SPOILER WARNING for Iron Fist: Heart of the Dragon #4!
Iron Fist’s most recent quest has brought him into conflict with Wakanda’s fiercest warrior, Okoye. Larry Hama’s Iron Fist: Heart of the Dragon series follows the titular hero after he discovers that the Dragons of Heaven are under attack by the undead forces of the Hidden City. Tasked with putting together a team of heroes to save the lives of these beasts, Danny Rand begins his adventure to protect the cosmic balance. Sadly, Iron Fist learns in the latest issue that there are some heroes he can’t trust, as Okoye reveals that she has taken the opposing side.
Making her comic book debut in Christopher Priest and Mark Texeira’s Black Panther #1, Okoye is one of Wakanda’s most reliable and skilled warriors. Having previously served as a member of the Dora Milaje and now acting as the director of the Agents of Wakanda, she has undergone years of intense training and has faced off against several other popular Marvel characters. Perhaps one of her most impressive feats comes from Danai Gurira’s portrayal of the hero in Avengers: Endgame, wherein she manages to kill Corvus Glaive of Thanos’ Black Order in a blink-and-you-miss-it scene from the movie’s final battle. Clearly, getting on Okoye’s bad side is an unwise decision, but Iron Fist may learn that the hard way.
Okoye is roped into Iron Fist’s adventure after one of the Seven Heavenly Cities manifests near Wakanda. As Okoye leads the Wakandan Royal Guard in an assault against the undead forces flooding from the city, a masked rider arrives to kill the city’s dragon, along with several of Okoye’s soldiers. Looking to claim revenge for her fallen allies, Okoye pursues the killer. Her chase eventually leads her to the Prince of Orphans, who informs her that she must enter the Heart of Heaven before facing her opponent. Okoye takes this advice, and in Iron Fist: Heart of the Dragon #4 by Larry Hama, Dave Wachter, and Neeraj Menon, she arrives seeking answers from the Dragon of the Heart of Heaven.
While Okoye converses with the winged monster, Iron Fist and his band of heroes work to rescue a different dragon. Eventually, they too cross paths with the Prince of Orphans, who explains that they must meet up with Okoye in the Heart of Heaven. The team teleports there, but upon their arrival, they find the Wakandan warrior standing over the corpse of the dragon with whom she was conversing earlier, holding the beast’s heart in her hand. Iron Fist and his party look on in bewilderment and Pei, one of Iron Fist’s companions, shouts about how she thought Okoye was a hero. Okoye responds, “There are no heroes or villains at the crossroads of destiny… there are only those of us who must make terrible choices. We, who have been bidden to do the unthinkable. We, who must do what we least want to do… to restore the cosmic balance, and preserve all under heaven.” Whilst making this final statement, she charges forward and slays the dragon the heroes saved earlier in the issue.
This shocking turn of events leaves fans to speculate as to what motives Okoye may have. Throughout the story so far, Iron Fist has been focused on preserving the cosmic balance, but Okoye mentions restoring balance, which is something that the Dragon of the Heart of Heaven mentioned in their earlier discussion. This could mean that the dragon was the one to persuade her toward this violent path, but there are many other potential reasons for her betrayal. She could have been brainwashed into serving the enemies or maybe she’s learned something that the other heroes don’t yet know. Either way, such drastic actions are very out of character for Okoye, meaning there must be some explanation.
While readers will likely learn more about what has caused Okoye to go bad as the story continues, the ending of this issue makes it clear that Iron Fist is in major trouble. As mentioned, Okoye already has an impressive resume, and now she is able to add killing not one, but two dragons to her list of accomplishments. With the team that Iron Fist has pulled together, he still has a good chance of stopping her, but the fact that the Hidden City is able to sway a hero of her capabilities to their side is reason enough for serious concern. Iron Fist: Heart of the Dragon #4 from Marvel Comics is available now in stores and online.
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April 19, 2021 at 05:53AM
