Orson RandallIron Fist

Orson Randall is one of the Iron Fists of K’un-Lun, a mystical city where he was born and raised. After witnessing the horrors of World War I, he leaves his city of birth that made him into an immortal weapon and sought adventure.

Champion Fighter

In the late 19th century, inventor Phineas Randall, accompanied by his pregnant wife, crashed his experimental airship in K’un-Lun, an extradimensional city that normally accessed Earth every 70 years. Phineas’ wife bore their son, Orson, in K’un-Lun. Orson was treated like a native and was trained by Lei Kung, AKA Thunderer, K’un-Lun’s master of martial arts. 

Through intensive training, Orson became the champion fighter and underwent their ultimate trial, facing the dragon Shou-Lao the Undying and defeating it, allowing him to claim the power of the dragon’s heart. Like all the warriors before him who passed this ordeal, Orson was granted the mantle of the Iron Fist, K’un-Lun’s immortal weapon. 

Orson made journeys back to Earth to seek out adventure, but after fighting Germany in 1916 during World War I and being exposed to the horrors of No Man’s Land, Orson was disillusioned with combat and succumbed to habitual drug abuse, ignoring K’un-Lun, unaware his wife had been pregnant and given birth to a daughter.

Immortal Weapon

Through concentration, Orson could harness his spiritual energy, or chi, to augment his physical and mental capabilities to peak human levels. By focusing his chi into his hand, he could tap into the superhuman energy of Shou-Lao and temporarily render his fist superhumanly powerful, immune to pain and injury; however, this process was mentally draining, and he usually needed time to recover before repeating it. He could also channel this energy into his handguns, rendering his bullets almost indestructible. 

Orson could heal himself of any injury or illness and project this power to heal others, increasing not only his own lifespan but those of his Confederates of the Curious to a lesser extent. He could sense mystic energy, particularly that related to K'un-Lun. 

He was an exceptional athlete, acrobat, marksman and hand-to-hand combatant. He was a master of all of K'un-Lun's martial arts and many of Earth's and trained in the use of virtually all martial arts weapons.

A Weapon’s Enemies

When Orson tires of combat, he leaves K’un Lun but when the city summons him to the Tournament of Heavenly Cities and he ignores it, all the Immortal Weapons come after him. Orson kills the immortal weapon K’un-Zi and constantly evades John Aman, AKA Prince of Orphans. Orson discovers later through his father Phineas that the tournament was a farce.

The new K’un-Zi champion Davos, AKA Steel Serpent, goes after Orson with Hydra allies and makes an attempt on his life. He doesn’t defeat Davos but Orson gives his remaining life and chi to Daniel Rand, AKA Iron Fist, so that he is even more powerful to take down the Serpent.

Ties That Bind

Orson leaves K’un-Lun and adventures the world with a group of companions dubbed the Confederates of the Curious. The merry band includes a young orphan and Orson’s ward, Wendell Rand; journalist Ernst Erksine, AKA Lucky Pierre (or L.P. as Orson calls him); magician Shadu the Shady; ex-circus strongman Seamus “Chores” MacGillicuddy, AKA Seamus MacGillicuddy; machine gun-wielding Vera Vidal, AKA Contessa, and Barko the Dog. Though Orson’s departure from K’un-Lun sets all the Immortal Weapons after him, putting the group in danger so he disbands them.

When Hydra makes an attempt on Orson’s life, he allies with the new Iron Fist, Danny Rand, the son of his ward, Wendell. They fight Hydra and the Steel Serpent and Orson sacrifices his life and powers to further empower Danny to defeat the Serpent.

An Iron Fist’s Tale

It was 1926, Paris, France where Orson met journalist Lucky Pierre and made him his official biographer. While in Nepal, Orson met the orphan Wendell Rand and treated him like a son. Wendell looked up to Orson and hoped to become the Iron Fist himself one day, but Orson repeatedly dissuaded him. Orson began to adventure around the globe with L.P., Wendell, Shadu the Shady, Chores, Contessa and Barko as the “Confederates of the Curious.” 

In 1933, the “Seven Cities of Heaven” prepared for their Tournament of Heavenly Cities to determine which city would have precedence in manifesting on Earth, accessing it every 10 years; when Orson ignored K’un-Lun’s summons, the K’un-Zi immortal weapon was sent to force him, but he wound up killing the weapon; from then on, Orson was hunted by all the immortal weapons, most doggedly by the Prince of Orphans; though he helped Orson and Wendell when Wendell foolishly caught bullets in his hand by saving them from a maniacal Doctor Frankenstein but kept Wendell as his price. Orson eventually disbanded the Confederates of the Curious to protect them from his enemies.

Orson’s father was then held prisoner by the Prince of Orphans to draw Orson out; Orson responded to the trap, but his father Phineas informed them that he had been approached by the seven cities’ rulers to fashion permanent portals between them and Earth, revealing to the Prince that the tournament was little more than a farce. Orson encouraged the Prince to ally with Lei Kung and wait for the next Iron Fist to aid him in overthrowing the corrupt rulers.

Orson eventually became a recluse and gave all his wealth to Wendell who went on to become a successful businessman working with Harold Meachum in Rand-Meachum, Inc., and married Heather Duncan. While Orson lived in obscurity, in the decades that followed Wendell’s son, Daniel “Danny” Rand, completed the trials and became the Iron Fist. Danny remained unaware of Orson until recent years when the next Tournament of Heavenly Cities came due. The new K’un-Zi champion Davos allied with Hydra and attempted to kill Orson. Orson came out of retirement to find Danny, quickly teaching him how to manipulate his powers in different ways and delivering the Book of the Iron Fist, which recorded all of their line’s history. Orson fought side-by-side with Danny against the Steel Serpent and Hydra but was badly injured; Danny’s friends Luke Cage, Colleen Wing and Misty Knight arrived and fought off Davos. Orson convinced Danny to absorb his chi, taking the last of his life force to increase his powers.

Later, in K’un-Lun, Danny met Orson’s daughter; when Lei Kung’s revolution finally succeeded, Lei Kung became K’un-Lun’s new ruler and Orson’s daughter became the new Thunderer.