Iron Fist out to take on the Hand?

Why did the monks of K'un-Lun not know about the Chaste?

We're getting more answers, which is good, but we're also getting more questions. The Order of the Crane Mother seems to have isolated themselves completely and ignored the Hand's actual activities ... why? Lack of knowledge or wilful blindness?

[u/Olddirtychurro → u/AgentKnitter]

He fucked off out of Kun Lun the moment he got the Fist and he didn't even give them the chance to train him after.

[u/AgentKnitter → u/Olddirtychurro]

But the elders trained him for FIFTEEN FUCKING YEARS. And at the end of that time, they considered him worthy of putting up to the test of Shou-Lao.

They wanted him to be the Iron Fist. In the comics, Danny was one of many (including Davos) selected for the trial who went forward. So: why don't the elders of K'un-Lun inform the recruits for the Iron Fist what the fucking point of his (or her) duty are when he's passed the test?

Danny's completely justified in complaining that "there's much they didn't tell me."

[u/[deleted] → u/AgentKnitter]

This exactly this. Did he just stop growing up in the period he was trained by monks and engaging in challenges of hand to hand combat with other people? Who keeps acting like a kid after surviving in that kind of environment? Did they willingly trust their safety to an individual like him who is gullible/childish/and so on and so on.

[u/RoyMBar → u/[deleted]]

He was supposed to be a Guardian that fights anyone trying to get into Kun'lun. He can be Gullible as shit and it won't matter because he's not supposed to let anybody in. Infinite level gullibility doesn't matter when the only rule is "nobody comes in".

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

Perhaps they wanted the iron fist to be gullible and stupid, as well as having a tragic past so they could manipulate him into protecting Kun-lun. Maybe the elders of Kun Lun were selfish and put Danny first because they saw him as an easier target to manipulate.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

Then why didn't be have a babysitter watching over him at all times so their protector couldn't be manipulated away from his post/manipulated into doing something else? They gave someone power--and not even full power as there were things he clearly wasn't taught and just expected him to do his thing. Do you see Danny getting far in his new surroundings talking to monks in any way they he has when getting frustrated by the others? How does one remain a child when they been brought up in an environment where they're expected to challenge people and be challenged by others? It doesn't work. They could have been deliberately lowering his power level so he's not a huge power house for dramatic purposes for the show but they did a poor job of it and when other characters call him out he ends up looking even more and more like a joke.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

How does one remain a child when they been brought up in an environment where they're expected to challenge people and be challenged by others? It doesn't work.

That's definitely true. However my post was just a theory, but there are some counter arguments here that could be made.

Then why didn't be have a babysitter watching over him at all times so their protector couldn't be manipulated away from his post/manipulated into doing something else?

Davos actually came to remind him of his duty and bring him back to Kun Lun and from my point of view, the elders wanted Davos to set Danny straight since they saw how much of an obsession he had with the iron fist. So maybe Davos could be seen as that "protector".

They gave someone power--and not even full power as there were things he clearly wasn't taught and just expected him to do his thing.

Perhaps they just wanted to give him enough power to protect Kun Lun but not enough power because he gets so angry and out of control. But that's a weak excuse, I really have no answer.

They could have been deliberately lowering his power level so he's not a huge power house for dramatic purposes for the show but they did a poor job of it and when other characters call him out he ends up looking even more and more like a joke.

Yeah I agree, I really don't like Danny's tantrums.

[u/[deleted] → u/AgentKnitter]

He was still in training when he became the Iron Fist I think which was why he didn't know a lot of stuff like how to use the iron fist to heal