K'un-Lun

K'un-Lun
Location	Multiverse
Notable inhabitants	Alexandra Reid (formerly) Madame Gao (formerly) Bakuto (formerly) Murakami (formerly) Sowande (formerly) Danny Rand (formerly) Davos (formerly) Lei Kung Chodak Tashi Kuo Ming
Population	K'un-Lunans
Affiliation	Order of the Crane Mother
Appearances
TV Series	Daredevil (mentioned) Luke Cage (mentioned) Iron Fist The Defenders

"K'un-Lun. Where is that?"
"It exists in another dimension."
"Another dimension?"
"Yeah. It only appears on this earthly plane every 15 years, give or take, depending on the celestial tilt."

―Paul Edmonds and Danny Rand^[src]

K'un-Lun 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 in China every 15 years. The Iron Fist serves as the guardian of the gate and K'un-Lun's protector and destroyer of the Hand. After he lost his family in a plane crash, Danny Rand was raised by the inhabitants of the city.

Based on the desire of the Hand to capture the Iron Fist, he may be able to reopen the dimensional gate/portal to K'un-Lun.

History

Banishment of the Heretics

Thousands of years into the past, K'un-Lun had taught methods of healing through chi. However, five disciples made the decision to corrupt these teachings in the interest of seeking immortality. They were banished from the city to wander the Earth where they came together to create the shadow organization known as the Hand.

Although four leaders of the organization collected dragon bones and used the substance to continue living through the centuries with the hope of returning home, their true head, Alexandra Reid, has guided the Hand for the personal benefit of being immortal, caring less about returning to K'un-Lun.

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.

While there, Rand befriended the Thunderer's son Davos. The two boys grew together, participating in childish antics after their vigorous training.

Trial of Shou-Lao

Danny Rand enters into Shou-Lao's cave

"The trial of Shou-Lao. You survived. You're the Iron Fist. The people need to meet their Immortal Weapon. I'll be your second, standing beside you on the pass. Protectors of K'un-Lun."

―Davos to Iron Fist^[src]

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 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. 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.

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.

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.

Gallery

Painting of K’un-Lun at the Wall of the Chaste

K'unLun paint02.png

Close-up of the Painting

Trivia

• There are veiled references to K'un-Lun in Daredevil:
  • In the episode The Ones We Leave Behind, Madame Gao tells Leland Owlsley that she is returning to her homeland to reflect on the future. When he asks if she means China, she replies that it is "a considerable distance further."
  • In the episode Kinbaku, an article in the New York Bulletin read by Foggy Nelson refers to a "lost city."

External Links

• K'un-Lun on Marvel Database
• K'un-Lun on Wikipedia