Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
The thing about a sprawling cinematic universe like Marvel’s is that it is absolutely packed with characters that you are dying to see more of. And since some of those scene-stealers have gotten their own shows (looking at you Agent Carter and Punisher), Marvel encourages your mind to go down the “Uuugggh I want [X] to get their own show/movie” rabbit hole.
That’s exactly what my mind did while watching Season 2 of Marvel’s Luke Cage, specifically one scene in episode 3 (“Wig Out”). That scene involved Misty Knight (Simone Missick) having a heart to heart with Iron Fist’s Colleen Wing (Jessica Henwick)–a heart to heart that turned into a down and dirty bar brawl.
There’s no shortage of brawls in the Netflix shows, but this one stands out as more kinetic and more electric than any of its peers. It’s a thing of dangerous beauty, watching these two absolutely wreck shop. Netflix needs to halt production on every other Marvel series right the hell now while they fast-track Marvel’s Daughters of the Dragon, because if that fight scene was a pilot, consider everyone sold.
There are two reasons why this scene slays. One is the obvious: it’s two badass women from different walks of life (Misty’s a tough as nails Harlem cop and Colleen’s a cool as ice martial arts master) beating up a whole bunch of dudes twice their size and half as smart. That’s always a thrill, full stop. The other reason, though, is because comic book fans know that these two are destined to become the Daughters of the Dragon, and this is just a teaser for a series that Netflix has to be teeing up right now.
Colleen and Misty debuted in the same Iron Fist storyline in 1974 issues of Marvel Premiere, introduced as a detective duo operating as Knightwing Restorations Ltd. These two have been a pair in the comics from the get-go, loyal to each other first and everyone else second. And when Danny Rand teamed up with Luke Cage, he brought the Daughters of the Dragon (a name that Misty and Colleen turned from a super villain dig into a point of pride) along with him. From 1977 on, Misty and Colleen have double-dated with Luke and Danny, forming a killer quartet comprised of two teams of two.
Because some things are still good in this world, Misty Knight and Colleen Wing are every bit as awesome onscreen as they are on the page. You saw that spark when they crossed paths in The Defenders, and Luke Cage Season 2 wisely starts that fire with a pep talk (these two have been through some ish) and a throwdown for the ages.
These scenes bring out the best in each of them. At this point, Misty is in her head about losing her arm (which she has every right to be–she lost an arm!!), and so far Colleen has been the only one to talk straight with her. And in Misty, Colleen has found someone that feels the same weight of responsibility and pain of betrayal (Misty by her crooked ex-partner Rafael Scarfe, Colleen by her manipulative ex-master Bakuto).
That’s why when the brawl starts, Colleen just sits back and lets Misty handle it. Colleen knows Misty needs to learn how to fight one-handed all on her own, to believe in herself again. But when someone tries to get the drop on Misty, Colleen is there, quick and able. These two have solid partnerships with the super dudes in their lives, but this is the relationship that you can already tell is perfectly balanced and calibrated for ass-kicking.
We need more Daughters of the Dragon, right now. And I don’t just mean in Iron Fist Season 2, which is where we’ll definitely see Misty Knight again (she’s been added to the main cast). These two need their time in the spotlight, either their own season of adventures or an action-packed Netflix feature film. These two were destined to come together, and now that destiny needs to play out.
