The Netflix era of Marvel Television was as successful, relatively speaking, as the Marvel Studios side of the house. In fact, Defenders aside, only one show disappointed fans and critics alike, but it might not have been as bad as originally thought. One thing everyone missed was that Danny Rand was supposed to be an unlikable hero on Iron Fist.
At the time, it felt like the Marvel and Netflix series would go for a half-dozen seasons each. Internal changes at Disney prevented that from happening, but Iron Fist had particularly bad timing. Iron Fist was the first new series to premiere after the 2016 US Presidential election, making a story about how a petulant billionaire becomes a hero less appealing. Still, the first season of Iron Fist was about how the people in his old life were all truly awful and the everyday folks, like Jessica Henwick's Colleen Wing, helped him gain a new perspective. The long arc for the character was his transformation from a privileged hothead youth to a hero. He was intentionally unbearable at times, but the writers and performers did their jobs too well. The show also followed the remarkable first season of Luke Cage, and the two stories couldn't be more different. Again, this feels intentional, since Power Man and Iron Fist are an iconic comics duo. Finn Jones knows this, recently saying that if the character came back it should be with Mike Colter's Luke Cage. It's not a bad idea.
Danny Rand Only Works with Luke Cage
In comics, the "billionaire superhero" trope isn't class commentary but an easy way to write an exciting story without having to fit a job into it. After nearly a century of it, though, perhaps it is time to examine that in live-action? A series based on the Heroes for Hire comics could do what the Iron Man films didn't have time to. A new Iron Fist series could examine how in every billionaire superhero story, the most fantastical concept for fans to wrap their heads around is just what a ludicrous amount of money that is. The post-The Defenders seasons of both Iron Fist and Luke Cage tried to do this a little, but by then the producers knew the party was over with the success of Avengers: Endgame and the then-future of Marvel on Disney+. Bringing back Charlie Cox for Daredevil: Born Again is a no-brainer. Similarly, getting Krysten Ritter back as Jessica Jones or Mike Colter as Luke Cage would be met with similarly universal acclaim. But poor Finn Jones' return would not be met so warmly on its own.
So, if Kevin Feige and company want (or contractually need) to bring Finn Jones back as Danny Rand, pairing him with Mike Colter's Luke Cage is a good option. Even if it's just a guest spot or a small arc on a larger series, the actor and the new storytellers could take a second swing at establishing the character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Iron Fist fans and detractors would probably both agree that the most interesting scene of him as Danny Rand was that post-credits sting in the Season 2 finale. The series could start as Luke Cage, himself a little too comfortable in his role at Harlem's Paradise, pitted against a Danny Rand who's gone a little dark with his magic guns. Cage could fight and ultimately help redeem Rand, while also recognizing ways he personally lost sight of the mission. Of course, there's also another character that Jones' Rand could come back with that isn't Cage.
Jessica Henwick's Colleen Wing Should (Also) Be the Iron Fist in the MCU
While doing press for her role in The Matrix: Resurrections, Jessica Henwick revealed she turned down the opportunity to play a new role in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings because she hopes to play Colleen Wing again. In the same post-credits tag that showed Danny Rand with magic guns, it revealed Colleen Wing was an Iron Fist but instead of her fist, her power flowed through her sword. It was one of the coolest thing in the entire series, and Marvel Studios should jump at the chance to bring Henwick back to tell that story. Bringing Danny back with Luke Cage would be less controversial, but some fans would want Luke to have his own show like Daredevil. However, it makes narrative sense for Danny to be in Colleen's story, and the hero gone-too-far and redemption arc fits better with his former partner than Luke.
Finn Jones knows that fans were disappointed by Iron Fist, and like with Hayden Christensen and the Star Wars prequels, it must sting because he did exactly what he was supposed to do. The character was meant to start in a place where fans didn't really dig him and grow into the kind of hero comics fans expect. Whether by bad timing or flawed execution, that story didn't work. Especially with all the multiverse shenanigans afoot, Marvel Studios wouldn't be wrong to give Jones one more chance.
You can judge for yourself whether Danny Rand was supposed to be unlikable by watching the complete Iron Fist series on Disney+.