Marvel’s Immortal Dragons Just Became The Opposite Of Infinity Stones

Warning: contains spoilers for Iron Fist: Heart of the Dragon #2!

While many fans of both the Marvel comics and movies are familiar with the Infinity Stones, far fewer know about the Immortal Dragons, even as they’re becoming the Stones’ opposite in function. In Iron Fist: Heart of the Dragon – from Larry Hama and Dave Wachter – the kung-fu hero must prevent the dragons’ power being negated, facing a cadre of villains who wish to slay the Immortal Dragons in order to leave their own mythical beast unchallenged.

While Iron Fist got his powers from the dragon Shou-Lao, there are actually several such creatures dotted around the different dimensions that make up the Capital Cities of Heaven. Traditionally, each is defeated by a warrior from the city in question, imbuing them with the power of an Immortal Weapon, and then spends time regrowing their power until the next candidate is ready to repeat the process. For Danny Rand, defeating Shou-Lao made him the Iron Fist, and fellow heroes such as Fat Cobra and the recently deceased Tiger’s Beautiful Daughter gained world-class powers through similar trials. But while this ceremonial combat can lend power similar to how the Infinity Stones operate, the Hidden City wants to destroy each of these unique creatures so their own dragon can reign supreme.

With the Infinity Stones explored in both the comics and the MCU, it’s interesting to look at Marvel’s take on dragons and their powers in the Marvel universe. The way the Immortal Dragons are treated in Iron Fist: Heart of the Dragon seems somewhat inverse to how the Infinity Stones have been depicted in the past. Whereas with the Infinity Stones, the heroes and villains fought to combine them for ultimate power, here the race is on to keep each dragon separated and protected. Likewise, while the Infinity Stones need to be in an individual’s possession to lend their power – a fact which has led to some skillful last-minute ways of stopping omnipotent villains – the abilities the dragons convey comes from destroying them, offering no such clever reprieves. Most interestingly, this comparison draws parallels between the Immortal Weapons and the Infinity Watch – heroes who have formed groups to share out powerful artifacts in order to harness their power and prevent them being combined.

Iterations of the Infinity Watch tend to include characters powerful enough to hold on to the Stones they’ve been charged with protecting – heroes have even teamed up with Thanos, knowing he’d never let anyone else take his Stone – and there have been several eclectic line-ups that make the most of Marvel’s huge world, with characters like Wolverine and small-time crook Turk Barrett adding their own spin to the Stones’ power.

Now, while the Immortal Weapons are a collection of Marvel’s best fighters, it’s looking possible the powers of the dragons will likewise be awarded to some more well-known heroes. Recently, Tiger’s Beautiful Daughter was slain just before Black Panther ally Okoye – another warrior woman with a link to big cats – joined the battle, and Iron Fist has been told he’ll need to gather all Marvel’s heroes to win the day.

Compared to the cold, distant power of the Stones, there’s something more noble in protecting something that lives and breathes, such as a dragon, as opposed to collecting and preventing an item from falling into the wrong hands. A bond can be built between the heroes and the dragons who grant them power, and this is a chance for Marvel to bring some second-tier characters into the big leagues. As heroes and villains clash over powerful artifacts way cooler than the Infinity Stones, it’s an opportunity for Marvel to give the fascinating Immortal Dragons a new role in their universe, as well as to empower and explore the amazing Marvel fighters trying to keep them alive.

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