Speaking with IGN at New York Comic Con 2026, Finn Jones reflected on his return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Danny Rand, calling his comeback after nearly ten years away from the character “a wonderful gift.” The Iron Fist actor joined the panel discussion following the Marvel Television panel, where he opened up about how his version of the superhero has evolved since audiences last saw him in The Defenders and teased what fans can expect when Daredevil: Born Again Season 3 returns for its third and final season in 2027.
Jones, who first stepped into the role of the martial-arts hero during the run of The Defenders, said that returning to a character after such an extended absence is both unusual and rewarding. “It’s wild to not play a character for 10 years and then come back after all that time. For an actor, it’s a wonderful gift,” Jones told IGN. He noted that the intervening decade has reshaped him as a performer and, by extension, his protagonist. “I think personally people grow a lot in 10 years and as an actor you grow a lot, and characters grow a lot as well.”
An Evolved Danny Rand
Jones described the Iron Fist of this final season as markedly different from his earlier incarnation on screen. Rather than simply reviving the same version of the character, he said writers have delivered what he sees as “a new version of Danny Rand or a more of an evolved, grownup version,” which he found genuinely fun to portray. Describing the character’s tone, Jones called this iteration “very, very grounded” and noted it carries “a different quality to him, which is just a joy to play.”
While Jones declined to spoil specifics about what happens with Danny in the upcoming season, he did share how he has imagined his hero’s whereabouts during the years since he was last seen. He pictured Rand traveling the globe through various secret orders, spending time “down in ancient ruins in South America and in Asia and really honing his craft.” According to Jones, that stretch of the character’s life involved both profound loss and deep happiness. “I think he’s gone through a lot of grief and a lot of joy and I think that’s really forged the Danny that we see show up in Daredevil Season 3,” he said, adding that everything viewers ultimately witness on screen represents “a culmination of that.”
“The way that they’ve written Danny this year is – I’m just so grateful. I’m just so grateful [for] the level of attention that’s been put into the character. And I remember getting the scripts and I was just like, ‘I got no notes.’ I’m just ready to show up and give my all.”
Finn Jones
A Reunion With Fellow Defenders
Beyond his own character arc, Jones savored the opportunity to reunite with his former co-stars from The Defenders. He recalled stepping back onto set alongside Charlie Cox (Daredevil), Krysten Ritter (Jessica Jones) and Mike Colter (Luke Cage), describing the atmosphere as intensely charged yet exhilarating. “It was so charged, you know, like a lot of anticipation and so there was definitely nerves, but there was also a lot of excitement,” he said.
Jones credited that environment with helping him focus on what he wanted to bring to the role, while emphasizing the natural rapport shared by the four actors. “Being with these guys again – with Charlie and Krysten and Mike – there’s such a great chemistry between all four of us that you can really just relax into the dynamic that’s just between us all,” he explained.
The actor also directed praise toward the stunt crew, singling out coordinator Phil Silvera and his team for their contributions to bringing Rand back to life. “I have to say the stunt team working with [coordinator] Phil Silvera and his team have been really they’re they’re the best. They are the best and I’m so grateful to have them be so supportive and so imaginative bringing Danny Rand back into the MCU.”
Looking Ahead
Daredevil: Born Again is set to return for its final season in 2027, marking the culmination of Jones’s arc as Danny Rand within the broader Marvel Cinematic Universe. As anticipation builds ahead of that release window, fans will be watching closely to see how much of Jones’s imagined backstory ultimately surfaces on screen.
For more on what lies ahead for the franchise and its expanding roster of projects, readers can explore coverage of New York Comic Con 2026 and keep up with every upcoming title in Marvel Cinematic Universe: Every Upcoming Movie and TV Show.
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