- "K'un-Lun. Where is that?"
"It exists in another dimension."
"Another dimension?"
"Yeah. It only appears on this earthly plane every fifteen years, give or take, depending on the celestial tilt." - ―Paul Edmonds and Danny Rand[src]
K'un-Lun (昆仑) is a mystical lost city located in a different dimension, and one of the Seven Capital Cities of Heaven. The gate to K'un-Lun can be accessed from China once every 15 years. The Iron Fist serves as guardian of the gate, protector of K'un-Lun, and destroyer of the Hand, an organization formed by heretics banished from K'un-Lun in the distant past. After he lost his family in a plane crash, Danny Rand was raised by the inhabitants of the city.
The Hand's determination to capture the Iron Fist suggests he may be able to reopen the dimensional portal to K'un-Lun.[1]
History[]
This section requires expansion |
Banishment of the Heretics[]
Over 2,000 years ago, K'un-Lun was the base of operations of a monastic order called the Order of the Crane Mother. The elders of the Order studied the properties of the ancient mystical force known as the chi, using its power as a healing agent. Five disciples of the Order sought to use their knowledge of the chi to attain immortality, transgressing the Order's teachings. The five were banished from the Order, eventually forming the shadow organization known as the Hand with the ultimate goal of regaining access to K'un-Lun and earning perfect immortality.
While four of the Hand's "fingers" determinedly scoured the Earth in search of dragon bones to create a life-extending elixir to ensure them more time to plot their return to K'un-Lun, the Hand's leader, Alexandra Reid, began to care less about returning "home" as the centuries passed, instead prioritizing her own immortality.[2][1]
A Young Orphan[]
- "K'un-Lun. It's one of the Seven Capital Cities of Heaven."
- ―Danny Rand[src]
In a severe blizzard storm, the aircraft of Rand Enterprises crashed in the Himalayas, the only survivor being a young Danny Rand. Feeling faint, he was found by two warrior monks Chodak and Tashi. The two brought Rand to K'un-Lun, where he was sheltered, nurtured, and trained under the guidance of Lei Kung, the Thunderer.[3]
While there, Rand befriended Thunderer's son, Davos. The two boys grew together, participating in childish antics after their vigorous training.[4][5]
Trial of Shou-Lao[]
Years, after both men completed their training, Lei Kung and the elders were to select a candidate to partake in the Trial of Shou-Lao. Although Davos hoped to be chosen, the elders picked Danny Rand to enter the Cave of the Dragon and defeat Shou-Lao the Undying. Rand traveled to the cave and met face-to-face with the immortal dragon. Eventually, he managed to punch the dragon's molten heart, obtaining the power of the Iron Fist.[6] Davos arrived at the cave to find an exhausted Rand resting at the entrance. Shivering and awakened abruptly, Rand summoned the Iron Fist, amazing his friend. Davos carried the exhausted Rand back to the village.[7]
Guarding the Gate[]
Now wielding this new power, Danny Rand was tasked with guarding the gate that connected K'un-Lun to Earth. He was accompanied by Davos, who was willing to stand alongside him to protect the city. One day, while meditating on a mountaintop, Rand contemplated whether he should stay at the gate or return home. His eyes soon saw a hawk flying down the Himalayas and he perceived it as a sign; Rand eventually abandoned the gate, leaving K'un-Lun without its protector.
Under the orders of Lei Kung, Davos set out to locate and bring back the Iron Fist.[3][7]
Attack on K'un-Lun[]
Danny Rand and Colleen Wing climbed the icy mountainsides of the Himalayas. Finding better footing, the duo traveled through the pass and discovered that there was blood mixed with the snow. Rand, further onward, learned that there were Hand soldiers dead on the ground; when he reached the gate, he noticed that K'un-Lun had disappeared.[8]
Appearances[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 The Defenders: 1.05: Take Shelter
- ↑ The Defenders: 1.04: Royal Dragon
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Iron Fist: 1.02: Shadow Hawk Takes Flight
- ↑ Iron Fist: 1.05: Under Leaf Pluck Lotus
- ↑ Iron Fist: 1.08: The Blessing of Many Fractures
- ↑ The Defenders: 1.06: Ashes, Ashes
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Iron Fist: 1.11: Lead Horse Back to Stable
- ↑ Iron Fist: 1.13: Dragon Plays with Fire