Because...Chris Claremont demanded it, apparently; the matchup you never thought you would ever think about possibly maybe seeing: Sue Richards, the Invisible Woman, sparring with Iron Fist. I think this scene was intended to show that Sue is a strong, not-to-be-taken lightly woman, a tough mother. And she is using some of her forcefield powers, to create an invisible bo staff to beat Danny with.
Shortly after this scene, Danny unleashes the Iron Fist on Sue, a punch that could probably knock over my house, knocking her across a room. Using her forcefield, Sue quite literally laughs it off, as a wild ride. Yeah, because if someone took a swipe at me that could've reduced me to a red smear, but missed, that would all be in good fun.
Now, I'm not a kung-fu master (gasp!) but it seems to me, if your sensei or instructor or master can teach you enough to kick his ass in a couple weeks; he's either the best teacher ever, or a bit crap himself. This scene wasn't a bad idea: Sue training herself to be prepared for any situation she might face as a member of the Fantastic Four, that would be a reasonable precaution. (Although, using her force-field powers in such a situation seems like a cheat: would you need to fight someone hand-to-hand, if you could put a forcefield around them? Shouldn't she train without her powers?) Sue getting the skills to slap Iron Fist, probably the number two martial artist in the Marvel Universe? That seems unreasonable, and it makes Fist look like a goober.
Moreover, I'm not the biggest Iron Fist fan ever, but I don't think he would've used "the ultimate expression of his fighting skills," or whatever purple prose is attached to his Iron Fist technique, in a sparring match, with a student. Maybe Sue kept making fun of his slippers, or his sash.
And Danny's sash trails out like four or five feet, at least, in that shot. It wouldn't just be a hazard in combat, he could be killed by an escalator.
I cut it off there, but it looks like She-Hulk, Misty Knight, and Power Man all turned out to check out Fist getting his ass handed to him. And people wonder why he wasn't in the New Avengers.
Chris Claremont (Script), Salvador Larroca (Pencils), Art Thibert (Inks), "April is the Cruelest Month" Fantastic Four #6. (1998)
Good point. That's the equivilent of you or me taking a Martial Arts class with a knife. And a gun.
ReplyDelete"Ow, that roundhouse kick hurt but, hey, I just shot you in the face. Who's the real loser here?"
Also, since its a Claremont comics, it's probably the "focused totality of my Fu!"