WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Ravencroft #4 by Frank Tieri, Angel Unzueta, Rachelle Rosenberg and VC's Joe Sabino, available now.
Earlier this year, the Ruins of Ravencroft miniseries revealed the secret history of Marvel's institute for the criminally insane. As it turns out, the Ravencroft Institute was built a long time ago, and it's entire foundation was tied to ancient arcane events from Marvel's history. What's more, we also learned there was a secret wing in the establishment where patients were gruesomely experimented on. These procedures ended up creating a legion of monstrous creatures called the Unwanted. For years, these Unwanted were kept locked away, but they were recently freed after the destruction of the Institute during the Absolute Carnage event.
And in the Ravencroft series, New York City Mayor and former Kingpin Wilson Fisk has built all-new Ravencroft Institute, but the Unwanted have returned to take their revenge. The monsters have taken over the asylum, and the staff, which includes characters such as Misty Knight, John Jameson and Norman Orsborn, are at their mercy. Thankfully, Misty has a secret weapon that may come in handy: her very own Iron Fist.
In Ravencroft #4, Misty finds herself a prisoner in the building that was once her workplace, kept in line by a crew of monsters. However, a surprising ally manifests itself in the form of Norman Osborn. The former Green Goblin plays a trick on their captors, something that gives Misty the opportunity to make a run for it. Soon, she finds herself in the sewers underneath the Ravencroft Institute. However, she discovers that the path has been blocked by debris before she can truly escape.
The monstrous guards of the Unwanted then catch up to her, ready to bring her back to her cell. But Misty isn't interested in going back, not in the slightest. Accordingly, she unveils her new weapon: her new, upgraded bionic arm. With the click of a button, her metal fist starts glowing yellow. "Got me a whole new arm after that affair with Carnage," she says. "Got some new features, to boot. This one... Well, let's just say it was inspired by an old friend."
With this reference, she makes it clear that her new arm is meant to replicate the power of Danny Rand, the Immortal Iron Fist. While Misty's Netflix counterpart was always closer to Luke Cage, Misty Knight had a lengthy romance with Danny Rand in the comic book Marvel Universe, and the pair were even engaged for a time. Although the two ultimately didn't get married, Misty's new power still stands as a token of their time together.
Misty lost her last arm during the 2019 event, Absolute Carnage. In the tie-in series Lethal Protectors, Misty was trapped by Carnage and his followers, which at the time included John Jameson who had been infected by the murderous symbiote. In an attempt to escape, Misty activated her arm's new sonic blast feature, a known weakness of Carnage and the Klyntar symbiotes. Her attack was short-lived however, as the newly-resurrected Demagoblin ripped Misty's arm off. Therefore, after the event, Misty was in need of a replacement, and it seems like her new arm may have come from Danny Rand.
As cool as the idea of Misty Knight having her own Iron Fist sounds is, she doesn't get a chance to use it here. After she threatens the Unwanted with it, the Punisher comes to Misty's rescue and guns the monster down. With Frank Castle now on her side, Misty has an instrumental ally in the battle against the Unwanted. The fight is far from won just yet however and, hopefully, Misty will have the chance to use her iron fist before too long.